1982-08-15 Char-Koosta News

              PABLO, MONTANA 59855 ISSN: 0528-8592
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NEWSPAPER OF THE SAUSH. PEND d'OREILLE AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION, WESTERN MONTANA
VOLUME 11 NUMBER 7 FULL MOON OF THE HUCKLEBERRY        AUGUST 15, 1982
Lake County votes to support Namen's case
While some folks think summertime means pow wows and huckleberries, others are busy hiding out in smoky meeting rooms, desperately trying to get more mileage out of their anemic government checkbooks.
What do we hope to accomplish next year? What can we absolutely do without? Can we afford to reward deserving employees or make any improvements? These are some of the questions being asked by budget«makers everywhere.
In the Tribal forum, mid-managers are caught between wanting their operations to grow (which usually means bigger budgets) and a grim-faced, belt-cinching 'final ap-
Water ordinance is law — maybe
The Tribes' one-time-controversial water planning ordinance is apparently a law.
Submitted to the Department of the Interior early in May, after it had been recommended for approval by the local BIA, the document seems to have survived its 90-day secretarial review period without a hitch. According to federal procedure, if a Tribal ordinance isn't disapproved or unfavorably commented upon within 90 days of its submission to the Interior Secretary, it becomes law automatically. This seems to be the situation here.
Tribal officials are hopeful but cautious. They assume they have a sanctioned water planning statute as of August 9, but official confirmation hasn't arrived
Dr. Al Spang, BIA Superintendent says two phone calls to Washington, D.C., August 10 and 11 were fruitless: no one in authority was around to release any news.
proval board', the Tribal Council, which wishes to see as few zeros as possible in front of the decimal point in the 'total' column. August 18 has been set aside to review all departments' FY83 budgets.
Beyond Pablo, however, one group of government officials, Lake County's, seems to have suffered little torment about one interesting item on its budget: some $15,000 has been earmarked to fight the Tribes' property rights in Poison. That amount is the 'neighborhood figure' appropriated for the Flathead Lake defense fund in support of the Namen jurisdiction case.
Indian and non-Indian taxpayers alike are incensed with the news. Tribal Executive Secretary Fred Houle, Jr., explains why in the following letter sent to county commissioners August 6:
"The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have been made aware of the fact that your propose to allocate $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 in support of the Namens, the City of Poison and the State of Montana in litigation pending over
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INSIDE: Water, water everywhere . . .
Feds delegate authority........................Page 2
Feds want to negotiate.......................Page 14
Apaches fight for theirs.......................Page 18
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Letters.......................................page 8
Parade.....................................page ¡6
Minutes.....................................Page 22