UKB Council Passes $45,000 Appropriation, Three Other Measures Not Listed on Printed Agenda
By Staff Reports
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council approved five resolutions during its Aug. 1 regular monthly meeting, four of which were not listed as agenda items on the meeting’s printed agenda, according to the agenda document and an audio recording of the proceedings.
Chief Jeff Wacoche called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. at the Wellness Center at UKB headquarters in Tahlequah.
The printed agenda listed two items under New Business: authorizing the Department of Indian Child Welfare to apply for a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant, and authorizing the addition of signatories to the UKB Tax Commission’s bank account. The agenda’s executive session entry did not name any items.
The council voted 9-1 with no abstentions to amend and approve the Tax Commission signatory resolution. The measure adds Joyce Hawk, listed as Tax Commission chairwoman, and Charles Deason, listed as vice chairman, as authorized signatories on the commission’s Business, Finance and Regulatory Committee bank account. The motion was made by Treasurer Sonja Gourd and seconded by Goingsnake District Representative Willie Christie.
Following executive session, the council took up four additional measures not named on the printed agenda. Each passed 8-1 with one abstention:
The council appropriated $45,000 from a corporate board lease payments account, established under Resolution 26-UKB-58, to the Department of Human Services. The resolution allocates $5,000 to each of the tribe’s nine district representatives for discretionary district use, provided expenditures comply with tribal law and Department of Human Services procedures. The motion was made by Illinois District Representative Janelle Adair.
The council authorized creation of UKB Fedcom LLC as a tribally chartered entity under Section 3U of the UKB Federal Corporate Charter and directed the chief to file articles of organization.
The council voted to request that the UKB Gaming Commission convene. The resolution names Jamie Hummingbird, Tracey Burris and Jared Swimmer as current commissioners.
The council voted to move its September regular meeting from the first weekend of the month to Sept. 12, citing the Labor Day holiday and Keetoowah ceremonial observances.
On each of the four votes, one council member abstained, stating on the record that the item was not on the original agenda.
Resolution numbers for the four executive session items were not stated during the meeting and have not been independently obtained.
Neither the tribe’s ongoing financial condition, including recent furloughs and the pending impeachment proceeding against Treasurer Sonja Gourd, nor allegations that Wacoche threatened a council member during a July 13 confrontation — the subject of a pending protective order petition in Cherokee County District Court — was raised during the portions of the meeting captured in the materials reviewed for this report.
The council also announced an Aug. 14 special meeting for an impeachment hearing.