Cornfields Chapter granted certification

<i>Courtesy photo</i><br>
From left to right: Cornfields Chapter officials Marilyn T. Begay, Office Specialist; Linda J. Youvella, Secretary/Treasurer; Elizabeth B. Johnson, Community Services Coordinator; Justin Johnson, Vice President; and Jimmy Taliman Sr., President, stand with a check for $160,000 to help start local development.

<i>Courtesy photo</i><br> From left to right: Cornfields Chapter officials Marilyn T. Begay, Office Specialist; Linda J. Youvella, Secretary/Treasurer; Elizabeth B. Johnson, Community Services Coordinator; Justin Johnson, Vice President; and Jimmy Taliman Sr., President, stand with a check for $160,000 to help start local development.

CORNFIELDS, Ariz. - The Cornfields Chapter is now the 11th certified chapter on the Navajo Nation. The Transportation and Community Development Committee granted certification to the chapter last week with a 6-0 vote. Following certification, the Navajo Division of Community Development presented the chapter with a $160,000 check to help spur local development.

"We have worked very hard as a team to become a certified chapter," stated Chapter President Jimmie Taliman Sr. "I am confident in our team. We will continue to work for the people."

Certified chapters have the capacity to administer business sites and create business plans, enforce local taxes and exercise supervisory control of local matters, while abiding by Navajo Nation laws. The goal of Cornfields Chapter is creating a town that will accommodate the needs of the people. Opportunities to develop local businesses and the construction of a postal service program that will deliver mail directly to homes are basic goals the community feels are important at this time.

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan expressed appreciation for the chapter's hard work.

"This community has become an aspiration for non-certified chapters," Morgan said. "You must work together and make sure you come together at chapter meetings because your voice is important to this new direction. I am proud of this community."

Another step the chapter will take is to request the Navajo Nation Council amend the plan of operation for certified chapters. Amending the plan of operation would result in the creation of an office that caters specifically to certified chapters. The office would be a sub-entity within the Office of Navajo Government Development.

"We have passed our audits three years in a row," stated Elizabeth Johnson, Community Services Coordinator. "We worked together with the community to become a certified chapter. This is a special day for everyone."

The Local Governance Act of 1998 allows Cornfields Chapter to exercise local governance by utilizing the Five Management System Policies and Procedures.

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read