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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2017)
6 S moke S ignals SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 Tribal Council approves 'greener' purchasing policy By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Council approved amend- ments to the Tribe’s Procurement Or- dinance on Wednesday, Sept. 6, that will require the Tribe to purchase environmentally friendly products and services when it is practical. The amendments are part of a Tribal effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut solid waste, conserve energy, improve Tribal member health and provide a model of good stewardship. According to the Executive Sum- mary regarding the amendments, Tribal member comments were not received when they were put out for a first reading. The ordinance now states that “the Tribe, through the Procurement Office, will purchase environmental- ly friendly products and services wherever practical. A purchase is practical when the product purchase is of sufficient quality and available at a reasonable price. Products and services are considered environ- mentally friendly when they have fewer negative impacts on human health and the environment than do competing products.” In other action, Tribal Council also sent proposed amendments to the Public Records Ordinance that clarify which Tribal records are available out for a first reading, which will give Tribal members a chance to comment on them. The amendments would allow the Tribe to provide copies of available records to Tribal members electron- ically and establish a revised pro- cess for reconsideration of denied records requests. Tribal Council also: • Approved the Riggs Thin Tim- ber Harvest as presented by the Natural Resources Department. The harvest will include two cutting blocks that will thin 30.4 acres and create a seven-acre regeneration area. The harvest is estimated to generate $57,983 in revenue for the Tribe; • Approved extending the Tribe’s technical consulting agreement with Industrial Economics re- garding the Portland Harbor and related cleanup for a year through Sept. 30, 2018; • Appointed Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier to the Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. Board of Directors pending his obtaining a license from the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission; • And approved the enrollment of two infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements out- lined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance. Also included in the Sept. 6 Tribal Council packet were authorizations to proceed that directed staff to submit the Tribe’s application for $6,000 allocated by the Polk County Board of Commissioners to be used to help pay staff time in serving vic- tims of crimes related to domestic and sexual violence, approved the contract and work plan proposed by ONABEN for financial literacy and staff training, and set the per capita payment for Sept. 15 at $1,000. Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson opened the meeting with a short presenta- tion on the meaning and genesis of Tribal songs. The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website www. grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video. MARRIAGES IN TRIBAL COURT Tribal Court is now issuing marriage licenses and is able to perform marriage ceremonies for a filing fee of $40. For questions regarding scheduling, please contact the Tribal Court at 503-879-2303. Photo by Michelle Alaimo Spirit Mountain Casino General Manager Stan Dillon gives the general membership an update on the casino during the General Council meeting held at the Tribal Community Center on Sunday, Sept. 10. General Council briefed on casino in executive session By Michelle Alaimo Smoke Signals photojournalist Spirit Mountain Casino General Manager Stan Dillon gave the Trib- al membership an update on the ca- sino’s current and future financial status and strategic plans during the General Council meeting held Sunday, Sept. 10, in the Tribal Community Center. Casino Marketing Director Shaw- na Ridgebear and Gaming Director Lon O’Donnell also joined Dillon to update the membership on their respective areas. Smoke Signals cannot report on specifics of the update because the meeting was held in executive session. After an almost 70-minute pre- sentation, with a break taken after 45 minutes for lunch to be served, Dillon fielded numerous questions and comments from eight audience members. The presentation was filmed and Tribal members who were not able to attend who want a copy should contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez at stacia. martin@grandronde.org or 503- 879-2304 to request a free copy. In addition, results of the Sept. 9 Tribal Council election were an- nounced by Election Board member Michael Mercier. The next General Council meet- ing will be held 11 a.m. Sunday Oct. 1, in the Tribal gym and will feature an overview of Tribal busi- ness investments. Tribal Elders Nancy Norton and Dorothy Leno and Tribal member Adrian Contreras won the $100 door prizes and Tribal Elders Lou- ise Coulson, Val Grout, Michael Mercier and Jolanda Catabay and Tribal spouse Rich VanAtta won the $50 door prizes. In addition, Tribal spouse Lyn Leno won a $25 gas card donated by Tribal Council member Brenda Tuomi and her husband, Ron. The edited video, without the executive session, can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.gran- dronde.org, by clicking on the News tab and then Video. Council elects Kennedy to Tribal chair By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Longtime Tribal Council member Cheryle A. Kennedy was re-elected as Tribal Council chair on Wednes- day, Sept. 13, and former Tribal Council Chairman Chris Mercier became vice chair in the wake of the Sept. 9 election. Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George nominated Kennedy to fill the seat vacated by Reyn Leno’s de- parture from office. She was elected unanimously. “I appreciate the vote of confi- dence,” Kennedy said. Kennedy had previously served as Tribal Council chair for 11 years before Leno was elected chair in September 2012. Leno did not seek re-election this year after 21 con- secutive years of service on Tribal Council that included serving the last five years as chairman. With the vice chair position vacat- ed by Kennedy’s elevation, Tribal Council member Brenda Tuomi nominated Mercier to be vice chair. He also was elected unanimously. Mercier served as Tribal Council chairman from September 2006 to September 2007 and won his fifth term on Tribal Council on Sept. 9. The meeting was the first for new- ly elected Tribal Council members Lisa Leno and Michael Langley. Reyn Leno and former Tribal Coun- cil member Tonya Gleason-Shepek attended the meeting. In other action, Tribal Council: • Appointed Matt Thomas to the Tribal Employment Rights Com- mission to a term expiring in March 2020; • Sent amendments to the Enroll- ment Ordinance out for a first reading, which will allow Tribal members time to comment on the proposed changes. The proposed amendments would return final say on loss of membership cases to Tribal Council, allow Tribal members or applicants to view electronic versions of their entire enrollment file and enrollment files of lineal ancestors in the presence of Enrollment staff, and make the Tribal roll not subject to the ordinance’s confidentiality provision, among other changes; • Approved paying up to $7,500 in membership dues to the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians; • Approved an amendment to the Tribe’s gaming compact with the state of Oregon that will update the definition of a video lottery ter- minal to provide Spirit Mountain Casino flexibility as the machines change over time. Spirit Mountain Gaming Commission Executive Director Michael Boyce said during the Sept. 12 Legislative Action Committee meeting that the new definition will “allow for any game we could see in the future.” The amendment now must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior. • Approved an emergency amend- ment to the Children & Families Ordinance that modifies the per- manent plan provisions to meet federal funding requirements. Also included in the Sept. 13 Tribal Council packet was an authorization to proceed that renewed the Oregon Native American Chamber lease at the Portland area office that waives the rental rate of $575 a month for the entire year. Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson gave a presentation at the start of the meeting that discussed the cultural value of fire as an instrument of reju- venation on Tribal ancestral lands. The entire meeting can be viewed on the Tribal website at www.gran- dronde.org by clicking on the News tab and then Video.
