Tribal Council approves 2019 budget

Tribal Council did not wait until its final meeting of the year to approve next year’s budget.

At its Wednesday, Dec. 12, meeting, Tribal Council OK’d the 2019 budget, which includes a 4.8 percent increase in spending over the 2018 budget.

The draft budget was presented to the general membership during the Nov. 4 General Council meeting. Six Tribal members commented during the executive session held in the Tribal gym.

The draft budget also was mailed to Tribal members in the November Tilixam Wawa.

During the Tuesday, Dec. 11, Legislative Action Committee meeting, Budget Manager DeAnne Norton said the Tribe did not receive any comments on the draft budget besides those received verbally during the November General Council meeting.

Tribal members had until Dec. 3 to comment in writing on the draft budget.

Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. said that he supports the 2019 budget except for the decrease in use of endowment earnings from 15 percent to 10 percent. Specifically, Giffen said he would have liked to have seen earnings from the Education endowment used to help Tribal members seeking training by attending trade schools.

During the Tribal Council meeting, Tribal Council member Steve Bobb Sr. said he agreed with Giffen about helping Tribal members attend trade schools.

Finance Officer Chris Leno said the decrease to 10 percent was reflective of better 2019 revenue projections from Spirit Mountain Casino and is not set in stone. He added that endowment growth projections released to the membership in October showed decreases when 15 percent was consistently used, but all grew when only 10 percent was taken out to fund programs.

Tribal Council member Kathleen George said that all funding requests were funded in the 2019 budget.

The last time Tribal Council adopted the next year’s budget before the final meeting of the year was in 2014.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a revised memorandum of understanding with the Oregon Department of Transportation regarding the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance. The revised agreement runs for five years beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, and allows the Tribe to assert Indian hiring preference on federally funded highway projects taking place on or near the Reservation and outlines protocols for how to handle overlapping Tribal TERO jurisdictions in the state.

• Approved applying for a $49,000 grant from the First Nations Development Institute to fund preparation of teacher training workbooks, an instructor’s guide and related audio-visual aids for the Chinuk Wawa language immersion program.

• Amended the Tribe’s contract with Subtext Digital in Portland to include creation of a Smoke Signals website. The contract now cannot exceed $165,000.

• Approved a site management plan for the 97-acre Rattlesnake Butte Wildlife Area northwest of Junction City in Lane County. The Tribe acquired the property in 2012 through the Bonneville Power Administration’s Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program.

• Granted signing authority on Tribal bank and investment accounts to Assistant Controller Amy Gallant, who is replacing Jody Jerger. Jerger will be retiring at the end of December.

• Approved the appointment of Spirit Mountain Community Fund Executive Director Mychal Cherry to the Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. Board of Directors with a term ending in 2021.

• And approved the enrollment of an infant and one minor into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment requirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.

Also included in the Dec. 12 Tribal Council packet were approved authorizations to proceed that:

• Approved new sponsorship guidelines that will take effect on Jan. 1;

• Approved spending $2,763 per year for three years to put up Christmas lighting at the Governance Center and one tree in Tribal Housing. The amount will be added to the Facilities Department budget in 2019 and 2020;

• Approved Uyxat Powwow Grounds arbor grass replacement and the IT/Procurement/Mailroom building design as two projects to proceed with in the 2019 capital improvement projects budget;

• Approved a letter of support for changing the name of Squaw Creek to Nestucca Bobb Creek in Tillamook County;

• And approved appointing Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier to the Marion-Polk Food Share Board of Directors to serve as the Tribe’s representative, replacing former Tribal Council member Brenda Tuomi.

The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video.