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Tribal Council Cutting Budgets/Raise Revenue
We
are potentially headed into a period of deep federal funding reductions. I
hear a lot of people talking about belt tightening and tough decisions. I
hope and pray this doesn’t happen. If forced to cut, the best defense
against tough times is to raise revenue. The best CEO’s will tell you,
cutting expenses will kill a healthy company, while raising revenue will
bring prosperity. “Tribal Council duty #19 Raising Revenue” is about to
become Tribal Council’s most important duty. It’s not what I want to do but
I have a proven track record of both saving millions and bringing in
millions of dollars in new economic development. I’m ready to do this
again.
If
we have to cut, it’s easy to talk about cutting budgets, but parents do not
eat while their children starve. Rest assured, if we have to make deep
cuts, I will propose the same cuts for Tribal Council’s budget including
reducing Tribal Council Pay.
Tribal Council Compensation
Long
ago we developed an organizational chart. Tribal Membership was at the top
and Council was at the bottom. Tribal Council is elected to serve the
people. I have always thought Tribal Council compensation should be the
same as our lowest paid worker. Tribal Council has made sure they are
compensated at or above a livable wage. I am not foolish enough to believe
any Council will vote to reduce their own pay. So, the most effective way
to accomplish tying minimum Tribal Wage to Council Compensation is to raise
living wage to the same as Tribal Councils. In other words, the lowest paid
workers in the Tribe should be paid the same as Tribal Councilors and when
Council gives themselves a pay raise it will automatically raise the lowest
pay scale equally and vice-versa. Every time I speak of such a raise, I am
called a communist or socialist. This is neither, tying minimum wages to
leadership compensation is Tribalism. If elected I will write and propose
legislation to tie the living wage to Tribal Council’s pay.
Tribal Council Compensation for Attendance
Compensation
implies you do something for the Tribe and you are then compensated for it.
Tribal Council gave themselves a raise have no obligation to attend
meetings. If elected I will write legislation and propose adding a
definition of Compensation to be tied to a formula that pro-rates
compensation with attendance.
Unless
an absolute requirement for conducting business, Tribal Council should not
get any benefits greater than given to all government employees.
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