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.