THE Tinian Department of Finance resident director, Milissa A. Mendiola, is asking Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita for assistance to pay the prepaid utility meter account for the island’s Customs Division.
In her Dec. 1, 2023 letter, Mendiola said because the resident department on Tinian “has exhausted all the means available to us, it leaves me no choice but to reach out to our state counterparts for assistance.”
She told Norita that if payment is not made for the prepaid CUC account for Customs on Tinian, her letter “will serve as our formal notification to your office that the utilities will be disconnected on or about Jan. 8, 2024.”
“Please understand that when this does happen, we will have no choice but to limit our services to the community of Tinian until such time our immediate utility needs are addressed,” Mendiola said.
She noted that Gov. Arnold I. Palacios vetoed the proposal that would have allowed the central government to pay for the utility costs of the Tinian, Rota and Saipan municipalities, “leaving us with no resources to cover the cost of utilities.”
Mendiola said the resident department on Tinian has no revolving account. Additionally, no operating funds were given to them, and “we have exhausted our only other option of personnel lapses,” she added.
