I can't say that the tribe can come up necessarily with $9 million to make up for the shortfall in its budget, but I do have some money saving suggestions.
* Close down all projects run by the tribe that have become money pits. This includes the theater and the golf course.
* Review certain services and those that aren't essential, like home senior citizen repairs, put on hold.
* Freeze all travel. This I understand is already being done.
* Abolish the deputy level of tribal government. While I don't like to see layoffs or reductions in staff, this is a completely unnecessary level that only serves to insulate the chief further from being accountable to his constituents.
* Cut pay and benefits to tribal elected officials. I don't want to hear that crap about how hard these guys work. Some do. But some aren't worth the paper their checks are printed on. It's the height of arrogance to serve one's self while the constituents struggle to make ends meet.
These options are far better then mass layoffs, or implementing or raising taxes.
Breaking Down Barriers in Sexual and Reproductive Health Reporting in Africa
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*This is a guest post by Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach a Hand
Uganda. *
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8 years ago
1 comment:
Here are some ideas:
Why are there close to 100 tribal employees making $100,000 a year? 15 years ago the Chief made $15,000 a year and Council made $100 a meeting. Now there are professional politicians living off the tribal dole (not to mention their absolutely outrageous pension scheme passed last year, which I can't believe hasn't been abolished yet). What do these employees do to really earn that kind of money?
Why was it accepted practice in the past to spend, spend, spend at the end of the fiscal year in each program? In times of prosperity, shouldn't there be someone thinking that dark days may be looming? Economies go in cycles. Even a Chief with an Associate's Degree in Accounting should know that. Instead Tribal government let programs buy ridiculous items that weren't needed, instead of returning that money to a rainy day fund.
Communicate with the Casino! Don't point fingers as this current Chief and Finance Official are doing, in what everyone knows is an attempt to take swipe at Patrick before next year's election. Estimates on something totally new (alcohol sales) are just that--estimates. Don't build them into the budget as if you'll just automatically get that money because some bean counter crunched some numbers that were unrealistic to start with.
Drive by Ginger Lynn Welch at 3:30 on Friday afternoon. How many cars are gone? Is everyone working their full 40 hour week? If not, reprimand them for filing false time sheets and then fire them if they're not up to the job, particularly the higher paying employees who seem to come and go as they please.
Finally, communicate, communicate, communicate! Don't get on council and point fingers! Everyone is tired of the blame game. Let's work together like we used to as a people to figure out solutions to our problems, rather than coast by on our golden egg. Let's pay competitive salaries to get good employees, but not clearly excessive ones to political allies or family. Why is Angie Kephart making $100,000 a year other than to make sure Michelle sures up another election victory using $5 Indians in Cherokee county?
Cut the waste. Now.
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