Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council (2025)

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council

Post Office Box 256

Nixon, Nevada 89424

Telephone: (775) 574-1000

Fax (775) 574-1054

SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES

Tribal Chambers ~ Nixon, NV

December 19, 2025, Special

Members Present:

Steven Wadsworth, Tribal Chairman Edward Ely III, Vice Chairman

Nicholas Cortez, Councilmember John Guerrero, Councilmember

Judith Davis, Councilmember Della John, Councilmember

Loren Decker, Councilmember Ceira Sampson, Councilmember

Nathan Dunn, Councilmember Georgina Wadsworth, Councilmember

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Wadsworth called the December 19, 2025, Special Tribal Council meeting of the Pyramid Lake

Paiute Tribal Council to order at 6:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Brenda A. Henry, Tribal Council Secretary, took roll call. All Councilmembers were present at roll call, anda

quorum was established for this meeting.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Chairman Wadsworth presented the agenda with the following changes: add to New Business #8. Request

for approval Personnel Revision Section 10-6D(1). Annual Leave Compensation for Law Enforcement

Program, add #9. Request for approval Pyramid Lake Fisheries Request for Permit Revenue and the addition

of an Executive Session after the Chairman’s Report.

Councilmember Cortez asked to add to New Business #10. Request to Rescind Resolution No.: 103-24

Governing Body Interview List.

Councilmember John requested to remove from Unfinished Business #2. Approval of Economic Development

Committee Budget. This item will be removed from the agenda but will stay tabled.

Councilmember Cortez motioned to approve the December 19, 2025, Special meeting agenda with corrections.

Councilmember Sampson seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0)

abstentions. MOTION PASSED

PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment.

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council

December 19, 2025, Special minutes

CONSENT AGENDA

The following items were listed under the Consent Agenda:

1. Approval Consolidated Higher Education Program Scholarship.

a. Enrichment Scholarships: Crystal Reynolds, Robert Hicks Jr., Gaylene Williams, Sierra Gotcher,

Shelby Smith, and Jaileen Yarrow

b. CHE Scholarships: Morty Manning, Devyn Williams, Kayla Williams, Nakai Brown, Corrina

Vidaurri, Antone Manning, Jazmine Davis, and Sharman Henry

2. Approval of Kemp Jones LLP November 2025 Invoice

3. Approval of Speech Path Building Request

4. Approval of Quarles & Brady LLP November Invoices:

a. November Invoice #6952136 b. November Invoice #6952137

Councilmember Wadsworth requested to pull #3 for discussion.

Councilmember Dunn motioned to approve items #1, #2and #4 on the consent agenda. Councilmember Davis

seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION

PASSED

ITEM #3. Approval Speech Path Building Request

Councilmember Wadsworth pulled because she was unsure that this request was for.

Karen Shaw stated the request is providing a certified speech path for the communities, for Natchez

Elementary School, it’s reinforcement for the students for one Saturday a month. They’re currently serving

nine students. The reason they are not using Natchez school is because it’s on a Saturday and the school

would have to provide access for maintenance and security.

Councilmember Wadsworth motioned to approve items #3. Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion.

Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED

Councilmember Davis approved but should a funeral service occur, and they ask for the building they have

priority and will take precedence.

PRESENTATION

1. Quarles & Brady LLC Update. Jason Croxton, Quarles and Brady LLC

Mr. Croxton stated Ms. Thomas is recovering from a medical condition and is not available to present. With

the federal government back up and operating, there was significant impact on federal funding and the ability

of the federal government to administer the needs of the tribes. Now that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

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is back open there is currently a temporary budget in place and they are tracking a full fiscal budget for 2026

and hopeful there will be funding opportunities for tribes as part of the fiscal budget.

They've were asked to meet with legal counsel representing Obsidian Cannabis. He reviewed their

presentation and the materials they provided to the Council. He’s reached out to the group but hasn’t

received a response back. They will take a close look at the risks and issues associated with cannabis,

enterprise or operation on a reservation to provide a complete review on behalf of the Council. Since the last

meeting with the Council, NV Energy Easement agreement has been fully executive and submitted to the BIA.

The next step is for BIA to complete the environmental review process and then NV Energy will make a

payment to the Tribe this year in the amount of $800,000. Next is the fiber optic line easement which is under

construction by the State of Nevada, Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT.) They will be

passing through the freeway corridor. Part of that easement would include an interconnect for the Tribe that

would come from the main easement onto Tribal land and allow the Tribe to connect to that important

infrastructure. He’s working with Benjamin John to prepare a revised easement which he recirculated back

to Nevada OSIT and they will continue to work through negotiations. They also reviewed agreements related

to the Human Resources Department and one related to the Wells Fargo account. NextEra is seeking Council

direction on a new easement agreement and certain amendments to the community benefits agreement for

their battery project called Dodge Flat II.

As Pilar Thomas has informed the Council she is retiring at the end of this year and he will be taking over

with providing the reports.

Councilmember Dunn asked for more information regarding the Wells Fargo agreement. Mr. Croxton said he

didn’t review it but there were services associated with that account and there was a need for an agreement

to be put in place that had not been finalized. There were issues with a broad waiver of sovereign immunity

and disclaimers of liability. This is ongoing but he will provide a detailed update.

In response to Obsidian’s no response, Marisa Mauwee, representing Obsidian, apologized for the lack of

response, said they had issues with their emails plus she was unsure if she was allowed to respond because

she was under the impression it was only the legals speaking to each other plus it being the holidays,

everyone is taking time off. Chairman Wadsworth responded yes, only the legal counsels, because she wanted

to speak on behalf of legal.

Councilmember John asked if the phase II project was all batteries or does it include solar. Mr. Croxton said

this is for their battery project, this is storage, they would store power and then turn around and sell it on

the market when there is a demand for it. Mr. Croxton said he will take a closer look at it but in certain cases

if there has been a parcel of land that’s been developed for a solar farm and then a new battery project is

built on the same land, there may not be a need for further environmental clearances but he will look over

the documents and provide an update. Councilmember John said they were told it was private land, and they

didn’t have to do a NEPA. Her concern is protection for the Tribe if something environmentally occurs.

Councilmember Dunn had a question regarding one of the invoices for $2,923. Asked if it was for the increase

that was supposed to take effect after January 1, 2026. Wondering if this would be added to the monthly

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invoice. Chairman Wadsworth said it’s not for the terms of the contract; this is for litigation which is an extra

fee.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1. Request for Approval for Chairman to Sign the Opioid Participation Form and Conflict Waiver. Wes

Williams, Legal

Mr. Williams explained this is another negotiated settlement in the Opioid litigation. This one is with Purdue

Pharma which was one of the primary manufacturers of opioids. They are the ones that pushed the scheme

to get people hooked and get doctors on board. This has taken longer than the other settlements because the

owners of this company, the Sacklers family, tried to take out all the money from the company before this

litigation hit. They then tried to file for bankruptcy for their company, and this has been in the courts, even

to the Supreme Court for a few issues but it’s now back in the District Court and a settlement has been worked

out. $175 million will go to the tribes and a separate agreement will go through the States, counties, hospitals

and other plaintiffs. They are recommending the Tribe approve this settlement. There is the participation

form and the Conflict Waiver form that the Chairman has to sign.

