Aniwodihi (Painttown) Rep. Michael Stamper (Photo contributed)
Hello everyone,
This is my Council Report for the month of July. As summer comes to a close, I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and memorable season.
This time of year marks a transition for our community. With the new school year beginning soon and fall just around the corner, we look ahead to several important events, including the Fall Festival, football season, and one of the busiest tourism seasons of the year. Please enjoy the remaining days of summer and take time to prepare for the upcoming school year.
As always, my report follows the standard format below.
Community Events
Aug. 6 – Cherokee Central Schools Back-to-School Bash
Open House
- Pre-K through 6th Grade: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Middle School and High School: 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Back-to-School Bash Activities
- Time: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
- Location: 86 Elk Crossing Lane, Cherokee, NC 28719
Aug. 7 – The Way We See the World
An annual community event hosted by the Museum of the Cherokee People that highlights Indigenous pop culture. This year’s event will feature films including Ahyoka, Julie Takes a Walk, Woman of the Stony Shores, and a sneak peek of an upcoming film. An art market and silent auction will also be held.
- Time: 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
- Location: Council Fire Ballroom, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Cherokee, N.C.
Project Updates
Recently Completed Projects
This section will be updated as additional projects are completed throughout calendar year 2026.
Projects Currently Underway or Nearing Completion
Nvdiyeli Trail
Updates to the stairs and signage were scheduled to begin on July 20. A finished product should be visible very soon.
Ceremonial Grounds
Improvements to the overall structure and makeup of the property continue weekly. The project remains on schedule and within budget.
Multipurpose Facility (Old High School Site)
The archaeological survey has been approved and will begin soon. This marks another important step toward eventual groundbreaking.
New Restroom Facilities for the Historical Area (Indian Village and Fire Mountain Trails)
Designs have been approved, and the bidding process has been completed. The current phase involves evaluating the project scope to identify potential cost savings.
Ordinances Under Consideration
Ordinances that have been passed, withdrawn, or defeated will not appear on this list.
- Amendments to Election Laws
- Establishing an Elk Hunting Season
- Updating Laws on the Assignment of Possessory Holdings
- Regulating the Caging of Bears on Tribal Lands
- Ordinance Amending Chapter 41 of the Cherokee Code to Define Different Types of Ownership of a Possessory Holding
- Ordinance Amending Chapter 19-7 of the Cherokee Code Regarding Public Nuisances
- Ordinance Amending the Statute of Frauds in Chapter 22 of the Cherokee Code
- Ordinance proposing Amendments to Chapters 92 and 95 Related to TERO
- Ordinance to establish Cannabis Control Board is funded by Qualla LLC.
Work Sessions
Upcoming Work Sessions
July 28
- 1 p.m. – Tabled Ordinance 21: Election Laws
July 29
- 9 a.m. – Tabled Ordinance 184: Caging of Bears on Tribal Lands
July 30
- 9 a.m. – Minors Trust Fund
August 5
- 11 a.m. – Noquisi Initiative
Monthly Update for Readers
This month’s update focuses on a topic that has generated both warranted and unwarranted concerns: Cost Containment.
What is cost containment? How does it affect your daily life? Is it a positive or a negative? Is it a sign of financial trouble, or simply good planning?
These are all valid questions. Much of the confusion comes from a lack of understanding about how tribal government budgeting and finances operate across programs and entities. To fully explain the purpose behind cost containment, it is important to provide some background on how this initiative came to be.
Every budget season, Tribal Council and program leadership build budgets based on projected revenue from tribal distribution dollars generated by various entities. These projections are developed using numerous economic and industry factors. When revenue projections return either higher or lower than previous years, adjustments must be made accordingly.
For Fiscal Year 2025-2026, revenue projections were lower than previous years due primarily to current economic conditions and increased competition within the gaming industry. Because of this information, we have been able to plan ahead and make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones.
