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Mayors of Tuttle and Blanchard urge residents to complete IHS survey to seek water-infrastructure grant
Summary
Mayors Aaron McLeroy (Tuttle) and Michael Scalp (Blanchard) asked residents to return a mailed or QR-code survey required for an Indian Health Service grant application to fund joint water-utility infrastructure, saying responses will document the share of residents with Native American heritage and help secure funding to offset utility costs.
Aaron McLeroy, mayor of Tuttle, and Michael Scalp, mayor of Blanchard, urged residents to complete a mailed or digital survey needed to support a joint application for an Indian Health Service grant to fund water-utility infrastructure.
The mayors said the Chickasaw Nation has provided an opportunity for both cities to apply for IHS funding. "The Chickasaw Nation has graciously provided an opportunity to Blanchard and Tuttle to apply for a grant funding through the Indian Health Service for important water utility infrastructure that will benefit citizens of both cities," McLeroy said, framing the partnership behind the request.
The survey is intended to gather census-style information to establish the percentage of residents with Native American heritage, a key factor in identifying eligibility for IHS assistance. "The Indian Health Service funding is primarily directed at projects that benefit all persons with the Native American heritage, but all residents should complete the survey," Scalp said.
Officials said the cities are distributing questionnaires by mail, promoting the survey on social media, and offering a QR code for a digital response. "Responding to the survey is easy," Scalp said, instructing residents to fill out the questionnaire and return it to the respective city hall or complete it digitally via the QR code.
McLeroy encouraged broad participation regardless of tribal affiliation and offered a personal example: "Even though I am not a card carrying member of the nation, I will be marking yes on the survey as my great grandmother was a full blood Cherokee Indian." He and Scalp said gathering accurate counts could enable the cities to seek funding that offsets infrastructure costs so that increases are not passed to ratepayers.
No vote or formal action was taken during the announcement; the mayors asked residents to complete and return the surveys so the cities can document demographic data needed for the grant application. For questions or assistance with the survey, residents were directed to contact their respective city halls.
