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Public commenters press Tinian delegation on vendor payments and transit funding; officials say transit operations will shift to KODA staff
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Summary
Public commenters urged the Tinian Legislative Delegation to address unpaid vendor bills and municipal revenue shortfalls and requested a $1,500 reappropriation for transit operations; delegation and municipal officials said Commonwealth transit (referred to on the record as CODA/Koda) will staff bus operations by mid-summer.
During the delegation’s public-comment period, multiple speakers urged the body to address municipal cash flow and vendor payments and requested reappropriation of local transit funds.
Public commenter Mira Don told the delegation it was “sad” that funds were not being properly identified in the budget and urged leaders to find revenue sources to pay vendors and sustain operations. Don also said locally collected revenues on the island had risen, asserting that collections were “almost $12,000,000,” and asked the delegation to act on appropriations already on the calendar. Those dollar and budget figures were presented as statements by the speaker and were not confirmed in the session record.
Separately, a speaker identified on the record as representing the municipal council asked the delegation to appropriate $84,000 (House Local Bill 24-07, discussed elsewhere in the session) and also requested that $1,500 from Local Law 23-11 be reappropriated to operations for the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority (as stated on the record). That speaker said the reappropriation would “greatly assist the mayor of Tinian and programs that are vital.”
A delegation official (identified on the record as speaking after the council representative) explained that the island’s van/bus service is transitioning to an outside transit operator described in the record as CODA (or Koda), and said that the operator had begun hiring personnel and that municipal leaders expect the operator’s staff and fully funded operations to be in place “by mid‑summer.” The official asked the community to be patient as the transition and coordination continue.
Why it matters: the public comments raise concerns about municipal cash flow, budget transparency and the continuity of local transportation services. The delegation recorded the public comments and introductions; no appropriation votes or reappropriation approvals were taken during the session.
