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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2013)
Smoke Signals NOTICE Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, March 13 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 4 p.m. Please note that theme timet and date are subject to change if needed. General Council meeting Sunday, March 3 11 a.m. Monarch Hotel & Convention Center 12566 S.E. 93rd Ave, Clackamas off Interstate 205 2 MARCH 1,2013 Dear Tribal members: I am very disappointed in our adopted 2013 budget. As many of you may know, I have been a staunch critic of the current Tribal budget method, and budget process used in general. While ma ny of my criticisms relate to the tra ditional line-item budgeting method used (or a derivation of the traditional line-item method) as opposed to many other methods currently being used by other Tribes, governments, corporations and nonprofit organizations (such as performance, program, zero-based budgeting, or a combination budget method that would meet our Tribe's specific fiscal needs), I would like to comment on the budget process that we use each year, and the information given to us in the proposed budget and the adopted budget. Tribal members have very little information given to them regarding the budget, program costs or relevant program operations that would allow us to make informed comments to the preliminary budget or a meaningful understanding of the adopted budget. Within both of these we are given the line-item numbers (including the previous year's adopted budget, the current year's preliminary budget and the proposed or adopted increase or decrease amount), summary comments and cost center "blurbs" (for lack of a better word). With this information we can do nothing but assume and infer department and program outcomes and needs, including the reason for an increase or decrease from last year's budgeted amount (and needs). We also have the annual Resource Directory and Annual Report, two separate documents that give very minimal and extremely vague information about program services and access requirements. Without knowing what benefits and services each program provides, or how much each benefit and service costs (both in terms of absolute costs and in terms of achieving Tribal priorities, which is an allocated cost), it is literally impossible to comment on anything but the increase or decrease in numbers; generic comments at best. For example, the overall increase of 2 percent to the Social Services De partment is truly meaningless, and it is impossible to make comments on or understand this change since we do not know what is being funded within each line item, how many Tribal members are being served by each line item or how much it is costing to produce the outcomes under each line item. I'm sure that Tribal Council is privy to information regarding justification for increases, but the general membership is wholly in the dark when look ing at proposed changes from last year's budget (which is also too vague to make meaningful comparisons to). Therefore, providing this budget infor mation to Tribal members is a complete waste of time and resources, and tells us nothing of what is being done with our revenue; numbers without meaning is a slight of hand. What's more, and what's more offensive, is that Mr. Reyn Leno and Mr. Julio Martinez, in their budget messages to Tribal members, did not even mention the budget method used or budget management having direct and indirect impacts on our "budgetary shortfalls and increases in programmatic expenditures," instead choosing to focus on "decreasing revenues." However, managing the budget properly and incorporating at least components of alternative budget methods - would address decreasing revenues while increasing benefits and services to all Tribal members. I look forward to the Finance Department, under the guidance of Tribal Council, looking at using progressive budget methods and providing mean ingful budget information to Tribal members in the future. Without these important changes, our benefits and services will continue to diminish with our revenues. Charles G. Haller II Roll 1032 Veterans SEB schedules meetings The Tribe's Veterans Special Event Board will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 and April 9, in the Tribal Community Center. For more informa tion, contact Chair Gene LaBonte at 503-583-5222. B Official Tribal Facebook pages Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde: www.facebook.comCTGRgov Grand Ronde Tribal Council: www.facebook.comTheConfederatedTribesOfGrandRondeTribalCouncil Tribal Library: www.facebook.comCTGRLibrary Grand Ronde Higher Education: www.facebook.comgrand.r.ed Grand Ronde Youth Education: www.facebook.comCTGRYouthEducation Spirit Mountain Community Fund: www.facebook.comSpiritMountainCommunityFund Grand Ronde Station: www.facebook.comGrandRondeStation PUBLICATIONS OFFICE 961 5 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 1-80O-422-O232, FAX: 503-879-2173 Web site: www.grandronde.orgnews E-mail: newsgrandronde.org Q Twitter: CTGRgov Facebook: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde SIOBHAN TAYLOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR 503-879-1920 dobrun.uykrifr jndrondc.org GEORGE VALDEZ GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST 503-879-1416 frarte-vakfeifrjndrondt.orf MICHELLE ALAIMO PHOTOJOURNALIST 503-879-1961 mfchcfe.jljlmogrjnoYondt.ort CHELSEA CLARK ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECRETARY 503-879-1418 cheteatarkfrandrono)rf JUSTIN PHILLIPS PAGE DESIGNER 503-879-2190 Kmln.phJlllpigrjndronde.ori VALERIE COX CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1446 valtnt.coxfrjndrondt.ort DEAN RHODES PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR 503-879-1463 ojn.rhodtsfrjndronderf RON KARTEN STAFF WRITER 503-879-4663 ron.luntnfrjndrondt.orf SCARLETT HOLTZ CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1447 KJrka.hohzgrjrKtrondc.ort DEADLINE DATE ISSUE DATE Monday, March 4 March 1 5 Friday, March 22 April I Friday, April 5 April 15 (33B57 SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com munity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission. Our editorial policy is Intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers about stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or e-mail address must be Included for verification purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published unless requested. SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit letters and to refuse letters that are determined to contain libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Letters to the editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: Native American Journalists Association The Associated Press Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2013 Tribal Council 1-800-422-0232 councilgrandronde.org Reyn Leno D Chris Merrier Tribal Chairman ext. 2305 ext. 2399 chris.merdergrandronde.org reyn.lenograndronde.org n june sherer D Jack Giffen Jr. ext. 1 444 Tribal Vice Chair june.sherergrandronde.org - ext. 2300 n CneryIe A Kennedy Jack.giffengrandronde.org ext 352 Toby McClary cheryle.kennedygrandronde.org Tribal Secretary q Kathleen Tom ext. 4555 ext 777 toby.mcclarygrandronde.org kathleen.tomgrandronde.org D Steve Bobb Sr. n jon A George - ext. 2353 ext. 2355 steve.bobbgrandronde.org jon.georgegrandronde.org
