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P.O. Box 870
Warm SDrinqs, OR 97761
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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PORTLAND, OR 97205
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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.