Reminders to Home Site Lessees and applicants

PABLO — The Tribal Council and Tribal Lands Department would like to remind Home Site Lessees and Applicants of the following Tribal policies:

Tribal Home Site Applicants who wish to remain on the waiting list for a Tribal home site lease must update their Home Site Application every year.

Tribal Home Site Lessees who turn 60 years of age, or who are disabled, are eligible for a waiver of their home site lease payments. This waiver takes effect after a lessee’s 60th birthday or after the lessee provides proof of his or her disability insurance to the Tribal Lands Department. If you meet either of these criteria, and are receiving a bill for your home site lease, please contact Holly Hitchcock at 675-2700, extension 1265, or CloAnn Westerman at extension 1124 or at the CSKT Lands Department, P.O. Box 278, Pablo, MT; 59855.

Lessees who have not yet developed their lease lots are reminded that they have 15 months to fully develop and be living permanently on their lots. Lot development includes fencing if needed, a driveway, power, sewer, water, etc. Due to the waiting list for Tribal lease lots, if a Lessee is not living on his or her lot within 15 months of receiving a home site lease, the lease will be cancelled and re-issued to another applicant on the homesite waiting list.

Lessees are reminded that if they want to place a used trailer, modular or stick-built home on a Tribal lot, that home MUST pass an inspection BEFORE moving it onto the lot. Inspections must be completed by a qualified home inspector, and proof of inspection must be provided to the Homesite Lease Technician prior to moving the structure onto the lease lot.

Just a few things to keep in mind - Some used structures can cost more to repair and move than they are actually worth. If built before 1980, many trailers have unsafe aluminum electrical wiring. If a trailer is moved more than once, its roof can crack and leak. If used for storing heavy items, it can have floor damage. If left vacant, it can be infested by rodents, water pipes can break, and other unseen damage can result. The Tribal Housing Authority will not rehabilitate structures that are too costly to repair.

Getting your site ready for a home is expensive!
Fencing must be completed first if the site is next to grazing land. It is the home site lessee’s responsibility to keep livestock off of the home site to protect buildings and other improvements.

All homes need some type of foundation. Driveways need adequate gravel or paving, and in some cases, drainage culverts. Depending on the time of year and soil condition, concrete truck drivers may refuse to enter a site to pour a foundation if there is a chance they’ll get stuck.

Power development has multiple costs, including an application fee, cost for a meter pole and/or box, electrician fees, and costs to bring power lines and transformers to the site from the closest feasible point. If power must be buried, there are costs for trenching, sand, conduit and grounding.

Trailers need skirting and insulation, stairs and porches, and usually an insulated pump house for the water system pressure tank.

The Tribal Lands Department has hand-outs for “Developing Your Home Site” that list who to contact and what to consider when budgeting. There also is a list of “Homesite Development Standards” that were approved by the Tribal Council to guide site planning. Copies are available at the Lands Department Front Desk and are also available on the CSKT website at cskt.org/documents/tld/developingyourhomesite.pdf.

Please contact Janet Camel at 675-2700, extension 1256, if you have questions about site development.