Treasurer

From The Desk Of The Treasurer

Greetings,

Our summer recreation and educational programs have kicked off for the summer. I hope our youth are taking full advantage of these opportunities to learn new things, participate in some physical activity and socialize. In comparison to last summer, I know this summer will be very enjoyable – just to be able to gather together, once again.

Our Fiscal Department staff continues to be very busy with 2021-2022 budget meetings and government-wide budget preparations. We meet several times each week with various departments to examine staffing needs and make sound decisions, based on projected resources available. Yes, the process can be cumbersome, but we have a very capable fiscal staff which does an excellent job with preparations and providing information. The month of August is entirely devoted to reaching our goal for final budgets to be completed by mid-September. Aside from it being budget season, I’d also like to mention that our Buffalo Creek One Stop continues to do an amazing job as the leader amongst all five of our One Stop stores. The Seneca One Stop, located at Buffalo Creek has exceeded our sales projections, thus far and is continuing to perform at a tremendous level. The store seems to be well accepted by the community, as a fresh alternative to what our competitors offer, in the proximity of downtown Buffalo. This new venture in downtown Buffalo, further exemplifies the Seneca Nation’s mission to address community needs and to create additional revenue; within walking distance of our gaming operations. Kudos to Rick Blaszyk, CEO of Seneca Nation Enterprises and his hard-working staff!

Nya:wëh to all of our members whom have sent in their forms to receive American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and for completing the survey on the back page. This survey information will be used to guide decisions about how to best utilize ARPA funds to improve our overall quality of life and to address our community priorities. Also, your comments, ideas, and feedback are very important, so please do not hesitate to submit them. In addition to the application; and in accordance with other Seneca Nation direct benefit programs, enrolled Senecas must have completed their regular registration requirements with the Clerk’s Office. The deadline is August 2nd, 2021, for the first distribution date of August 25th. The deadline is August 31st, 2021, for the second distribution date of September 29th, 2021. If you have not received an ARPA Fund form in the mail, please contact the Clerk’s Office as soon as possible –
Allegany: (716) 945-1790; Cattaraugus: (716) 532-4900; Buffalo Office: (716) 951-7555.

Although we are now consistently reporting zero active cases of COVID-19 on both of our territories, please remain mindful that the COVID virus is still a threat and there has been a slight increase in active cases in New York State. Also, the Delta variant virus poses a new threat, mainly to unvaccinated people. For the protection of yourself and your loved ones, please consider getting your COVID-19 immunization shot(s), if you haven’t already done so.

Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.