10
S moke S ignals
JANUARY 1, 2017
Tribal Council approves 2017 budget
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
In its final meeting of 2016, Tribal
Council approved the 2017 budget
that prepares for the anticipated
financial effects from the opening
of a Cowlitz Tribal casino in south-
western Washington state and also
approved changes to ordinances that
will open Tribal records to Tribal
member review and established by
law an independent press free of
political control.
The approved 2017 budget in-
cludes a 38.8 percent projected
decrease in gaming dividend from
Spirit Mountain Casino, but the real
effect of the Cowlitz casino will not
be known until April or May when
it is scheduled to open.
However, total projected revenues
in the budget only decreased 5.5
percent because of carrying forward
gaming dividend that was made by
Spirit Mountain Casino in 2016 but
not spent.
In addition, all Tribal govern-
mental departments were asked to
decrease their 2017 budget requests
by at least 5 percent from 2016.
The budget was reviewed during
the November 2016 General Council
meeting and Tribal members had
until Dec. 5 to submit their com-
ments.
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno said he thinks the budget is
good and thanked Tribal staff for
their hard work in preparing it.
The approved amendments to the
Public Records Ordinance will de-
classify certain Tribal records after
15 years and make them available for
Tribal member review. However, Trib-
al Council will have the ability to add
an additional 15-year waiting period
to sensitive, confidential documents.
According to the Tribal Attorney’s
Office, no Tribal member comments
were received regarding the amend-
ments.
However, the proposed Indepen-
dent Tribal Press Ordinance re-
ceived 20 comments and 15 were in
favor of the new ordinance, Tribal
Attorney Rob Greene said during
the Dec. 20 Legislative Action Com-
mittee meeting.
The new ordinance establishes
a free and independent press and
ensures Smoke Signals has the
independence to report Tribal news
objectively.
The new ordinance will establish
an Editorial Board, which will su-
pervise the editor of Smoke Signals.
Currently, the Tribe’s Publications
Coordinator reports to the Tribal
Council Chief of Staff, who is a direct
report to Tribal Council.
The Editorial Board, according
to the ordinance, will consist of be-
tween three to five members with a
majority being Grand Ronde Tribal
members. Current Tribal employees
are allowed to serve on the Editorial
Board, but a majority of the board
must be non-employees.
“Freedom of the press was guar-
anteed in the U.S. Constitution
when this country was founded,”
said Tribal Council member Chris
Mercier during the Dec. 20 LAC
meeting. “If you go way back, it has
always been a fundamental right
of American citizens, and I think
protection against undue political
influence on our Tribal newsletter …
I think that when people approved
our Tribal Constitution in 1984 they
included language for freedom of the
press. I do believe that this is what
they had in mind.”
The ordinance will become effec-
tive 21 days after adoption.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Approved the use of a Tribal credit
card for Health Services Executive
Director Kelly Rowe to use as a
method of payment for business
travel, training and access to ven-
dors, as well as to pay for clinic
supplies and food from vendors
who do not accept purchase orders;
• Approved a resolution to ask the
U.S. Department of the Interior
to take the 25.5-acre Kilchis Point
property in Tillamook County into
trust for the benefit of the Tribe;
• Approved a utility easement to
Tillamook People’s Utility District
to bring power to the 44-acre Up-
per Nestucca property owned by
the Tribe to provide electricity to
a Coastcom repeater station. The
Tribe will receive an additional
$10,000 from Coastcom for the
utility easement;
• Approved a third 2016 supple-
mental budget appropriation of
$697,000 for the purchase price
of the Cole Creek property and
earnest money for the Fairview
and Wolf Creek properties;
• Approved a $204,996 referenced
funding agreement with the Bu-
reau of Indian Affairs to fund fiscal
year 2017 Tribal Transportation
Program activities;
• Approved the enrollment of nine
people into the Tribe because they
meet the requirements outlined
in the Tribal Constitution and
Enrollment Ordinance;
• And approved the agenda for the
Jan. 8 General Council meeting to
be held in the Tribal Community
Center at 11 a.m. The agenda
includes results of the Elders
Committee election.
Tribal Lands Manager Jan Look-
ing Wolf Reibach performed the
cultural drumming and singing to
open the meeting.
The meeting, in its entirety, can be
viewed on the Tribal website, www.
grandronde.org, by clicking on the
News tab and then Video.
B YPASS P ROJECT
To the communities of Newberg and Dundee
Thank you for your patience
The construction of the Newberg-Dundee bypass has been noisy,
dusty, sometimes inconvenient— yet on schedule.
Good things come to those who wait. Phase I of the new road is
scheduled to open by the end of 2017, with immediate benefits to
traffic congestion and safety in your community. With one more
year of construction to go, you will notice more work along the
new road and on Springbrook Road, OR99W, and OR219.
Wishing you and your family
safe travels in the new year.
Lane striping, traffic
signals, covered signs,
and new lanes are taking
shape but are not open
for use.
Please watch for
barricades, cones, signs,
and flaggers and always
travel with caution
through workzones.
For construction updates
and more information about
the project, visit newbergdundee.org
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