WINDOW ROCK – Navajo lawmakers and the Navajo Housing Authority Board are currently at odds over legislation, spending, and board appointees.

According to court documents from the Window Rock District Court, NTUA fired back with a Preliminary Injunction that was issued on Jan. 2. it states:

Plaintiffs, Navajo Housing Authority (“NHA”), Edward T. Begay, Shawnevan Dale, Leila Help-Tulley, Wilson Ray, and Richard Blackhorse (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), by and through their undersigned counsel, hereby submit this Motion to hold Defendants Resources and Development Committee (“ROC”) of the Navajo Nation Council (“Council”), Leonard Tsosie, Council Delegate (“Tsosie”), Katharine Benally, Council Delegate (“Benally”), Johnny Naize, Speaker of the Council (“Naize”), and the Council’s Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee (“Nabi” and, together with ROC, Tsosie, Benally, and Naize, “Defendants”), and their counsel of record, Edward McCool, acting Chief Legislative Council (“CLC”), in contempt of this Court for willfully violating the January 2, 2013 Order Granting Preliminary Injunction order.

NHA said some Navajo lawmakers would like to take their housing projects, they also added they did not appreciate the move because it puts them in violation of federal guidelines.

On August 22, 2012, NHA filed a complaint against the Navajo Nation Council for allegedly, “overstepping the bounds of their legal authority and improperly appointing four new members to the eight-member NHA Board of Commissioners.”

Last year, Navajo Housing Authority (NHA) Board Chairman Edward T. Begay expressed concerns about a proposed Navajo Nation Council-led plans to control funding, that could have serious impact on the Navajo people by removing the housing entity designation from NHA, said Begay. “The Navajo Nation is not ready or capable of handling $90 million of federal funding for housing,” said Commissioner Begay. “If they mess it up, we will suffer because HUD can block future funding and our people can no longer receive housing assistance.” he said, in a press release.

This is a developing story, we will update you as we get more information from both sides. As of Jan. 26, we sent email out to both parties for a statement