Opinions: Oneida Nation offered to share road funds

Friday, April 13, 2007  

Last month, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin signed agreements to share Indian Reservation Road funds with local communities. But the village of Hobart wasn't among those who accepted.

Bill Gollnick, the chief of staff for the tribe, says the offer is still on the table. "This opportunity does not require local municipalities to transfer title, lose jurisdiction, or make any other commitment to provide service. It simply requires that a government acknowledge that it does not have all the funds to address all of its needs. These funds could be used for all roads that intersect with the Oneida Reservation," he writes in The Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Debbie Schumacher, a Hobart trustee, explains why the village didn't take the offer. "The tribe gave the local municipalities only one week to look over these policies. Why so, when the tribe had this information for months? There are too many unanswered questions," she writes.

In other parts of the country, tribes and local agreements are sharing IRR funds.

Get the Story:
Bill Gollnick : Tribe willing to work with municipalities (The Green Bay Press-Gazette 4/13)
Debbie Schumacher: Hobart officials didn't see savings in deal (The Green Bay Press-Gazette 4/13)

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