Navajo Times (Newspaper) - March 25, 1993, Window Rock, Arizona XXXIII 1 ARIZONA 865150310 MARCH 1993 Tribal Revenues continue to rise WINDOW ROCK As the goes into a new fiscal tribal financial officials said that the permanent trust fund is at a level of million and the general reserves is at about Bobby the tribes said the permanent trust fund is going up about million per The tribe sets aside 12 percent of all revenues each year to go into the trust The general which is savings the tribe uses to make up for any spending has been stable at about million lor the past few White The tribes financial office is projecting revenue next year of about 15 which is about I million higher than this years and about million lower than the 19911992 fiscal year the figures presented at the beginning of the year arc conservative estimates and the tribe usually generates a few extra million during the The tribe is expecting oil and gas revenues to go from about million this year to million next Mining revenue is expected to be about an increase of about million over last Tax which is expected to hit almost million this is expected to go down to million next year and investment income is expected to be about the same next year million as it was this The only other projected sources of revenue are land rentals million and timber stumpage EDC hears biz woes Larry a member of the Navajo Government Reform reads a prepared statement to members of the news media during a press conference held Monday afternoon at the Navajo Nation The commission issued a response to the recent publicity of possible budget and staff cuts within the reform Times photo by Paul Commission defends NGD By DONOVAN Navajo Times Correspondent WINDOW ROCK Members ol the Commission on Navajo Government Development said this week that accusations that the tribes government reform office hasnt done anything just is not Larry a member of the said in a prepared statement that he commission has accomplished one of its chief goals by the Government Reform Act of 1992 to the Navajo Nation The Intergovernmental Relations Committee last week agreed to follow the recommendations of he Speaker of the Nelson to change the plan of operation for the office and to cut back Its The reason given by the committee was thai although the office has spent mort than million in federal and tribal it still has not brought to the council the evaluations requested ol current tribal laws The committee agreed to change the locus ol the from evaluating central government reform to looking into the reform of the tribal The press release issued by the commission thai by the IGR committee is turning Its back on the wishes of Navajo people who have continued to say they wani a voice in how the tribal is See page 2 By DONOVAN Navajo Times Correspondent WINDOW ROCK The head ol the Navajo Tribes Development Committee said Wednesday thai the biggest problem Navajo businessmen have to with arc tribal officials who dont seem to care about whether they succeed or David John said his committee has been meeting with Navajo businessmen who have been almost universal in their criticism of tribal department heads who refuse to abide by tribal laws that were enacted to help Navajo businessmen hut arc now being generally What committee has found out is that the system in effect today works more against the Navajo businessman than it docs lor For that the committee is planning to propose a number of changes to existing laws that may to the Navajo Nation Council loi consideration as early as this One of the most common complaints his committee has John is that Navajo Inbal departments do not abide by Preference Navajo businessmen say they have been passed over by a number of departments who would rather deal with businesses of I the even when the Navajo business bid is th lowest bid What we have discovered is that tribal departments will come up with all kinds of excuses to be able to go with the company they want In rather than Inline he said John said thai has discovered that sonic have a oil reservation in pail because members ol the staff have some or in those companies The oil reservation continue to gam inbal department heads by wining and dining John said He said that many such as design and have their own in house policies on how they handle contracts This he is in main different from tribal laws Another major problem discovered by the committee is that once burned by a Navajo will refuse to go to that company even il it is the lowest bidder The departments will say that this Navajo company had won a previous bid and did not do a very good job so he department doesnt want to use them John said The committee has also found some problems with companies whose main stockholders may have borrowed money from a program before and not paid il k Many departments use that as an excuse not to grant them even if then certification as a Navajo preference company is still John said the figures he has seen show that the tribe is owed more than million from members who borrowed Irom various housing and Spring session underway See page 3 WINDOW ROCK Members of the Navajo Nation Council Tuesday began its spring budget geared toward the approval late this week ol a new to run Inbal government beginning April I The session begun a day late because the deliberations by the tribes and Finance Committee finished on more than a week later than its first scheduled completion Most of was spent in various committee meetings because of a desire by the committees to review the budgets of the divisions they oversee The budget under consideration by the council calls lor an operating budget next year of with another million going into tribes permanent trust On the council began actual deliberations on the spending part ol the session discussing the salary of Hales the legislative whose salary had gone up from to per the same amount as the tribes attorney Herb One council delegate asked why the salary increase was approved without council action and explained thai the salary was negotiated said negotiated salaries can he raised it approved by the administrator of that branch There was an unsuccessful attempt to combine the departments of the legislative and executive with some delegates saying that his was a waste of money because of duplication of services There were about just how much money would be saved and whether the executive personnel department wanted to handle all personnel matters Speaking of one delegate asked how much money would have been saved if all tribal programs would have been given the same budget next year as they received this year The answer was about which is the increase of next years budget over years Several council delegates including Young Jeff Tom ni See page 3 Role of women conference TUBA CITY of the woman is fading may soon be erased altogether unless ihc teachings inherent in native cultures aie renewed and regained h each new generation ol native women said Lena the acting director of Navajo Community Continuing Education Program People dont really talk about the stones behind he roic of what the caching and she said We want to talk aboul he role of women and thai it s Mill strong To help bring the original teachings aboul women to light Navajo Community College in conjunction with he Navajo hotter Program and Office ol will sponsor two 3 day conferences on women and traditional teachings The first session of Spring Stories Changing Woman and her Children will be held at High School in Tuba Am from April 11 through April The second session will be at the same location from May 2 until May Registration js and is limited lo the first 50 paid participants The conference has been specifically designed for health care and social service health school teachers and administrators and anyone with an interest in the complete role of Navajo women in todays Fowler More than 10 traditional speakers will discuss topics ranging from traditional views and on male and female marriage and the role of he elderly in native she said We wanl lo keep he knowledge Fowler SUK Grandparents are now being sent off the reservation ID nursing homes What was role of grandparents HI Navajo society and what should it be Where s that now If we bring the leaching maybe it will strengthen the The conference will explore these topics from perspective of Navajo women through Changing the legendary Viol her of the Navajo Fowler said II will examine how women relate to nature and how nature is womens relative at every from the up to the stars According to women have a great responsibility in native cultures and thu is revealed through traditional Growing girls are Youre the one that must make sure the livestock are good and and youre the one that leaches your children what you Fowler The conference will begin with a special traditional blessing for women and nature by Navajo medicine educational philosophy is based on Navajo culture and tradition both historic and The center element of this philosophy places human life m harmony with the natural world For more about this contact Una Fowler or Liana Reed at the Office of Continuing Education in Tuba City at manager of the Energy at Energy its on a slide Uranium Impact at the to with munity Center beginning at Interested citizens Project Office in photo by Companies to visit WINDOW ROCK Peterson Zah of the Navajo Nation will have a press conference on March at 9 ai the Navajo Nation to discuss his Small Business initiative the reservation The Administration and Us quest lo establish a diversified economy is hosting corporations to develop business relationship with potential Navajo The Navajo Division of Economic Development in cooperation with the Rational Center tor American Indian Development and Women In Inc will conduct informational meetings and introduce Navajo entrepreneurs lo franchisors m Fort Defiance and Tuba Guy on March 29 and in Shiprock un March We are supporting this franchise effort as part of the Presidents initiative to promote Navajo men and women These business people will become the backbone of crofting private sector on the reservation This sector will eventually create hundreds of job opportunities tor Navajo people throughout the said Rodger J Executive Director fur the Division of Economic Development S san P of Women In Inc who facilitated a workshop at the Navajo Small Business Conference this past coordinated this event will accompany franchi
