Council Dispatch #179     July 25, 2023

 

Tribal Council

 

  • Chairman McDonald gave council members a copy of an email from Mission Valley Power explaining the process with the Consumer Council.

 

  • Chairman McDonald informed council that he sought help from the author of the New York Times article recently published about Selenium Mountain and how to get an op-ed into the New York Times, and he gave council an electronic copy of the editorial.

 

  • Bing Matt was contacted by an individual regarding mineral rights. He was told that orange cars are going up there where her mineral rights are and are burying refrigerators, washers, and toilets on that property.

 

  • Council took action to give a donation to the Flathead River Rodeo matching last year’s donation.

 

  • Martin Charlo informed council that Anita Matt’s daughters are doing a fundraising event to raise money. He would like the council members to contribute individually.

 

  • Martin Charlo thanked council for the sponsorship of the disc golf tournament last week. They did a good job putting our name in a prominent place. He reminded council that Agnes Vanderburg Camp is going on this week.

 

Division of Fire

 

  • T. Camel and Tony Incashola, Jr. gave an update on local fires. The Big Knife fire was caused by lightning and is currently 116 acres in size. The fire is located in very steep, rocky, and rugged terrain and aviation is being used to slow down the fire.  There is also another small lightning-caused fire above Mission Dam. Art Trahan is the incident commander. All efforts will be made to protect structures. There is a public meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the Arlee Community Center.

 

Tribal Lands Department

 

  • Council took action to allow Three Chiefs Culture Center to use the Elmo Pow Wow grounds for a one-day pow wow event on August 19.

 

Natural Resources Department

 

  • Council approved a resolution for financial assurances to the Army Corps of Engineers as it relates to the permittee-responsible mitigation plan for the Lower Jocko J Diversion project. This resolution provides a commitment to fund the Lower Jocko J restoration project components as described in the 12-component mitigation plan, and commits financial resources to maintain the restoration projects in the long term. The resolution ensures that sufficient resources will be available for use to complete or replace a mitigation provider’s obligations to implement a required mitigation project and meet specified ecological performance standards in the event that the mitigation provider proves unable or unwilling to meet those obligations.

 

  • Council reached consensus to show interest in purchasing the McDonald Lake Road parcel and have the staff do their due diligence, negotiate up to the appraised value, and authorize the staff to enter into a buy/sell agreement to purchase the property with CSKT Water Compact dollars if the negotiations are successful.

 

Tribal Health Department

 

  • Council authorized the Tribal Health Department to hire 4 employees to staff the assisted living center as Resident Care Aides by using their current background checks until the tribal background checks are completed.

 

  • Council took action to give the department head the authority to recruit within the department’s budget restraints.

 

Early Childhood Services

 

  • Council approved implementation of a recruitment and referral bonus policy for staff referrals of new employees, beginning August 1, 2023. The program has continuously advertised positions and has had to close two classrooms during the 2022-2023 school year due to staff shortages. The policy is supported by IM-HS-22-06 and IM-HS-22-04. Quality Improvement funds will be awarded for the 2023-2024 school year funding, as well as regular grant funding.

 

  • Jeanne Christopher informed council that ECS is offering supervisory training for supervisors. Early Childhood Services partnered with Salish Kootenai College; 18 people took classes and received a bonus for completing the course.

 

Legal Department

 

  • Council took action to approve a noncompetitive contract with Sovereign Nations Cannabis.

 

Western Native Voice

 

  • Alyssa LaTray and Ronnie Jo Horse gave an update on work they have been doing, including census issues and new federal lobbying issues. Alyssa was hired as the Director of Political and Governmental Affairs. They requested that the CSKT sign on to two initiatives. They requested the Tribes sign a letter to Senators Daines and Tester in support that a Native American candidate be hired for the US District Court of Montana position. The Native American Voting Rights Act was a federal bill that made many issues voting in Indian country easier, such as allowing a tribal ID to be used and the use of the native language in voting booths. Western Native Voice is working with the Native American Rights Fund to have it reintroduced by congress and would like the tribal council’s support with that. They will be doing their summer tour to small communities the second week of August to provide updates and encourage people to register to vote. They will be in Ronan on August 14 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Pablo from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and on August 15 they will be in Arlee from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and St. Ignatius from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. A meal will be provided. Western Native Voice will be offering a training. No action taken.

 

Tribal Member

 

  • Troy Felsman and other Tribal Members discussed their concerns regarding a nontribal member employee charging a fee between $3,500 and $6,000 to hunt bison on the reservation and offering nighttime thermal imaging hunts. This is a dangerous precedent.  Troy was concerned about the tribal employee running this operation. Due to the nature of what the individual is doing, he should have at the least gotten the council’s blessing and make sure there were no issues. This type of activity weakens our sovereignty as a nation. The individual started this corporation two years ago, so it has been in the planning stage for quite some time. This cannot be allowed to stand, and Troy wants to know what the Tribes are going to do about it. Troy requested that Terry Pitts resign from the Tribal Council.  Council advised the matter is under investigation.

 

Accelerate Montana Film

 

  • Lynn Wood Fields and Amber Lamb gave an update. In June 2023 the Department of Commerce funded 80 tribal members and descendants to take the Production Assistance course to become film set ready. The entire program is funded and they are looking for participants. The course will take place in Polson sometime in August. They have partnered with a local production who is looking to hire some of their graduates, so this training would provide employment opportunities.

 

 

 

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..