STATEMENT OF CONCERN: The Leech Lake Tribe like many other tribes across the nation, has over the years received assistance from various federal agencies to develop public housing on the reservation. Such assistance generally includes the construction of community water and sanitation facilities. However, provisions are not made to assist in the continued maintenance and operation of such systems after the project is complete. It has been our experience that the tribe does not have available resources to cover these costs. It seems preposterous and wasteful that the government would spend millions of dollars on community and housing development and not plan for the maintenance of a very important part of each development. The attached document outlines the operations and costs of the community water and sewer system on our reservation. We do not have the on-going financial resources to carry out this program. The Congress needs to look at HUD, IHS and BIA policies pertaining to this problem and establish an on-going commitment that meets this need. |