Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
August 30, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 18
August – Shatm – Summer - Shatm
Tribal budget season starting for 2018
Tribal Council and Management
last week began the 2018 budget
discussion, an early start this year
to another challenging budget sea-
son.
Management and Finance pre-
sented an initial overview of how
to achieve a balanced budget again
next year.
A goal for 2018 is to avoid em-
ployee lay-offs, though most cur-
rent non-essential vacancies would
have to remain unfilled, said Sec-
retary-Treasurer Michele Stacona.
She also presented another cost-
saving idea for the tribes, involv-
ing the 5 percent employer discre-
tionary 401(k) Plan contributions.
Each year Tribal Council ap-
proves these discretionary contri-
butions. They are contributions on
behalf of all eligible employees,
whether or not an employee
chooses to make his or her own
contribution to the plan.
Employees are eligible if he or
she has worked 1,000 hours for
the tribes, or if the person is al-
ready 62 years old.
“The amount of the discretion-
ary contributions is determined by
Tribal Council, and may change
from time to time,” according to
the summary of the tribes’ 401(k)
Plan. The contribution amount has
been at 5 percent for several years.
Making these contributions is
good when the budget conditions
are right, Ms. Stacona said. But
in the present budget situation,
she said, Tribal Council may want
to consider a one-year change to
the contributions amount.
She presented three alterna-
tives: maintaining the 5 percent,
reducing to 2.5 percent, and sus-
pending the contribution for the
year.
The construction phase of
the Plateau Travel Plaza is
about half way complete.
The tribes and Indian Head
Casino broke ground on the
project in April, and the
completion time is early
spring of 2018.
The Travel Plaza is on
Cherry Lane at the Madras
Industrial Park, featuring the
13,500-square-foot main
building. This will house a
convenience store,
restaurant, some class II
gaming, plus shower and
laundry.
The gas and diesel tanks are
now in, with the canopy over
the diesel island going up
this week.
The 10-acre site includes
parking for about 70 semi
trucks.
There will be 30 to 40 new
jobs at the plaza. Tribal
Council approved the project
in early 2015 after a positive
feasibility report.
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Back to
School BBQ
on Thursday
The Back to School Barbecue is
this Thursday, August 31, from 4-6
p.m. at the Warm Springs Academy.
Classes at the Academy resume
at 8:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Septem-
ber 6. This year the students at the
Academy started in mid August,
extra days made possible through an
Extended Learning grant.
At Madras High School fresh-
man start classes on September 6.
All other students at the high school
start back on Thursday, September
7.
There is still time to contribute
clothing for the Back to School
Barbecue. The drop box is at the
Family Resource Center through
this Wednesday, August 30. The
clothing drive is a project of the
Papalaxsimisha Program at Health
and Human Services.
Papalaxsimisha is recommending
new or gently used clothing, shoes,
new socks and new underwear for
all ages. For more information con-
tact Ervanna LittleEagle at:
ervlileagle@gmail.com
Or call Jaylyn Suppah at 541-
280-1933.
CPE funding
plan set for
October
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
A Day to Remember
Native
Sol
powwow
dancer;
and an
image of
the
totality.
Miss Warm Springs Katrina Blackwolf and River Edwards join the
powwow at the Native Sol festival.
Jayson
Smith
photos/
Spilyay
Tribal Council in July proposed
a supplemental budget that would
fund the Cannabis Project Enter-
prise. The idea is to invest some
of the carbon sequestration revenue
into the construction of the CPE
greenhouse. The General Council
meeting on the proposal, involving
the creation of the Warm Springs
Financial Strategies LLC, also hap-
pened in late July.
Council has not yet adopted a
resolution regarding the supplemen-
tal budget, as the carbon sequestra-
tion revenue has not yet arrived.
The revenue can be expected in
October, and Council wants to wait
until the money is in-hand before
adopting the resolution.
The sole purpose of the Finan-
cial Strategies LLC is to provide fi-
nancing for membership-approved
capital improvement and economic
development projects. The CPE
funding proposal involves $3 mil-
lion of the carbon sequestration
revenue.
Carbon sequestration should net
more than $10 million over a term
of years, Warm Springs Ventures
estimates.
Budget presentations
Tribal branches, departments and
enterprises will begin their 2018
budget presentations the week of
September 5-8. Council will then
have a proposal by the end of Sep-
tember, and the district meetings will
be in October.