Northern Islands mayor asks House Ways and Means to fund staff, charters, connectivity and rulemaking

At a House Ways and Means Committee budget hearing, Mayor Valentino Teyscan Jr. of the Northern Islands asked lawmakers to include his office’s FY2026 budget requests and to consider temporary authority for the mayor’s office to collect landing or access fees to support operations and resettlement work.

The request included carrying three positions previously funded elsewhere into the general fund, funding for vessel charters and contingency professional services, utilities, food for events, and continued work on infrastructure and resettlement planning. Mayor Teyscan said the Northern Islands municipality comprises 10 islands, five prioritized for economic development and resettlement, and appealed for equitable funding to support infrastructure, internet connectivity and safe-housing blueprints.

Why it matters: funding and short-term authority to collect landing fees would directly affect the mayor’s ability to transport people and supplies to the remote islands, sustain on-site staff, and advance resettlement and development projects that depend on connectivity and resilient buildings.

Most important facts

- Staffing and budget baseline: Committee members questioned a discrepancy between 17 positions listed on the worksheet and the mayor’s statement that 14 employees are currently on payroll. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) staff clarified the FY2026 request removes three positions and will carry one federally funded position into the general fund; the mayor confirmed he currently has 14 employees.

- Charter and transportation costs: The mayor requested $50,000 under “rental and others” to fund vessel…