Smoke Signals 3
MARCH 15, 2005
Tribal Council Hosts HUD Native American Specialist
Interim Casino Manager Mike Larsen updates membership on tour buses, new slot machines.
By Ron Karten
The March General Council meet
ing was held on Sunday, March 6th,
at the Community Center in Grand
Ronde. I Iere are the highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy called the meeting to order.
Tribal Elder Janet Phillips offered the
invocation.
Tribal Housing
Authority Executive
Director Carina
Kistler Ginter intro
duced Patricia
Boydson, Director of
Grants Evaluation
for the federal Hous
ing and Urban De
velopment Department's
(HUD) Northwest
Office of Native
American programs
in Seattle. Her pre
sentation focused on
the Native American
Housing Assistance
and Self Determina
tion Act
(NAHASDA), in re
sponse to questions
about the program
at a previous Gen
eral Council meet-
in 2000. She noted, however, that it
will mostly be accounted for as the
Housing Authority funds current
projects.
Bly also wanted to know how much
was available for homeless Tribal
members. Following the meeting,
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ing.
Her presentation covered the history
and purpose of the federal legislation
that has regulated the funding of In
dian housing since 1996. She also cov
ered requirements and opportunities
available through the legislation.
NAHASDA replaced the United
States Housing Act of 1937 under
which, Boydson said, "HUD controlled
(housing grants) with an iron fist" and
resulted in "funding problems."
Today, by comparison, NAHASDA
provides wide-ranging opportunities
for Tribes, through their housing au
thorities, to set their own paths and
use the funding available in a great
number of ways.
With NAHASDA funding, for ex
ample, Tribes can pay not only for
administrative costs, but also for
crime prevention facilities such as
fences, speed bumps, monitors, light
ing and locks, as well as security per
sonnel other than police. Self-sufficiency
costs also are possible under
NAHASDA, including such things as
education, child care, transportation
and training. Youth activities as well
as homelessness and foreclosure pre
vention also may be addressed with
these funds.
Boydson called NAHASDA rules "an
opportunity to be creative."
Funding levels are decreasing, how
ever, according to Boydson. From 2004
to 2005, funding levels in the North
west have decreased from $53.3 mil
lion to $50.3 million, and in Grand
Ronde, from $3.6 million to $3.3 mil
lion. "We expect more cuts," she said,
"but alternative sources of funding are
available," and "we did well consider
ing the cuts nationwide."
Questions focused on using the
Tribe's available NAHASDA dollars
in different ways.
Tribal member Rod Bly asked how
much cash the Tribal Housing Author
ity has on hand, and how long it has
had that money. Housing Authority
Director Carina Kistler Ginter said
there was "close to $17 million" in
grants going back to some awarded
Tribal Housing Authority Executive Director Carina Kistler Ginter
Kistler Ginter corrected her approxi
mation of money available for the
homeless to say that $105,000 has
been earmarked from a 2004 Indian
Housing Block Grant allocation for
rental assistance. Her guestamate
during the meeting was $80,000.
Tribal member Betty Bly, Rod's
mom, asked how people apply for the
funding available. "Program policies
are currently being devel
oped for students and El
ders," said Kistler Ginter.
Betty Bly also asked about
the purpose of Tribal Hous
ing Authority inspections.
"Are inspections just for
maintenance or are they see
ing if the units are being
used properly?"
"The inspectors have
many roles," said Boydson,
among them making sure
that the units are being prop
erly used.
In June, said Boydson, she
will be part of a NAHASDA
team that visits Grand
Ronde to audit the Tribal
Housing Authority, but she
said this about her first view
of the Tribal Housing
Authority's work: "It is
without a doubt the nicest
looking community IVe had
the opportunity to observe."
Drawings were held: Tribal Elder
Pearl Lyon won $100. Tribal mem
ber Sean Beauchamp as well as Ci
cely Scott and Ashley Heward each
won $50.
In Royalty fund-raising drawings,
Tribal members Jessie Brann and
Cordelia Kneeland as well as Linda
LaChance each won in the 5050 cat
egory, meaning that each shared 50
percent of the amount collected for
that drawing with the Royalty Com
mittee. Tribal Elder Betty Bly won a
Pendleton blanket in a separate Roy
alty Committee drawing.
