Tsaile Wheatfields Dineh Water User

“Two sisters sit on the Board of Directors, Anelda Keldelty and Amelda Benally. Both are active members of the community who contribute a great deal of their time to the organization's nonprofit efforts. All board members are required to divulge any conflict of interest concerns on any issues before the Board of Directors as required by their bylaws. Those in conflict are required to excuse themselves from any discussion or voting on the issue before the board. It is difficult to avoid”

“Membership for our organization are specifically for those individuals who hold permits to use designated lands for agricultural and ranching purposes. These lands are regulated according to the Navajo Nation Grazing Act and enforced by the district Grazing Official and related Farm Board. 127 permittees are members of the Tsaile, Wheatfields, Blackrock district and served by our organization.”

“In compliance with its Bylaws, all official meetings of the Board of Directors are documented in its meeting minutes, which are then reviewed and approved in a subsequent meeting. The Board Secretary has responsibility to record the meeting minutes and document all discussions and actions of the Board or delegated Committees. At present, there have not been any committees established to act on behalf of the Board to address issues, projects or operations of the organization. The organization is small and relies on staff or consultants to carry out Board directives and goals of the organization.”

“The organization's Form 990 is drafted then provided to the Board of Directors for review and acceptance, then it is provided through its board meeting to the membership and public with explanation of its financials and narratives. Allowance is provided to address any concerns or questions from attendees regarding the presentation. The Form 990 is available, upon request, from the Tsaile-Wheatfields Dineh Water User Association office.”

“The Board of Directors realize that the service area they provide for is small and relationships could become an issue for the organization in its decision making responsibility. Therefore, the Board President provides opportunities to disclose potential conflicts at each meeting by asking if there are any concerns with the meeting agenda items. If any Director discloses a potential conflict he or she will state the personal issues and the remaining Directors will determine is that Director shall excuse themselves from further participation in the particular discussion topic.”

“In 2017 the organization received substantial funding from the Navajo Nation for the Wheatfields Agricultural Project. The funding provided funding for several positions including a Farm Manager, the top management position for the project. The Board undertook surveys of comparable positions in the State and within the Navajo Nation to determine the compensation and position descriptions for all staffing proposed. After review of the survey and recommendations the Board made adjustments based on funding availability and position responsibilities before approving the final staffing to budget for the project. After this review was completed the job announcements were released for applicants.”

“The Board provides a more detailed explanation of the Form 990 in its monthly meeting prior to its submittal. It also provides the same discussion when the Board reports its submittal.”

“The organization's Bylaws, policies and financial statements are available to the public at the offices of the Tsaile-Wheatfields Dineh Water Users Association. The Navajo Nation also have the Bylaws for public review at their offices of the Division of Economic Development, Business Services. Each month the financial statements are updated and presented at the Board of Directors monthly meeting, which is open to the public.”

“The reported expenditure of -99,000 is actually an insurance claim paid in 2021 for a loss from theft/fraud case filed by the organization against a former employee. The resulting conviction of the individual prompted the insurance company to pay on the claim. This amount was deposited a recorded against the Loss from Theft/Fraud expense account to offset the losses that were recorded to the account.”