Code of Ethics

Elected members of the Tribal Council have legal authority to act on behalf of the Tribe only when acting at a duly called and convened meeting of the Tribal Council or when acting pursuant to power specifically conferred by the Constitution or delegated to the member by the Tribal Council.

The Tribal Council shall not be bound in any way by any statement or action made by individual members, including the President, except when the Council, through an adopted policy or by a majority vote, had delegated to the member the authority to speak or act on behalf of the Council.

The duties and obligations of the individual Tribal Council member may be enumerated as follows:

  1. To refer all suggestions and complaints to the Tribal Council and to abstain from providing individual counsel and advice or taking individual action with respect thereto.
  2. To familiarize himself/herself with all Tribal council policies, rules and regulations.
  3. To take advantage of the various training opportunities which are offered locally, regionally, and nationally for Council members.
  4. To work cooperatively with outher Council members and to refrain from attemptin to dominate the Council or neglectin his/her share of the work.
  5. To work with his/her fellow Council members in a spirit of respect, harmony and cooperation in spite of differences of opinions othat may arise during debate of points at issue.
  6. To vote and act in Tribal Council meetings impartially for the good of the Tribe, and without any regard to personal advantage or disadvantage.
  7. To accept the will of the majority vote in all cases and to give wholehearted support to the Tribal Council's resolution of contested issues.
  8. To represent the Tribe to the public in such a way as to promote both intereste in the Tribe and respect for the Tribe and its institutions. 
  9. To attend all Council meetings, provided that a council memeber can be removed from the Council for having three consecutive unexcused absences.
  10. To avoid an actual conflict of intereste or the appearance of a conflict of interest.  In avoiding a conflict of interest, Council members should resist every temptation and outside pressure to use his/her position as a Tribal Council member to benefit either himself/herself, a family member or any other individual or agency apart from the total interest of the Tribe.
    1. Disclosure. Each Council member shall disclose any personal interest before Council action on transactions involving real or apparent conflicts of interest.
    2. Abstention. Each Council member shall abstain from voting on actions where personal advantage is involved.
  11. To remember at all times that as an individual, he/she has no legal authority outside the meetings of the Tribal Council except as otherwise specified herein, and to conduct his/her relationships with the Tribal members and all media on the basis of this fact.
  12. To incur no expense reimbursable by or chargeable to the Tribe or the Tribal Council without prior approval of the Tribal Council.
  13. To engage in no private communications on behalf of or in the name of the Tribe or Tribal Council and to share immediately all information of interest to the Tribe with the Tribal Council.
  14. To refrain from communicating or interfering with tribal employees on matters relating to their work or other tribal business, unless expressly so authorized by the Tribal Council.

ADOPTED the 9th day of March 1996, by a majority vote of the Tribal Council at which a quorum was present, by a vote of 6 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 not voting.