Zero balance doesn't stop council spending
By Jason Begay
Navajo Times
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| Font: N / N+ / N++ Call it a case of ignoring the giant zero in the room.
Before the start of the Navajo Nation Council's spring session last week, lawmakers were told there is no money in the Undesignated Unreserved Fund available for supplemental spending.
But that didn't stop the council from spending almost two days of its five-day session debating the half-dozen money requests on the agenda, prompting one delegate to threaten he would go home early.
"We did the same thing all afternoon yesterday," said Lorenzo Curley (Houck/Lupton/Nahata Dziil) during a protracted discussion of the doomed spending bills. "We didn't consider anything serious. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to boycott the rest of the session."
His sentiments were echoed by fellow Budget and Finance Committee member Nelson Begaye (Lukachukai/Tsaile/Wheatfields).
"This is the last day of the session and we still haven't made a dent in the agenda," Begaye said. "How many times do we have to vote these riders down?"
Edward V. Jim Sr. (Greyhills/Sheepsprings/Newcomb) pointed to the large whiteboard on the south side of the council chambers on which the available UUF balance was displayed.
"Look at the board," he said. "It says 'zero.'"
However, the council still spent much of that morning debating whether to spend $2.6 million.
Meanwhile, the council tabled action on several bills that would make substantive changes to the status quo.
One, the Navajo Nation Unauthorized Recording Act, was tabled because the council could not resolve its concern over a proposal to restrict recordings of Navajo ceremonial songs.
The council also tabled a bill that would have established the Division of Diné Veterans Services. Delegates could not resolve a question of who should appoint the division director, the president or the council's Human Services Committee.
A bill to hold a voter referendum on terms limits for delegates and the speaker was dropped when the sponsor failed to appear as it came up for action.
A fourth measure, to strip power from the Navajo Nation Board of Education, was returned to the Education Committee with the directive for the committee and the board to work out their differences.
The delegates spent the bulk of their time debating spending measures they had no money to fund. Of course, the zero on the dry erase board was a relative number, at least in the eyes of some delegates.
"There is no such thing," said Ervin Keeswood (Tsé Daa' Kaan). "Actually, there is $13 million total."
Technically, he's right, there's current $12.7 million in the UUF, about 10 percent of last year's tribal operating budget.
But under tribal law, that money is untouchable as it is earmarked to fund day-to-day operations of the tribal government in case of an emergency.
There was another $500,000 in the UUFB earmarked as the Grant Set Aside Fund, which is meant to provide upfront money for capital improvements that will be reimbursed by state grants.
Delegates can waive the tribal law, releasing the 10 percent reserve, and can elect to spend the set-aside fund as they choose, Keeswood said.
All they have to do is to approve a one-time waiver of the law, which has been done frequently in the past to push through pet spending bills.
"There's nothing that says they can't do it," admitted LoRenzo Bates (Upper Fruitland), chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. "But nothing says they can, either."
It would depend on how aggressively a delegate campaigns for support, he said.
"It depends on the strategy and maneuvering of my colleagues," Bates said.
In the end, the council did not spend a dollar during the session. But delegates spent a lot of time trying out their strategy.
The first day of each session is usually reserved for oral quarterly reports from the president and agency heads. The council starts discussing specific legislation on the second day and may take the full week or finish early.
On Tuesday the council reviewed six bills, passing one, tabling two others and voting down the rest.
The delegates spent Wednesday discussing whether to authorize a $50 million loan to construct a new home for the legislative branch.
Thursday, they discussed several supplemental appropriation bills, adding several riders that ballooned the original spending requests to fund unrelated purposes.
By the end of the day, it appeared that delegates were adding the same amendments repeatedly.
First was a request for $5.7 million to build a gymnasium at Red Valley/Cove High School.
Delegates added $102,086 for travel expenses for the Office of Legislative Services; $150,000 to the Public Safety Committee for lobbying efforts; and $483,000 for the Narbona Growth Fund. Then it voted down the final, $7.7 million bill.
The next bill was a request for $150,000 for the Public Safety Committee for lobbying efforts, to which was added riders for $5.7 million for the Red Valley/Cove gym; $160,000 for the Black Mesa Chapter; and $2 million to the speaker's office. The final $8.3 million bill failed.
By Friday morning, delegates seemed weary of discussing the same spending requests repeatedly.
But neither that nor Curley's boycott threat stopped Delegate Young Jeff Tom (Smith Lake/Mariano Lake) from trying to add the Public Safety Committee's lobbying compensation, and another $2.4 million to a spending bill.
Leonard Chee (Birdsprings/Leupp/Tolani Lake) said the council had already voted down the requests, some of them several times.
"I know Young Jeff is on a roll right now, but the council has spoken," Chee said.
The council did manage to barrel through 11 bills Friday, leaving only three untouched until the council's next session.
The remaining bills include: seeking to establish the process in selecting a Diné Nation Medal of Honor, approving the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission plan of operation, and confirming a probationary district court judge.
Comment on this story!
