Monthly Fono spending detailed in Treasury's
report to Gov. Togiola

Monthly financial overview reports for local funds submitted from the Treasury Department to Governor Togiola Tulafono reveals that the monthly expenditures for the local Legislature, on average, are constantly dwindling on the half-million-dollar mark.

In June 2007, the Fono spent a total of $530,357, which is an increase from the $470,554 it expended the same time last year.

The bulk of the money went to the Senate, $205,504 to be exact, followed by the House of Representatives with $182,490, the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) with $68,752, the Legislative Finance Office (LFO) with $72,357, and computer expenses totaling $1,264.

Not a single cent was spent on Fono repairs for that month.

The Senate spending for last month alone was $53,539 more than the same time last year, with the LFO following suit with an increase of $24,616 in their spending compared to June 2006.

Money spent on computers remained the same while the House of Representatives and the LRB decreased their spending by a combined total of $18,353.

Earlier this year in May, the Fono decreased its spending to $561,534, down from the $602,110 it expended the same time last year.

But this time, it was the Senate that decreased its spending while the House of Representatives and the LFO contributed to a combined spending increase of $33,285.

Earlier this year in February, Fono expenditures amounted to $501,419, up from $409,361 the same time last year.

But they did better in the next two months. By March 2007, the Fono spent $483,434 compared to $679,630 in March 2006, and they did the same thing the following month in April, when spending was cut from $539,095 in April 2006 to $507,735 the same time this year.