Greetings,
If you didn’t make it to the H.E.R.O. Committee’s Trunk or Treat event last night at the ACC, you missed a great night! There were several departments whom set up their trunks and handed out treats; and several pumpkins were entered for the Pumpkin Carving Contest. I hope all those that attended, had a great evening!
We are now one month into our new Fiscal Year 2022 and things are moving along well. Effective October 1st, 2021, SG&E and our Seneca One-Stops transitioned from departments to limited liability corporation (LLC) status. The transition for both entities required extensive planning and testing of each process for fiscal operations, including payroll and benefits, in coordination with management of each of the LLC’s. Moving these enterprises to separate LLCs helps isolate the potential liability of those companies, away from the assets of the Nation itself; and allows SG&E and One Stop more flexibility to expand their business operations. In contrast, our Seneca Nation Housing Authority became a Seneca Nation Department, effective October 1st. This was another time sensitive and process planning task, as Housing oversees several properties and manages large grant funds. I have the highest confidence that our fiscal team, in coordination with Housing staff, will do an excellent job with these massive undertakings for the new fiscal year. With COVID-19 present, we were forced to re-evaluate our spending practices and to carefully consider all of our staffing and yearly budget priorities. We have all trimmed where we needed to and expanded services where they are most needed. There will come a day when this deadly virus will no longer even be a consideration; but for now, we move forward and continue to build and strengthen our Seneca Nation investments and economy.
The documented cases of COVID-19 appear to be fluctuating in all of our communities and we continue to have a segment of our population whom remains unvaccinated. With the various strains of this virus that have been identified and are actively spreading, I am hopeful those that are not yet vaccinated, are considering a vaccine. Also, if you test positive for the virus, I urge you to please follow all COVID-19 protocols and remain isolated until you test negative, so as not to spread the virus in our community. Getting vaccinated, maintaining a six-foot social distance and wearing a mask are actions we can all take to help combat this terrible virus.
Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.
