Spilyay Tym
Coyote News, est. 1976
N ovem ber 13, 2013
P.O. Box 870
Warm SDrinns, OR 97761
OREGON HISTOWCW.8 0 0 ' ^
1230 S * ^ ¿
97205
PORTLAND, OR
V oi. 38, ino . 21
November - Anaku Ipach’aanxa Yaamash
Dave McMechan photos.
Korean War veteran Paul Anderson was a Guest of Honor in the
Veterans Day Parade in Madras on Monday. (See page 12 for
more on the parade).
Korean War veteran Reggie Winishut was a Guest of Honor in the
parade.
Finance summary explains budget challenge
project. The two referendums failed
for lack o f voter participation.
There are other potential solu
tions that Council is diligently explor
ing. For now, though, the budget sce
nario can best be explained by ref
erence to the summary provided by
management. These are som e o f
the key points:
Question: Why are in the finan
cial situation we are today?
Answer: Simple, we spent more
than we have had coming in. Cut
backs were never made to align the
Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
Cigarette
tax refund
to increase
On Veterans Day
Tribal Finance and management
provided a budget explanation re
cently, outlining the challenge fac
ing the tribes in 2014 and beyond.
The key to resolving the situa
tion is to develop some new rev
enue source. It was toward this goal
that Tribal Council earlier this year
p ro p o sed the m o to rsp o rts park
ECRWSS
stai Patron
organization with the decreased rev
enue. F unds from savings w ere
taken to offset the deficits. Now that
savings are no longer available, the
organization has no choice than to
cut back. I f the m oney is n ot in the
bank, the checks cannot go out.
In the past ten. years, operating
revenue was never sufficient to
fund everything the tribal govern
m ent spent (including p er ’ capita,
S en io r P en sio n , an d b o n u ses).
Sources were pulled from savings
to balance the budgets . ..
Starting in 2008, revenues dras
tically declined; however, operations
reductions were n ot taken. Instead,
sources from sayings were utilized
to offset the deficits...
Question: W hat is the leading
factor to the decline in revenue?
Answer: Enterprise revenue has
been the leading factor to the de
cline in revenue to the tribes. W ith
out sustainable enterprise revenue,
th e o rganization m u st decrease
spending.
, Question: H ow m uch is per
capita in 2014?
Answer: D ue to the substantial
decline in enterprise revenue, per
capita will only funded at $25 per
person in 2014. I f new revenug is
ot genera red before 2015 and y&ars
to come, the sustainability o f per
capita will n o t be maintained. New
re v e n u e so u rces are critically
needed. I f per capita were to re
m ain u n ch an g ed , tru st revenue
sources would deplete by 2015, and
governm ent operations would have
to drastically reduce direct services
to the membership.
Question: H ow much is Senior
Pension distributions in 2014?
Answer: Similar to per capita,
due to the substantial decline in
revenue, th e Senior P ension
fund has a limited balance. To
•sustain d istrib u tio ns fo r two
years tp ensure seniors are re
ceiving b enefits in 2014 and
2015, the balance proposed per
m onth would be reduced to $300
per senior for 60 years o f age
and older. I f the senior distribu
tio n s' rem ain unchanged, the
funds will run out in 2014, and
w ithout new revenue projected
in 2015, the distributions will not
be made. By reducing it now, this
will provide time to generate new
revenue, partially supplem ent
senior .benefits, and hopefully
new revenue will be earned by
the end o f 2015 to replenish the
senior distribution for the 2016
budget year.
See BUDGET on page 12
Academy
Open House
T h e C o n fed erated T ribes,
school district 509-J, and the con
struction contractor hosted an
open house last week at the con
s tru c tio n site o f th e W arm
Springs K-8 Academy. There was
a lunch o f chili and bread.
The weather held out, and the
visitors w ere able to to u r the
grounds. They saw that the school
gymnasium is taking shape, and
the work is progressing on the
main building o f the school. The
m ain building will be 80,000
square feet in size. The main bus
entrance to the school will be o ff
o f Tenino.
Open house event included
lunch by the construction
trailers.
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
The O regon Legislature voted
last m onth to increase the state tax
on cigarettes. This will result in
some additional revenue to the Con
federated Tribes.
Through H ouse Bill 3601, O r
egon lawmakers voted to increase
the state tax on cigarettes by 13 cents
per pack.
Through its arrangement with the
state, the tribes should receive an
additional $40,000 to $50,000 in
cigarette tax refund, as a result o f
the tax increase.
The tribes in recent years have
received over $280,000 in state ciga
rette tax refund. W ith the 13-cent
increase per pack, the refund will
go up by a corresponding amount.
The cigarette refund arrangement
goes back to 1979, w hen the U.S.
Supreme C ourt issued a ruling ex
empting from state tax on-reserva-
tiori cigarette sales to Indians.
The Confederated Tribes entered
into an inter-governmental agree
m ent with the State o f O regon and
adopted Tribal O rdinance No. 59.
See REFUND on page 9
Many sign
up through
new health
care system
As widely reported, the , Cover
O regon/A ffordable H ead h Care
program has had trouble in its on
line component.
However, many local people are
visiting the Warm Springs clinic and
signing up with paper applications.
They are qualifying for expanded
Medicaid. The clinic has a team o f
assistors w ho are there .to help
people through the process.
There are significant benefits—
both to the individual, and to the
tribes-— from members signing up
for health insurance.
All m em bers currently receive
medical care at the Indian Health
Service clinic in Warm Springs, and
at hospitals in the region. Under the
new program, members continue to
have this option. A nd they face no
penalty for not signing up for health
insurance through Cover Oregon.
For individuals w ho sign up for
expanded Medicaid, the options for
care are greater. In addition, for the
tribal organization, the billing op
tions are increased for the partici
pating individuals. G reater billing
options will bring revenue for In
dian Health Services and the tribes’
Health and Human Services to bring
in m ore specialty care.
See HEALTH CARE on page 9