Committee waives 45‑day review for Cherokee Nation housing plan and forwards it to full council

The Cherokee Nation Community Service Committee voted to waive the remaining 45‑day review and comment period for the Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act three‑year plan for fiscal years 2025–2027 and forwarded the resolution to the full council.

The waiver motion, offered by Councilor Dora Paskowski, was read into the record as "a resolution waiving the balance of the 45 day review and comment of the housing plan and CCO plan under the housing job and sustainable communities act for the 3 year cycle of FY 2025, '26, and 2027." The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, and will be presented to the full council this evening, the committee chair said.

The vote followed a detailed update from Todd Enloe of housing services on multiple construction and renovation projects and recent grant notices. Enloe said inspectors will begin interior walkthroughs on the first three houses in Sallisaw within one to two weeks; the site includes 12 houses and 16 duplexes. Enloe said the goal is to complete those houses "probably sometime in March" and duplexes "in the month of April," subject to weather. He said work at the Jay site should finish in June or July.

Enloe reported that the Majekloi housing addition (military housing) has the last seven units near completion and that four of those units have had walkthroughs; staff hope to open them to veterans and military families at the start of next month. He said Autumn Woods, north of Tahlequah near Grandview, will have 14 houses and that site work is advancing to slab pours. At Ocholedo, staff held a nonmandatory pre‑bid meeting attended by nine contractors; that project will build three two‑bedroom duplexes (six units) once utilities are installed.

Enloe also listed recent grant notices the housing program received in the past 30 days: a $500,000 award notice from the Federal Home Loan Bank, $1,400,000 for a Healthy Homes initiative partnership with environmental programs, a $2,000,000 ICDBG competitive notice, and a $7,500,000 IHB competitive notice. He said the nation submitted the three‑year Housing, Jobs, Sustainable Communities Act plan to administration on Dec. 31.

Committee members thanked housing staff for rapid responses to emergencies and for weekend and after‑hours work that helped households move in. No opposition to the waiver was recorded in the committee transcript.

The committee’s action sends the waiver and the submitted three‑year plan to the full Cherokee Nation Council for final consideration this evening.