The Bureau of Indi an Affairs has officially closed its Office of Technical Assistance and Training (OTAT) at Brigham City, Utah 1 Interior Assistant Secretary Ken Smith announced today.
Smith said the document abolishing OTAT, a unit in the BIA’s central office structure, was signed March 16 and that approximately 72 employees would receive general reduction in force (RIF) notices at an employee meeting to be held today.
Smith said the closing of the office was mandated oy Congress through the Interior appropriations bill which provided funding in fiscal year 1982 only for the continuation of two sub-units of the office and closing expenses.
The sub-units to be continued are the police academy at Brigham City and the Tribal Administrative and Accounting Services, which is located at Littleton, Colorado,
A total of 52 positions are being abolished. The 72 persons, including those on the police academy staff and a separate inspections and evaluation unit at Brigham City who will receive general RIF notices, will compete according to RIF procedures, for about 20 jobs to be continued at Brigham City.
Smith said "every effort will be made to place people who lose jobs in Brigham City in vacancies elsewhere in the Bureau." He said he had exercised waiver provisions in the Indian preference policy for the placement of the non-Indians who would lose jobs.
The Continental Divide Training Center, a sub-unit of OTAT located in western New Mexico, has been transferred to the BIA’s Albuquerque area office. Other OTAT activities will be decentralized and continued through the program offices.
OTAT was established in June of 1979 with the consolidation of various training and technical assistance functions of the BIA at Brigham City.
