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Committee questions mayor’s staffing counts, MOUs and a $59,067 fringe‑benefit variance
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Summary
Committee members pressed the mayor on funded vs. vacant FTEs, use of MOU/MOA staff in other agencies, and a $59,067 variance in fringe benefits between the mayor’s submission and the governor’s proposal.
At the Tinian FY‑2026 budget hearing, representatives pressed the mayor’s office for details on staffing counts, how MOU/MOA employees are funded and the source of a $59,067 fringe‑benefits variance between the mayor’s budget request and the governor’s proposal.
Mayor Edwin Piaudon told the committee his office has 141 positions overall; he later explained that 130 FTEs are currently funded and 11 FTEs are dollar‑funded but not filled. “The other 11 FTEs are not funded…we submit the budget in February; the governor’s proposal comes out in March. So, you know, things change during that time frame,” said Alan Perez, who the mayor called to answer personnel questions.
Representatives asked whether MOU/MOA employees (staff provided to other agencies under memorandum agreements) are paid from the mayor’s budget. The mayor’s office confirmed that MOU positions are paid from the mayor’s account and that several municipal staff serve in autonomous or central agencies under MOUs, including at the Public School System (PSS). “All the MOUs are paid for by the mayor’s office. Okay. They're all mayor's office FTEs,” the mayor said in response to a member’s question.
On the fringe‑benefits variance, OMB representative Vicky Villegomis explained the difference is caused by benefit elections that change after municipalities submit budgets: “When OMB receives the budget package…we verify the actual benefits that the employee is currently, you know, opting to. So we make adjustments to the budget based on what's actual in the system versus what's being projected by the municipality.”
Committee members expressed concern about the sustainability and transparency of funding staff placed in other agencies, possible lack of personnel protections for MOU employees, and how MOUs record the subaccount or funding source. Members asked the mayor to provide a written breakdown of the total number of MOU/MOA staff and the funding sources for those positions.
The hearing produced no formal votes on staffing policy. Members said they will follow up with the Department of Labor and other agencies later in the hearing to discuss labor protections and funding transitions for municipal employees.
