Council Dispatch #190 August 31, 2023
Tribal Member
- Delores Fisher met with council regarding her rental increase in senior housing which increased from $150.00 to $1,100.00 per month. Jody Cahoon Perez and Shannon Sheridan, Salish Kootenai Housing Authority, advised the staff is following policy. Any actions of the staff are grieveable to the Housing Board of Commissioners. This issue should have been presented to the Housing Board instead of the Tribal Council. Delores is over-income, and her per capita is not included in the calculation. Any income less than $2,000.00 is not included in the income calculation. Because Delores is over-income, she cannot receive the low-rent benefits and she must pay fair market value. SKHA policy complies with the federal regulations, and SKHA must comply with the regulations to administer the HUD funding. Len TwoTeeth would like to review the policies. Len suggested Delores meet with the Housing Board to get a waiver of the policy so she can pay a descent rental payment. Jody responded the policy could be revised, but the more the SKHA spends on rent subsidy the less the program has for future housing/developments.
Tribal Council
- Martin Charlo announced there will be a Ronan/Pablo joint district meeting next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
- Jim Malatare requested an update on Mr. Krouch’s issue regarding his home burning down. Chairman McDonald responded the Tribal Lands Department was going to help clean up that area. Jim also wants the roads addressed, since they are washed out and dangerous in the wintertime. Len TwoTeeth will schedule a fieldtrip.
- Mike Dolson is helping plan the Transboundary Conference. Anyone interested in participating needs to get registered. There will be an Elders and Youth presentation and they are looking for tribal elders and youth to serve on the panel. Chairman McDonald is scheduled to serve on some of the panels. There will also be a women’s leader panel, and Mike thought Jennifer Finley may want to serve on the panel.
Natural Resources Department
- Staff discussed the FIIP Mission Reservoir drawdown. On August 24 they began the drawdown of Mission Reservoir and it became below the minimum pool for fisheries concerns. The reservoir may be closed to fishing due to the low levels. Rich requested approval of a press release announcing the Mission Reservoir will be closed to fishing. The staff will continue to provide updates to the council. council took action to close Mission Reservoir to fishing. Council approved the tribal press release.
- Council took action to approve the 2023-2024 Yellowstone Bison Hunt Regulations and the requirement that all bison hunters must attend the orientation. The proposed regulations were reviewed by both Culture Committees and went out for public comment.
- The National BAER Team presented the 2023 CSKT Complex Burned Area Emergency Response Plan. The emergency stabilization objectives are to reduce threats to human life, safety, and property; identify threats to critical cultural and natural resources; determine need and prescribe emergency treatments; and promptly stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to resources. The burned area rehabilitation objectives are to repair or improve fire-damaged lands unlikely to recover naturally; and repair and replace minor infrastructure and assets.
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..
