S moke S ignals
march 15, 2014
7
Tribe working toward performance-based outcomes
(Editor’s note: In this second article in a series covering the Tribe’s
movement toward performance-based budgeting, the responsibility of
the Executive Office is spelled out. We describe the process that leads
to department outcomes from the 2010 Strategic Plan.)
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
The genesis was the Tribe’s Stra-
tegic Plan finalized in 2010.
Implementation of the broadly
defined strategies in the plan is
slated for an interim end point
in 2015. The strategies are fo-
cused on working toward high level
Tribal Council policy priorities for
sovereignty and self-sufficiency,
tradition and culture, healthy indi-
viduals, families and communities,
community and involvement, and
resources.
The Executive Office, headed by
General Manager Mark Johnston,
at the request of Tribal Council is
responsible to apply new perfor-
mance-based outcomes to Land and
Culture, Social Services, Engineer-
ing, Natural Resources, Human
Resources, Education, Member Ser-
vices, Planning and Grants, Health
and Wellness and the Grand Ronde
Police Department.
Johnston and his team in the Ex-
ecutive Office are working to estab-
lish these measures alongside the
departments that report directly to
Tribal Council – Tribal Attorney,
Finance, Public Affairs, Economic
Development and Audit.
It is “about the process to get to
these outcomes,” said Assistant
General Manager Chris Leno. “In
the past we have made attempts,
but have found it difficult to find
the right system to tie oversight
and services to performance-based
measurements.”
The changes in performance
evaluations came “as we grew in
complexity and worked to build a
community,” he said. “It required
a different structure.”
A list of Executive Office goals
and accomplishments tied to the
2010 Strategic Plan came out in
2013. The re-
maining de-
partments
reported to
Tribal Coun-
cil in early
March. De-
partments
are now
tasked with
developing
Chris Leno
performance-
based measures as developed
through their individual govern-
ment responsibilities.
Following is a partial list of tar-
gets departments are asked to
reach on the way to creating out-
come-based budgeting across Tribal
departments.
For sovereignty and self-suf-
ficiency, Tribal departments were
directed by the Strategic Plan to
provide services that assert the
Tribe’s ceded lands rights, improve
relationships with other jurisdic-
tions, develop infrastructure and
resources that exercise sovereignty,
increase self-sufficiency and help to
improve quality of life and the stan-
dard of living for Tribal members.
For Housing Authority benefits
for members, the department
is directed to provide analytical
data about the number of Tribal
members who are served by the
program as an example of the
Tribe exercising its sovereignty to
develop housing assistance that
will take care of its people.
The Health and Wellness Depart-
ment and others were asked to pro-
mote healthy lifestyles and educate
members on healthy balances.
For community and involve-
ment, all departments were tasked
with keeping open communication
between Tribal government and
Tribal members.
“Once we asked our managers
to report on their outcomes tied to
the Strategic Plan goals and strate-
gies, it became clear that we have
great staff doing great work and
that every single department was
contributing to outreach and com-
munication with the community,”
said Leno.
For community and involvement
outcomes, departments continued
to work toward the policy goal of
developing a Tribal center in Grand
Ronde. Other construction and
development projects, including
progress on the Women’s Transi-
tion House, the plankhouse and
other remodeling projects in the
Tribal community have come from
Strategic Plan goals.
In addition, Engineering, Public
Works and Facilities were to fund
and implement the Tribal transpor-
tation program and maintain and
implement improvements to the
Tribal wastewater infrastructure.
For tradition and culture goals,
departments were asked to pre-
serve and protect Tribal artifacts,
and sacred sites, and showcase
Tribal culture, which included
managing construction of many
capital projects.
For the healthy individuals, fami-
lies and community goals, the Hous-
ing Authority was asked to assist the
Land and Culture and Social Ser-
vices departments in revitalizing the
community garden, and maintaining
and improving the community food
bank and Clothes Closet. Housing
also was asked to lead development
of new housing projects.
For resources, departments were
tasked with developing resources for
Tribal economic vitality. Diversify-
ing and maintaining environmental
stewardship and the use of green
practices were part of that goal.
To promote community and in-
volvement from Tribal members,
the Strategic Plan asked many
departments to encourage greater
involvement from members living
away from Grand Ronde and main-
tain regular and open communica-
tions between Tribal government
and members.
Human Resources and other
departments’ goals included edu-
cation and training programs for
membership self-sufficiency to help
them participate in the Tribe’s
future.
“The Tribe made a major invest-
ment in providing employment
opportunities for Tribal members
when we developed, and the council
approved, the new Tribal Employ-
ment Rights Office,” said Leno.
Human Resources is also respon-
sible to use the Human Resources
webpage for member outreach and
to post job openings, including for
Grand Ronde Station and Shasta
Administrative Services.
Many departments will provide
support for Tribal Council in local,
state and national consultations.
Implementation is the last phase
of the Tribe’s Strategic Plan. The
process of outcome-based budgeting
and work planning will continue in
2014 and will be fully implemented
and integrated in the 2015 budget
cycle. n
Committee will hold survey
The Tribe’s Social Services Committee will be conducting a survey and
would like all Tribal members 18 and older to participate.
The committee will be raffling off 10 $25 gas cards and one $50 gas card
to those who participate.
The survey will be available online. If you don’t have a computer, please
visit your local library, including the Tribal Library, or visit the Tribal
satellite office in Portland or the Tribe’s Social Services Department, or
ask a friend to let you use their computer.
The committee is hoping to have the survey ready by the end of March,
Chair Jenny Sanchez said. n
CTGR Youth Education Department’s
Middle and High School
REWARD TRIP
Saturday, April 12th
Leaving Grand Ronde @ 1:30 p.m.
Dinner provided
To Go: Student must have a minimum of a 2.75 GPA or
“working toward” with no more than 3 unexcused absences.
Call Tiffany @ 503-879-2101