RESOURCES &s DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE HEARING REPORT FROM DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ON PROPOSED RANGELAND IMPROVEMENT ACT
RDC concerned about how full time employees would work under proposed Rangeland Improvement Act.
How will elected community level Grazing officials and Farm Board be transformed into full time tribal employees?
And there are concerns about work output of Grazing officials & Farm Boards.
And the questions and concerns of RDC and public are policy questions which the dept of ag should be addressing, not tribal attorneys.
NDOJ attorneys
Have dept of ag address full time employees & customary use area.
Dept of Ag field agent Castillo
Navajo Nation owns the biggest ranch in the whole world but we are the lousiest managers. AS time change from when NGA introduced to reflect three branch government. Today we are doing same thing and expecting different results and will not happen unless change things. At point in time when these laws ned to be changed by Council to reflect true 3 branch government.
we cannot continue with elected officials and expect change. full time employees: when NGA discussed, talked 24 employees then 44 employees. And Council took and now have 24. But looked at how new 24 Council delegates working and saw not working so we increased full time employees from 24 to 44.
Navajo Rangeland Improvement Act is different name and polices and now iclude Eastern Navajo Land Board so working with different land status and principles and land dept work has lot of variable. Bureau of Indian Affairs dictating grazing so time for Navajo Nation govern own land as quality product that we all need to have.
it will all come forward as ful time employees.
DEPT OF AG DIRECTOR WATCHMAN
Council funding of elected grazing and farm board officals at local level: $1.3 m over three year and past 8 year jumps $1.8 m so Ag Dept recommending full time employee to use those money for better product and this year/2013 spend $1.3 million. And one time, Council funded more than $2 m to local grazing and farm board officials.
