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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2009)
r P.O. Box 870 Warm SDrinqs, OR 97761 OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1230 s w p ar k a v e . -R WSS I Patron PORTLAND, OR 97205 Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 October 8, 2 0 0 9 Coyote News, est. 1976 Voi. 34, No. 21 5 0 cents No cuts in proposed 2010 tribal budget Tribal Council has approved a pro posed 2010 budget for the Confeder ated Tribes. The budget proposal, posted at vari ous locations, will be the topic o f up coming district meetings. An issue facing Council this year in developing the budget proposal was a reduced projection in revenue from Warm Springs Power and Water E n terprises. The reduction was due to a decrease ■ in power prices, said Ray Potter, the tribes’ chief financial officer. The budget projection for next year looked good up until a few months ago, when the power market dropped, P ot ter said. The expected decrease in revenue from Power and Water Enterprises is significant: T he $12.5 million projected revenue o f 2009 is reduced to $7.5 million, a $5 million reduction. Tribal tim ber revenue is also p ro jected to decrease significandy: The $2.5 million projected tim ber revenue o f 2009 is reduced to $1.5 million in 2010. The total tribal enterprise dividend for 2010 is projected at $9,665,000, ^compared to the $14,665,000 projected for the current year. Still, the 2010 posted budget calls for no cuts o f existing tribal jobs. The budget proposal does, however, call for use o f the revenue reserve, or rainy day fond. The 2010 budget is based on the 2009 budget, with the goal being to maintain expenditures at roughly the present level. A n exception is in Education ser vices, for which a $195,000 increase is proposed. The increase is needed for the tribes to fund additional teacher positions and program operation o f the childcare p o rtio n o f the H ead Start program. To help offset this cost, the budget calls for a $95,000 decrease in capital projects, and a $100,000 decrease in the contribution to the senior pension fund. Earlier this fall, Potter, treasury con troller Michelle Stacona, secretary-trea surer Jody Calica and chief operations officer Gerald Smith m et with depart m ent directors and general managers. The discussion at the time was o f a possible 33 percent budget cut for all departments, to reflect the 33 per cent reduction in projected tribal revenue. T he departments were asked to subm it a 2010 budget that includes a one-third budget cut. A fter reviewing the im pacts o f such a reduction, Tribal Council has proposed a “hold the line budget” based on the current year expendi tures. Still, the budget process this year has yielded good ideas that may be revisited in the future, such as fund ing some positions w ith non-tribal dollars. « Members should be receiving a budget m ailing this week or next week. (The budget is reprinted on page 10.) Bond issue to save millions The federal Stimulus program has provided the Confederated Tribes with the opportunity to save as much as $20 million in debt interest. The tribes now have IRS approval to borrow rrioney for the fish passage project at Round Butte dam, and for im provem ents to Indian Park. Through the Stimulus program, the expenditures for the project can be fi nanced with tax exempt bonds, said Ray Potter, tribal chief financial officer. The opportunity is available to tribal organizations for purposes o f public benefit, such as the fish passage project and the Indian Park project, Potter said. T h ro u g h the financing w ith the Tribal Economic Developm ent Bonds, the tribes can expect to pay o ff the bonds with a potential savings o f $20 million in interest, he said. M ost o f the debt involved in the transaction is for the fish passage facil ity at Round Butte, which was a require m ent o f the federal relicensing o f the dams. T he tribes are paying for a third o f the roughly. $100 million project, with co-owner Portland General Elec tric paying the rest. The tribes will conduct a public hear ing on the refinancing at noon on Fri day, Oct. 23 at the Credit Enterprise building. (A public notice o f the hearing is on page 10.) Dave McMechan/Spilyay The Madras High School White Buffalo varsity football squad features these local youth: (front row from left) Theron Spino, Douglas Brisbois and Kenny VanPelt; (back row from left) manager Raylene Jones, RedSky Suppah, Tyrell Smith, Martin Smith-Meannealy, Spencer Ellsbury and assistant coach Butch David. New era for health care