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Rota finance director warns staff are 'nearing burnout,' seeks FTEs, vehicles and training
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Summary
Resident Director Avery Hoco Calvo told the CNMI Ways and Means Committee that Rota’s Department of Finance is understaffed, underfunded for operations and training, and struggling to maintain vehicles and inspection capacity without additional FTEs and equipment.
Resident Director Avery Hoco Calvo, head of the Department of Finance for Rota, told the CNMI Ways and Means Committee on June 5 that her office is short-staffed, that longer-term within‑grade increases have stalled and that remaining employees are “nearing burnout.”
Calvo said the department has 22 staff but many positions carry wages and duties unchanged since 2020–2021. “I cannot continue to ask my technicians to perform the jobs of agents,” Calvo said, adding she feared running staff “into the ground” and that, if conditions do not improve, she would “tender my resignation.”
The testimony detailed multiple operational gaps: a single shared vehicle for several divisions, a lack of secure, enclosed office space for taxpayer records, and limited professional‑development funding that leaves staff training dependent on cell‑phone videos. Calvo also described enforcement and biosecurity needs, saying biosecurity inspectors had lost a canine handler because of low pay, and that inspectors sometimes work without standard safety gear such as life vests and bulletproof vests.
Calvo asked the committee to approve new FTEs and to restore or authorize within‑grade increases so promotions and competitive wages reflect current workloads. She requested funds for reliable vehicles, professional development (including purchase of tablets and in‑person training), repairs and secure office space. She told lawmakers that her office has requested a pickup configured for enforcement operations — she cited a requested price of about $135,000 for a police‑package pickup needed for safe prisoner transport — and asked for repair budgets for aging vehicles used across divisions.
Officials and committee members discussed treasury and revolving‑fund operations, including the municipality’s efforts to create and test local revolving accounts. Calvo said local collections and pilot revolving funds could help support operations but cautioned those accounts must be bounded by clear statutory or budget language to prevent repurposing that would hamper the department’s work.
Discussion only: Rota finance presented requests and evidence of operational strain; no formal appropriation or vote occurred during the hearing. Committee members asked for follow‑up cost breakdowns and asked the Department of Finance to work with central OMB and the governor’s office on pay‑level and FTE solutions.