Councilmember John asked if it came with specific uses. Mr. Williams said it’s basically the same as other

settlements, the terms for what it could be used for, they negotiated for pretty broad language, but the main

point was that it be used for healthcare issues, cultural issues, treatment and anything related to that.

Dawna Brown, Pyramid Lake Tribal Health Clinic director said this is the first they have heard of this one.

The last one they used for education and just more outreach. Once the Council makes their decision then they

will receive more information on it.

Councilmember Dunn motioned to approve the Chairman to sign the Opioid Participation Form and Conflict

Waiver. Vice Chairman Ely seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0)

abstentions. MOTION PASSED

NEW BUSINESS

1. Request for Approval of Election Services Agreement 2025 General Election.

Chairman Wadsworth said this agreement has a limited waiver of sovereignty, so he asked Mr. Williams to

review.

There were no questions. This agreement has been used every year.

Councilmember Cortez motioned to approve the Election Services Agreement for the 2025 General Election.

Councilmember Davis seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0)

abstentions. MOTION PASSED

2. Request for Approval of PLTHC Contractors for 2026. Dawna Brown, PLTHC Director

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Ms. Brown stated the Health Board met the previous Monday and gave their approval of the 2026

contractors. All provider licenses are current.

Councilmember Sampson said the Health Board did approve the contractors and there are two who were

pharmacists. She noted there was an inquiry about expanding the pharmacy service hours. She would like to

see the pharmacy open until 4:30 p.m. instead of closing at noon because of the two pharmacists and they

also increased their wages. Even though Wednesdays are for meetings, there are now two pharmacists where

one could stay in the pharmacy. Ms. Brown said they will now alternate so they both can have a chance at

attending meetings.

Councilmember Davis motioned to approve the contractors with exception of McCullough and Zeller.

Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion. Votes were seven (7) for and zero (0) opposed with two (2)

abstentions (Sampson, Cortez). MOTION PASSED

For the record, Chairman Wadsworth read the contractor names: Ronald Centric, Robert Dubanksky, David

Duncan, Umari Duffus, Adrian Emm, David Giles, Victoria Lilligard, Elaine Montoya, Alan Mandell, Daniel

Brady, Nicole Romaneschi, Dawa Sherpa Lama, Thomas Quoc Tang, and Noah, Yaeger.

Councilmember Cortez said there were a couple that were on the list and thought they were removed. Ms.

Brown said Tonya McCullough and Ryan Zeller were removed, their contracts ended. They will be posting

new RFPs for those positions.

3. Request for Approval of TERO Forms. Elena Sanchez, TERO Manager

Ms. Sanchez provided a slide show of an overview of the TERO program. She explained she will be sitting

down with businesses that come on to the Reservation to discuss the percentage of their workforce required

for Natives. Currently the TERO fee is 2.5%. Her office provides training or skills requirements that most

businesses need, First Aid, CPR training, OSHA 10 and 30. She does go to sites to see how the Native

employees are doing and to see if they are getting everything they need, their PPE and they are doing the job

they were hired to do. She would like to come back to the Council to discuss fees they could collect which is

not in the ordinance for compliance issues. One question she gets is the difference between tribal and Indian

preference. Indian preference means any person that is registered with a federally recognized tribe, the other

one is Tribal preference which means Pyramid Lake membership. They are unable to go by Tribal preference

because it goes against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). What she does, in this case,

is give the vendors names of Tribal members within the TERO program who they can hire based on their

certifications. Next year she is looking to work with Western Nevada College because they have a CDL

training program. For January she has an MSHA schedule, along with CPR training and Microsoft Programs

training for Tribal employees. Any businesses who come onto the Reservation must comply, even ones

contracted by homeowners.

Councilmember Dunn asked during the recruitment process are all the applicants required to complete a

background process within the Tribe. They don’t, and once Ms. Sanchez receives their application, she inputs

them into her TERO program and forwards them to the companies that need people with specific training,

and they will do the interview and background. She is just the middle person. The applicant becomes an

employee of the contractor, and their rules apply to that person.

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Councilmember Cortez asked if there were statistics on how many are applying. Ms. Sanchez said she doesn’t

have any statistics, only because the companies are not coming to her and asking for people. This is one of

the reasons she needs to sit down with companies one on one. Councilmember Cortez said the reason he

asked was because he didn’t receive a monthly report from TERO and the previous month it was slim, he

would like to see statistics and numbers.

Ms. Sanchez is asking for assistance with the forms, currently she is providing assistance to Tribal members

that get jobs, $300 for PPE items which aren’t supplied by the company. Councilmember John said Thurman’s

project can provide tools, he’s another resource. Ms. Sanchez said she is also working with Nevada Works,

and she has spoken with Michael Brady with Luna to see what can be provided through their unions, but they

have to be a union member.

Vice Chairman Ely said $300 is a good recommendation for a once-a-year number to purchase boots and a

coats for Tribal members.

Ms. Sanchez said she will be doing an open house in January at the TERO building. She will invite businesses

who already have licenses with the Tribe and others she hasn’t yet worked with. She also provided example

logos for the TERO program. She provided a lot of forms for the Council to review but she will narrow them

down and bring back to the Council for review.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to table the request for approval of forms. Councilmember Sampson seconded

the motion. Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0) opposed with one (1) abstention (Wadsworth). MOTION

PASSED

4, Request for Approval Land Assignments with Resolutions. Richard Frazier, Tribal Land Manager

a. Jeremy W. Wright - Nixon Home Site

Mr. Frazier explained this is a 1.0-acre home site located on W. Pyramid Lake Rd. in Nixon.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the land assignment application for Jeremy W. Wright.

Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0)

abstentions. MOTION PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 099-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - JEREMY W. WRIGHT

b. Janet D. Davis - Nixon Home Site

Mr. Frazier explained this is a 0.7-acre home site located on Hillside Street, Nixon.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the land assignment application for Janet D. Davis. Councilmember

Dunn seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION

PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 100-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - JANET D. DAVIS

C. Randall O’Neil - Nixon 5.2 acres

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Mr. Frazier explained this is for 5.2 acres located off Eagle Street. Nixon. It’s an extension for his existing

agricultural assignment N-43 and 44. He is asking for the area outlined in red on his map and the irrigation

ditch runs on the south side of it.

