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Rota mayor seeks restored FTEs, stable local revenue and CBP fixes to expand weekend flights
Summary
Mayor Aubrey Holcook asked the House Ways and Means committee to preserve municipal personnel, help resolve utility liabilities, protect municipal revenue streams and to support changes that would let Rota customs clear passengers so weekend flights from Guam become viable.
Mayor Aubrey Holcook told the House Ways and Means committee June 5 that maintaining municipal FTEs, resolving utility arrears and expanding local revenue authority are central to Rota's economic and service recovery.
"It is the mission of the municipality to maximize opportunities for social and economic development while retaining an attractive, sustainable, and safe environment for my people and our visitors," Holcook said, recapping the municipality's recent project work and federal grant activity that has funded public‑works, housing and other upgrades.
Holcook asked lawmakers to preserve the municipality's FTE baseline (he noted 110 filled FTEs and the municipality's intent to hold 118 FTEs) and to consider local revenue tools that could be insulated from general‑fund emergency taps. The mayor also urged legislative and executive support for changing how Hotel Occupancy Tax and other tourism‑related proceeds are treated — so the municipality can use funds for marketing and to support tourism services that in turn drive local economic activity.
Holcook and committee members discussed operational impediments to better air links with Guam. The municipality and delegation have been paying to fly a CBP officer to Rota for passenger processing; Holcook supported a permanent solution that would let Rota customs do CBP clearance under an MOU and thus support more weekend flights.
Why it matters: Restoring municipal personnel, securing predictable local revenue, and enabling regular commercial links to Guam are core elements in the mayor's plan to restore visitor flows and increase local incomes. Small, regular tourism flows (weekend visitors) are a central economic goal for Rota's recovery.
Key details: - FTEs: Holcook asked the committee to support retention of municipal FTEs and to consider designating funds or mechanisms that protect municipal revenue from emergency reallocation. - Utilities and arrears: The mayor said many municipal accounts have been converted to Nighthawk meters and that the administration is negotiating with Commonwealth Utilities Corporation and the governor's office to address outstanding liabilities. - CBP clearance and flights: Holcook said the delegation has been subsidizing daily CBP officer travel to Rota to clear arriving passengers; he and delegation members said an MOU or CBP accommodation that empowers Rota customs to clear flights would reduce those costs and enable weekend service.
Next steps: Holcook asked the legislature to consider statutory and budget language that would allow municipalities to pilot revolving accounts and earmark local proceeds for municipal use; the mayor said he would continue to work with OMB, the governor's office and the Rota legislative delegation to implement these ideas.
