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SILETZ NEWS Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Vol. 44, No. 3 March 2016 Siletz News Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman Brenda Bremner, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid - Permit No. 178 Salem, OR Tribe raises minimum wage to $11 at all Tribal entities, retroactive to Jan. 1 The Siletz Tribal Council has raised the hourly minimum wage for employ- ees of all tribal entities from $9.25 to $11 an hour. The new minimum wage applies to Chinook Winds Casino Resort, includ- ing the hotel, golf course and fitness center. It also applies to all employees of the Tribal government and tribally owned entities, including the Siletz Tribal Business Corporation, Internal Audit Department and the Siletz Tribal Gaming Commission. Tribal Council approved the raise effective Jan. 1, 2016, which will result in a small retroactive payment for employees currently making the tribal minimum wage. Annually, the increase means an extra $2,704 for a minimum wage employee working 30 hours a week. This additional income will help with the rising costs of groceries, gas, heath care, utilities, rent and recreation, which also benefits the local economy. According to Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley, “The Tribal Council sees the new tribal minimum wage as one way to help employees and their families to make ends meet.” Lane, Pigsley, Butler re-elected to Tribal Council; officers also selected Alfred (Bud) Lane III, Delores Pigsley and Lillie Butler were re-elected to the Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in elections held Feb. 6. Lane, from Siletz, Ore., was re-elected with 418 votes; Pigsley, from Keizer, Ore., was re-elected with 371 votes; and Butler, also from Siletz, was re-elected with 261 votes. Eight candidates ran for the three open positions and the three who received the most votes were elected. These individuals will serve with Loraine Butler of Siletz, Gloria Ingle of Lincoln City, Ore., and Robert Kentta of Logsden, Ore., whose terms expire in 2017; and with Reggie Butler Sr. and Sha- ron Edenfield of Siletz and David Hatch of Portland, Ore., whose terms expire in 2018. Term of office is three years for each position on the nine-member council. Seven hundred seven (707) ballots were returned and accepted. Enrolled members of the Siletz Tribe who are age 18 or older are eligible to vote in Tribal elections. The Tribe has nearly 5,000 enrolled members. The swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected council members took place Feb. 7. Officers are elected on an annual basis and those selected for 2016 include: • • • • Delores Pigsley, chairman Alfred (Bud) Lane III, vice chairman Sharon Edenfield, secretary Robert Kentta, treasurer Pigsley currently has served 30.5 years as Tribal chairman out of 37 years on the council, while Lillie Butler has served 24; Reggie Butler, 19; Lane, 18; Kentta and Loraine Butler, 11 each; Hatch, 7; and Edenfield, nearly 7 years. The Siletz Tribe has spent the last 38 years rebuilding its government and economic structure. The signing of Public Law 95-195 in 1977, which restored gov- ernment-to-government relations between the Siletz Tribe and the federal govern- ment, started this process. The Siletz Tribe was the second in the nation – and the first in Oregon – to achieve restoration. The Siletz Tribe was among the first to become a self-governance Tribe, giving Tribal government more control over ser- vices provided to Tribal members. Under self-governance, the U.S. government pro- vides general funding to the Tribe (rather Courtesy photo by Andrea Suitter The 2016 Siletz Tribal Council includes (front row) Loriane Butler, Reggie Butler Sr. Gloria Ingle and Lillie Butler; and (back row) Robert Kentta, Alfred (Bud) Lane III, Delores Pigsley, Sharon Edenfield, and Dave Hatch. than to specific programs), then Tribal employees and the Tribal Council decide how funds will be spent. Significant Tribal accomplishments since Restoration include opening the original health clinic in 1991 and a new much larger clinic in 2010; building more than 150 homes and multiple dwellings for Tribal members, including 28 units at Neachesna Village in Lincoln City that have opened since 2009, 19 apartments in Siletz that opened in 2010 and 12 homes in the Tillamook subdivision in Siletz that have opened since 2013; completing the Siletz Dance House in 1996; opening the Tenas Illahee Childcare Center in 2003; opening the Tillicum Fitness Center and a new USDA food distribution warehouse in Siletz in 2008; and opening the Siletz Recreation Center in 2009. Through its economic development division, the Siletz Tribal Business Cor- poration, the Tribe purchased the Lincoln Shores office complex in Lincoln City in 2001 and opened the Siletz Gas & Mini- Mart in Siletz in 2004, the Logan Road RV Park in Lincoln City in 2004 and the Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort in Salem in 2006. See Election on page 4 Obama’s FY 2017 budget request for Indian Affairs increases funding that supports strong Tribal nations WASHINGTON – President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget request for Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), reflects the admin- istration’s all-of-government approach to meeting the federal government’s responsi- bilities to the nation’s 567 federally recog- nized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and building on the commitment to promote strong, resilient nations for today and for future generations. “President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget request for Indian Affairs embod- ies his belief that a federal budget that addresses trust and treaty responsibilities with comprehensive, coordinated federal resources promotes strong, resilient Tribal nations,” said acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts. “I’m very pleased this budget continues the president’s long-standing commitment to our nation-to-nation relationship and to our mission of promoting tribal sovereignty for the prosperity of future generations.” The budget request of $2.9 billion, a $137.6 million increase above the FY 2016 enacted level, provides funding to foster Tribal self-determination and self- governance through investments in educa- tion for Native youth, support of Indian families, additional public safety resources in Tribal communities, restoration and governance of Tribal lands and resources, and by fostering Tribal resilience to climate change and promoting Tribal cultures. Creating opportunities for Native youth The FY 2017 budget request for Indian Affairs makes key investments to support Generation Indigenous (Gen-I), an initiative launched in 2014 to address bar- riers to success for American Indian youth. The request supports Obama’s vision for a 21 st century Indian education system See Budget on page 8
