Page 2
Augustl, 1995
Smoke Signals
7 tribal Council has recently identi
fied six priority investment areas
for tribal revenues over the next five
years. On this page, you will find
a definition and description of each issue, as
discussed at the community meetings that
took place in June and July. If you were
unable to attend the meetings, please take
the time to read about these investment
issues, and prioritize them according to your
personal needs.
In the survey below, number the issues
according to importance. Number one being
the most important, number six being the
least important. Please mail it back. If there
is more than one adult tribal member in your
household, please make a copy and have
each member complete the survey.
Council values everyone's opinion. The
results will be printed in a later issue of
Smoke Signals.
Mail-in Ballot
Please indicate importance of priority that you
feel these issues are. Number one being the most
important, number six being least important.
Health Insurance
Per Capita Payments
Retirement Fund
Education
Land for Private Homes
Endowments
Other issues or comments:
Name:
Enrollment :
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Please cut this ballot out and mail to:
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
ATTN: Ed Larsen, Tribal Council
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347
All mail-in ballots must be returned by
Friday, August 25, 1995.
Health Security Program
Some members have excellent insurance coverage.
Others live near Grand Ronde where they can access care
provided by the Tribe with available federal funds. Still
others have no access to care provided by the Tribe or other
health coverage. Based on a lot of discussion with the
membership, a tribal value has been identified around
healthy families. One way the Tribe can help is to ensure
that all members have access to high quality health care.
A program is being discussed which would seek to fill in
"gaps" in coverage that members have to ensure that they
can receive quality care. The size of coverage "gaps" differ
from member to member. This would help ensure that
members had some protection from the financial risks
associated with serious illness or accidents. The program
would provide a health care safety net for all our members,
while ensuring that all members get some benefit from the
program.
Currently the Tribal Council is asking members to
complete and return a questionnaire which will enable the
Tribe to determine what benefits members currently have,
"gaps" in coverage, and the potential costs of a program
such as that described above.
The cost of the program has been estimated at between $ 1
million and $6 million depending on coverage and program
design.
Per Capita Payments
Per Capita is another word for dividend. It is based on the
notion that tribal members share in the revenues or
profitability of tribal ventures. It involves a commitment of
some portion of available revenues to be distributed as cash
payments to each member when a tribe is in a position to do
so, but is not intended to bankrupt the tribe or to create long
term dependency among members.
Per Capita is generally paid in equal payments to all
members, irrespective of their age, connection with or
participation in the tribe's success.
The Tribal Council recognizes the importance of careful
planning, and of balancing investments so as to ensure the
long term financial strength and success of the Tribe and to
ensure programs which add value to the lives of tribal
members. It also recognizes that Congress could eliminate
gaming or it could be legalized for non-Indian businesses
which would make profitability less likely.
Some tribes that pay per capita put all or part of the
payments for young tribal members in trust funds until they
become adults. These trust funds are commonly referred to
as "minors" trust funds and are available to help members
with college, purchase of housing, or other support to help
them get a financial leg up as young adults.
Retirement Fund
The concept of a pension plan to help elderly members
who have limited resources has been discussed for a
number of years. At a certain age, individuals would begin
to receive a regular stipend for their necessary expenses not
met by other resources.
Another option would be to establish a tribal pension
fund to provide retirement benefits to all members when
they reached a certain age. This would require the Tribe to
make a regular investment and to set aside funds to ensure
that funds would be available to make payments in the
future. Perhaps, like other retirement funds, there might be
some provision to allow for early retirement at a reduced
benefit.
Education Assistance
Currently the Tribe has limited funds available to assist
tribal members who wish to further their formal education.
Scholarships for vocational and higher education are
designed to fill in unmet needs after expecting members to
avail themselves of other available resources.
The purpose of making additional investments may be to
boost the educational options available to tribal members
through increased scholarships, vocational training, grants,
mentorship programs, graduate scholarships and career
track programs.
Another option would be to provide tribal incentives to
reward younger Tribal members for achievements in
school from grades K-12. This might be designed to
provide awards, scholarships or other forms or recognition
appropriate to their age to help parents by providing
additional motivation to youngsters.
The Tribal Council recognizes the importance of
education and training for members to succeed in today's
world. Consideration is being given to establishment of
programs which are available to all members through a
variety of resource pools to support choices in furthering an
individuals education or training.
Land for Private Homes
What type of investment should the Tribe make in lands
and homes for tribal members?
Under one scenario the Tribe might make land available
in either "trust" or "fee" status for members either though a
purchase or grant option for housing development or for
mobile home sites. In the Grand Ronde area the Tribe
might develop lands, roads, sewer, water and utilities in
order to make home sites available. Obviously, the
ownership of Tribal lands inside the Grand Ronde area
helps to secure the long term sovereignty and jurisdiction of
the Tribe.
For members outside the Grand Ronde area the Tribe
could enhance its down payment grant program, or create
rental assistance programs.
Endowments
One way that the Tribe can secure its future ability to
operate and provide benefits to its members is through the
establishment of "endowments" or "trust" funds. These are
like special savings accounts which are set aside
permanently. They are intended to create revenue from
investments which can be used to provide services on an
ongoing basis. In most cases part of the revenue is left in
such a fund each year to allow it to grow to support the
increased membership and inflation in the future.
The Tribe established several endowments several years
ago. The included endowments to provide for Tribal
Government, Health, Education and Housing. These were
intended to provide a beginning of such savings accounts
for the future. Today there is approximately $7 million in
the existing endowments. The Tribal Government
endowment guarantees funds to operate Tribal Govern
ment and has reached its initial target of $6 million. Health,
Housing and Education endowments are nearly half way to
their initial targets of $600,000 each. They were intended
to augmenj available federal services to members when
these targets are reached.
Since these were established, the Tribal enrollment has
increased significantly. It is time to revisit them to see if the
targets should be increased.