i’M STILL HERE AT THE NAVAJO COUNCIL BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WHERE0 THE COMMITTEE HAS NOT GONE TO ITEM F ON THEIR AGENDA, WHICH IS LEGISLATION 0085-14, WHICH IS APPROVING THE PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS SUPERVISION PROGRAM SPECIAL REVENUE FUND FOR 2014 WITH A REVISION TO $100,000. SPONSOR IS DELEGATE DWIGHT WITHERSPOON

No debate. Committee votes and vote is 4 in favor, 0 opposed.

The Committee goes to LELGISLATION 0037-14: APPROVING THE OFFICE OF NAVAJO LABOR RELATIONS FUND MANAGEMENT PLAN BUT WHEN THERE IS NO SPONSOR, THE COMMITTEE MOVES TO LEGISLATION LEGISLATION 0082-14, WHICH IS ALSO SPONSORED BY DELEGATE JONATHAN HALE.

Hale returns to B&F meeting and begins his presentation as sponsor of Legislation 0082-14: revisions to Navajo Nation Budget Instruction and Policy Manual that allow for more time for entities that receive supplemental funding as an emergency, such as the drought. The amount of tribal government Red Tape blocks tribal programs and others from spending funds in a timely way.

DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA BOBROFF
Navajo law doesn’t allow B&F to amend law regarding Personnel Lapse Fund that amends Title 2.

OFFICE OF CONTROLLER DIRECTOR MARK GRANT
You could simply add “Personnel Lapse Fund” to Budget Instruction and Policy Manual for Carryover of funds from one budget year to another.

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DOMINIC BEYAL
I agree with Bobroff and Grant.

SPONSOR, DELEGATE JONATHAN HALE
I’m concerned about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever allocation which was appropriated late and then red tape adds to lateness and then the end of the budget arrives.

OMB DIRECTOR DOMINIC BEYAL
IF you remember, when the B&F was developing the 2014 budget, several of these programs that were allocated emergency funding, such as Navajo Department of Agriculture and Navajo Veterinarian Program, which were conducting feral horse roundup and vaccinating dogs before funding was released to them because of the emergency situations.

We are concerned about language proposed by Delegate Hale in this legislation which was recommended by Deputy Attorney General Dana Bobroff because it opens the door for all the programs to carry over their funds. Once upon a time, in the 1990s, there were no restrictions and programs could get millions for areas that were under question.

CONTROLLER MARK GRANT
If you look at proposed legislation, it allows for 50 percent advance, which is okay. But then the problem occurs if the Council forgets to identify funding as emergency.

VOTE ON LEGISLATION 0082-14: 4 IN FAVOR, 0 OPPOSED

BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE ADJOURNS AT 3:23 P.M.