As part of that planning process, budgets are reviewed regularly throughout the fiscal year, which is divided into four quarters:
- 1st Quarter: October through December
- 2nd Quarter: January through March
- 3rd Quarter: April through June
- 4th Quarter: July through September
We are currently in the 4th Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025-2026, and cost containment measures were scheduled to begin at the start of this quarter.
The purpose of this initiative is to encourage responsible spending across all programs and entities while creating savings during the final quarter of the fiscal year. Those savings can then be carried forward into the next fiscal year. This is not a sign of poor financial management or frivolous spending. Rather, it is a strategic response to economic conditions that we have come to expect and that many believe will continue into Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
Is Cost Containment a Bad Thing?
In short, no.
Implementing cost containment during the final quarter of the fiscal year typically has minimal impact on most programs because the majority of annual expenses have already been allocated and planned for. As long as a program has managed its budget responsibly throughout the year, cost containment should have little to no effect on its ability to provide services.
If It Has Little Effect, Why Is It Effective?
Cost containment does exactly what its name suggests: it contains costs.
Historically, there have been situations where programs that experienced savings during the year felt pressure to spend remaining funds before the fiscal year ended. Since beginning my work in tribal programs in 2013, I have often heard the phrase, “If I don’t spend it, then I can’t put it back in my budget for next year.”
As a result, some programs would spend remaining funds on items that may not have been necessary from a true operational or service-delivery standpoint. Cost containment helps shift that mindset by encouraging programs to evaluate whether expenditures are genuinely needed before making them.
Why Might Programs Have Unspent Money?
To understand that, it helps to look at how budgets are created.
One of my favorite examples comes from Family Support Services, managed by Barbara Jones. This program provides a highly valued resource to our community through its gas voucher program, which helps individuals travel for qualifying medical appointments.
When preparing a budget, a program manager often uses historical spending patterns to estimate future needs. Suppose Family Support Services budgets the same amount for gas vouchers as the previous year because funding levels proved adequate and no budget amendment was required.
However, during the following fiscal year, gasoline prices increase significantly. Since gas vouchers are based on gallons rather than dollars, the cost of providing those vouchers also increases. As a result, the program may exhaust its gas voucher budget much earlier than expected.
The need for medical travel assistance does not disappear simply because the budget line item has been fully spent. At that point, the program may need a budget amendment to continue providing the service.
Budget amendments require Tribal Council action and approval through a resolution. While essential services are often strong candidates for approval, the process can still take time and create uncertainty for both program staff and community members who rely on those services.
To prevent that situation from occurring again, a program may choose to increase its funding request during the next budget cycle to account for possible future increases in fuel costs. That increase can be justified to Tribal Council based on actual experience.
Why Budgets Sometimes Appear Larger Than Necessary
Because budget amendments take time and require Council approval, many programs would rather plan for potential increases in costs than risk running out of funds mid-year.
As a result, programs may build additional flexibility into their budgets to account for uncertainty in the economy, inflation, changing service demands, or fluctuations in costs that are outside their control.
When those anticipated increases do not materialize, programs may find themselves with unspent funds in the fourth quarter. This is not necessarily a sign of poor planning. In many cases, it reflects an effort to ensure services remain available under a wide range of economic conditions.
The Role of Cost Containment
Over time, some budgets can naturally become larger than necessary because managers are trying to prepare for unknown variables. Cost containment helps identify opportunities to capture savings when circumstances turn out more favorably than expected.
When every program and entity takes a thoughtful look at its spending and focuses on essential needs, those savings can accumulate without reducing services to the public. Those funds can then be rolled into the next fiscal year, strengthening the Tribe’s overall financial position and helping prepare for future economic uncertainty.
Cost containment is not about limiting services or creating hardship. It is about ensuring that tribal resources are used wisely and responsibly.
At its core, this initiative reflects responsible planning, sound financial management, and proactive leadership from both elected officials and program managers. By taking steps today to preserve resources, we put ourselves in a stronger position to continue serving our community tomorrow.
Michael Stamper
Tribal Council Representative
Painttown Community
828-736-6192
