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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2019)
smok signflz DECEMBER 1, 2019 Tribal Council OKs Dec. 13 per capita payment date By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Council approved amend- ments to the Tribal Council Ordi- nance on Wednesday, Nov. 20, that move regular meeting times to 4 p.m. year-round, as well as desig- nated Friday, Dec. 13, as the final per capita payment date for 2019. The proposed amendments to the Tribal Council Ordinance received one comment from the membership. They change the regular meeting time for bimonthly Tribal Council meetings from 5 p.m. to 4 p.m. Currently, Tribal Council meetings are traditionally held at 5 p.m. every other Wednesday March through Oc- tober, and moved to 4 p.m. November through February when the shorter daylight hours would have Tribal employees driving home in the dark after later meetings. “There have been several infor- mal discussions about permanently changing the time to 4 p.m. since Tribal Council adopted the Tribal Council Ordinance back in 2016,” said Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez. “Earlier this year, Tribal Council revisited the discussion and held a work session to discuss the ordinance and possi- ble revisions. A motivating factor was consistency.” Since Tribal Council is currently holding meetings at 4 p.m. during the winter months, the amend- ments will take effect before meet- ings were scheduled to return to 5 p.m. in 2020. The amendments also remove the set times to take roll call and allow use of Tribal credit cards to cover conference registration fees. Tribal Council also approved a Friday, Dec. 13, per capita payment date. The amount of the per capita payment will not be known until early December, Finance Officer Chris Leno said. Leno also asked that approval of a $292 timber revenue payment be tabled for two weeks to ensure the maximum amount of revenue is available for distribution on Dec. 13. In other action, Tribal Council: • Approved amendments to the Enrollment Ordinance that no longer require certified notifica- tion letters be sent regarding Res- toration Roll applications. One set of comments was submitted regarding the amendments and it was in support; • Re-appointed Matthew Kirkland and appointed former Tribal Council member Andrew Jenness to the Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. Board of Directors with terms that expire in September 2022; • Modified the Plankhouse Thin Logging Unit contract to change the contract cut and pay date, as well as update the minimum stumpage rates in response to a substantial 32 percent drop in Douglas fir log prices; • Approved applying for a maximum $250,000 Bureau of Indian Affairs Invasive Species grant that will be used to clear Scotch broom and blackberry bushes from the 269.45- acre Rattlesnake Butte conserva- tion property in Lane County; • Approved applying for a maxi- mum $120,000 Bureau of Indian Affairs Endangered Species grant that will be used at the 338-acre Chahalpam conservation prop- erty along the Santiam River in Marion County that will restore river flow to a side channel and help Oregon chub combat com- petition from invasive plant and animal species, such as bullfrogs; • Approved applying for a max- imum $15,000 grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board that will help put 11 agri- culture acres at Chahalpam back into riparian habitat; • Approved the Tribal Pharmacy purchasing software that will allow it to communicate with patients via e-mail and text and approved another contract that will allow the Pharmacy to pur- chase software that will make it easier for clients to obtain reim- bursements from their flexible spending and health savings accounts; • Approved the enrollment of three infants into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment re- quirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance; • Approved the prevailing wage schedule for 2019-20; • Approved the agenda for the Sunday, Dec. 1, General Council meeting, which will start at 10 a.m. and feature reports from the Education Department and Education Committee; • And approved 17 Restoration Roll corrections, bringing the total number of corrections to the historically important roll to 204 this year. Also included in the Nov. 20 Tribal Council packet were two approved authorizations to proceed that directed staff to finalize a Fee Forestland Business Plan that requires acquisitions be evaluated utilizing market-based standards per the Oregon Forest Practices Act and managed under operation- al standards approved by Tribal Council, and approved moving $280,000 from contingency to pay for the Noble Oaks siding replace- ment and paint project. To watch the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Government link and then Videos. Need something notarized? Tribal Court staff is available at no charge for notaries 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday though Friday with the exception of noon to 1 p.m. Please be sure to bring a photo ID with you. If you have any questions, contact the court at 503-879-2303. Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has ended its efforts to purchase a second property in Oregon City at 19100 S. Highway 99E that featured riverfront access to the Willamette River. Tribe ends pursuit of second Oregon City property By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is no longer seeking to purchase a second property – 1.5 acres along the Willamette River – in Oregon City. Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez said on Tues- day, Nov. 19, that the Tribe has ended its pursuit of the riverfront property at 19100 S. Highway 99E. “We were unable to negotiate and reach consensus on a final purchase price,” she said via e-mail. On Nov. 7, the Tribe moved approximately $1 million ear- marked to purchase the property back into the Gaming Dividend Fund, which was the amount that had been approved for the acquisition minus expenses as- sociated with due diligence. The second Oregon City prop- erty was overshadowed in Au- gust when the Tribe closed on the 23-acre Blue Heron Paper Mill site. The Tribe purchased the Blue Heron site for $15.25 million and at the time Tribal representatives said they were pursuing the second property, which included a boat dock. In July, Tribal Council ap- proved a supplemental budget of $17 million to acquire both properties. The Blue Heron site was once home to the Charcowah village of the Clowewalla (Willamette band of Tumwaters) and the Kosh-huk-shix village of Clacka- mas people, who were both forc- ibly removed from Willamette Falls and relocated to the Grand Ronde Reservation in the 1850s. The purchase is a continua- tion the Tribe’s reconnection with the falls. In October 2018, the Tribe built a removable plat- form at the falls, which allows Tribal members to traditionally fish using dipnets. Tribal fisher- men returned to the falls in May and caught the first fish from the platform. Tribal members also return to the falls annually to harvest by hand Pacific lamprey, a tra- ditional first food. During the Nov. 5 election, Metro voters approved a $475 million bond that includes $20 million to fund work on the Riv- erwalk project in Oregon City. The Tribe is working with the regional government and other partners to rehabilitate the Blue Heron site and provide public access to the Willamette Falls area. 5