Tribal Elder and Interim Casino
Manager Mike Larsen updated the
membership on the return of bus
routes to the Spirit Mountain Casino.
While they were halted briefly in a re
assessment of their costs and benefits,
a public outcry convinced management
to send the routes out for bid again.
They were scheduled to return today,
March 15, across a limited area five
days a week,
three busses a
day. Each bus
ride will cost $5.
"The program
needed to be re
structured," Larsen said.
"We realized
when the busses
went away that
we wanted
them back."
He also noted
that plans are
in the works for
adding many
new slot ma
chines to the
casino. As cur
rently envi
sioned, the
plans will ex
pand the gam
ing floor into
part of the cur
rent bingo hall,
with bingo moving to some of the
smaller rooms in the casino.
"No one's getting laid off' in the com
ing changes, Larsen said.
Tribal member Pamela Traum noted
that she was unable to received help
from Social Services because she has a
child, and is unable to receive help from
Vocational Rehabilitation Services be
cause she is not currently using drugs.
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Patricia Boydson,
Director of Grants Evaluation for HUD
"I've been clean for three years," she
said.
"There's not a program for those who
are doing what they are supposed to
do," she said.
"The Tribe is not successful as long
as Tribal members are in trouble," said
Tribal member Michael Bolton.
A discussion about Tribal sovereignty
picked up a few times over a few differ
ent issues.
Betty Bly asked why the Tribe gave
up its right to sell tax-free cigarettes?
The Tribe has studied the issue in
consultation with the state, said Tribal
Chair Cheryle Kennedy, and agreed to
accept a state grant of about $300,000
annually and in exchange agreed to
give up the right to sell tax-free ciga
rettes. The Tribe had determined,
said Kennedy, that the amount the
Tribe would make in this enterprise
was about $300,000.
Betty Bly also asked why the Tribe
is charging tax in its gasoline busi
ness. Tribal Attorney Rob Greene said the
Tribe is currently negotiating this is
sue and has found that "the tax is in
cluded in the price when we buy the
gas."
Monty Parazoo said that the issues
of gasoline and cigarette taxes show
that "we're not being treated like a sov
ereign nation and we're not demand
ing it."
In fact, said Tribal Attorney Rob
Greene, the Tribe does not have the
full attributes of sovereignty. "We
could not form a Grand Ronde Army,"
he said, but added, "We have taken a
very aggressive position in negotia
tions (over these issues)."
Tribal Elder Charlotte Gray asked
about a telephone survey seeking at
titudes about the Tribe and the casino.
The Tribe is funding that survey, said
Chairwoman Kennedy, "to collect and
provide this information to the state's
decision makers."
The Tribe has signed an agreement
for a First Alert system for Tribal El
ders; that agreement was in the hands
of the vendor at the time of the meet
ing. Tribal Elder Linda Olson asked
what services the Tribe provided for
Tribal members "incarcerated or re
turned from corrections."
Although there is "not a lot" for those
still incarcerated, according to Dave
Fullerton, Manager of the Social Ser
vices Department, some inmates have
had correspondence with members of
the Social Services staff. Once an in
mate is released, depending on the in
dividual circumstances, the depart
ment offers employment and training
services and general assistance; the
Education Division has some services
and funding available; the Health
Clinic offers substance abuse services;
and Human Resources follows regu
lations from the Indian Child Welfare
Act, but imprisonment will not neces
sarily rule one out for job consider
ation. "It has been a barrier for those con
victed of certain kinds of crimes," in
cluding crimes of violence against
women and children, said Human Re
sources Manager Judy Zettergren.
"We need a very rounded, holistic
program if they are going to succeed,"
said Tribal member Elaine LaBonte,
who has worked with incarcerated
women. "It is important for Social Ser
vices to work with these people before
they get out," she said.
Tribal Council member Jack Giffen
Jr. reported on the National Congress
of American Indians (NCAI) meeting.
Questions of Tribes issuing bonds and
retirement issues headed the list.
They also discussed off-reservation
gaming, the chipping away of Tribal
sovereignty rights and Tribal access
to Homeland Security funds.
Tribal members may now view ap
proved General Council meeting min
utes on the Tribal webpage.
The next Tribal Council General
Meeting will be April 3 at 11 a.m. at
the Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River
Way, Eugene, Oregon. A map to the
facility is on the bottom of page 11.