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Council & Committee Meetings

Facts

  • Regular monthly meetings are convened by Zoom (and recorded) on the first Wed of each month, 5:30 pm AST.

  • Special—sometimes called emergency —meetings are called to conduct Council business between regularly scheduled monthly meetings. By (recorded) Zoom. 

  • A finance committee meeting was convened on March 16 to discuss recommendations for CARES allocations. 

  • A special Council (executive session) meeting was held Wed, Mar 17, 5:30 pm AKDT.  

  • A special Council meeting was held Tues, Mar 23, 5:30 pm AST “regarding 2020 cares closeout.” Allocations were discussed before a general consensus decision. 

  • The next regular Council meeting is Wed, May 5, 1:30 pm AKDT. 

  • Seven voting Council members serve four-year staggered terms. The Council is joined by Traditional Chief and non-voting advisor Ignatius Louie Andrew for Council meetings and (some/all) committee meetings. 

  • Traditional Chief Andrew begins each Council and Membership meeting and offers his guidance to protect and strengthen our People(s).

  • Tribal members are welcome to join meetings. Each accepted member is typically granted up to five minutes to offer feedback under the agenda item People to be Heard. 

  • Documented rules of engagement remain unclear. All meetings could adhere to processes like Robert's Rules of Order to set consistent and predictable, quality and civil engagement. 

  • Tribal member participation is welcomed on thirteen known Committees including Indian Child Welfare Act/Tribal Justice, Policy, Housing Improvement Program/NAHASDA, Senior Services, Subsistence, Bethel Transit, Education, Finance, Tribal Enrollment, Enterprise, Tribal Law Review and Revision, Election, and Elders (not yet listed on the ONC website). 

  • Membership rosters and chairs, nomination and selection processes, committee charters or purposes, delegated authorities, meeting schedules, and meeting minutes with recommendations are not readily available despite repeated requests. 

  • The role and involvement of the elders council remains unclear. 

  • Broadened participation of citizens and tribal experts is needed and overdue. 

  • Requests of citizens to serve on a committee remain unanswered. 

  • ONC regular meetings require a three-day minimum public posting with a stated purpose and agenda. 

  • Council and Committee meetings are rarely properly posted in accordance to Tribal Law, despite repeated requests. 

  • Approved minutes are to be made available to tribal members on request, but are not. 

Calls-To-Action

  • Insist that meetings and accurate agendas are posted as requested.

  • Share your expertise and interests! Ask to be included in notices of Council meetings and ONC’s thirteen known committees. 

  • Attend and participate in regular monthly and special Council meetings.

  • Attend and participate in committee meetings.

  • Share your thoughts on proposed council actions with newly appointed Self-Governance Director Sophie Swope.

  • Submit open letters, draft resolutions, and position papers to weigh in on important issues. Ask to be added to meeting agendas. 

  • Insist on participating in making a formal five-year strategic plan with aligned comprehensive budgets and plans for regular program and financial reports. 

  • Insist on standardized and published agendas and approved meeting minutes that record member comments and concerns and clearly state Council authorizations and appropriate delegations of authority.

  • Ask for an explanation of appropriate uses of Council and Committee executive sessions and reporting out of Council authorized actions.

  • Suggest regular surveys of members across generations to solicit interest, engagement, feedback, and suggestions to inform strategic and annual planning. 

  • Suggest ONC to regularly solicit member contact preference updates.

  • Suggest mandatory Council orientation and annual best-practices training.

  • Insist on grounded and open dialogue —and unrushed, reasonable, and supportable decision-making.

  • Expect due diligence and duty of care.

  • Expect due process including open avenues to receive and address suggestions, complaints, and grievances to resolve issues internally with no retaliation or harassment tolerated, and in fact, nipped in the bud.

  • Ask for regular elder council and tribal court guidance and involvement. 

  • Request regular updates!

  • Share and consume information.

  • Participate! Stay connected. 

  • Openly talk through and help fix chronic, new, and emergent enrollment and membership issues. 

Tough Questions

  • What would help you to engage more with your tribal government?

  • Is the way tribal business is being conducted weighing us down? In what ways? How can we make things better?

  • How do tribal citizens confidently know their concerns are received, documented, and passed along to an appropriate committee(s) and/or full Council for review and formal recorded action?

  • When are tribal members not invited? Do we agree open participation is a best practice especially as a way to help people familiarize themselves with the status of our tribe and weigh in to make things better?

  • How do tribal citizens obtain access to committee meetings they wish to participate in?

  • Why aren’t committee and monthly council and special/emergency meetings notices, agendas, and authorized action items readily available to tribal citizens?

  • If I can’t make a meeting but I want to watch or listen to a recorded version of the meeting what do I do? Who do I ask?

  • Could ONC start using popular voice-to-text programs as a starting point to achieve better record keeping and information sharing?

  • What is the current delegation from the Council Secretary to the new Self-Governance Director to assure (past and) future recording of compliant, complete, accurate approved minutes, resolutions, ordinances, grievance resolution, petition disposition, etc.

  • Where is the most reliable place to receive notices and results of meetings?  Website? Facebook? Newsletter? KYUK PSAs? Text and/or email notifications? Other ideas?

  • Can a formal committee for citizen relations be added to organize feedback and input? Recommendations for action? (Then citizens will have dialogue and feedback instead of one-way communication that isn’t helpful for anyone.)

  • What is the procedure for ensuring Council members and staff have the latest approved tribal laws to guide their decisions and dealings? Do they sign regular statements that they have reviewed and are abreast of issues from 1983 to 2002 to 2016 to now?

  • Can we move more towards identifying, discussing, and resolving issues before they become crises? 

What Can We Learn From Other Tribal Nations?

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