Councilmember Davis said on page six of his application it says his plans are to have it leveled out for another

field, but it’s not checked off under THPO. Mr. Frazier said he is not sure why, maybe they were not in the

office; not sure what that reason would be. Councilmember John asked if it was already an existing field,

already disturbed? Mr. Frazier said not to his knowledge, but this is where his grandparents lived. Vice

Chairman Ely said the map does look like there was some kind of structure or foundation there.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the land assignment for Randall O’Neil. Councilmember Decker

seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION

PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 101-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - RANDALL O’NEIL

d. Mervin K. Wright Jr. - Nixon Home Conveyance

Mr. Frazier explained this is 0.5-acre existing home site located on Eagle Street in Nixon.

Councilmember Decker motioned to approve the land assignment for Mervin K. Wright Jr. Councilmember

Davis seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION

PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 102-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - MERVIN K. WRIGHT JR.

e. Teresa A. Pete - Sutcliffe Home Conveyance

Mr. Frazier explained this is a 0.66-acre existing home site on Desert Flower Lane in Sutcliffe.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve land assignment for Teresa A. Pete. Councilmember John seconded

the motion. Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0) opposed with one (1) abstention (Decker). MOTION

PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 103-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - TERESA PETE

f. Harlen Ely - Sutcliffe 3.0 acres

Mr. Frazier explained this is for a 3.0-acre assignment located west of SR 445 in Sutcliffe, west of his father’s

church building. He applied using the old application which was before the new one was approved.

There was discussion regarding using the new form and getting all the required signatures, so the applicant

doesn’t say they didn’t know about a specific item. Mr. Frazier said the new form wasn’t in effect, yet when

he submitted his application and his improvement plan changed a couple times before it got to the

committee. The committee recommended approval of his land assignment request. Councilmember Davis

asked where the stamp is that shows the committee received it. On the application it’s stamped September

22, 2025, and why did the committee not question why it’s not on the new form if they just received it. Brenda

Henry, Tribal Secretary explained the stamped date is the date it was received and approved for posting in

Tribal Administration. Mr. Frazier stated that even though the form was received, they were waiting on the

land improvement plan before it went to the committee.

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Chairman Wadsworth stated what he is hearing from the Council is they need to put something in place for

a specific time frame to get and submit their work plan, otherwise they would forfeit.

Mr. Frazier said this is the last application like this; the updated form was approved after this application.

Councilmember Sampson said she would have liked to have seen them reach out to the applicant to inform

them there is a new form and to resubmit their application.

Councilmember Sampson motioned to table the land assignment for Harlen Ely and to have him resubmit his

request on the updated application. Councilmember Decker seconded the motion. Votes were seven (7) for

and one (1) opposed (John) with one (1) abstention (Ely). MOTION PASSED

Councilmember John opposed because he has been trying to get a home site since 2022 and has tried to work

it out.

g. New Moon Thompson - Wadsworth Home Conveyance

Mr. Frazier explained this is a 0.53-acre home site conveyance located on Jackson Street in Wadsworth.

Councilmember Cortez motioned to approve the land assignment for New Moon Thompson. Councilmember

Decker seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions.

MOTION PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 104-25 LAND ASSIGNMENT - NEW MOON THOMPSON

5. Pyramid Lake Fisheries 2025 Fishing Derby Summary. Nathan Dunn and Rutilio Lara, Pyramid Lake

Fisheries Board of Trustees (BOT)

Councilmember Dunn stepped down from his Council seat to present.

Mr. Lara explained the Board wanted to provide the Council with an update of the derby since they originally

came to the Council to request the derby and for the budget assistance they received. The fishing derby was

a blind bogey fishing derby. The selected weight was 18 pounds, three ounces. The winner came in at 18

pounds and one ounce. Second place was 20 pounds, third place was 16.68 pounds, and fourth place was

13.61 pounds. They awarded a cash prize and a seasonal permit. Moving forward, they decided to just stick

with a cash prize to alleviate confusion with some of the selections. They had 107 participants which brought

in $5,350 with their sponsors providing $7,650, vendors with $300 and raffle brought in $652. For the silent

auction items, they had the seasonal permits approved by the Council, which brought in $1,750 with the top

bid at $650 and the other two for $550 each. The total amount of money raised was $15,702. There were

seven fish donated to the fisheries to give to the elder program. There was also an individual who showed

up on site, who had a family who was in need, and he requested a fish on site, so they cleaned the fish and he

was very thankful for it. There were 20 fish that arrived at the scale, so the idea of a mass kill or based on the

comments received on Facebook asking how many fish they would be killing, there were 20 and in his

opinion it was a huge success due to it being a blind bogey, a lot of fisherman were able to return their fish

back to the water. They had six vendors, didn’t have the names to share. Their top sponsors were NextEra

Energy and Pyramid Lake Enterprises, others were A&K Earth Movers, Stetson Engineers, Ray Bear

McLaughlin, Walker River Paiute Tribe, Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, Quality Construction Testing Services,

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all played a huge part in the success of the derby. Some areas they can improve were cash prizes only, add

contact information to the seasonal permits and have fisheries specific numbers on the letters. There was

some confusion about what needed to happen once the winners were selected and what the process was for

giving them the letters, but they remedied that. Mr. Dunn was working with the Tribal Secretary to make

sure the winning information was correct. Adding QR codes so applicants can access social media pages

easier and adding online registration which was one of the biggest complaints. They took a hard learning

curve with heaters and porta potties, which they could use for sure. There was no negativity, everyone had

fun, they had a DJ who hyped up the crowd, and it was a huge spectator event with him there. It was

impressive to see a 20-pound fish in person, totally different from seeing in pictures. They weigh-in time was

good, it was 3pm and gave everybody enough time to get off the water for weigh-ins before it got dark.

There was a question regarding not having seasonal permits for next year. Mr. Dunn said they will continue

with it being for the silent auction. Councilmember Sampson said there was a question about someone having

a copy of the letter on the beach and the Rangers were questioning it. Mr. Dunn said they had a meeting about

it and so they reached out to all the winners and got their information which was provided to the Tribal

Secretary to get those letters officially signed as well as adding permit numbers for tracking purposes.

Vice Chairman Ely said for everyone that participated were happy, they want to see it again next year and

when they emphasized that 100% of the proceeds will be going back to the Fisheries, they really liked that.

Mr. Lara said the fourth-place winner was from Ukraine and it was his first time fishing Pyramid Lake and

he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He thanked the Council for allowing them to have the derby and for

supporting the Fisheries.

Mr. Dunn added'as well a representing the Tribe and the Fisheries and to show there is a need and their main

focus was about preserving the fish, the lake and the land. He thanked the Council for allowing him to be the

representative on the Fisheries BOT. The BOT goal was to have this derby and to take action in becoming

sustainable. He would like to see a scholarship for high school students going into the fish and wildlife field

for sustainability in the future.

