DEVELOPING — DOCUMENT CHECK
LAME DEER, Mont. — A Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council regular-session agenda dated October 5, 2026 includes a “Sole Source Contract for Trustland Consultants LLC,” presented by Council member Stefan Raining Bird. The agenda does not state the contract amount, scope of work, duration, funding source, or the written basis for using a sole-source process.
What public records show about Trustland Consultants
An official U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing record from July 8, 2010 identifies Steven A. Kelly as the manager and owner of Trustland Consultants LLC and Trustland Oilfield Services LLC. In his testimony, Kelly said Trustland Consultants provided mineral- and land-related services connected to development on the Fort Berthold Reservation and western North Dakota.
In the same testimony, Kelly described himself as a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and said he had previously served as supervising attorney for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Three Affiliated Tribes for a combined period of more than 10 years.
Read the 2010 U.S. Senate hearing record on GovInfo.
Kelly’s role in the 2026 Northern Cheyenne dispute
Kelly has also appeared publicly in the Northern Cheyenne governmental dispute during 2026. Buffalo’s Fire identified a North Dakota-based Steve Kelly as a lay advocate for council members involved in the constitutional dispute. Its October 1 reporting states that Kelly led questioning during the September 30 proceeding involving Tribal President Gene Small.
Buffalo’s Fire also documented a July 24, 2026 referral from Steven A. Kelly and Elmore Limberhand III to the Tribal Prosecutor and BIA law enforcement seeking investigation of Gene Small, Robert Simpson, Dion Killsback and Larry Medicine Bull over alleged threats and intimidation of Chief Judge Curtis Elkshoulder. That filing was a request for investigation; it was not, by itself, a finding that the allegations were true.
Identification note: The July 24 referral identifies Elmore Limberhand III. Truth in Focus is using the name exactly as it appears in the source document.
Read Buffalo’s Fire reporting on the September 30 proceeding. Read Buffalo’s Fire’s broader reporting and source timeline.
Is the company on the October 5 agenda still Kelly’s company?
The 2010 federal record establishes that Steven A. Kelly owned Trustland Consultants LLC at that time. The October 5 agenda names a company with that exact name. Public web listings also continue to show a Trustland Consultants LLC in North Dakota.
However, Truth in Focus has not yet obtained the proposed October 5 contract or a current official filing that conclusively establishes the company’s present ownership or management. North Dakota’s Secretary of State directs the public to its FirstStop business-records system for current registration information. The contract itself should also identify the contracting entity, authorized signer, scope of work and compensation.
For that reason, Truth in Focus is not reporting as established fact that the company’s ownership today is unchanged from 2010.
Why “sole source” deserves scrutiny
A sole-source contract is not automatically improper. Governments may use sole-source procurement when applicable rules allow it, including circumstances in which a particular provider is uniquely qualified or another recognized exception applies.
But when competition is bypassed, the public has a legitimate interest in understanding the reason, the price and the relationship between the government and the selected contractor.
- What work would Trustland Consultants perform?
- What is the total contract value and contract term?
- What funding source would pay for the contract?
- Why is the contract being proposed as a sole-source award?
- What Northern Cheyenne procurement rule or exception authorizes that process?
- Who currently owns, manages or controls Trustland Consultants LLC?
- Has Trustland Consultants or Steve Kelly previously received compensation from the Tribe during the current governmental dispute?
- Were conflict-of-interest disclosures, recusals, legal reviews or procurement findings prepared before the item was placed on the agenda?
- Will the proposed contract and sole-source justification be made public before or during a Council vote?
Those questions do not establish wrongdoing. They are basic accountability questions raised by a proposed government contract involving a company whose historical owner has also been publicly involved in the ongoing governmental dispute.
Separate agenda item: Central Finance reorganization
The October 5 agenda also lists “Central Finance Reorganization,” presented by Council member Melissa Fisher. The agenda provides no additional explanation. Truth in Focus is treating that item separately and is not assuming that it is connected to the Trustland contract unless records or Council discussion establish a connection.
Questions surrounding that item include what is being reorganized, why the change is being proposed, what it will cost, what positions or programs may be affected, and whether the reorganization will affect direct services to tribal members.
What Truth in Focus is seeking next
Truth in Focus is seeking the proposed Trustland Consultants contract, the written sole-source justification, the contract amount and scope of work, the funding source, any authorizing resolution, current company registration information supplied to the Tribe, and documents describing the proposed Central Finance reorganization.
This is a developing report. Truth in Focus will update the story as primary documents, Council action, responses or corrections become available.