BY BRITTNEY BENNETT
EDITOR
TAHLEQUAH - The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians passed four resolutions and ratified another during its Jan. 26 Special Meeting, including legislation restructuring tribal personnel and approving a line of credit with the Bank of Cherokee County.
The first resolution was brought forth by Treasurer Ella Mae Worley, who made a motion to place all “Band personnel” under the supervision of the executive director of tribal operations.
The motion passed 9-2-1.
Councilor Barry Dotson gave the motion a second. Assistant Chief Jamie Thompson and Councilors Jeannie Tidwell, Adalene Smith, Frankie Still, Sharon Benoit, Peggy Girty and Jeff Wacoche all voted to approve. Secretary Joyce Hawk and Councilor Charles Smoke voted against, with Councilor Eddie Sacks abstaining.
Multiple departments had been reporting to various supervisors before the motion was passed. Tribal member Sean Nordwall is currently the tribe’s EDTO.
The second resolution asked councilors to vote in favor of the creation of several new UKB committees, including a tribal government, services, finance, environmental and natural resources, education, and grants committees.
The language stipulated that each committee would be made up of five members.
Worley made the motion, with a second from Smith before it was passed unanimously.
Councilors also discussed the possibilities of having committees for both election and tax purposes, but held off an adding the language to the resolution after receiving council from the tribe’s Attorney General Klint Cowan.
“Since (election and tax) are commissions traditionally and they’re a little different, I recommend you do them separately in a separate motion,” he said. “If you hold off until next week, I can draft something. I just need to review your codes and constitution before I do that.”
Sacks next made a motion to strike the resolution concerning EDTO and personnel due to a “language” issue, but it was not given a second and councilors moved forward.
The third resolution of the day proposed placing the EDTO under the direct supervision of the UKB Tribal Council.
The motion passed 9-2-1.
Tidwell made the motion, with a second from Worley. Thompson, Smith, Still, Benoit, Girty, Dotson and Wacoche all voted to approve. Smoke and Sacks voted against, with Hawk abstaining.
The fourth resolution proposed was to “remove former council from all committees,” which passed 11-1.
Tidwell made the motion, with a second from Worley.
Thompson, Smith, Still, Benoit, Girty, Hawk, Dotson, Smoke and Wacoche all voted to approve. Sacks voted against.
The last order of business for the meeting saw councilors vote to ratify a “limited waiver of sovereignty for the purpose of entering into a loan with the Bank of Cherokee County for a revolving line of credit in the amount of $200,000.”
Sacks made the motion, with a second from Thompson before it passed unanimously.
The next regularly schedule UKB Tribal Council meeting is set for Saturday, Feb. 2 in Tahlequah.
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