Tribal Council OKs new bank account, distribution dates

In preparation for December distribution of casino and timber revenue monies to the membership, Tribal Council approved several measures at its Wednesday, Nov. 18, meeting.

Tribal Council approved the creation of a new bank account with Wells Fargo that will be used for internal distribution of timber revenue monies to Tribal members in December.

In addition, Tribal Council established Dec. 11 as the per capita and timber revenue distribution date.

During the Nov. 17 Legislative Action Committee meeting, Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said that the amount of the distributions probably will not be known until after Dec. 1.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Tillamook County regarding the sale and transfer of surplus forest land from the county to the Tribe;
• Approved a funding agreement with the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs for 2016;
• Appointed Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack Giffen Jr. to the Willamette Falls Navigation Canal & Locks Task Force. Senate Bill 131, passed by the Legislature, mandates that a Grand Ronde Tribal representative serve on the Task Force;
• And approved the enrollment of three infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements established in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution.

Also included in the Nov. 18 Tribal Council packet was an authorization to proceed permitting Leno to sign a comment letter to the Environmental Protection Agency about its consultation process regarding Tribal treaty rights.

Culture Department employees Bobby Mercier, Brian Krehbiel and Jordan Mercier performed the cultural 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 Video.