VERDIGRIS, Okla. — This is the 24th such agreement between the Cherokee Nation and an Oklahoma community.
The mayor of Verdigris, though, thinks not much is going to change in his town.
Mayor Keith Crawford sat at the table, flanked by Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Attorney General Sara Hill.
The mayor and the chief both signed the agreement, and afterward, we asked the mayor how this will positively affect Verdigris.
"That's a very good question. We've always partnered with them. I just go back to what I said originally: it's a no-brainer to partner with our Cherokee brothers and sisters. We've always done it," Crawford said.
The agreement boils down to two things.
First, when a Cherokee citizen gets a ticket, they can go to court in Verdigris instead of tribal court.
Second, the city now receives 50% of the revenue from those tickets.
The Verdigris police, in large part, are writing the speeding tickets, but both the tribe and city are getting a cut of the cash.
The Cherokee marshals have authority to give traffic tickets in Verdigris but it's largely the Verdigris PD pulling people over.
I asked Chief Hoskin if people could expect to see more marshals patrolling the streets.
"We already have; I mean, we have increased the workforce capacity by 260% since McGirt came out, so we've certainly put skin in the game and will continue to do so," Hoskin said.
We met Katherine Alexander, who is a tribal citizen, and heard her thoughts on these agreements.
"I think it could work and be better for people," Alexander said.
Chief Hoskin claims other communities in eastern Oklahoma can take this kind of deal, but Tulsa is holding out.
"He's got an option; he's got an opportunity to prove, I think, in a very powerful way that cooperation beats conflict by signing one of these agreements," Hoskin said.
He's talking about Mayor GT Bynum.
In response, Mayor Bynum sent the following statement to 2 News Oklahoma.
"The important question at hand is whether or not local ordinances apply to everyone equally—not who gets a few dollars for a ticket. I think it is important that Chief Hoskin and I have a discussion and try to find common ground on this."
Verdigris joins the following other communities in signing such an agreement with the Cherokee Nation.
Adair
Bernice
Chelsea
Colcord
Foyil
Gore
Hulbert
Jay
Kansas
Locust Grove
Marbie City
Muldrow
Muskogee
Owasso
Porum
Pryor
Salina
Vian
Vinita
Warner
Watts
West Siloam Springs
Westville
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