under commission B y D ave M cM ech a n Spilyay Tymoo T h e newly form ed Jo in t H ealth Commission that oversees health care on the reservation m et for the first time last week. T he com m ission is a cooperative effort between the Confederated Tribes and Indian Health Services. The two parties saw their relation ship deteriorate in recent years, and the tribes in 2007 filed a lawsuit against IHS. Through federal mediation, the two sides agreed to form the Joint H ealth Commission as the oversight body o f health care services on the reservation. The Joint Health Commission is an extension o f the joint venture relation ship that has existed between the tribes and IHS since the tribes built the Warm Springs H ealth and W ellness clinic about a dozen years ago. D uring its first years, the joint ven- s I ture was a model for health care p ro viders in Indian country, said Tribal C ouncil Vice C hairw om an A urolyn Stwyer-Pinkham. The relationship over time, though, became contentious. For instance, in 2006 the tribes appropriated $500,000 for health care, and Tribal Council was concerned about the use o f the money, said Stwyer-Pinkham. The lawsuit, followed by the federal dispute resolution, began a short time later. T he best solution to the dispute, b o th sides agreed, would be the for m ation o f the Jo in t H ealth Commis sion. ' The commission will meet four times a year. Its purpose is to “plan, coordi nate, m onitor and evaluate the deliv ery o f health care services provided by the tribe and by the IHS on the res ervation.” T he commission mem bers are: Tribal secretary-treasurer Charles Calica; H eather Crow-Martinez, direc- 4 to r o f B est Care M ental H ealth and Addiction Services; and Caroline Cruz, general manager o f the tribal H um an Services Branch. Dr. Leland Bud Beamer, emergency room physician at Mountain View H os pital; Jam es Diegel, president and chief ex e c u tiv e o ffic e r o f C ascad e Healthcare Community; Carol Prevost, chief executive officer, W arm Springs IH S service unit; and D r. S tephen “Miles” Rudd, clinical director, Warm Springs IHS service unit. A lte rn a te m e m b e rs are M ike Clements, tribal H um an Services direc tor; and Jam es “Jay” Henry, chief ex ecutive officer, St. Charles M edical Center. The staff w ho have provided help th r o u g h th e p ro c e s s are R o b e rta Queahpama, Community Health direc tor; Cassie Katchia, Joint H ealth Com m issio n officer; D ayle T u fti, Jo in t H ealth Comm ission office secretary; R obert Boffin, commission staff assis- tant; Lonnie “Rosie” Torn, contractes and grants; and Janice Clem ents, chairwoman o f the H ealth and Wel fare C om m ittee, and com m ittee members Urbana Manion, Earlynne Squiemphen and Frank Charley. The comm ission m em bers and staff were recognized during the in augural com m ission m eeting last week at Kah-Nee-Ta. T he comm is sioners were sworn in at the start o f the first meeting. “We have high hopes for a long and productive relationship,” said Stwyer-Pinkham. “We see this as a milestone,” said Mike Clements. “T he tribes w ant to be involved in providing health care on the reservation.” IHS has a trust responsibility to the tribes, he said, “and we look to your expertise and knowledge.” The Joint H ealth Com mission will provide vision and guid ance o f h ealth care m a tte rs for years to come, Clements said. Palomar proposal going to Council The team studying a possible natu ral gas pipeline project on the reserva tion has sent its environmental assess m ent o f the alternative to Tribal Coun cil. C ouncil will evaluate the project based on the assessm ent, and tribal m em ber input. Council will also con sider th e term s o f th e offer from Palomar, the company that is plarming to build the pipeline. The team appointed by Council to study the project conducted public hearings earlier this year, and has for warded the com m ents to Council. The environmental assessment does n ot include a recom m endation regard ing w hether or n o t to approve the con struction o f the natural gas line across the feservation. Palom ar is planning construction o f 217 miles o f pipeline in Oregon. T he company’s preferred route is to the north o f the W arm Springs Reser vation. A possible alternative route across the reservation would avoid an o v e rh e a d c ro s s in g o f th e lo w e r Deschutes River. W ith this alternative, the line would run between a point at the northw est ern boundary o f the reservation near N o rth Pinhead Butte and a site on the eastern boundary just south o f Pelton Reregulating Dam.
