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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma recommitted itself to working with area counties on roads projects during Monday night’s tribal council meeting. Council members presented a check to Delaware County for nearly $50,000 and another check for $120,000 to Adair County for roads projects in those areas. Later, the council unanimously approved a legislative act to spend another $1 million on further roads projects.

Council member Melvina Shotpouch and Principal Chief Chad Smith presented the check to Delaware County Commissioner Dave Kendrick. The check completed the Cherokee Nation’s $100,000 commitment to build an 11-mile road near Eucha and Kenwood. The road serves more than 50 Indian families.

Chief Smith praised Delaware County for their cooperation in working with the Cherokee Nation on a cross-deputization agreement. He urged commissioners from other counties to follow that example.

"The Cherokee Nation currently has a cross-deputization agreement with the city of Stilwell," Smith said. "Our marshals have already busted a meth lab within the Stilwell city limits. We currently have 23 marshals who would like to help enforce the law in throughout the Cherokee Nation, but instead provide service only on Indian land. I urge all other counties in our jurisdictional area to work with us so to provide better law enforcement to all the people of northeastern Oklahoma."

Smith and council members Jackie Bob Martin and Harold "Jiggs" Phillips then presented Adair County Commissioner Sam Chandler with the $120,000 check for the Fair Field road project. The five-mile road serves 98 families, 74 of which are Indian.

The council later approved three different roads projects in Sequoyah County totaling nearly $100,000, and voted unanimously to spend $1 million more on future roads projects.

The council also voted to spend $200,000 to provide dentures to tribal members, $200,000 to provide eyeglasses to tribal members, and $288,000 to fund additional college scholarships for Cherokee students.

"We no longer have the revenues to give everyone a scholarship who wants one," said council member Harold DeMoss. "We used to have more money than applicants, and everyone who applied got one. But we can no longer do that and people have to realize that. From now on, these scholarships will have to be awarded on a competitive basis." Funds are generated from a percentage of fuel taxes.

Chief Smith presented three members of the registration committee, and the council unanimously confirmed each. Lela Ummerteske, who has worked in the Cherokee Nation’s registration department since 1978 and currently serves as Interim Registrar, was confirmed as Registrar. Jack Baker and Wanda Morris Elliot were confirmed as registration committee members.

The council and the chief affirmed the choice of John Adair as the fifth and final commissioner on the Cherokee Nation Election Commission. Adair served as the chair of the commission during the 1999 election.