Tribal Council OKs new bank account for per capita payments

By Dean Rhodes

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Council approved at its April 8 meeting the creation of a new Wells Fargo bank account that will be used to make per capita distributions starting in June.

Member Services, along with the assistance of the Finance Department, will start processing quarterly per capita distributions internally this summer. To facilitate the change, Finance recommended establishment of the new account.

Tribal Controller Linda Hanna said the move will save the Tribe about $85,000 annually.

In other action, Tribal Council:

•        Approved applying for a $5,000 American Dental Association Harris Grant that would be used to purchase a mobile X-ray unit and carrying case for the Dental Clinic;
•        Approved applying to access the Tribe’s Special Transportation Fund 2015-17 biennium allocation through the Oregon Department of Transportation. The $160,000 is used to provide transit service for the elderly and disabled and others using public transit in the area;
•        Approved an application to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Rail and Public Transit Division for the Tribe’s allocation of federal 4310 pass through funding estimated to be $99,947;
•        Approved the annual interagency agreement between the Tribe and the Willamina School District;
•        Approved the first supplemental budget of 2015 to allocate $915,933 in funding for the Uyxat Powwow Grounds arena project;
•        Approved increasing the Tribe’s TriState Bank line of credit;
•        And accepted one voluntary relinquishment of Tribal membership.

Tribal Council member Jon A. George led a contingent of Tribal members that included Land and Culture employees Mike Karnosh, Travis Stewart, Bobby Mercier and Brian Krehbiel in the cultural drumming and singing to open the meeting.

The meeting also was the first for new General Manager Dawn Doar, who started working for the Tribe on Monday, April 6.

The meeting, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Tribal website, www.grandronde.org, under the News tab and then click on the Video link.