Tribal president accuses Joint Finance Committee of unjustly withholding money; Evers agrees

Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe President John Johnson is accusing the Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee of unjustly withholding promised gaming revenue funds to his tribe as retaliation for land disputes on the northern reservation this year.

In September, the state’s Department of Administration requested that $11 million in tribal gaming revenues be given back to the 11 federally recognized tribal nations in the state — $1 million to each tribe.

But on Oct. 31, the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee approved only $9 million to be released — $1 million to each of only nine tribes, excluding the Lac du Flambeau and Bad River Ojibwe tribes, without explanation.

Johnson and Bad River Chairman Robert Blanchard wrote a letter Nov. 13 to state officials, including State Sen. Howard Marklein and State Rep. Mark Born on the Joint Committee on Finance, condemning the act as discrimination and urged them to release the funds.

“Our tribal members, who are also residents of Wisconsin, deserve an explanation as to why they are being singled out for such discriminatory treatment,” the letter stated.

The tribal leaders also appealed to Gov. Tony Evers.

“If you are without any procedural power to undue this travesty, we urge you to consider litigation to fix this injustice,” the letter addressed to Evers stated.

On Monday, Evers issued a statement agreeing with the tribal leaders.

“The actions by Republicans on Joint Finance to withhold already-approved funds, which are paid for by tribal gaming revenue, from two tribes in Wisconsin without any justification or rationale flies in the face of our work to build strong, meaningful government-to-government partnerships with Native nations,” Evers wrote in the statement. “This is just yet another in a long list of examples of Republicans’ ongoing efforts to obstruct basic functions of government.”

Johnson said he believes the money was withheld from Lac du Flambeau as retaliation for two land disputes with non-tribal entities on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation this year.

One involved the closing of four tribal roads used by non-tribal residential property owners to access their homes on the reservation.

Tribal officials said the leases had expired on those roads 10 years ago and their requests to renew them were ignored.

The roads have been reopened as the non-tribal town of Lac du Flambeau agreed to pay the tribe a monthly fee until a more permanent arrangement can be reached.

The other incident involved the tribe demolishing a resale store owned by a Presbyterian Church on the reservation after gravesites, including those of Indigenous people, were found underneath its parking lot.

The tribe said it was looking to build a natural setting in its place so its ancestors can rest in peace.

In a statement, JFC co-chairs Sen. Howard Marklien and Rep. Mark Born said the funds weren't released because the two tribes have "taken adverse actions against their fellow Wisconsinites.

"While we respect their autonomy as a tribe, we must also respect the taxpayers who are suffering as a result of the tribes' decisions. They have prevented access to private properties, levied unreasonable fees on local municipalities, and are causing skyrocketing property taxes all due to their actions."

Gaming revenue helps fund various public programs across the state, as well as tribal programs.

Estimated tribal gaming revenues in Wisconsin this fiscal year total more than $60 million, with more than half of that funding state agency programs.

“Wisconsin would not be the state we are today without the significant contributions of Indigenous people to our history, culture, economy, and to our future, and our success as a state is inextricably tied to the success of the Native nations who call this land home,” Evers said in his statement.

Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers agrees funding being unjustly withheld from tribes by GOP