Follow the Money, Part 3: Two Food Bank Resolutions and the Contractor Record

Truth in Focus | Follow the Money | Part 3 of 6 | Version 1.4 (2026)

By Steven Bullcoming Haworth | Collaborator: Corry Bullcoming Haworth

A proposed permanent food bank

The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council’s March 21, 2022 statement describes a proposal for a permanent food bank that could help community members and support the Northern Cheyenne Commodity Program. The Council included the governing resolutions and voting records with its 47-page statement.

First vote: February 1, 2021

Resolution DOI-072 (2021) supported constructing the food bank and identified Bearstar Enterprises as the proposed design-and-build contractor. The resolution reports an 11-0 vote and invokes Section 1(A)(3) of the Tribe’s Procurement and Purchasing Manual as a basis for deviating from ordinary procurement procedures. The published resolution bears former President Donna Fisher’s approval.

Second vote: August 2, 2021

A subsequent resolution, DOI-179 (2021), revised the funding language to refer to American Rescue Plan Act funds, kept Bearstar as the named contractor, and records a 10-0 council vote. The Council’s 2022 report states Fisher signed both resolutions. Readers can inspect the signed resolutions and their motion sheets in the original packet.

What signing these resolutions establishes

The signatures show presidential participation in the resolution process. They do not, by themselves, establish that a contract was executed, the building was completed, funds were improperly spent, or any specific person committed wrongdoing. The key documentary test is whether the procurement exception complied with tribal and applicable federal conditions, whether a written agreement followed, and what work and payments actually occurred.

Documentation and right of response

The next records to obtain are the contract, procurement justification, project budget, invoices, payment ledger and completion reports. Truth in Focus has sent broader governance and records inquiries to tribal officials, but we have not verified a food-bank-specific request for comment to Bearstar Enterprises or every official named in the 2021 resolutions. The opportunity to provide documents, corrections and responses remains open.

Read the original records

This reporting separates reproduced financial and administrative records from the Tribal Council’s 2022 assertions and from conclusions that would require additional proof. Responses and corrections are welcome.