Council Dispatch #143                  February 7, 2023

 

Tribal Elder

 

  • Leona Juneau discussed her concerns about the Elmo community. There is no longer a nurse in Elmo, the nurses need to be going into the homes and checking on the elders, the Tribal Health staff are being bullied into quitting their jobs, the bathroom in the Elmo Clinic is filthy, the Tribal Health Department Director position needs to have a medical background, elders need to be able to have same-day appointments with their medical providers, there needs to be something for the youth to do, the Tribal Council needs to take care of the tribal members and try to correct the issues that tribal members have, people are going to the council for handouts, homes are placed in disaster areas, and she is concerned about the drug and alcohol abuse that is going on.

 

Mission Valley Power

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures on the Mission Valley Power depository checking account at Eagle Bank for account number 5000500.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures on the Mission Valley Power commercial money market account at Eagle Bank for account number 6000228.

 

  • Council approved a resolution changing authorized signatures on the Mission Valley Power on-line payment sweep account at Eagle Bank for account number 5000435.

 

Financial Management

 

  • Council took action to authorize the purchase of capital equipment consisting of two vehicles for the Fish & Game and Wildlife program.

 

  • Council approved by resolution modification 8 to the fiscal year 2023 Total Budget Allocations.

 

Indian Preference Office

 

  • Council took action to approve a project specific agreement with the Montana Department of Transportation for the engineering work to be done for the Crow Creek – 10M SW Ronan, STPB 9024(68), UPN 10114000 bridge replacement project. The construction cost will be $1.8 million.

 

Natural Resources Department

 

  • Council took action to grant Dr. Jack Hogg, Montana Conservation Science Institute, Ltd., a collection permit to study Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep at the Bison Range. Dr. Hogg has conducted research at the Bison Range since 1979.

 

  • Council authorized the tribal chairman to sign two letters to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks providing the off-reservation moose harvest numbers.

 

  • Council approved a request from Denver Holt, Owl Research Institute, for a collection permit to research owls, diurnal raptors, and small mammals on the reservation for the purpose of educating the public about owls to promote conservation. The Owl Research Institute relies on volunteers from the university or community members to help collect data for their research activities and they are having some issues with the recreation permits because some of the volunteers are only there for a couple nights per year. Council was asked to consider issuing the Owl Research Institute a yearly permit or requiring a onetime payment for a permit for the ORI to get volunteers to help with their research. Chairman McDonald stated there is a delegation of authority for educational activities that the department can approve without council action. They are doing work for the Tribes, so the intention is they are not recreating; they are doing research. It should be covered within the collection permit.

 

  • The staff discussed the comments that were received during the public comment period and requested approval of the revised 2023-2024 nontribal member recreation regulations. There were no comments made at the public hearings, but the department did receive some written comments. The request was placed on hold until the staff can meet with both Elders Committees regarding the proposed changes. The staff was told to go through both sets of regulations with the Tribal Elders. The tribal member regulations are open for public comment at this time.

 

  • Council took action to award a contract to Native Montana Construction for the bid solicited on December 20, 2022. WWC Engineering performed a bid evaluation and recommended the award go to NMC. Len TwoTeeth would like to require the contractors to use and purchase tribal gravel, and he wanted to make sure the Tribal Lands Department and other appropriate departments have started that process and will be ready to go since Jace is on a time limit.

 

  • Council received a presentation on the cost of Owner Procured Material for the Jocko Canals conversion project funded with water compact funds. CSKT is the project owner and would need to manage the inventory with the general contractor.  Council took action to approve the Owner Procured Material for the Jocko Canals conservation project. 

 

  • Staff gave an update on the Division of Engineering and Water Resources and the compact implementation and master planning.

 

Food Sovereignty Program

 

  • Jordan Thompson introduced Fred, who is from Texas. Fred talked about the garden network. Last year there was one garden and they produced about 20,000 to 30,000 pounds of produce on less than one acre of land. Fred was asked to come back this year to reinitiate that activity and add four more production and distribution gardens.  The gardens grow organic produce. Fred encouraged everyone to participate in the gardens; it only requires one hour in the classroom and one hour in the garden.

 

Legal Department

 

  • Council took action to appoint Casey Ryan as the tribal representative for the Compact Implementation Technical Team.

 

 

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..