Council Dispatch #184     August 10, 2023

 

Tribal Council

 

  • Chairman McDonald informed council that the announcement from Three Chiefs was sent out and they should have received a copy, Ruth Swaney worked on the account balance for Indian Health Service, and Council received the draft press release from Chelsea regarding Elk River and the International Joint Commission that needs council concurrence.

 

  • Len TwoTeeth talked about the Food Sovereignty program that is currently funded by grant dollars. The staff is focused on community gardens and Len suggested going beyond the grant funding and look at donating a 20- or 40-acre tract of land for their use to sustain the program on its own. Chairman McDonald commented that we are making a major investment in the Irrigation Project and he is interested in how Salish Kootenai College can extend Virgil’s program and operate one of these operations we have the same way we are doing Native Fish Keepers.  We could use that template for a farm-to-market program. If we are successful in getting the meat slaughter house in Ronan for producers to bring in items, then we could tack on valued products such as jerky. It could be framed under a nonprofit commercial enterprise and fund what Len is talking about. There is funding available through the USDA. We need to establish a committee and get it figured out. It fits into our climate change initiative. We could expand the  resources we have from the work we are doing with the Irrigation Project. Council will discuss further with the Tribal Lands Department.

 

  • Chairman McDonald mentioned the letter to the Salish Kootenai College Board of Directors went out yesterday, and he thanked Brian Upton for doing a great job on drafting it.

 

Division of Fire

 

  • Ron Swaney met with council to answer any questions they have. Chairman McDonald talked about everyone doing their due diligence and making sure everyone is communicating and on the same page. Superintendent Hendrickson met with the council at the chair’s meeting and discussed options moving forward. When Shane gives fire updates, Tom wants the Division of Fire staff present.

 

Legal Department

 

  • Council reached consensus to approve two letters to Senator Tester and Senator Daines regarding the judicial vacancy in U.S. District Court for District of Montana. One of the letters will be from the CSKT and one will be from the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council.

 

Mission Valley Power

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures for the Business Checking Account at Valley Bank for Mission Valley Power P.L. 93-638 Contract.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures for the Certificate of Deposit Account at Valley Bank for Mission Valley Power P.L. 93-638 Contract.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures for the On-Line Payment Sweep Account at Eagle Bank for Mission Valley Power P.L. 93-638 Contract.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures for the Depository Checking Account at Eagle Bank for Mission Valley Power P.L. 93-638 Contract.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures for the Commercial Money Market Account at Eagle Bank for Mission Valley Power P.L. 93-638 Contract.

 

Interviews

 

  • Council conducted interviews for the Two Eagle River School Board and took action to accept the results of the ballots and appoint Mignon Harris and Levi Hewankorn to the Two Eagle River School Board for a four-year term.

 

  • Council conducted interviews for the Tribal Gaming Commission and took action to accept the results of the ballots and appoint Les Trahan to the Tribal Gaming Commission for a three-year term.

 

  • Council took action to appoint Shawn DeFrance to the Shoreline Protection Board to fill the unexpired term ending September 1, 2023.

 

  • Council took action to appoint Merida Kipp to the S&K Business Services Board of Directors for a two-year term. 

 

  • Council took action to appoint Rich Janssen as the tribal representative on the Lake County Planning Board.

 

  • Council took action to support the nomination of Maggie Goode to serve on the USDA Tribal Advisory Committee.

 

Veterans Affairs

 

  • Buck Richardson, Bill Rogers and Lloyd Jackson met with the council to discuss services to veterans. Buck gave an overview of the PACT Act claims and recommended retaining the records for seven years before being destroyed. Buck informed council that they will be here on October 17 to hold a PACT Act Claims Clinic and assist veterans with filing their claims. Lloyd will be retiring from his position as Tribal Veteran Representative and that vacancy will need to be filled. Tracy Plaiss, Tribal Health Department Veterans Healthcare Advocate, files claims and assists veterans, and she would like to retain the veterans’ files. Buck would like the veterans to sign a form authorizing Tracy to work with those files that have been compiled over the years due to private information contained in the files. Buck recognized Lloyd Jackson and Bill Rogers for their years of service as Tribal Veterans Representatives and presented them with a certificate of appreciation from the Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Health Network. Council thanked them for their years of service.

 

Montana Historical Society

 

  • Major Robinson, Steve Lozar, Molly Kruckenberg and Jinny Sullivan informed council that Steve Lozar is retiring from his position as the CSKT representative for the Montana Heritage Center project and recommended that Marie Torosian be appointed to replace him. Steve plans to remain a member of the Montana Historical Society. Council took action to appoint Marie Torosian to the Montana Heritage Center Tribal Stakeholders Group.

 

  • Molly Kruckenberg gave an overview of the Montana Heritage Center project to build a 66,000 square-foot addition to the existing building and a complete renovation of the 95,000 square-foot building. The Montana Historical Society needs $250,000 to complete the project and requested a donation from the Tribes. The various donor levels are platinum for $50,000; gold for $25,000; and silver for $10,000. Council took the request for contribution under advisement.

 

Tribal Lands Department

 

  • Council approved a memorandum of agreement with Tribal Forestry for the fire funding from the Burned Areas Management Plan.

 

  • Council showed interest in the land exchange and land purchase with Clayton Matt and Ronda Howlett.

 

  • Council showed interest in purchasing Allotments 3014, 3014-A and 4379 from the Matt family.

 

  • Council approved a request from Glenn Tremper for renewal of a nontransferable existing reciprocal easement along Safety Bay Lane for a 50-year term at no cost due to the benefit to the Tribes.

 

  • Council denied a request from Mission Valley Power for a utility easement to construct new overhead power along Highway 200.

 

  • Council granted James and Linda Byler a revocable use permit.

 

 

NOTE:  The official Council Minutes will contain more complete details about lengthy discussions and should be considered the official record of Council. Dispatches are written from notes taken live and may occasionally contain partial information, over-simplified characterizations or an occasional error. Council reviews and corrects the draft minutes before approving as the official record.  Comments (both affirmations and concerns) are part of change and are expected and encouraged. Along with any specific comments, please also share what you would like to hear more about in upcoming communications. The email address for comments is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..