6. Request for Approval of New Year’s Day Bird Count. Donna Noel, Natural Resources Director

Chairman Wadsworth said this has been done every year for the past 25 years.

Councilmember Cortez had a question about the escort, the letter states a Tribal member, but he thought it

was a Tribal member employee.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the New Year’s Day Bird Count with the change that the escort be a

Tribal member employee. Councilmember Sampson seconded the motion. Votes were nine (9) for and zero

(0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED

7. Request for Approval of US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Lahontan National Fish Hatchery

Complex Lower Truckee River Monitoring and Research Activities for LCT Recovery for CY26. Erik

Horgen, Fish Biologist, USFWS

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(note: Councilmember John wanted these corrections to the minutes at the January 24 meeting, in going

through the audio | didn’t hear the comments below but did add some language additions when relistening

to the audio, noted in red. “| know | had a lot of concern about

Speaker 10 14:31

the Fish and Wildlife, putting all those four actions all in one action, and it might have been okay to, like,

kill the killed the hunt, the cutthroat or the rainbow, but releasing them into the river. | didn't like that, but

it doesn't really say that here, but | was against that, and then also letting them do the studies. Up the

river when we probably should have our own fisheries doing those studies. That's not reflected in here.

So I'd like to add that | can to the record”.

Mr. Horgen explained he is seeking approval for their 2026 Lower Truckee River activities for Lahontan

Cutthroat Trout (LCT). Their letter was presented to the Pyramid Lake Fisheries BOT and approved, it also

was approved by the Inter-Disciplinary Team (IDT). Their activities will occur in the Truckee River from

Pearson’s Diversion down to Pyramid Lake from January to December. All dates and activities will be

coordinated with Tribal staff and the Fisheries. They encourage anyone to participate with them, last year

they had a lot of the Environmental Department helping them with the non-native removal of rainbow trout.

One of the first things they do is to clean and prep the Numana fish ladder for maintenance and operations

and while conducting this they are in close communications with the Fisheries staff. For non-native rainbow

trout and carp removal, which is completed prior to the spawning season of LCT. A note for the carp portion

of the non-native is tabled for CY26 pending further discussions with the Fisheries Board and employees.

Councilmember Dunn stated it was decided by the Board for the USFWS to select a site at Marble Bluff and

bury the carp. The information probably wasn’t forwarded to USFWS yet since the interim director was on

leave.

Councilmember John asked why they had to be in the river. Mr. Horgen explained they monitor the fish that

move through the dam, but they need to be in the river to monitor their progress as they migrate through

the river within the Reservation so they can see where they are targeting for spawning migrations, any

migration barriers, anything they can address with research. Councilmember John asked what they do with

the research. Mr. Horen said they summarize the research information in their yearly reports and submit

them to the Fishery staff and anyone who requests the information.

Councilmember Cortez asked what the IDT vote was and was there concerns. Chairman Wadsworth said he

didn’t recall any concerns. This did go to the Fisheries Board for approval, Karen Shaw, in the audience didn’t

have any concerns and Betty Aleck, THPO, wasn’t present.

Councilmember John said according to the Public Law 101-18, the Tribe owns the bottom of the river and

the bottom of the lake, normally states will claim it in the West, but the Settlement Act gives the Tribe

jurisdiction, and the Tribe should have control of their own area.

Mr. Horgen continued, they will also be monitoring the LCT migration using passive integrated transponder

antennas and portable units. They have a 4-foot unit on the top of the Numan fish ladder to tell when the fish

have made it to that point. There are more antennas towards Derby Dam. They would like to conduct a Delta

survey below Marble Bluff Dam prior to the season to monitor the access that fish have based on water years

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as close to the spawning season which allows them to understand if they are going to have trouble coming

over the delta given the lake elevation and the water in the Truckee River.

Councilmember John asked if they were looking at the Cui-ui or what fish they were looking at. Mr. Horgen

said they are looking at any fish that would come down the river, that resides in Pyramid Lake and that would

need the Truckee River to spawn. That is what the delta survey is looking at. Then after the spawning season

they like to conduct red surveys that allow them to understand where fish are targeting for spawning and

show them where good gravels are located and areas of interest and how successful the spawning season

was. This along with the rotary screw traps, sample out the migrating fry from these reds.

Councilmember John asked if they reached out to the fishery staff to be involved in these activities. Mr.

Horgan said they do reach out to the Fisheries to see if there are volunteers for any of these activities that

they do within the Truckee River within the Tribal boundaries. Councilmember Wadsworth said in the past

couple of years they have requested this, they said they would be relying on those employees to help make

those visual determinations of the hybrid, so she would think they would want them to accompany them.

Mr. Lara said on behalf of what USFW is requesting, when the staff is available, which right now they are

running on a skeleton crew, they are there. The partnership is always welcome and piggybacking on what

Councilmember John stated, the purpose of the request is so they are respecting the laws that they have in

place, which is why they are here asking for approval.

Mr. Horgen continued with juvenile LCT monitoring using backpack electro fishers. To gain better

understanding outside of the rotary screw traps, which is used in the river where the water is faster, the

backpack shocking is used in the shallow, slower waters on the sides of the river. Lastly there are the longterm temperature monitoring sites. They have a few sites within the Tribal boundary; they are small

temperature monitors which are cabled to a tree or large rock and monitor the temperature every few

minutes. The USFWS will commit to the management priorities that were agreed upon by the BOT and the

USFWS in 2024 and are being carried over through this 2026 letter. Those priorities are they will pass all

native fish upstream of Marble Bluff Dam during the 2026 season, will initiate removal and sacrifice of all

visually suspected rainbow trout, LCT hybrids at Marble Bluff for the 26' spawning season, the sacrificed

fish will be donated to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe for distribution to Tribal members. Will continue to

build upon the rainbow trout LCT hybrid identification guide, which ultimately helps assist the Fisheries in

sorting out potential hybrids at the Sutcliffe spawning channel and lastly will stock up to 250,000 Pilot Peak

LCT into Pyramid Lake for the 2026 season.

Councilmember John asked why they wanted to put those fish in the lake, they are not native. The Tribe has

been cross breeding those for a long time. She doesn’t approve of it.

Mr. Lara said there needs to be clarification, maybe a workshop on the strains of fish that are coming into the

Fisheries. This is the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Recovery Program. They got over that hump with the USFWS

partnership over Pilot versus Summit and now it’s a combination of both strains to ensure that all of the LCT

go into the river and they are all trying to return to their native spawning areas. It’s a greater effort, the

anglers are seeing it, and they are seeing the numbers that are coming in. It’s a partnership and he doesn’t

think they should see it as a fight between the two strains or the organizations as far as recovery and

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conservation goes. It’s only been two years since the Tahoe Truckee Pyramid Water System has been added

to the recovery plan for the region and United States and now that we are on the map, they are just trying to

maintain their standing so they can get more funding and more eyes on and assisting with the LCT recovery.

