Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2002)
Committee Feature Gaming continued from page 4 negotiations. Does the "Austin Powers" nickel machine conform to federal Class III gaming regulations? What are Oregon laws concerning baccarat? Those are the sorts of issues that the Gaming Commission deals with on a regular basis. No person can work, no slot machine can be used, no card game played, without a thorough in vestigation and approval process. Tribal Coun cil established the commission to be the legal watchdog for Spirit Mountain Casino and in doing so granted them (commission members) the authority to issue gaming licenses, collect licensing fees, and to approve changes in gam ing operations. That is why one member of the commission must have five (5) years in law en forcement, and one other must have experience in business management. The commission also is granted the power to perform unrestricted inspections on the gaming facility's operations. They also conduct back ground checks on employees who deal directly with gaming dealers, money handlers, and per sonnel who work on the gaming floor. Even external entities like consulting companies are checked by the commission or the state. Above all, the commission makes sure that Spirit Moun tain complies with federal and Indian gaming regulations, with little margin for deviation. They are so driven by integrity that gaming commissioners aren't allowed to gamble at Spirit Mountain Casino, which should hint at just how serious the Tribe is about gaming. B Health Authority Board BACKGROUND: In response to a growing concern among member ship regarding quality health care, Tribal Council passed on July 28, 1999 the Health Authority Ordinance, cre ating in addition the Health Author ity Board. PEOPLE INVOLVED: Nine (9) members staff the board, the major ity of them Tribal, and most of them having some background in the medi cal field. As a board, all the positions are paid. Steve Bowles sits in as co- Chair with Tribal Elder Merle Leno. MEMBERS: Mary Brickell (Secretary), Steve Bowles Vice Chair), Marie Davis, Merle Leno (Chair), Nancy Renfrow, Tom Seidl, Bernadine Shriver, Malcolm Snider, and Patti Tom-Martin. FUNCTION: Health care has long been a touchy subject in Indian Country, and Grand Ronde is no different. Though one of the younger entities serving in an advisory capac ity to Tribal Council, no board may have a job that seems destined to go on forever. For them the goal is fairly simple - improving the quality of health care available to Tribal members. "You can never be perfect out here,' said Bowles. "Every time you gain a step, there's one other to make." EB coyt8)j That is certainly the case with Grand Ronde, where more than five years ago a modern clinic sprung up that for a brief time quelled complaints and ap peased the most demanding patient. But as with any boon, unforeseen prob lems developed, and the creation of a body suited specifically to deal with these troubles was imminent. In that, policy issues surrounding the Health & Wellness Center are the chief domains of the Health Authority Board, and according to Bowles, policies and problems are often intertwined, stemming from one another. Budget and personnel seem to be the main monkey wrenches these days, usually spilling over into everyday affairs. For example, the inability to hold on to accomplished physi cians has left the staff short-handed, which ex plains complaints of long waits. The Health Authority Board has become in effect a prevention awareness medium, accord ing to Bowles. This is good, he said, because many of the issues assailing the Native popula tion today are largely preventable, like smoking. Or diabetes, a condition resulting often from obe sity, also an avoidable circumstance. "We're like a newborn baby," said Bowles. "We're still learning to walk and talk. We're still learning what we can do." B Housing Authority Board off Commissioners I M331 I BACKGROUND: "Decent, affordable hous ing is critical to the well-being of Tribal fami lies," reads Section (b) of the Tribal Housing Or dinance. "The council has determined that there is a shortage of decent homes in the Service Area at prjees and rents affordable to many Tribal members, and that this shortage cannot be alle viated through the private sector." Such was the explanation when council passed the Tribal Housing Ordinance on March 27, 1996, effec tively creating the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority to remedy the problem. PEOPLE INVOLVED: Seven (7) board mem bers sit in as commissioners, five of them Tribal. Three (3) of the positions open up every year, though some years only two (2) come open. They generally meet the third Tuesday of every month. Tribal member Tim Holmes took over as Chair from Tribal member Bob Watson two years ago. Council appoints all board members, and every position is paid. MEM3ERS: Linda Hale (Secretary), Valerie Harjo, Mel Holmes, Tim Holmes (Chair), Monty Parazoo, Jack J. Rovics, Jr., and one seat pres ently vacant. FUNCTION: Addressing the housing needs of Tribal members is one of those tasks that when written down seems fairly simple, yet as Holmes will testify, it isn't. Historically, Con gress passed a bill in 1996 called the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act, designed to re-route some funding from HUD (Housing and Urban do is based upon the Housing Needs Assessment Survey, which is distributed to all Tribal Mem bers over the age of 18. Fortunately, building houses is but one facet. The board has also re searched and designed some of the notable pro grams available through housing, like the Mi nor Medical Adaptation Grant, which will en dow Tribal members with funding to build ac cess ramps, grab bars and other accessibility fea tures to their home. Also the Home Repair Grant, or the Down-Payment Assistance Grant, 77 I Development) to Tribes. The downside to having multiple sources of funding is that bureaucratic is sues bog down projects. "Personally I think Tribal members should know that in order to accept federal funding we must fol low federal guide lines, in addition to Tribal Council requirements, BIA requirements, and environmental issues," said Holmes. "People think we're slow, but when you look at all the hoops we have to go through..." But all those hoops haven't prevented them from making some visible differences in the com munity. Grand Meadows and Elders' Housing are hard not to notice, and now serve as cozy homes for many Tribal members. In the near future, keep an eye out for a 36-unit low-income housing lot, already approved by council. Those are results. Much of the planning and policy-making they ? are symbols of the board's toil. Getting them in place was never easy. The board is charged annually with submitting a yearly report to council, explaining why goals weren't met. For HUD they must design and submit a five-year plan to secure any funding. When the dollars come, from HUD or council, matters progress into a new level of complexity, particularly when housing schemes come into play. Not only must the board seek out archi tects and contractors, but also they must read blueprints and note environmental concerns, doing so with the BIA and HUD looking over Housing continued on page 6
