Council delegates question bonuses this fiscal year

A previous version of this story was published erroneously. This is the correct version.

WINDOW ROCK

Questioning of department bonuses have been raised by council delegates during this Navajo Nation FY 2017 comprehensive budget hearing process week.

During the process, which started on Monday, the questioning of department bonuses was made. According to documents obtained by the Navajo Times it stated that bonuses from Oct. 1, 2015-June 30, 2016 totaled to nearly $440,000 dollars were given out to staff from various Navajo Nation departments and offices. This figure is half of what was paid out for the whole FY2015, which was over $800,000.

“I don’t know what the status is with all the bonuses that were issued recently,” said Council Delegate Davis Filfred (Mexican Water/ To’likan/Teesnospos/Aneth/Red Mesa). “We don’t know the status and if its not budgeted in, then there shouldn’t be any bonuses.”

Filfred posed this question to Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez during the Aug. 17 Naabik’iyati committee budget hearing on the executive and legislative budgets. Nez explained that the bonuses were given to individuals based on their department director’s recommendation.

“The bonuses we gave was to the discretion of division directors,” answered Nez. “They’re the ones who are given the responsibility that they feel an individual under their management deserves a bonus.”

The $800,000 in bonuses given was during the former administration of Ben Shelly and Rex Lee Jim, which ended in May 2015.

During Tuesday’s Budget and Finance budget hearing Law and Order committee chair and Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie (Churchrock/Iyanbito/Mariano Lake, Pinedale/Smith Lake/Thoreau) spoke on behalf of the raise that the committee and Department of Public Safety Jesse Delmar are working to get for police officers. Within the conversation he asked that bonuses especially in one particular office be looked into, in which he was prohibited to say out loud.

“With the raise…a future cadet to come on board is $41 thousand a year,” said Yazzie. “But, I would ask of this committee really look into the bonuses, the expenditure funds too, I understand, one office got a lot of money that we can’t control.”

The reason Yazzie brought up bonuses was because police officers had explained they are in need of funds to patrol the upcoming fairs and parades. In his response he said all offices and departments should donate funds to the police officers for their patrolling during this upcoming fair season.

“It was the (decision of the) committee to make a directive for them to write a letter to the division directors, and if they (division directors) feel in their heart that they want to provide safety at all the fairs they should donate to the officers,” said Yazzie. “A certain department has a tremendous amount of money, where it’s just sitting there. This is the people’s money. The bonuses we need to look into.”

The budget process is on going and will continue to have a hearing, then it will be deliberated again during a Naa’bik’iyati’ committee meeting and finally Navajo Nation Council, after which they it will be vetoed or accepted.

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