Statement From the Chair

Dear fellow Tribal members:

In 2015, there are a number of great things taking place here at home that not only benefit our Tribe, but our Tribal members. I thought I would take some time to update you on some of the things that have taken place over the past few months and I will continue to update you throughout the year. I hope you find this information helpful and as always I am willing to answer any questions you may have as new projects and initiatives come up.

Powwow Arbor

Before the first of the year, a team was put together that included representatives from several Tribal departments, Tribal Council, the Culture Committee, the Veterans Special Event Board and the Powwow Special Event Board to provide input on the scope and design of the arbor. After months of discussion, the team had a recommendation for Tribal Council that was approved in February. The arbor will be approximately 20,000 square feet, incorporate our Elders seating area and protect our Tribal members and their guests from the elements with a removable shade and cover. The project has provided employment for Tribal members through the TERO program and utilizes logs harvested from our Reservation. The arbor is scheduled to be completed in time for this year’s Veterans Summit and the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow in July.

Spirit Mountain Casino Renovations

As chairman of the Spirit Mountain Casino Board of Directors, I have had the privilege to participate on our Renovation Steering Committee, which will be working directly with Spirit Mountain Casino staff on all of our renovation projects as they move forward. In February, Tribal Council passed a resolution authorizing the casino to proceed with expenditures for capital projects this year. As part of the capital expenditures, the casino will be repainting and repairing the exterior of the casino, completing a parking lot overlay and kitchen repairs, and purchasing new slot machines and chairs.

Per Capita Distributions

Last year, Tribal Council worked on and successfully budgeted for an increase in per capita distributions. This year, we budgeted a 3 percent increase in our per capita distributions; increasing the budgeted amount to 28 percent from 25 percent. In addition, Tribal Council recently made a decision to bring our per capita distributions in-house. Processing payments in-house will not only help us save money, but will help make our distributions more efficient and also will help us ensure that our members are receiving their payments in a timely fashion.

Oregon State Senate Bill 548

On April 16, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 548. The bill authorizes Oregon counties to sell or donate real property to certain federally recognized Indian Tribes within the state. The Tribe has worked with Tillamook County and our state senators and representatives on this proposal and we hope to see it pass the Oregon House of Representatives before the end of session. If passed, the legislation will allow “any county governing body to grant an option to purchase, contract to sell, sell and convey, or donate any … real property owned by the county, including real property acquired pursuant to tax foreclosure proceedings, at such price and on such terms as the county governing body may deem to be best for the best interest of the county.” The change will allow Tribes to work directly with their local counties to purchase lands that had previously not been offered.

Reservation Act Amendment

On March 19, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment on behalf of the Tribe. The amendment would allow the Tribe to take property it owns within the boundaries of our original 1857 Reservation directly into reservation status. This change would cut through years of bureaucratic red tape and would not only help save the Tribe time and money, but also would help make the process less cumbersome for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Last year, the amendment came close to passage, but it ran out of time in the final month of the 113^th Congress. We look forward to working on passage in the 114^th Congress.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my update. I feel it’s important to update you on some of the projects we’re working on here at home. As we move forward, my goal is to update you as often as time allows on the projects and initiatives before Tribal Council.

As always, it is an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Reynold L. Leno

Tribal Council Chairman