Karen Shaw said they also need to be careful of the Tribe’s own sovereignty and to her that it is something

important to still have the control and understanding these partnerships when you go into other

departments because one could overstep the others.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the USFWS request to continue their Monitoring and Research

Activities on the Lower Truckee River for CY26. Councilmember Decker seconded the motion. Votes were six

(6) for and two (2) opposed (Wadsworth, John) with one (1) abstention (Dunn). MOTION PASSED

Councilmember Wadsworth stated she opposed because she still disagrees with the genetic testing they are

planning to do, she has always been opposed to that. Ever since she was on the BOT a few years back, they

never received any reports from USFWS. It wasn’t until she had to ask for it and to this day, she hadn’t seen

this report.

8. Request for Approval Personnel Revision Section 10-6D (1) Annual Leave Compensation - Law

Enforcement Department

Chairman Wadsworth said he attended the Personnel Committee meeting and has provided the minutes from

that meeting with the resolution for the proposed language change to modify the personnel policy when it

comes to use of annual leave in paying out for the Law Enforcement Program. He also provided the Council

with the redline version of the policy. The language change would be, “Police Department. Officers under the

Law Enforcement Program’s supervision may receive compensation for the hours that would otherwise have

been forfeited. Only time over the 120 hours allowable carryover shall be used for compensation and is

capped at a total of eighty (80) hours per year. Employees are only allowed to carry over 120 hours of annual

leave every year at the beginning of the year, anything past that gets forfeited. This means if they have, for

example, 200 hours of leave, they could only get paid out for 80 hours, anything above that is forfeited. This

includes the Rangers.

Councilmember John asked' why they treat them differently than other employees.

Chairman Wadsworth said the former HR manager prepared a memo that showed the police department doesn’t

have enough staff, they have to keep filling in when an officer takes annual leave and the breakdown provided

shows with the current rate, they would spend on overtime, it would cost the Tribe $28,000 just in overtime

because they have to fill in then if they paid them out, it could save them approximately $9,000 per year in their

budget.

Councilmember John asked if it violated some act by not paying them overtime. When they earn overtime, they

have to be paid overtime, and it can’t be substituted for leave pay for overtime. Chairman Wadsworth said they

are not substituting any time, because they are so short staffed that a lot of times, they have no choice but to pay

them overtime.

Chris Parsons, Chief of Police, explained they don’t get comp time, but somebody still has to cover. When

someone takes leave, they are paid out of straight time, and they have to bring in someone on time and a half to

cover. The Chairman proposed to go back to what it used to be years ago when they used to be able to do this. It

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changed around COVID time, but it was changed where you could request payout at the end of the year with

justification. The Chairman is proposing to go back to that but with an 80-hour cap. It is more cost effective to

pay it out than to pay it than to wait until an officer takes leave and then bringing in someone on time and a half.

They now have less officers than when HR put this together, they are down to four but had six when this memo

was put together. Chairman Wadsworth added they do treat them differently because they are public service, they

are here rain or sunshine. They are unable to brown out like the fire department. Chief Parson added they work

24/7 to protect everybody and they can’t just call Lyon or Washoe County and say they’re taking the day off and

the BIA doesn’t have the staff in the entire State of Nevada to cover, even for a day. He did mention in the

Personnel Committee meeting that this covered the officers and rangers so there was no questions, the rangers are

essential part of public safety, they cover half, they try to have two officers on 24/7 and they provide the second

officer for the day shift.

Councilmember Cortez said for this policy he would like it to reflect the justification aspect of it, he would think

the Chairman would want to see that the officers have attempted to take leave, rather than having a guaranteed

bonus at the end of the year. Chairman Wadsworth said it is included but you have to take the policy as a whole

and it’s included under the purpose.

Chief Parsons further explained they are short staffed and it’s harder for them to take vacation. He explained to

the Personnel Committee, summer starts in May through June and July, with the holidays and everything and then

it’s right into Burning Man for almost two months, then it’s October and the entire department is trying to take

vacation which is near impossible.

Councilmember Sampson asked if this included the beach monitors. Chief Parsons said they are not included; it

comes down to public safety. Councilmember Dunn said they are enforcing the laws so why are they not

included. Chief Parsons said that it would be up to the Council or Personnel Committee. Why didn’t he approach

the committee to include them since they are under the department. Chairman Wadsworth said Chief Parsons

didn’t approach the committee, he did, it was a part of the overall scope for officer retention. Councilmember

Dunn recommended including the beach monitors. Chief Parsons said he appreciates the effort, but you have to

have an officer on duty to respond to domestic violence and things like that and he would like to include the beach

monitors and dispatchers, but the budget has to be able to support it. There was a caveat provision in the policy

that states it?s dependent on the remaining budget available from the funding sources, but it was struck out at the

Personnel Committee meeting, the reason should be in the meeting minutes.

Councilmember Davis said she would keep that information in but not include the beach monitors because they

are not on call 24/7. Councilmember Wadsworth said they are able to take vacations and to use their leave

whereas the officers are not.

Councilmember Cortez said he would still like to see the verbiage within the policy stating there should be written

justification to go along with the request. He would like to keep the provision of remaining budget because they

are saying it’s guaranteed, then they might as well account for an extra 80 hours per employee guaranteed in the

budget. Councilmember Wadsworth didn’t agree because it’s up to their supervisors if their employees need to

take a break or vacation as with any other supervisor who has employees who are working long hours, you want

them to be here working level headed and the police officers probably need it more and need to be encourage to

take the time but if they are unable, you need to be able to compensate them. Councilmember Cortez is saying for

those who are here for five years or more, they will collect 80 hours, and they need to budget for it. Chief Parsons

said the budget part would be the justification letter at the end of the year requesting. He would need to inform the

Chairman in the letter that there is sufficient budget.

Vice Chairman Ely said he understands what Councilmember Cortez is saying but there is also a point where they

are trying to have longevity for our officers also. We train them, we outfit them, and then they leave. Maybe this

will help the longevity of the officers to stay here so they return the investment back to the community. It’s a

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tough decision but they are on the right track to compensating for it and 80 hours is adequate along with the letter

of justification.

Councilmember Sampson said she likes the provision that this is dependent upon the remaining budget that is

available from the funding source be included. This is based on past budgets and past audits with some of the

findings, particularly with the Police Department going over budget, that needs to remain in for accountability

purposes.

Councilmember John said she couldn’t understand when they work them overtime, pay them overtime and now

pay them extra, and then they earn leave as well and then they are going to pay them 80 hours after that.