11 comments so far (post your own)Well for us at Toh'ajiilee its just to embarrass that the same old people are running again. They won't do anything for us here in To'hajiilee. but I hope some new people run this year for President and Vic-Preident also Secretery. aslo on the School Board. I hope thei will be differnet people run for School Board. We don't wont the same peolpe to run for the school Board. They are not teaching our kids write.So we need some new School Board Preident Especially the PRESIDENT!!! HE IS DOING NOTHING FOR OUR SCHOOL AT TO'HAJIILEE HIGH SCHOOL. SO I HOPE THAT THE SCHOOL CHANGE THIS NEXT YEAR IN 2008.
Posted by brenda platero on Monday, 05.12.08 @ 12:39pm MDT | #314
Hey ag (312)....intelligent people stay away from politics and holding positions in the government. That is one of the reasons why they are intelligent and smart. Just you and me, we are intelligent...we don't spend our valuable time being bureaucrats and lie our way into people confidence.
Posted by Welfare Man on Monday, 05.12.08 @ 09:24am MDT | #313
Iam not surprised.
We need more intelligent people in our government. Not people who squable over funds that will meet their immediate needs. We need planners to look at our future and devise a plan to take us into several decades of our tribal future. We are nothing now compared to some of the other tribes who have made an effort to see their future.
I do not see skyscrapers, international airports, revenues from our own intelligence, freeways to connect the big cities of our nation or other modern advances which could seperate us from today.
I see all of these complaints in our newspapers and that is all we have become. How many readers outside of our tribal borders do you suppose see this and have made us out to be a not so great nation. I think it is time to reevaluate ourselves and begin a new journey to become better as a Nation.
Posted by ag on Monday, 05.12.08 @ 01:26am MDT | #312
Forgot to note that if your relatives are running for office make sure they know what they are getting into as well. Cause people will complain and yeah it goes back directly to your family. Again Navajo politics. Like some Navajos say "I will only do it if I get PAID" well there it is run for your positions. The race is on. Furthermore, don't give preferential treatment to your relatives also, cause it will show and of coarse its expected....
Posted by Whats next.... on Sunday, 05.11.08 @ 11:58am MDT | #311
Well it was good that people are doing something about the government such as running for positions. Although, there are some of us Navajos out there that will critize no matter what. So lets quite nagging (a wish hahahaha) and lets vote. Iam tired of whose to blame all the time. Lets just get the item on the primary agenda and get it done. We can get the NNC delegates down to 24 and lets see what happens next. You can never satisfy us Navajos. If we don't get it our way then we cry foul. So lets reduce the council and we shall see if that was any good. Also its the people that put them delegates there also, so if your responsible for putting your delegate there then you should not say anything. As for those school board postions please put people in there from your respective communities for the benefit of the school and most of all the students. So if something goes wrong please don't nagg. Furthermore, for the chapter elections put the proper people in office again. The governmental system that must be understood for your chapter officials to move projects. Again, if it don't move then don't complain again. Its up to you all to exercise your right to vote and if you don't then just don't say anything. So there u have it my Navajo people its time again to VOTE and do so. Especially tribal employees when you get time off to vote, do so and don't drive around in Gallup or border towns hahahaha. To all you mothers out there HAPPY MOTHERS DAY and God Bless the NAVAJO NATION.
Posted by Whats next.... on Sunday, 05.11.08 @ 11:51am MDT | #310
Why would someone want to pay $200 to run for a school board member position (the fee charged according to the story)? Being a school board member is a volunteer unpaid position that is essential. But it is very challenging and time consuming. It sounds like the $200 filing fee is discouraging good people away. That is a lot of money these days!
Posted by Jim on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 02:48pm MDT | #309
Thar what happens when the the system does not facilitate the true needs of the people and the the electorate becomes disillusioned with the bad examples and negative history related to Navajo politics! It all comes back to affect us in this and many and diverse ways. Are we ready for true and leaders? That is the question that we face as a Nation at this critical crossroad or juncture in the history of the Navajo Nation and government.
Posted by wilbur Nelson, Jr. on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 02:08pm MDT | #308
I dont blam people for not wanting to run only because people dont want to fight for whats right anymore. Our ways are easily being given up and they want to spend more time at the casinos so maybe if they make that part of a bundle deal people will want to get elected, they can have a meeting and even elections there. that way thewont be saying budget cuts they can finally say where the money all went. WHAT HAVE WE YOUNGER GENERATION DONE TO DESERVE THIS. YOU ALL SAY YOU LOOK TO US FOR A BETTER TOMARROW COULD SOME ONE PLEASE PAVE A BETTER ROAD FOR US AND GIVE US A FIGHTING CHANCE....PLEASE
Posted by phxeb on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 12:46pm MDT | #307
Is this the sign of dying nation?
The old Maii's prediction is proven correct again....maii predicted hundreds of years ago human beings self-government is frail, will collapse from within.
Posted by WomanizerFromShiprock on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 09:47am MDT | #306
This is an embarrassment to the Great Navajo Nation and our Ancestors!
Posted by JRE on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 02:35am MDT | #305
Where is the facilitator?
Posted by Anderson on Saturday, 05.10.08 @ 01:04am MDT | #304