Council hears monthly reports from Marshal, tax, gaming, HR and FOIA offices

The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council received routine monthly reports from multiple departments during its Feb. 27 meeting.

Marshal service: Marshal Daniel Mead opened by thanking the council for the chance to report monthly and praised the department’s men and women. Mead corrected a departmental attribution from the previous month, acknowledged colleagues in evaluation and compliance, and recounted a personal head‑on collision over the weekend in which his 13‑year‑old son assisted him and called 911. Mead said he was grateful for his son’s calm response and described his pride in the marshal team and the responsibilities of the office. Council members followed with thanks for the marshal service’s work supporting veterans and community events, and one council member praised the department’s support for transporting veterans from a funeral home to Fort Gibson National Cemetery.

FOIA and GRA: Gwen Terpin (FOIA and GRA) apologized for missing the previous meeting due to illness and noted a report was provided to council members; she invited questions and none were raised on the public record.

Tax Commission: Sharon Swepston reported the Tax Commission’s December numbers, saying motor vehicle revenues were 4.71% higher compared with the same period last year, while overall revenue and taxation (including retail sales and tobacco) were about 7% lower year over year.

Gaming Commission: Audra Imhoff told the council that the next commission meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 7 in Tahlequah and that the National Indian Gaming Commission requires an external audit annually; she reported the audit showed no findings and no instances of noncompliance.

Human Resources: Samantha Hendricks summarized recruitment and internship work. She said the summer 2024 internship program had approximately 40 interns and 11 of those were later hired full time. For the upcoming summer program she reported 81 applicants so far and anticipated hiring 25–30 interns. Hendricks also described a new job‑posting feature called “bookings” that allows applicants to schedule time directly with a recruiter.

Council members asked follow‑up questions about emergency management, recruitment workflows and upcoming gaming commission meeting logistics. The reports were received; no formal council actions were recorded on these items during the public portion of the meeting.