Blackfeet Nation leaders worried about paying employees

Wednesday, January 22, 2014  

Some leaders of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana say there's not enough money in the bank to make payroll.

The tribe needs about $1 million to cover checks for hundreds of employees. But only $312,000 was in the bank as of Tuesday, four council members said in a letter to Chairman Willie Sharp Jr.

The four council members have been at odds with Sharp for more than a year. The infighting has an effect on the local economy and tribal members who have been looking for assistance.

“I deal with the communities a lot. This government here has really affected our people,” elder Clayton Arrowtop Knot told Indian County Today.

Knot said tribal members have been denied heating assistance funds and have had their power cut off.

Get the Story:
Blackfeet Tribal employees and members may not get paid on Wednesday (KRTV 1/21)
Blackfeet Political Gridlock: No Electricity & No Heat for Many (Indian Country Today 1/21)