Tribal Council appoints Tuomi, Giffen to boards

Tribal Council appointed newly elected member Brenda Tuomi to the Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. Board of Directors during its Wednesday, Sept. 30, meeting.

Tuomi will fill a seat vacated by Tribal Elder Lew Younger, who resigned after he accepted a job at the casino. Her term will end on June 30, 2018.

In addition, Tribal Council appointed Vice Chair Jack Giffen Jr. to the Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees, which decides how 6 percent of Spirit Mountain Casino profits are distributed to charitable organizations in 11 northwest Oregon counties, as well as the nine federally recognized Tribes in the state.

Giffen’s term will expire on Sept. 30, 2017.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a resolution authorizing the Tribal Lands Department to execute license agreements with area farmers for hay and crops for the 2016 harvest season, estimated to bring in $59,148 in income to the Tribe;
• Removed Toby McClary and added Tribal Council Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy as an authorized signer on the TriState Capital Bank line of credit. Tribal Council also approved removing McClary as an authorized signer on Tribal bank accounts and credit cards and added Tuomi;
• Adopted the 2016 Indian Housing Plan as presented by the Tribal Housing Department;
• Approved an extension of the environmental services agreement between the Tribe and Industrial Economics Inc., the Tribe’s technical consultant for Portland Harbor and related cleanup, for six months;
• Approved a contract with Bantum Consulting LLC to procure software and related services for the Finance Department to meet new accounting and reporting requirements instituted by the federal government;
• Approved the Gopher Valley Right-of-Way timber harvest presented by the Natural Resources Department. The harvest would cut down approximately 10,000 board feet of timber and make about $3,850 for the Tribe;
• Approved applying for an Indian Health Service Special Diabetes Program grant that would allocate $180,721 to the Tribe for the next five years. The grant monies would fund three existing nurses and provide diabetes education and outreach to Tribal members;
• And approved the enrollment of three people into the Tribe because they satisfy the requirements outlined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution.

Also during the meeting, Planning Department Manager Rick George announced winners of the 2015 Social and Economic Survey drawing. Larry Scheese of Vancouver, Wash., won the $1,500 grand prize and Reina Nelson, Christopher Haskins, Krystal Henderson, Angela Fasana and Deanna Chandler won the five $500 prizes. Winners of the 10 $100 prizes were Amanda McMahon, Eugene LaBonte, Allen Scheese, Jeremiah Foster, Susan Reyes, Corinne Fugate, Brandon Bruckner, Camille Ayers, Ali Holsclaw and Rachelle Rictor.

Also included in the Sept. 30 Tribal Council packet were authorizations to proceed to appoint Tribal Council member Jon A. George to the Willamette Falls Area Coalition Board of Directors, filling the seat currently held by Kennedy, and to appoint Tribal Council member Denise Harvey to the Yamhill County Parkway Committee, replacing George.

Another authorization to proceed authorized Giffen to sign a letter to Polk County Administrative Officer Greg Hansen requesting that the speed limit on Grand Ronde Road be lowered and that a school zone be designated on Grand Ronde Road and Salmon Way for community safety reasons.

George joined Tribal Artisan Travis Stewart, Ceded Lands Manager Michael Karnosh and Eric Bernando in performing the ceremonial 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 Videos.