Council to open budget session on $603.8 million fiscal 2026 plan

WINDOW ROCK

The Navajo Nation Council will convene a special budget session Wednesday, Sept. 3, to consider a comprehensive fiscal 2026 plan of more than $603 million.

The session, which could run through Sept. 8, will formally introduce Legislation No. 0195-25, sponsored by Delegate Shaandiin Parrish, the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, and co-sponsored by Speaker Crystalyne Curley.

The proposal sets allocations for the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches and addresses statutory set-asides, fixed costs and unmet needs. It also carries dozens of legislative concerns that require detailed reports from divisions and offices across the government.

The operating budget totals $603,793,908, funded by multiple sources: $184.3 million from the General Fund, $38.8 million in additional allocations, $24 million from the Indirect Cost Fund, $112.3 million from the Proprietary Fund, $127.4 million from the Fiduciary Fund and $8 million for external-funds cash matches.

Branch allocations

The Executive Branch would receive $526.3 million. The Legislative Branch would get $19.7 million and the Judicial Branch $17.4 million. Another $40.3 million is set aside for fixed costs such as utilities, insurance premiums, facility maintenance and stipends for chapter officials.

Among larger appropriations, the Department of Diné Education is slated for $31.4 million, including language-immersion and teacher-education programs. The Division of Health would receive $14.6 million; Public Safety, $25.2 million; the Division of Transportation, $10.8 million; and the Division of Community Development, $36 million to oversee chapter programs and infrastructure.

The Office of the Controller, which manages the Nation’s finances, is budgeted at more than $23 million, including oversight of proprietary and fiduciary funds. The Office of Management and Budget would receive more than $2.2 million. The Department of Justice, which handles legal matters and litigation, is set for $11 million.

Legislative and Judicial details

The $19.7 million Legislative Branch plan funds the Council and its oversight committees, the Office of the Speaker, the Office of Legislative Services and the Office of Legislative Counsel. Line items include over $1 million for the Election Administration Office, $1.9 million for the Office of Legislative Services, more than $2.2 million for the Office of the Speaker, $1.4 million for the Office of the Auditor General, $730,000 for the Human Rights Commission and $454,955 for the Ethics and Rules Office.

The Judicial Branch’s $17.4 million supports the Navajo Nation Supreme Court, 11 judicial districts, the Peacemaker Division, probation services and the Judicial Conduct Commission. Funding is distributed across the Chinle, Crownpoint, Window Rock, Shiprock, Tuba City, Ramah, Kayenta, Dilkon, Utah, Tó Hajiileehé, Alamo and Dził Yíjiin districts, covering staffing, operations and local court functions.

Set-asides, fixed costs and unmet needs

Statutory set-asides total $61.1 million. Of that, $34.3 million goes to the Permanent Fund, $11.4 million to the Veterans Trust Fund, $5.7 million to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund and $2 million each to the Capital Outlay Match Fund and the Water Rights Claims Fund.

Fixed costs of $40.3 million cover annual audit services, insurance premiums, utilities, telecommunications, litigation expenses, stipends for chapter officials, rental fees for Nation offices, facility maintenance, information technology and costs related to the Washington Office.

The measure also directs $16.8 million from Permanent Fund income to unmet needs across divisions to restore operating budgets and close shortfalls. Notable items include $515,000 for the Office of the Prosecutor, $244,000 for the Office of Management and Budget, $90,600 for the Office of the Navajo Tax Commission, more than $499,000 for the Division of Community Development and more than $91,000 for Solid Waste Management.

Other allocations include $95,300 for the Navajo Nation Library, $3,500 for Diné language-immersion programs and $1,047,600 for the school clothing program. Courts would receive $1.25 million to improve probate services, and the Department of Criminal Investigations would get $1.9 million for new safety technology. The plan also provides $1.8 million to chapters for solid-waste disposal and $1.8 million for summer youth employment.

Reporting requirements and waivers

The legislation attaches a broad set of concerns requiring oral and written reports throughout the year. The Office of the President and Vice President must deliver quarterly updates on intergovernmental affairs and on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force. The Veterans Administration must report on behavioral-health service gaps for veterans.

The Department of Agriculture must outline plans for stipends for farm board and grazing officials. Before spending begins, the Division of Natural Resources must submit a priority list of projects to the Resources and Development Committee.

The Office of Management and Budget and the Controller must present plans to improve indirect-cost recovery, address negative fund balances and provide quarterly procurement-compliance reports. The Department of Justice must submit multiple reports on staffing, contracts and legal positions and draft a plan for the proposed energy office. The Division of Transportation must report on decentralization and staffing vacancies; the Division of Community Development must provide detailed updates on chapter compliance with ARPA requirements and on chapters in sanction status. The Judicial Branch must update all plans of operation and address vacant positions.

Because the Nation has not completed a capital-improvement plan, the bill includes waivers of several sections of Title 12 of the Navajo Nation Code. It also waives Resolution CJY-66-23, which required minimum balances in lapse accounts. Without those waivers, the budget could not proceed.

The budget session begins at 2 p.m. If deliberations continue, the Council will reconvene daily at 9 a.m. through Sept. 8. The public may watch on the Council’s YouTube livestream.

The Navajo Times asked Delegate Carl R. Slater, the vice chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, for comment on the proposal. He declined.

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