Councilmember Wadsworth said it’s a total of 80 hours, they might be over by five hours, then they only get paid

for five hours, not the 80 hours. It’s capped at 80 hours, so if they have 81, they only get paid for 80.

Chairman Wadsworth asked Chief Parsons how many of his officers took vacation during Burning Man? The

response was none. Councilmember John said they were compensated because of the agreement. Chief Parsons

reminded everyone they worked for four weeks straight with one day off. They work because they are dedicated

to the Tribe, Burning Man was paying the Tribe because they would be out there regardless of whether Burning

Man was paying the Tribe or not, they would still be out there doing the same job. And when the Burning Man

funds run out, which it does because they don’t provide them enough, they still don’t stop their operation to keep

the pressure off the Tribe. When Burning Man comes through, they work very hard during that time, every day

during the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, they work hard every day because they don’t know what is going to

happen, some days nothing happens but some days everything happens and they still only get paid for their

regular 80 hours. Anything over, they get overtime and if they can, they take leave. They have a dedication to the

Tribe, they not just going to say they are shutting the doors, they don’t get four different pays, this is the same as

it’s always been, anything over 80 hours is overtime. They get paid straight time for vacation, for sick leave and if

someone takes vacation time, he has to have someone come in and cover for them and that person is coming in on

their day off and so they get time and a half.

Chairman Wadsworth said he only brought this up because of some of the comments about how they treat them

different from other employees. He can’t think of any employees other than law enforcement and possibly EMS

where they don’t go on vacation for four weeks.

Chief Parson stated even now, there is only one officer on at night for the whole Tribe. They are barely able to

have two people on for 12 hours a day right now but that is the way it is and there are people out there who will

take advantage of that because this is a big Reservation and they can’t cover it all. He has one Ranger and so there

are three days a week you don’t have a Ranger. When the beach monitors need assistance, they call an officer to

cite, and they are also patrolling and looking for permits as best they can.

Councilmember Cortez said to pass this for tonight he would add, “this provision is dependent upon the remaining

budget available from the funding source and with justification approved by the Chairman.”

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to approve the Personnel Policy & Procedures Section 10-6D(1) Annual Leave

Compensation for the Law Enforcement Program with the added, “this provision is dependent upon the

remaining. budget available from the funding source and with justification approved by the Chairman.”.

Councilmember Decker seconded the motion. Votes were eight (8) for and one (1) opposed (John) with zero

(0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED. RESOLUTION NO.: PL 105-25 PERSONNEL POLICY & PROCEDURES

SECTION 10-6D(1) ANNUAL LEAVE COMPENSATION - LE

9. Request for Approval of Pyramid Lake Fisheries Request for Permit Revenue. Pyramid Lake Fisheries

Board of Trustees

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Councilmember Dunn stepped down from his Council seat to present.

Mr. Dunn said the Board is proposing 20% of the permit revenue to go back to the Pyramid Lake Fisheries to

assist with operations, spawning and basically a starting point for generating the revenue for the lake.

Mr. Lara stated there were potential resolutions for the distribution of the revenue but there are no

resolutions that dictate where the permit revenue goes.

Councilmember Davis asked if this was the same proposal they came before the Council with a couple of

months ago, but it was tabled because they didn’t have a budget.

Mr. Dunn understands it would be more appropriate to bring this forward during the budget process, but

they wanted to get it out there and they would be asking for 20%.

Mr. Lara said during their last Board meeting they had a discussion with their Bureau of Trust Funds

Administration (BTFA) representative and their investments coming back to the Fisheries will be cut. This is

a projected number but at this point they are going to be cut back monthly at around $8,000 monthly. He

doesn’t have all the numbers, but they are going to lose next year based on the estimated investments coming

back to the Fisheries. Councilmember Wadsworth said they should request an audit through the BTFA. Mr.

Lara said once they get everything set up with BTFA they would like to request a Special Council meeting

with the Council and their BTFA representative, so they can explain all the numbers to the Council and how

much more constraints they will be going through in the next calendar year.

Vice Chairman Ely said three or four years ago when he first got on the Council and was on the Fisheries

Board, the budget would allow them to draw down $85,000, the next year it was $80,000 and last year it was

down to $65,000 and now BTFA is recommending they only draw down $57,000 monthly. Now they are

down to five staff members and they're hoping they don’t have a major electrical malfunction, or a pump

doesn’t go down because they just don’t have the funds. He thinks it’s a good idea to have Ryan Otiz attend

and explain the numbers. Mr. Lara said their projected annual budget for next year won't even hit $700,000.

Councilmember Cortez said this may come up in the future but the funds that were given to the Fisheries

from the Tribe had'a standing resolution with repayment.

Vice Chairman Ely said that is the reality, if they don’t’ get funds the Fisheries will have to shut down. If they

can’t sustain their income to pay salaries and to raise the fish, it will shut down. They turned a bunch of small

fish out this year, raised 100,000 less last year, 100,000 less this year simply because they ran out of fish

feed. Mr. Lara added they are being put back into the water at a smaller size, so the predation is at a higher

risk. They just don’t have the funding to keep the pumps on, to keep the pools going, the feed coming in, so

they have to release them.

Carla Eben, in the audience asked why they’re not using TROA. Chairman Wadsworth said one of the main

points is Economic Development and his opinion is that is where it starts, at the Fisheries, that is the baseline.

10. Request to Approval to Rescind Resolution No.: PL 103-24 Governing Body Interview List

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Councilmember Cortez said it was brought up at a previous meeting in regard to interviews and wanting to

see the director interviews come back to the Council, rather than sticking with the ones set in the resolution.

For accountability purposes, they want to have directors in their positions for a long time, but it defeats the

purpose of this when they find out about directors until after they’re hired.

Councilmember Cortez motioned to approve the rescinding of Pyramid Lake Resolution No.: PL 103-24

Governing Body Interview List. Councilmember Decker seconded the motion. Votes were seven (7) for and

one (1) opposed (Wadsworth) with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED

Benjamin John, Business Officer, asked if the Council is going to address it since they rescinded the resolution,

they have not only directors, there are managers and other classifications, so are they again without

direction. Chairman Wadsworth said it’s going to be department heads which is on the resolution.

EXECUTIVE TEAM

1. Business Office. Benjamin John, Business Officer

Mr. John said most of his report is about work with Ceira Sampson, Tribal Treasurer and the Finance

Department. Met with the consultant for the travel center but ran into a couple of issues, the cost of the

additional engineering that needs to take place so they are taking it a little slower so they can build up their

funding. There was another issue since the Council is not willing to do limited waivers of sovereign

immunity, most of the companies they have talked to are not willing to change theirs and it narrows down

who they can use to do civil engineering and the general contracting for the job. Actually, slowing down is

going to work to their advantage in this case. Had a call with Bank of America and they straightened that

issue out. He attended a few software presentations that he thinks will be beneficial if they could afford

them in the future. Adding to what Jason Croxton spoke about regarding the easement agreement between

OSIT and the Tribe, he thinks due to the nature of the technicality of the project, Greg Gardner, IT Manager

would be better to explain to the Council, if there are questions about what they are exchanging for the

right of way. HOES

Councilmember Wadsworth said the previous Comptroller was looking into hiring a payroll firm, who is

handling that now? Mr. John said that it would be up to Ms. Sampson and the new Comptroller, he is not

sure of the status. Chairman Wadsworth said that is what they are doing now, they are paying an outside

company to do payroll.)

