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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2019)
6 S moke S ignals MARCH 1, 2019 Tribal Council declares per capita date of March 15 By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor The first per capita payment date of 2019 will occur on Friday, March 15. During its Wednesday, Feb. 20 meeting, Tribal Council adopted the recommendation of Finance Of- ficer Chris Leno to set the payment date as the third Friday in March. Leno said that since the first Friday in March falls on March 1, there will not enough time for Spirit Mountain Casino and the Finance staff to determine the payment amount and perform the check processing to make the payment date on Friday, March 8. The per capita payment will cover the revenue period at the casino from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28. As usual, the amount will not be known until after the first of the month. In other action, Tribal Council also voted to remove Controller Lin- da Hanna as an authorized signer for Tribal bank and investment accounts. Hanna, who started working for the Tribe in July 2008, retired at the end of February. She will be succeeded in the position by Assis- tant Controller Amy Gallant. Tribal Council also set the agenda for the Sunday, March 3, General Council meeting to be held in the Tribal Community Center. The Enrollment Committee will make a presentation and there will be an update on the Tribe’s investment portfolio. During the Feb. 20 meeting, Trib- al Council also: • Approved applying for two U.S. Department of Justice grants totaling $945,000 that would fund a police truck and related equipment and help develop a Tribal drug wellness court that would work with Polk and Yam- hill counties to hold sessions in Grand Ronde in a Tribal cultural format; • Approved a Tribal credit card with a $2,500 limit for Tribal Employment Rights Program Director Steve Campos to pay for business travel, rental equip- ment and unexpected emergency expenses; • Approved wildlife area site man- agement plans proposed by the Natural Resources Department for the 338-acre Chahalpam and 91-acre Chahalpam 2 conserva- tion properties in Marion County and the 172-acre Rattlesnake Butte conservation property in Lane County. All three conserva- tion properties were acquired by the Tribe through the Bonneville Power Administration’s Willa- mette Wildlife Mitigation Pro- gram, which attempts to offset the effects of hydroelectric dams within the Willamette Basin; • Approved an application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would help purchase 20 ra- dio telemetry tags for the lamprey restoration project at Fall Creek southeast of Eugene. Natural Re- sources has received the one-year, $5,892 grant for five consecutive years; • Approved two agreements for the Portland Harbor Meyer Memorial Trust and Collins Foundation grants that will award the Grand Ronde, Siletz, Umatilla, Warm Spring and Nez Perce Tribes up to $38,160 and $11,840 each, re- spectively, to assess environmen- tal damage to culturally relevant natural resources in the lower Willamette River; • 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 Feb. 20 Trib- al Council packet was an approved authorization to proceed that OK’d the 2019 membership renewal with the Oregon Sports Authority at the champion level for $25,000. Membership includes a seat on the Board of Directors and maintains the Grand Ronde Tribe’s status as the only Tribe represented on the board. A video of the meeting can be watched by visiting the Tribal government’s website at www. grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video. Community Health Program Medical Transport Services Medical transportation services are available to Tribal members within the six-county service area when an alternate means of transportation is not available. Advance notice required. Please call 503-879-2078 to schedule a reservation. PROPOSED ELECTION ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS OPEN FOR COMMENT The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Election Board and the Tribal Attorney’s Office, has proposed amendments to the Elec- tion Ordinance. The first reading of the proposed amendments was made at the Jan. 23, 2019, Tribal Council meeting. The proposed amendments: • Provide for use of Ballot Boxes in Tribal elections. • Provide a process for collection of Ballot Box ballots. • Allow processing of ballots of voters who are living when they vote but are deceased on Election Day. • Add an additional transfer of voters address to the mailing service. • Remove the requirement that new Signature Verification Forms be sent to voters whose forms on file are five years or more old. • Add definitions for Ballot Box, Election Day and Post Office Box. For a copy of the proposed Election Ordinance amendments, please contact the Tribal Attorney’s Office at 503-879-4664. The Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or by e-mail to legal@ grandronde.org. Comments must be received by March 4, 2019. LEASING ORDINANCE OPEN FOR COMMENT The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Tribal Attorney’s Office and Tribal Lands Department, is considering adoption of a Leasing Ordinance. The proposed Ordinance was given a First Reading at the Feb. 6, 2019, Tribal Council meeting. The purpose of enacting this Ordinance is for the Tribe to assume authority to process and approve leases on Tribal Trust lands. Un- der the Leasing Ordinance, the Tribe will assume the authority to process and approve leases on Tribal trust lands, as provided for by the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeowner- ship (“HEARTH”) Act of 2012. The Ordinance defines the types and terms of leases and licenses, describes the process for applying for both residential and non-residential leases, sets forth the lease and lease amendment processing requirements, and includes recorda- tion and reporting requirements as well as enforcement provisions. Once enacted by the Tribe, the Ordinance must receive review and approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs prior to becoming effective. For a copy of the Leasing Ordinance, please contact the Tribal Attorney’s Office at 503-879-4664. The Tribal Council invites com- ment on the Ordinance. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or by e-mail to legal@grandronde.org. Comments must be received by March 15, 2019. Free Playgroup in Grand Ronde! * When: First Thursday of each month 10:00 am-11:30 am Where: CTGR – Community Service Center 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Who: Parents and caregivers of children under 5 years. Why: Come to play, have a snack and have fun!
