4 OCTOBER 1, 2004
Smoke Signals
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
5:03 p. m. Meeting was called to order by Tribal Council Chairwoman, Cheryle
Kennedy. A quorum was present.
Present was Jack Giffen, Jr., Val Grout, Bob Haller, Cheryle Kennedy, Ed
Larsen, Reyn Leno, Jan D. Reibach and June Sell-Sherer.
Excused was Valorie Robertson (personal leave).
Invocation was done by Val Grout.
PREVIOUS MINUTES APPROVEAMEND
Reyn Leno moved, June Sell-Sherer seconded to approve the July 28, 2004,
Tribal Council regular meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried 7-0-0.
NEW BUSINESS
LEGISLATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE
Enrollment Infant Determination. Jack Giffen, Jr. moved, Ed Larsen
seconded to adopt Resolution No. 113-04 approving a minor numbered 5412
for Tribal membership, because, based on the investigation and recommenda
tion of the Enrollment staff, the minor has been found to meet the eligibility
requirements for enrollment as defined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal
Constitution. Motion carried 7-0-0.
BIA Water Resources Grant Application. Val Grout moved, Reyn Leno
seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 14-04: 1) authorizing the submission of two
rrant applications to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Water Resources Pro
g.am with the highest priority being the Oregon Land Use Goal 11 Exception
planning project grant request for $12,931.60 and the second priority being the
Coast Creek Stream Restoration planning project grant request for $ 14,489 ; 2)
authorizing the inclusion of matching funds to cover the 10 percent match re
quested including $1,475.04 of in kind staff time form the Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority and $1,629 in matching funds from the National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration Pacific Coast Salmon Restoration Fund; and 3)
authorizing the Tribal Chair to sign documents associated with this application
for funding and execute modifications and amendments as necessary within the
general intent of this application. Motion carried 7-0-0.
HIS Tribal Management Grant Chemawa Health Center Compacting
Feasibility Study. Bob Haller moved, Jan D. Reibach seconded to adopt Resolu
tion No. 1 15-04 authorizing the submission of an application for a one year Tribal
Management Grant to the U.S. Indian Health Service on behalf of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, for $46,502
and authorizing the Tribal Chair to sign documents associated with this application
for funding and to execute modifications and amendments as necessary within the
general intent of this application. Motion carried 6-1-0. Reyn Leno voted no.
Archive Storage Building Construction. Jack Giffen, Jr. moved, Val Grout
seconded to adopt Resolution No. 116-04: 1) transferring $390,000 from the
Tribal Capital Projects Contingency Budget to the Tribal Engineer's Capital Projects
Budget for construction of a 3,700 sf Archive Storage Building and associated site
work and utilities; and 2) authorizing the General Manager, with the assistance
of the Tribal Engineer and Tribal Attorney's Office, to negotiate and execute con
tracts for this work. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0.
MBR Sanitation Treatment Facility and Sewage Construction. June
Sell Sherer moved, Reyn Leno seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 17-04 autho
rizing the use of prior years unexpended appropriations to fund the cost of con
struction of MBR Sanitation treatment facility main for the Blacktail Drive
development area in an amount not to exceed $1,089,000. The Executive Direc
tor of the Housing Authority request release of $1,089,000 from prior years
unexpended appropriations for the cost of construction of the sanitation treat
ment facility needed to serve the Adult Foster Home and Elder Community
Center and future development in the immediate area. Discussion followed.
Motion carried 7-0-0.
Enrollment Infant Determination. Bob Haller moved, June Sell-Sherer
seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 18 04 approving two (2) minors numbered
5413 and 5414 for Tribal membership, because, based on the investigation and
recommendation of the Enrollment staff, the minors have been found to meet the
eligibility requirements for enrollment as defined in the Enrollment Ordinance
and Tribal Constitution. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0.
Tribal Member Review Board. Jan D. Reibach moved, June Sell-Sherer
seconded to adopt Resolution No. 1 19-04 approving the following individuals
to serve as a slate of Tribal members from whom the Chief Judge shall appoint
to serve on Community Review Boards for the purpose of reviewing cases of
children in Tribal Custody: Joann Merrier, Patricia Tom-Martin, Sharon Hanson,
Debra Larsen, Orrin "Bud" White. Discussion followed. Motion carried 7-0-0.
