Copyright © 2003 NLThomas
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TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council voted to keep supervision of Indian housing funding, reversing a previous committee vote that would have sent the money directly to the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation (HACN), during the July Tribal Council meeting.

The Council vote means the Cherokee Nation will continue to receive more than $30 million in federal Indian housing funds. Currently, the Cherokee Nation passes on more than $25 million of that funding to the Housing Authority, which is the largest single year funding amount in HACN’s history. The remainder of the housing money stays with the Cherokee Nation and is used for mandatory environmental functions, law enforcement and resident services.

The Council also voted on a new act setting compensation for elected officials. The new law sets the salaries of Council members, the Deputy Chief and Principal Chief based on an average of the salaries of comparable positions with the Five Civilized Tribes and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

"This sets forth a formula-based compensation plan", said Stephanie Shepherd, the Council member who proposed the law. "This will take the politics out of this and make the pay standards objective."

According to the law, the new pay scale for elected officials will be figured in January of each election year, beginning in 2007.

The Council voted against a proposal by Council member Buel Anglen to use $444 of District 8 general assistance money to buy radios for the Sperry Police Department so they could operate on the same radio frequency as the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. The Sperry Police Department and the marshals are cross-deputized. Some Council members cited pending litigation on the general assistance fund as a reason for voting against the expenditure.

The Council also passed two budget modifications, several grant resolutions and confirmed the nomination of Michael Crawley as a board member of the Cherokee Nation Economic Development Trust Authority.

Cherokee Nation Tribal Council meetings may be watched online on the Cherokee Nation’s web site.

The next Cherokee Nation Tribal Council meeting is scheduled for August 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah.

Related contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org