UKB looking to put 2.03 acres into trust

Grant D. Crawford, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
·2 min read

Jan. 10—The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council gave its approval over the weekend for the tribe to submit an application to place 2.03 acres of land into trust.

This comes after the U.S. Department of Interior announced it had withdrawn its approval of the land into trust for UKB gaming operations. The plot of land is where the UKB previously operated a casino.

The Council tabled a discussion to reopen the tribe's lobby to the public, with safeguards in place. According to UKB officials, last week, 27 employees either tested positive for COVID-19, or were placed on quarantine.

"With everything that's come about recently with our current staff, with a lot of them getting COVID, and our CDC having to close, my opinion would be to suggest we don't yet move forward in opening up the lobby," said Councilor Caleb Grimmett.

A budget committee will be developed to work with the tribe on an ongoing basis, and the Council will nominate and approve members.

The tribe discussed reopening tribal enrollment on a limited basis for newborns and people turning 18. The item was tabled.

The Council approved the processing of seven applications for American Rescue Plan funds that met the deadline on time, but had issues with paperwork.

The tribe will submit an application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for attorney fees and litigation expenses. Assistant Chief Jeff Wacoche said the tribe was already paying attorney fees using BIA funds.

"We had to provide justification during the audit, and it was all approved, but once they'd seen we were paying them out of the BIA, they reached out to us and said we have a program and grant that you can apply for that will pay for that," he said.

The Council also approved the submission of a Small Business Loan application for tribal members. Chief Joe Bunch said if the application is approved, "we will get some loan money that — what I was told — is up to a little over $2 million in loans for our tribal people as far as business startups, expansions, purchase of land and things of that nature."

What's next

The next United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Council meeting is Feb. 5 at 10 a.m., at the UKB Wellness Center.