The government owes $520,913.84 in retroactive salaries mandated by a 1991 law to over 100 employees on Tinian, most of whom are no longer in service and some have already passed away.
Dela Cruz said he will find out if the municipal government could borrow money from the Marianas Public Land Trust.
Another option, he said, is the taxes from Tinian Dynasty paying the beneficiaries by installments.
The last payment of $2,082 to each employee was made on March 2, 2007.
Dela Cruz admitted that the retroactive salaries are a long overdue obligation of the CNMI government which transferred the responsibility to the municipal government..
“Unfortunately when I came into office we don’t have the money to pay for it,” he said.
