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.