2. Programs Office. Sherry Ely-Mendes, Programs Officer.

Ms. Ely-Mendes said her report has no big items to report for the past month. They had their weekly

meetings for the bypass, the road safety plan and they were invited to do the Road Safety Audit out of

Fernley because they had previously worked with Kimberly Horn and they wanted them to give them some

sense on how to do that. She attended the Education Advisory Board meeting on teams which were

standard items, everyone is working to close out the year, and she is working on reports for daycare and

the roads department for the end of the year report. With the Numaga Elder Center, they turned in the

grant for their Title VI grant for the coming year. They do need one more van driver and kitchen aid, which

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are hard to come by because it’s only a 30-hour week. They are still trying to figure out how to get the RTC

funding down because they have to spend it to get it back and they only get $20,00 a year from them, so

they have to start looking for more grants for that program. There is one thing they learned this year due to

three incidences or concerns with elder’s health, they would like to see a CHR, either on board with

Numaga or a CHR at the clinic that rides with them to check on the elders. If they can’t get one through the

clinic, they will get with Ms. Shaw, Contracts and Grants to write a grant for a CHR to be housed at Numaga.

In regard to the Numaga events, they invite everyone to Halloween and the June Lake Party but the

Christmas party is for the Tribal elders only.

COMPTROLLER. Shelley Harjo, Comptroller

Ms. Harjo stated she met with the staff individually and thinks they are a good group of people; they just

haven't been able to utilize them to their potential. They have been in disarray for a while now with no

direction, so she is trying to get them all on board and make them comfortable. They’re receptive but there

was just no direction occurring. She appreciates Ms. Sampson and Mr. John stepping up, the staff needed

that. She will build the team into a more efficient department, but it will take baby steps. She went over the

2023 audit with the staff and explained to them how their job relates to what is happening within the audit,

the whole grant cycle, and how that pertains to their jobs. One thing she has found is that when

departments ask for reports, they might be asking about various employees and what they get is all

different. So, when she ran reports in MIP, she also got several different reports and so that is one thing she

will be working on so everyone gets the same report, and the Council is getting accurate information. She

credits Tribal Consulting who were initially hired to maintain the books for 2024 audit to get the audit prep

ready. During the turmoil in 2023 they had to get an amendment to their contract to jump in when the fire

started in Finance, they have been doing the quarterly reporting that nobody thought of because of the

important vacancies in Finance that have not been filled. The organization chart in Finance is so outdated,

and job descriptions, what staff are doing is not necessarily what is in their job descriptions or in their

duties which creates turmoil where they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing.

Vice Chairman Ely asked if she sees in the future, they would be able to separate from their contractor and

hire their own employees. Ms. Harjo said that is one of her goals because there are some gray areas where

the staff are not sure who they are answering to.

In regard to scheduling a budget meeting, Ms. Harjo said the issues are starting to show in 2025 and so they

are not up to date on reconciliations which take away from the daily process. She would like for the

contractor to stay on board to at least get them through 2024 and maybe the second quarter 2025, that will

give them some general ideas of where they are for budgets in 2026. She is hopeful they can get that done

in the first quarter, but they have a long way to go to close out 2025. She would suggest they continue to

use the 2025 budget at least until the first quarter. They all rely on each other in the Finance Department

and that wasn’t there before, but they are starting to trust each other, and you can feel the difference. They

have to get accuracy down, to start paying attention to their attendance because she is seeing some trends.

She is hoping for the end of March or early April or May for budgets.

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Karen Shaw asked about appropriations at the beginning of the year, for education she depends on

approval in January for her program. When will they know, will they be taking another cut after the 20%

cut last year. Ms. Harjo said she can’t give a percentage or if they are going to cut or stay the same because if

the reconciliations aren’t made, they are not going to have accurate financials.

Councilmember John asked how many are actually staff. Ms. Harjo said payroll is a contractor, AP is Tribal,

general ledger is Tribal, two accounts payable, one is a contractor and one is Tribal and the grants who is

Tribal. The grants specialist, payroll and the accounting supervisor are vacant and the rest are contractors.

There is also the front desk and accounts receivable, tribal. She has found that there are Standard Operating

Procedures (SOPs) but they are outdated because things have changed.

In regards to directors getting correct reports, she has a contingency plan that she put in place for ensuring

that each department head also remembers that they are a customer to finance as well, because they spend

money and they have a budget, they need to stay within that. What she is finding because she recently

signed off on a budget that had 15 budget mods and to her when you create a budget, your saying I’m

putting $5,000 in travel as a program director and that is what they are going to do but they go on these

additional travels then they are not following their scope of work, not following their budgets. That is a

department issue not a finance issue.

Councilmember Sampson said what Ms. Harjo is trying to say is there are consistent departments that are

calling their granting agency and asking if they can move this money into their travel account after they

have expended their travel account, that is what they have been catching. There are no internal controls

now, no accountability for the department heads but the finance department should not be signing number

15 budget mods because they can’t control their own budgets. Ms. Harjo said it’s going to be a work in

progress because it’s been, the norm for a while.

Ms. Harjo said she will be creating a document management system because as a new employee she can’t

find the current policy or the current changes. It’s difficult to enforce it on staff if they don’t have it. When

the policies are approved by the Council they don’t have a revision date on them.

Councilmember Cortez said it was mentioned she was receiving assistance from the appointed Treasurer

which is set to expire at the end of the year. Is that going to be hindrance for the Comptroller? Ms. Harjo

said she would like to see her go through the first quarter and if she was to lose her now it would be a

detriment to the department. She has learned a lot and taken leadership steps and commended her for

jumping in even though she doesn’t really have an accounting background but is able to logically think

about the need for backup documentation and other things.

Councilmember John said the departments need to have the estimates of the revenue, and their budgets so

they can do their budgets.

Ms. Harjo said it’s contingent on all the departments turning in their spending, but they are finding they are

not and she is finding the staff aren’t calling the departments and telling them they have an outstanding

invoice, so it works both ways. If they have big accounts that have a lot of outstanding invoices, that has a

reflection on the anticipated revenues and without everything not being reconciled it’s not a true number.

