TEB Discusses Wellness Center Finances, Wildland Fire Program
Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board member Leonard Crowbelt started and ended the Jan. 25 TEB meeting with a plea for unity and responsibility from the Fort Peck Tribes. The board heard from Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent Anna Eder, West Electronics’ Russell Kirn and Majel Russell, attorney for the Thundering Buffalo Wellness Center in Poplar.
Crowbelt argued that projects undertaken by the Tribes should not to be contracted outside the reservation. Instead, said Crowbelt, projects should be handled by local people.
The meeting proceeded with Eder’s report. The Bureau of Trust Funds Administration will work to open a new kiosk for individual Indian monies accounts, which would allow renters to see their lease payments and account activities.
The BIA is also advertising for the Wildlands Fire Program, which is seeking someone to fill the Fire Management Officer position.
Council member Terry Rattling Thunder raised a point about recreational marijuana being passed by the state and wondered whether that will impact how firefighters will be hired in the future. It remains unclear how it will be handled as the BIA is a federal agency and marijuana is still illegal on a federal level.
Kirn started his report by presenting a $500,000 dividend check to the board before taking on allegations that West Electronic CEO Thomas Lipko is rarely available and that non-Natives were being hired over qualified Native candidates. Kirn stated that the allegations were untrue. He also said that someone recently shot up and destroyed one of the organization’s vehicles. Councilwoman Patt Runs Through questioned Kirn about the cost of the vehicle, which Kirn said wasn’t worth insuring since it was a truck from the 1950s.
Finally, Russell was called to answer questions about the members of the Fort Peck Sub-DCE LLC, which decides how money is spent on the Thundering Buffalo Wellness Center. With the committee at five members, two members need to be independent community members, but increasing the committee to seven would require four independents.
“Anytime anyone mentions ‘Wellness Center’ everybody cringes,” Dana Buckles told Russell. “Nobody knows what’s going on when you talk about finances. ... Sometimes we get beat up because we don’t know what they’re spending. ... We’re the ones who make the decisions.”
Buckles wanted to be sure that members of the Sub-DCE board, whether independent or tribal employees, report to the TEB on all financial matters.
The board passed a resolution to keep the member count at five and to replace two of the members of the committee with independent community members.
