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The latest news release, issued by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, contains a warning that says unless the tribal council is able to work out budget issues, at Monday's council meeting, 30 to 40 percent of the tribe's work force could face layoffs. This is the second time in two years threats of layoffs have been issued by the tribe In May of 1998 the tribe placed 25 percent of its employees on furlough and another 10 percent of the staff was laid off.

This news release comes on the heels of a tribal announced that smoke shops owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in delinquent taxes due to a 3 percent sales tax law that had been "overlooked".

The chief said he thought the news release had been issued by his supporters but it did not represent his views and said, the tribe will manage despite boycotts. "If we don't have a budget, that may be, but I'm not going to alarm my employees with that message", said Byrd.

Six of the tribal council members have boycotted meetings to stop action on issues they oppose. A quorum, attendance of 10 of 15 council members, is needed to conduct a legal council meeting. The split in the council stems from allegations of the mishandling of funds by the chief, which dates back to February of 1997.

In order to extend payments of salaries past January, by way of the general fund, a resolution by the council to do so is needed, Byrd said. "We will have to look at that from the executive branch in a state of emergency," he said. If the meeting is boycotted "the tribe will still manage to "take care of business," said Byrd. "But we've been able to operate in spite of them before."

The tribe's accounting system is in the process of being overhauled due to a federal audit of last year. The results of the audit was that millions of dollars in federal funding could not be accounted for.

There would probably be another boycott Monday night, Paula Holder one of the boycotting council members, said. "They have some dangerous items on there," council member Paula Holder said, referring to the 32-item agenda.

A special meeting of the council could be called by the chief to address budget resolutions only, said Troy Wayne Poteete, which would avoid a shutdown.

Poteete is one of the boycotting council members opposing, Byrd supporter Bill John Baker's agenda, which concerns changes in the authority of the tribe's judicial system. The proposals address the power to remove officials from office, division of authority between the upper and lower courts, the length of justices' terms, among other issues.

"If we allowed these to pass then he will have removed everything from the courts toward the establishment of a dictatorship. We can't allow that to happen," Poteete said.

"This is not gutting the court system,'' Baker said. "It's trying to fix problems that have caused us misery."

The authority of the tribe's judicial system has been at the center of tribal conflict since the JAT, the CNO's highest court, issued a search warrant when Chief Joe Byrd refused to provide contracts and financial records of tribal business to the council and the Cherokee people. The search warrant was requested by the tribe's prosecuting attorney in February of 1997.