Council takes $4M to fight conditions

By Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — What was supposed to have been a study session on the peyote act in the tribal code was turned into a special session due to winter storms and muddy roads.

By a 59-4 vote Friday, the Navajo Nation Council appropriated more than $4 million for the emergency from the Undesignated Reserve Fund's approximately $16 million balance. It includes $60,000 for the council's Transportation-Community Development Committee to go around the tribe's Washington, D.C., Office and pay a lobbyist to make sure, by the Jan. 24 Congressional deadline, that Navajo positions and dollars are included in a transportation bill.

The council's regular quarterly session begins that day, but it is a day devoted to the president's speech and special reports, so no legislation can be considered until Jan. 25.

T-CDC members supporting the amendment said the deadline amounted to an emergency, so the motion by Willie Tracey (Ganado, Kinlichee Chapters), with a second by fellow committee member Sampson Begay (Jeddito, Low Mountain, Steamboat), passed 37-23.

A second amendment upped the price of the original $3 million proposal sponsored by Katherine Benally (Dennehotso), Young Jeff Tom (Mariano Lake, Smith Lake) and Nelson Begay (Lukachukai, Tsaile-Wheatfields) to $4 million.

Benally also made the motion, with a second by Philbert Tso (Kaibeto), to add $1 million for the Emergency Management Department and it passed 56-6.

Her amendment was the identical motion by Public Safety Committee member Pete Ken Atcitty (Shiprock), with a second by fellow Public Safety Committee member Lorenzo Curley (Houck, Lupton, Nahata Dziil-New Lands), except that the Public Safety Committee motion was to take the $1 million from the original $3 million. This would have left $2 million to go to the 110 chapters through the Appropriations Act's 50-50 formula of half divided equally among the chapters and half in proportion to registered voters.

The original main motion came from Wallace Charley (Shiprock), with a second by Larry Anderson Sr. (Fort Defiance).

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said he would immediately sign the resolution, according to press officer George Hardeen.

"The biggest concern I have as president is the protection of life and property out there in Navajoland where we have this emergency. I don't want to see any lives lost; I don't want to lose any livestock," Shirley explained.

Public Safety Division Director Samson Cowboy commented, "I'm pleased with the council's actions. This money keeps us moving forward," Hardeen added.

The president had ordered division directors on Thursday to find what money they could in their budgets to help with "Operation Hashtclish (Mud)."

With the $1 million, acting department manager Johnny Johnson will be able to direct about $286,000 for workers, $51,000 for travel, $85,000 for repairs and almost $570,000 for assistance.

In the end Ervin Keeswood Sr. (Hogback) joined Bennie Shelly (Thoreau), Danny Simpson (Huerfano), and Richard Begaye (Shiprock), all members of the Budget-Finance Committee, in voting against the final measure. Since taking money from the emergency account requires a two-thirds vote of the total membership, it needed 59 yes votes and had only 58 until Atcitty switched from a red light to a green light on the tally board.

Budget-Finance Committee Chair Shelly warned delegates they will be asked in 11 days to take almost $8 million from the Undesignated Reserve Fund. He indicated later the fiscal year is only one-third completed with the spring floods and summer drought still to come before FY 06. Even worse, he warned delegates, is that FY 06 will bring an estimated $21 million reduction in the general fund.

"By the time you get done, we probably will have only $3 or $4 million in the reserve. This is just like giving out a blank check. We're willing to help people who need emergency aid," he said.

A list given delegates showed chapters in the hard-hit Chinle Agency still have $684,723, with every chapter having at least $23,000 to spend. In the Western Agency, there is more than $153,000 from FY 03 and more than $79,000 from FY 04, although a half-dozen chapters used up all their allocation in either or both years. In the Northern Agency, there is more than $450,000 unspent from FY 04, with at least $2,400 left over in every chapter.

— To contact reporter Jim Maniaci, telephone (505) 371-5443.