HERE AT NAVAJO COUNCIL BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The Committee is hearing a report from Navajo Nation Office of Management and Budget Director Dominic Beyal regarding revisions to the Navajo Nation Budget Instruction and Policy Manual. The BIPM is Navajo law regarding how the Navajo Nation government, which includes the Legislative Branch and Executive Branch, spends the Navajo People’s money.

As part of the proposed revisions to the BIPM, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the Controller would merge. But there has been a historic dispute between OMB and the OOC.

Beyal recalled that when the BIPM was initially created that it was only a few pages but now its become such a thick document that that Navajo Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Dana Bobroff to divide the BIPM into two parts.

He also reminded the Committee about what happened when the Council ignored the BIPM and entered into a contract without following tribal law, which resulted in the Navajo Nation Supreme Court instructing the Council that if they wanted to waive the BIPM that they would have to notify the people first.

B&F VICE CHAIRPERSON JONATHAN NEZ
At one of the B&F meetings, there was suppose to be a deadline. “We are just kicking this can down the road.” Is this because of the merger between OMB and Office of the Controller?

DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA BOBROFF
One of problems, disagreements with OMB with RFP/Request for Proposals is that when first started that the Contracts and Grants Office was having problems and whether it involved Navajo Department of Justice and so NDOJ didn’t want to get involved when the RFP was issued for an entity to assist with the revisions to the BIPM, which includes the merger of OMB and OOC.

VOTE ON REPORT FROM OMB BEYAL, 4 IN FAVOR, 0 OPPOSED