Council Dispatch #155     April 4, 2023

Tribal Member 

  • Pete White invited council to the Native American Agriculture Summit April 12-14, 2023, at Kwataqnuk Resort & Casino. It is a partnership between CSKT, Inter-Tribal Agriculture Council and MSU Extension Office. The summit is an opportunity tribal member producers to understand the CSKT agriculture resources, discover USDA programs that support producers, and meet with the Inter-Tribal Agriculture Council technical assistance folks to gain information from the USDA. There will be a listening session with the tribal member producers.

 

  • Joel Clairmont requested approval to take water from the Flathead River to irrigate Lease 1299 located at Buffalo Bridge. He has been working with FIIP to get water on that lease for the past 18 years.  Joel’s EQIP expires in July, and he requested that the council direct the Tribal Lands staff to prioritize his request so he does not lose his $90,000 EQIP contract. Chairman McDonald advised Melissa Schlichting and Seth Makepeace have been working on this matter, but there is no guarantee it will be resolved by Joel’s deadline. Mark Couture, Tribal Lands Department, reported Seth sent out an outline of how the system will be working and Melissa will be meeting with council on April 13 to provide an update. There will be a meeting to go over the application. Herb Webb retired and that position should be filled by July.

Tribal Council

  • Chairman McDonald informed council that Pat Matt went to the Hope Center in Great Falls. The facility deals with addictions. Tom asked if council would entertain a presentation about that program. Council agreed to have a presentation.

Mission Valley Power

  • Council took action to approve a budget modification to the fiscal year 2023 budget to add $6,025,000 to (1) increase the line item for increases in the cost of wholesale purchased power and to (2) purchase a truck and (3) to increase the emergency reserve for the utility.  The budget modification is addressed to Bryan Mercier, Northwest Regional Office, requesting the modification. There was a change in purchased power so the rates were increased, and now MVP is modifying that by $4+ million. MVP also wants to increase the emergency reserve by $600,000, for a total emergency reserve of $4.5 million.

 Tribal Member Services

  • Council approved a resolution to support full participation in and approve receipt of funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tiwahe Initiative. CSKT will receive $500,000 the first year and an additional $100,00 for Tribal Court improvement the first year, and will receive $1 million per year in perpetuity as long as congress awards it. The funding is to improve service coordination between departments and lessen gaps in services for families at risk of having their children removed from the home.

Tribal Education Department

  • Council approved a resolution authorizing the Tribal Education Department to partner with the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center and apply for funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be housed within the Tribal Education Department. It provides funding for five years and will have an annual $150,000 subaward through the Tribal Education Department. Stephanie Iron Shooter reached out to see if CSKT wanted to partner in a proposal they will submit to the Office of Rural Health. It is a professional development piece for health workers to provide cultural awareness training to non-Native healthcare workers and what they must know when working with tribal members.

Financial Management

  • Council received a report on the fiscal year 2024 projected revenues. Fiscal year 2024 has officially launched and the staff will continue to meet with the council in the next several months throughout the budget process. council took action to accept the report.

 

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..