Delegates want big money

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Council’s Winter Session is still a week away, but attempts are already being made to deplete the Undesignated, Unreserved Fund Balance.

Delegate Omer Begay, in a presentation this week to the Budget & Finance Committee, is seeking approval of a supplementary appropriation from the fund of $22,304,555 to fund Navajo capital improvement project shortfalls.

At last count, the undesignated fund had a balance of only $6.5 million, according to Controller Mark Grant — nowhere near enough to fund the request. If approved, the 21st Council would be the first to put the Undesignated, Unreserved Fund Balance in the negative.

Begay told the committee that $20 million of the request is for project shortfalls, and an extra $2.3 million to construct a visitor’s center parking lot in Monument Valley.

Delegate Hoskie Kee said Monument Valley Tribal Park told the Transportation and Community Development Committee that they would request a loan, “So why are we giving them a grant?”

Begay responded, “I’m just the messenger.”

Delegate Leonard Chee questioned whether the proper assessments had been made and said though the legislation speaks to shortfalls, one chapter would get $4.5 million for a building.

To me, that’s not a shortfall,” he said.

Delegate Pete Ken Atcitty questioned how the shortfall amounts were arrived at for each of the projects. “The reason I ask this is some are still in the planning phase.

Also, how do we know there won’t be an additional shortfall? There’s no timeline. How long have these projects been here?”

Begay said some of the projects have been on the books for years and only need a certain amount to finish them off.

Atcitty questioned why there is a request for $500,000 for a court building in Dilkon. He said council approved a 1-cent tax increase for that purpose. “Why can’t they use that?”

Begay said the amount collected from the time council approved the tax increase until December “has had very little impact.”

B&F Chairman LoRenzo Bates said he had two concerns, one being that the CIP funding request is in excess of $22.3 million. “The UUFB is only $6.5 million — not enough.” Also, he said, the Office of the President and Vice President have set in motion a moratorium that says all requests would have to be received by that office.

Bates questioned their involvement and was told by Vice President Ben Shelly’s assistant that the legislation did go through the SAS process and was signed off on by Michelle Dotson.

Casey Begay of the Capital Improvement Office told the committee that the projects are “cost-reimbursement projects — we spend our money and then it’s reimbursed to us.” He said the projects have been ongoing, and that some costs, such as for concrete aggregate, have increased 100 percent.

Whitecone Delegate Lee Jack told the committee that the projects on the captial improvement list are “construction-ready,” they just have funding shortfalls, such as the multi-purpose building for his chapter.

“It took me two terms to get it where it is. In the last eight years the administration has appropriated no CIP money.

Some of these projects have been on the table many years. I think the committee should look for other funds.

There’s $8 million in chapter office funds. Why can’t we use that?

“It don’t think it’s about whose projects are on the list, it’s about which projects are ready to go,” Jack said.
Chee said he understood that Jack was just trying to do his job. “Maybe we could sit down with TCDC and come up with an agreement that we could take to council.”

Budget and Finance member Jonathan Nez told the committee, “If we don’t fund at least some of the projects on this list, that money is going to get spent really, really quick.

“I think we need to look at that $6 million to fund some of these … if not, some of our colleagues will start spending it elsewhere. I would rather support a bill that puts some or all of the UUFB on these projects,” Nez said.

Nelson Begaye said, “I think these projects are good projects and I think there’s money here to do these projects besides the UUFB. I think we need to get together and decide which project is priority.”

Lorenzo Curley, also a member of B&F, said, “Let’s acknowledge the fact that TCDC has done its work and put something out there. It seems there is something about spending Navajo money for CIP. Let’s have something to show for our effort. Let’s get together, pass this, and go find some money for it.”

Chee told the committee, “When you go shopping at Wal-Mart, you don’t put everything in the cart that you want and say you will find money to pay for it by the time you get to the checkout.”

Controller Grant said council could take 80 percent of the fund, round it to $5 million, and fund the first $5 million of a project. “Each time the UUFB gets money in it you could take 80 percent and use it to fund that $22 million” CIP list, he said.

Budget and Finance Atcitty said he would oppose that suggestion because it would set a precedent and then council would be tempted to do it with other legislation.

The committee approved the legislation 6-1 without amendment, but with the understanding, Bates said, that “it might not happen if other delegates to the UUFB first.”

Afterward, Budget and Finance also approved legislation sponsored by Rex Lee Jim for $550,000 from the fund for a mobile command unit.

“May the best man win,” Bates said.