Tribal Council OKs new food bank agreement

Tribal Council approved an agreement with Marion-Polk Food Share that will keep the organization operating the Grand Ronde Food Bank for two more years at its Wednesday, Feb. 3, meeting.

The Tribe entered into a one-year agreement with Marion-Polk Food Share to operate the food bank -- iskam mfkHmfk haws --following its construction in 2014. Marion-Polk Food Share offered to continue operating the site.

The Food Bank has been distributing food to needy area residents since December 2014 and Tribal member Francene Ambrose was hired by Marion-Polk Food Share to manage the site.

The Tribe built the 3,300-square-foot structure, which includes room to store produce, canned goods and frozen foods, with funds from two federal grants.

The Food Bank, 9675 Grand Ronde Road, was sited across from the Housing Department office to be closer to Tribal housing, making it more convenient for Elders and other Tribal residents than previous locations that were near Uyxat Powwow Grounds off Hebo Road.

In 2015, the Food Bank served more than 15,000 individuals and received more than 6,500 hours of work from volunteers.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Held a first reading on amendments to the Hotel Occupancy Tax Ordinance that would increase the tax on guests at Spirit Mountain Lodge from 8 percent to 10 percent.
• Converted Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority bank accounts to Tribal bank accounts and also converted Housing Authority credit cards to Tribal credit cards.
• Approved a Tribal credit card for new Grand Ronde Police Chief Jake McKnight.
• Approved an agreement with Full Gospel Lighthouse Recovery Services that will allow it to continue occupying space at Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center through Dec. 1.
• Approved the purchase and sale agreement for 6.4 acres behind St. Michael’s Catholic Church off Grand Ronde Road.
• Approved adding General Manager David Fullerton and Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Martin as authorized signers on Tribal bank accounts.
• Authorized Fullerton to enter into intergovernmental agreements and memoranda of understanding involving the operation of the Grand Ronde Police Department for 2016.
• Approved the enrollment of three infants into the Tribe because they meet the criteria outlined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution.

Also included in the Feb. 3 Tribal Council packet was an authorization to proceed that nominates Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno for the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, which meets quarterly throughout the state. Leno is a Vietnam War-era Marine Corps veteran.

Tribal Council member Jon A. George joined Culture Department employees Bobby Mercier, Travis Stewart and Jordan Mercier and Public Affairs Administrative Assistant Chelsea Clark in performing 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.