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Councilmember Davis motioned to approve the extension of Ceira Sampson as the Tribal Treasurer until the

end of March 2026. Councilmember Cortez seconded the motion. Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0)

opposed with one (1) abstention (Sampson). MOTION PASSED

Chairman Wadsworth said in regards to Ms. Sampson, she is an appointee and they don’t’ have an EAN that

has an appointee box on it, so they put her as temporary which means she is not eligible for Cola or holidays

but she is an appointee, same as himself. Does the Council want to leave it the way it is. The Council agreed.

Leona Collins asked if the staff are cross trained or will they be cross trained? Ms. Harjo said that is a goal

she set for the department which is to be able to cover for each other.

CHAIRMANS REPORT

1. Request for Approval Submission of the T-Mobile Hometown Grant for the Museum.

Billie Jean Guerrero, Museum Director, explained they have been working on this grant since the beginning

of this year to submit a grant through T-Mobile, called the Hometown Grant. It’s a $50,000 grant and they

would use it to improve the irrigation system at the Museum. They have trees that were planted about 25

years ago and a lot were lost because it was done with a drip system and they have an issue with gophers. In

2022, they added the first phase of the medicine garden, and they have two more phases they would like to

implement which include wetlands and desert themed plants but are limited with one spigot. They would

like to add additional spigots and a drip irrigation system, which is what this proposal is for. They received

a bid for $49,008.12 which is a revised bid. They are seeking the Council support to do this and because its

contractual, it would not require the indirect funding, and they have letters of support. Throughout the year

they had obstacles, first they had to go to the PUD Board which met after the deadline, then they had to

modify their scope of work. They have a bid that is within the amount but with construction, the costs go up

every day. oes

Councilmember Davis said in the PUD Board minutes they have a partnership with the Native Plant Farm

and Mashburn Construction. What is Mashburn Construction? Ms. Guerrero said they had a meeting with

Mashburn on how ‘to run the water line, the main line is by the road, by the Sutcliffe Highway and another

one in the back of the Museum where it’s more feasible to run, a clear line without interference.

Councilmember Dunn motioned to approve the submission of the T-Mobile Hometown Grant for the Museum.

Councilmember Davis seconded the motion. Votes were seven (7) for and zero (0) opposed with two (2)

abstentions (Cortez, Guerrero). MOTION PASSED

Chairman Wadsworth continued with his report. He spent a week in Seattle attending the NCAI conference

which he updated the Council with his travel report at the last meeting. They held the directors’ meeting and

are planning a pizza party for the employees sponsored by the Executive Team. There was the Bank of

America issue where they had to go over the Tribe’s accounts. He provided more interviews for a student at

UNR about the data centers which is a hot topic. He has another request from a reporter from France who is

based out of San Francisco who will be coming out in January. There is a meeting held with the BLM

Winnemucca Office and THPO about the disturbance of the road just east of CEMEX that goes right along the

border. The road actually was already there, but they widened it and that is what you will see in the THPO

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report. It appears they may have also damaged some cultural artifacts off Reservation. They will keep the

Council apprised of that issue after the follow-up meeting in January. BIA is also involved because of the

damage to the Tribe’s road, but the maps didn’t show it was a Tribal land. If there is prosecution, BIA will be

the lead, and the Tribe will be joinder. He had a meeting with Chris Mixson, Stetson Engineers, the Water

Team going over next year’s plan. What came out of that meeting was that the Nevada State Engineer, Adam

Sullivan, was let go. He pulled up the article in the Nevada Independent to confirm. He was trying to get the

push that anything within a mile of surface water, i.e., the Truckee River, anything within a mile, impacts it.

This is one of the possible reasons he was let go. He was getting that outside pressure from the mining

companies and from the Governor. That is what the Tribe may be up against next year, the science of not

following good science and general knowledge of the ecosystem. When he does interviews, he mentions the

map in the chambers and points out that Pyramid Lake has to worry about this entire ecosystem, Tahoe, all

the way to Pyramid Lake, including the Truckee River, Carson River and Lahontan Valley Reservoir. Also,

ITCN was not able to renew their lease, and they have to move out of their main building downtown by the

29th of the month. They were trying to renegotiate their lease, and the property management firm wouldn't

bulge on their monthly rent. For the Tribe, they still manage the Head Start.

Chairman Wadsworth read a notice to be put out to the Tribal membership regarding a distribution. “Happy

Holidays, Tribal members, the Tribal Council would like to take a moment to reflect on the roller coaster of

year that we have all lived through together, starting with uncertainty with the federal government that saw

funding pause and then reinstated weeks later. This led to widespread interruptions for all aspects of our

daily schedules, including our work and personal doings. All of this, of course, culminated in the government

shutdown some seven months later. It’s had a very harmful impact as we navigated through our furlough

policy and made the necessary changes to ensure that our operations help the community as a whole, both

with keeping all of our services open and with ensuring that we could protect the river and lake. The staff

that kept afloat during these last couple of months is to be commended for their hard work, long hours and

resilience. The shutdown, coupled with key missing staff for the Tribe, placed undue pressure to make sure

we could still function. This is highly important, because we feel that many of the pieces are still missing and

that would have allowed us to look at a possible holiday check for all our members. We are all committed to

getting the appropriate help that we need to help make Pyramid Lake a better place for our members. Thank

You so much for your understanding, patience, participation and kind words throughout the year. Happy

Holidays and a Happy new year.”

Councilmember Dunn recommended “Holiday Distribution” instead of Holiday Check.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Councilmember Cortez motioned to move into Executive Session. Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion.

Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0) opposed with one (1) abstention (Guerrero). MOTION PASSED. Tribal

Council moved into Executive Session at 9:26 p.m.

Vice Chairman Ely motioned to move out of Executive Session. Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion.

Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0) opposed with zero (0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED. Tribal Council

moved out of Executive Session at 10:00 p.m.

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Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council

December 19, 2025, Special minutes

Tribal Council made the following motion after discussion in Executive Session.

Councilmember Cortez motioned to deny using the Chairman’s signature stamp on checks for check signing

purposes. Councilmember Dunn seconded the motion. Votes were eight (8) for and zero (0) opposed with

zero (0) abstentions. MOTION PASSED.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business before the Tribal Council, Councilmember Cortez made a motion to adjourn the

‘meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Dunn. Votes taken were all in favor, motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 10:01 p.m.

Submitted by,

Found ald.

Brenda A. Henry Hel

Tribal Council Secretary

CERTIFICATION

The foregoing minutes were adopted by the Pyramid Lake Tribal Council, governing body of the Pyramid

Lake Paiute Tribe, at a meeting duly held on the 16“ day of January 2026, having ten (10) members present,

constituting a quorum, by the vote of eight (8) FOR and zero _ OPPOSED, with one (1) ABSTENTION.

Minutes attested and concurred by:

Steven Wadsworth, Tribal Chairman

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council

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