PEMBROKE — The Lumbee Tribal Council approved on Thursday a $24.2 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The budget now goes before the tribe’s administration, which has 10 working days to either approve the spending plan or veto it. If the administration takes no action the budget will be deemed approved and will go into effect immediately. The fiscal year began Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2019.

Of the $24.2 million, $19.2 million comes through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development as authorized under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996. A little more than $5 million falls under the budget line item Grants and Other Activities.

Before the budget approval vote was taken by the 17 council members present — the council has 21 members — the council approved a resolution that allows the tribal administration to continue paying for tribal operations at funding levels set in the 2017-18 budget until the new budget gets final approval.

The council members also approved a budget amendment proposed by Speaker Anita Hammonds Blanks that calls for longevity bonuses to be paid to qualifying tribal government employees before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Council member Barbara Lowery asked what the longevity requirement is and asked why two employees who qualified in 2017 didn’t receive their bonuses.

Blanks said the standing policy states employees who have worked for the tribe for five years qualify for the bonus. She had no information about who didn’t receive a bonus in 2017 and why they didn’t.

Lowery asked that the amendment be amended to set the time period at which an employee qualifies.

“It’s not for us to decide who gets it and who doesn’t,” council member Al Locklear said.

The policy is set by the administration, he said. The council would be violating the constitution if it tried to set a longevity requirement.

In other policy action, the council members failed to override Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr.’s vetoes of two resolutions. The council gave itself the power to approve all tribal policies with one of the resolutions. The second stipulated that all executive orders, past, present and future, issued by the chairman and the Executive Branch must be posted on the tribe’s website.

The attempts to override did not receive the required 14 votes.

A letter of resignation offered by Locklear, one of two District 3 representatives, was approved unanimously, with Locklear abstaining. The resignation, effective Dec. 31, was offered because Locklear is moving out of the district, which covers Lumberton and East Howellsville. It will be up to the Tribal Council to appoint someone to serve out Locklear’s current three-year term.

After the meeting Locklear said the decision to move is a personal issue and declined to explain further. He did say he is moving out of Lumberton, but staying in Robeson County.

Also on Thursday, the council members approved a letter of support for a research project being undertaken by Tamra Lowery, a Northern Arizona University graduate student. The research project seeks to determine if the Lumbee dialect is a reason for why some Lumbee children in Robeson County’s public schools are receiving extra educational services to help them succeed academically.

During the community comments portion of the meeting Dick Christie, director of athletics at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, said members of UNCP’s football team would be wearing a special Lumbee Tribe jersey during the games on Saturday and on Nov. 3. The jersey is part of the university’s celebration of American Indian heritage. Nov. 3 is American Indian Heritage Day.

Christy unveiled the special jersey to a standing ovation. Christy also asked the council members to be at the Nov. 3 game so they can take part in a ceremony on the field.

Peggy Jacobs came forward to urge the council members to speak to the people they represent about what Chairman Godwin has done for the tribe and its members, “not about what he hasn’t done.”

“Chairman Harvey has done a lot for the tribe,” Jacobs said.

She urged the council members to support Godwin in his re-election bid.

“We don’t need to slip back to a bad administration,” Jacobs said.

Locklear
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Locklear-Al-1.jpgLocklear

T.C. Hunter

Managing editor

Reach T.C. Hunter by calling 910-816-1974 or via email at [email protected].