Message from the Chair

Dear fellow Tribal members:

As we head into November, I would like to take a moment to update you on some of the things we have been working on here in Grand Ronde. I'd also like to encourage you to attend the Nov. 2 General Council meeting where the preliminary budget for calendar year 2015 will be presented to the membership.

In just 10 months, we have made tremendous progress on our new apartment complex, a Tribal food bank and our Employment Services building. In addition, we have been able to focus our attention on the budget in a way that has allowed us to look for cost savings and improved efficiencies. Below are just a few of the things I wanted to provide an update on and I hope you find them informative.

CY2015 preliminary budget

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014, the preliminary budget was posted as required by our Budget and Appropriations Ordinance. The preliminary budget is a working document and several revisions will occur between the posting of the preliminary budget and final adoption of the 2015 budget. Tribal Council has had several meetings on the budget and will continue to discuss budget priorities and review the comments submitted by Tribal members to the Finance Officer.

The CY2015 Budget Hearing will take place Sunday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. in the Tribal Community Center. Feedback forms will be available for Tribal members to leave comments and/or suggestions.

Employment Services building

Construction of the new Employment Services building is underway and the building should be open by spring 2015. The building will house our Human Resources departments, the 477 Program and the Tribal Employment Rights Office, making it a one-stop shop for Tribal members seeking employment. Tribal Council is looking forward to working with the departments to see how we can leverage our resources to improve employment opportunities for Tribal members in and around our community.

Tribal Food Bank

Staff is continuing to work with Marion-Polk Food Share on food bank logistics and hiring for the new facility. The food bank should be open and available to serve the community in December. Tribal Council continues to work hand-in-hand with Tribal staff and the Grand Ronde Community Resource Center, an independent 501 (c) (3), to ensure that the needs of the community are met and to provide additional support.

Expanded services for local veterans

Tribal Council and the General Manager's Office are working with the Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center to pursue the expansion of medical services to nonTribal veterans at our clinic.

The expansion would require a separate contract (Tribal Council has already executed a contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs allowing the Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center to serve Tribal veterans) with Veterans Affairs, which we're looking to pursue.

The expansion of services would allow local veterans to receive medical services here within the community and would lessen the amount of time they spend traveling to VA-approved facilities for services that are already being provided at our clinic. This would also bring in additional revenue.

Tribal Council has been busy with a variety of other projects and announcements, such as the approval of the Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Plan, launch of the new Chinuk Wawa language app, receipt of a $500,000 grant for a new police station and the hiring of a new general manager at Spirit Mountain Casino. Smoke Signals has been covering a variety of these issues and announcements, so I encourage all Tribal members to read Smoke Signals for more information on recent projects and announcements. 

As always, it is an honor to serve you as your Tribal Council Chairman and I look forward to finishing this year by celebrating all that we have and all that we have accomplished as Grand Ronde Tribal members.

Sincerely,

Reynold L. Leno

Tribal Council Chairman