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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2002)
AUGUST 15, 2002 Smoke Signals 9 mmm msmm -in Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority Home Repair Grant Program Expanding! If you live in one of the following counties in Oregon and your home is in need of repairs, you will want to read this! Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, and Wasco. The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Housing Authority Board of Com missioners, is expected to approve a six-month pilot project for the Home Re pair Grant Program. This pilot project will last for a period of six months beginning in October 2002 though March 2003, at which time the project will be evaluated for consideration of expanding the Home Repair Program to other states. During this period, six (6) to eight (8) additional Tribal members will be randomly selected from applications received from the thirteen Oregon ceded land counties, listed above. This means that program eligible Tribal members who reside in one of the qualifying counties will be able to apply for a chance to receive a Home Repair Grant to make repairs to their homes. For site built homes, the grant limit is $10,000 and for mobile homes, built before 1976, the grant limit is $5,000. To apply for a Home Repair Grant, the applicant must be a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, live within one of the Pilot Program counties, meet income requirements and live in and own the home needing repairs. Applications will be available on August 26, 2002 and must be postmarked no later than September 16, 2002 to qualify. All applications will be double checked for appropriate post office date stamp to qualify for entry in to the drawing. Interested Tribal members can pick up an application at the Housing Authority offices located at 2555 Grand Ronde Road or by calling 1-503-879-2401 or 1-800-422-0232 extension 2401, and one will be mailed to you. After the application period has closed, all applications will be checked for completeness and collected for a lottery drawing to determine the order in which the households will be serviced. Applications not selected for the pilot project will be placed on a waiting list to receive a grant if the Home Repair Grant is approved for continued expansion. Proposed Personnel Management Ordinance Amendments The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Tribal Attorney's Office, has proposed amendments to the Personnel Management Ordinance. "The first reading" of the' proposed amendments" was conducted at the July 17, 2002, Tribal Council meeting. The proposed amendments provide for minor technical updates to the Ordinance and substantive changes to the Tribe's drug free work place policy. Among other changes, the proposed amendments would: 1) Modify section (d)(2) of the Ordinance to read as follows: "Drug Free Workplace Policy: The Tribe recognizes drug depen dency as a major problem. The Tribe also recognizes drug abuse as a potential health, safety and security problem. The Tribe is committed to the safety and well being of the Tribal membership and Tribal employees. Accordingly, it is the Tribe's intent to maintain a work environment free from the influ ence or use of illegal drugs and unlawful possession or distri bution of controlled substances on Tribal land. The General Manager shall develop and implement a Drug Free Workplace Policy consistent with the Tribe's commitment to provide a drug and alcohol-free working environment and which, at a minimum: (A) Strives for an alcohol and drug free work environment; (B) Requires testing of employees as follows: 1. When there is reasonable suspicion to believe the employee(s) is under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the work place; 2. All new employees prior to employment; 3. Post accident testing of employees deemed to have caused or contributed to an accident involving significant property dam age or physical injury; and 4. Random unannounced drug testing of employees by a method that ensures all employees, including management, have an equal opportunity for selection. (C) Provides that employees who violated the policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, provided; how ever, that employees shall have an opportunity to seek help in dealing with a drug dependency problem before termination of their employment pursuant to the Drug-Free Workplace Policy; (D) Pursues all efforts to terminate and prosecute employees in volved in drug trafficking. 2) Modify Section (d)(8)(A) to read as follows: "Salaries and wages: The council shall establish salaries for the Gen eral Manager, the Tribal Attorney's Office, the Finance department and the Intergovernmental Affairs Office. Salary ranges for all other employees shall be established by the General Manager as follows:" For a copy of the proposed Personnel Management Ordinance Amend ments, please contact the Tribal Attorney's Office at 503-879-2265. The Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney's Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Comments must be received by September 30, 2002. . Drawing by Steve Bobb Mi "i'Tm ttlWj'1''''1 mm (Saudi WtWJaiTsiiMMjiicn As you may have seen from the notices in the Smoke Signals, the Tribal Council, in consultation with the Election Board and the Tribal Attorney's Office, made various technical updates and substantive changes to the Election Ordinance to provide for a more efficient election process. The Election Board would like to bring to the Tribal membership's attention the following changes: n Only those Tribal members who have a Signature Verification Form on file with the Election Board will be sent an absentee ballot. This change was made to avoid the confusion where Tribal members receive absentee ballots, fill out the ballots and return the ballots, but the ballots are not counted because the Tribal member did not have a Signature Verification Form on file, which is required in order to en sure that the vote cast in the name of a Tribal member is in fact cast by that Tribal member. In an effort to get Signature Verification Forms from all Tribal mem bers wanting to participate in the election, the board will be sending out Signature Verification Forms to those Tribal members who are eli gible to vote but do not yet have a Signature Verification Form on file. These mailings will go out shortly after nominations. If you already have a Signature Verification Form on file, you do not have to file another one, unless your name has changed. If you are not sure whether you have a Signature Verification Form on file, or would like to request one, please call the Election Board at 503-879-2271 or 800-422-0232. D A Tribal member's signature on the Signature Verification Form can now be verified either by a notary public OR by attaching a legible copy of a Tribal Identification Card, Driver's License, state issued Identifica tion Card, or Passport which bears the signature of the Tribal member. D The Election Board will receive and maintain the Signature Veri fication Forms and will prepare and distribute the voters address list rather than the Enrollment Office. B The restriction on remaining, loitering or campaigning near the polling place on Election Day has been extended to 150 feet of any entrance to the polling place. B Absentee ballots must be received at the location designated by the Board Chairperson (usually the Post Office) by noon on the day of the Election. Proposed Tribal Council Ordinance Amendments The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Tribal Attorney's Office, has proposed amendments to the Tribal Council Ordinance. The first reading of the proposed amendments was conducted at the July 17, 2002, Tribal Council meeting. The proposed amendments provide for the Tribal Council's compli ance with the Tribe's drug and alcohol free workplace policy and would modify the Ordinance as follows: Section (d) (2) would be modified to read: "Reprimand: A council member may be reprimanded by the vote of a majority of the nine (9) members of the council, for significant failure to perform the duties required by the Oath of Office (section (d)(1)) or for failure to comply with the Tribe's drug testing policy in accordance with section 1 of this Ordinance; provided that no Council member may be reprimanded unless he or she has first been given a full and fair opportunity to respond at a regular meeting of the council to the basis of the proposed reprimand. Upon issuance of a reprimand by the council, the contents of the reprimand shall be pub lished in the Tribe's newspaper and posted in the Tribal Community and Governance Centers." A new Section (1) would be added and would read as follows: "DRUG TESTING POLICY: The Tribe recognizes that drug and alcohol abuse is a significant problem in the Grand Ronde Community. The Tribe is committed to providing a drug and alcohol-free working environment for its employees, custom ers and the surrounding community. In keeping with this com mitment, the Tribe has established, under its Personnel Man agement Ordinance, a "zero tolerance" drug and alcohol-free workplace policy. Each Tribal Council member shall comply with the procedures set forth in the drug and alcohol-free work place policy including submission to any drug testing con ducted pursuant to that policy. For a copy of the proposed Tribal Council Ordinance Amendments, please contact the Tribal Attorney's Office at 503-879-2265. The Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney's Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. Comments must be received by September 30, 2002.