Adult Foster Home and Infrastructure for two Adult Foster Homes
Construction. June Sell-Sherer moved, Ed Larsen seconded to adopt Resolu
tion No. 120-04 authorizing the release of contingency funds in the amount of
$661,597 for the construction of an Adult Foster Home. Discussion followed.
Motion carried 7-0-0.
6:03 p.m. Reyn Leno moved, Jan D. Reibach seconded to adjourn the meet
ing. Motion carried.
Juvenile Justice Experts Meet At Grand Ronde
Tribal representatives from across Oregon seek to make the system work for Indians.
By Ron Karten
More than 100 juvenile justice
advocates and representatives of
eight of the state's nine Tribes fo
cused for two days last month on
making the justice system work
for the statewide Indian popula
tion. At the Native American Juve
nile Justice Summit held in
Grand Ronde, advocates worked
toward better relationships be
tween state agencies and Tribes
as well as discussing how the
movement toward evidence-based
programs fits the Native Ameri
can lifestyle.
Oregon law today based on
the 2003 Oregon Senate Bill 267
requires that the programs and
services provided by the state in
Human Services, Corrections and
many other departments dedicate
steadily increasing portions of
their budgets to providing evidence-based
programming. Be
ginning July 1, 2005, these pro
viders will have to meet the crite
ria for delivering evidenced-based
programming.
But the Grand Ronde Tribe's So
cial Services Program Coordina
tor Ron Hudson was concerned
that evidence-based programming
would run into a Tribal roadblock
because, "as a sovereign nation
our sacred information will not be
divulged."
As an example of Native Ameri
can practices that do not appear
to fit into the evidence-based
model, one participant said, "We
believe that religious participation (for
those) behind bars is good at prevent
ing recidivism, but it is not measured."
However, Geralyn Brennan of the
Commission on Children and Families,
suggested, "Where there is no evidence
based research but a program seems
to work, we ought to try to figure out
how to document it."
The same issue came up with the
Round Dance, an all-night spiritual
experience that has been very good for
Tribal youth, but does not yet fit with
evidence-based criteria.
"Tribes have lots of programs that
work well and fit with 267," said Rich
ard Acevedo (Flathead), Tribal Rela
tions Liaison for the DHS Director's
Office. "For others, it is just a matter
of codifying them so that legislators
funding them can see that they work."
And he added, "Anything to do with
religion, 267 does not affect."
For most of the conference, however,
participants aimed at developing
Tribal-state relationships in a way
that will keep Tribal kids out of trouble.
Communications in recent years
between the state and Tribes on juve
nile justice issues have experienced "a
lot of stopping and starting," accord
ing to Acevedo, who noted that this was
only the fourth such meeting in the
last 10 years.
Nevertheless, according to Jack
Lawson (Creek), Tribal Liaison for the
Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), "the
summit laid a good foundation for a
close working relationship with the
Tribes."
Part of these relationships, Lawson
said, are Memos of
Understanding
(MOU) between
OYA and each
Tribe (five Tribes,
not yet including
Grand Ronde, have
signed these
MOUs) in which the
Tribes agree to pro
vide input into
treatment for their
Tribal members,
and provide transi
tional help back
into the community
when an incarcera
tion ends.
Underlying many
of the issues raised
is the fact that 90
percent of the juvenile justice contacts
take place between Tribes and coun
ties. Only 10 percent of Tribal kids
are in some sort of state care, said
Acevedo.
Currently, of youth held by the OYA,
Native Americans comprise 4-6 per
cent while the state population in
cludes only slightly more than one per
cent Native Americans. Of those In
dians held by OYA, only 6-7 percent
are from Oregon Tribes. More than
90 percent come from Tribes outside
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Warm Springs Tribal Elder Lyle Rhoan
the state.
In the end, said Acevedo, "a con
ference work group put together
ideas to develop into recommenda
tions that will go to a juvenile
crime prevention committee and
from there to the governor, and
Tribal input will go with it."
The summit was funded by a
grant from the Governor-appointed
Juvenile Justice Advisory Commit
tee to the Native American Reha
bilitation Association (NARA).
NOTE: A Governor's summit on minority over-representation in
the juvenile justice system is scheduled for November 16 at the
New Hope Church, 11731 S.E. Stevens Road in Portland For in
formation, contact: Anna Sikel, 503-986-4573; or see the website:
www.oya.state.or. usdmc summit.htm.