Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

Due to some flaws and a couple gray areas, the Lumbee tribe’s housing program’s rehabilitation policy will need to be rewritten. The Lumbee Tribal Council was informed by a technical advisor during their meeting on September 19, 2002. Despite the problems, the tribe’s $8 million program has made progress. The point system that the program uses was not included in the policy and will need to be updated to be fair to all applicants. The program allows for home repairs up to $15,000. As of the article, the program had helped repair 73 homes, and it had contracts to work with 52 more. The issues will be discussed by the Housing Committee when the meet October 7, 2002. The council also tabled an ordinance forbidding convicted felons to serve on the Tribal Council. Those that are for the ordinance, such as councilman Henry Chavis, say it would send the wrong message. On the other side there are members like Jimmy Hunt, who say the voters should decide, and it is not right to punish somebody for the rest of their lives. The meeting also included a vote to pay Cherry, Bekaert and Holland of Fayetteville $10,000 for an audit, and the announcement that Allen Meadors, the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, had agreed to attend the council’s meeting on October 17, 2002.