CITC to Administer Tribal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families in Anchorage

In July of 2005, Cook Inlet Tribal Council will dramatically improve its ability to serve Alaska Natives and American Indians who are participants in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) by assuming oversight of the TANF program in Anchorage currently administered through the state of Alaska.

After years of considering becoming the TANF administrator for Native peoples in Anchorage, CITC is more familiar with the community than any state agency. CITC is familiar with the challenges and hurdles participants face in trying to improve their lives. By taking on TANF, CITC will help reduce the red tape separating families from the opportunities they need.

CITC’s Employment and Training Services Division will administer the TANF program. This division already offers Welfare-to-Work case management engaging participants in work activities such as employment, job training or further education. Administering TANF will mean adding more employees to the division, investing in infrastructure such as management information systems (MIS) and retraining staff across the entire organization to understand TANF eligibility requirements

Most of the groundwork has already been laid for this exciting development. In the coming months, CITC will be adding eligibility technicians, testing systems and working with state authorities to make sure all appropriate regulations are in place for successful implementation of Tribal TANF. By July, CITC’s Tribal TANF will be fully operational, serving the Native families of Anchorage and helping them fulfill their endless potential.

Rasmuson Awards Challenge Grant to Revitalize the Heritage Center Village Sites

This summer, the Alaska Native Heritage Center will begin a three-year process of revitalizing the five Alaska Native village site exhibits with repairs, improvements and installation of civil infrastructure that will include electricity, gas lines for heating and a water well to irrigate plants and landscaping and to refill Lake Tiulana.

In support of this project, the Rasmuson Foundation awarded the Center a $1,069,500 challenge grant for a large portion of the first phase of the renovation and expansion project. The Heritage Center received an initial $183,000 to cover the design costs with the remainder of the grant to be awarded when the Center successfully raises $270,000 to cover the balance of Phase I. The Center must raise this amount by this coming June to begin the summer construction. The Heritage Center will apply the funds from membership toward this project in order to meet the Rasmuson Challenge Grant requirements.

The original construction project of the village sites was part of the traditional exhibition. Building materials and construction methods used were specifically chosen for historic and cultural accuracy as well as regional representation. Contemporary materials were avoided – no treated lumber, no vapor barrier, no concrete and no metal. The Heritage Center intends to revitalize the sites with the next generation of permanent museum-quality construction and installation of design elements representing the indigenous cultures of Alaska.

The building of permanent village site displays will be done in three phases over the three years: Phase I will provide the civil infrastructure needed to support and maintain the village sites as a whole – well, irrigation, electricity, lighting and gas lines – and the reconstruction of the two sites that have been taken out of service which are the Aleut and Alutiiq site and the Yup’ik and Cup’ik site. Phase II and III will consist of construction of museum-quality exhibit structure and installation of design elements for the other sites by replacing the Inupiaq site, adding a pre-contact dwelling for the Athabascan site and adding clan designs to the Southeast Clan House.

Annual Art Auction Has Become Financial Cornerstone for Bringing the Native Voice to Alaska and the Nation

Koahnic Broadcast Corporation will celebrate the 10th Annual Alaska Native Art Auction on March 17 at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel. The auction is the biggest fundraiser for KNBA 90.3 FM and National Native News. The mission of Koahnic is to be the leader in providing Native voices to Alaska and the nation. Koahnic welcomes the donation of Alaska Native art for the silent and live auctions. For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Sierra Hunsaker at (907) 743-8818 or shunsaker@knba.org. More information about the event is also found at www.knba.org.

Shareholder Tax Information

CIRI has mailed shareholders their 2004 IRS Form 1099s. Some shareholders may receive more than one type of Form 1099, depending on the type of income received from CIRI. These forms reflect all payments made to shareholders in 2004, including quarterly dividends, the special and Christmas distributions, and elders’ distributions, which are reported on a Form 1099-DIV; as well as any 7(j) payments and prizes, which are reported on a Form 1099-MISC.

All payments made by CIRI-except for 7(j) or prizes-will be found on the Form 1099-DIV in Boxes 1a and 1b, with the exception of the non-taxable portion of any inheritance and the non-taxable portion of any distributions from the Irrevocable Elders’ Settlement Trust, which will be found in Box 3 of the Form 1099-DIV.

In 2004, CIRI paid a total of $28 per share (or $2,800 per 100 shares) in quarterly dividends, a special distribution in the amount of $87.75 per share (or $8,775 per 100 shares) and a Christmas distribution in the amount of $3 per share (or $300 per 100 shares). Shareholders owning 100 shares of stock that received all the distributions received a total of $11,875. These distributions were reported on a Form 1099-DIV in both Box 1a - Ordinary Dividends, and Box 1b - Qualified Dividends.
In 2003, Congress enacted new lower tax rates for certain dividends that affect the CIRI Form 1099-DIV. The amount shown in Box 1a of the 2004 Form 1099-DIV is the total of taxable distributions CIRI paid in 2004 for quarterly, special, Christmas or elders’ distributions. Box 1b shows the same amount as qualified for the reduced tax rates. Qualified dividends may be different from total distributions for shares inherited during 2004.

If you have held your shares less than one year or inherited new shares during 2004, please consult your tax advisor for the appropriate treatment of amounts reported in Box 3-Nontaxable Distributions. In some circumstances, depending upon an individual’s tax “basis” in their stock, some or all of this amount could be subject to tax.

Distributions received in 2004 from the Elders’ Benefit Program are also reported by CIRI on a Form 1099-DIV, both in Box 1a - Ordinary Dividends and in Box 1b - Qualified Dividends. However, payments made from the Irrevocable Elders’ Settlement Trust had both a taxable and nontaxable portion, with the taxable portion reported in Boxes 1a and 1b of Form 1099-DIV, and the nontaxable portion reported in Box 3, Nontaxable Distributions. If you received all four of the payments made from CIRI’s Irrevocable Elders’ Settlement Trust last year, $1,287.35 is reported in Boxes 1a and 1b, and the remaining $512.65 is reported in Box 3, Nontaxable Distributions.

At-large shareholders received $2.0807 per share (or $208.07 per 100 shares) in a 7(j) resource revenue payment in 2004. If you are an at-large shareholder, your 7(j) payment is reported in Box 3 - Other Income of a Form 1099-MISC. The resource revenue payment is a sharing of resource revenues among the 12 regional corporations as required by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Your 7(j) payment appears on a different form because resource revenue payments are not dividends and are not considered investment income. If you are a village shareholder, ANCSA directs that your resource revenue payments are paid to your village corporation; therefore, CIRI does not report these amounts as income to the individual shareholder. Payments made during 2004 to shareholders for prizes or awards are also reported by CIRI on a Form 1099-MISC, in Box 3 - Other Income.

CIRI cannot provide tax advice and shareholders are encouraged to consult with a tax advisor regarding individual circumstances and applicable federal and state tax requirements. Please remember that it is your responsibility to accurately report your CIRI income on your tax returns.