Tribal Council changes authorized signers

It happens most every fall after Tribal elections: Tribal Council removes and appoints signers on Tribal bank accounts, credit cards and lines of credit.

It was no different at the Wednesday, Sept. 27, Tribal Council meeting in the wake of former longtime Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno and Tonya Gleason-Shepek leaving office and a shakeup in Tribal Council officers occurring.

As a result of the Sept. 9 election results, Tribal Council voted to grant signing authority to newly elected Tribal Council members Lisa Leno and Michael Langley on the Tribe’s bank, sweep and investment accounts and authorized their use of Tribal credit cards. Tribal Council removed Reyn Leno and Gleason-Shepek as signers on the Tribe’s bank, sweep and investment accounts and ended their use of Tribal credit cards.

In reaction to a new lineup of Tribal Council officers, Tribal Council authorized Vice Chair Chris Mercier as a signer on the line of credit loan and removed Reyn Leno. Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy and Secretary Jon A. George were already signers on the line of credit loan because they were Tribal Council officers. Kennedy was previously vice chair before being elevated to chairwoman on Sept. 13.

In other action, Tribal Council approved the 2018 harvest licenses on locally owned lands.

Tribal Lands Manager Jan Michael Reibach and Realty Specialist Teresa Brocksen said at the Tuesday, Sept. 26, Legislative Action Committee meeting that the harvest license program has earned more than $160,000 in revenue for the Tribe since its inception while saving resources in maintaining vacant lands.

In 2017, the Tribe received $59,148 in revenue from hay and crop licenses. The estimate for 2018 is slightly less at $58,967. The decrease is a result of better calculations of acreage farmed due to aerial imagery, a staff report stated.

The staff report also said that if the Tribe were to maintain the properties as idle land, it would cost approximately $5,000 in wages and fringe benefits in addition to fuel costs, as well as not receiving the income from the crop and harvest licenses.

Tribal Council also approved the enrollment of three infants and two non-infants into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment requirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance, and recommended removal of one Tribal member from the Restoration Roll because submitted documents prove that the person did not meet the requirements to be included. The Secretary of the Interior must approve any Restoration Roll changes.

By consensus, Tribal Council also set the agenda for the Sunday, Oct. 1, General Council meeting, which will be a financial overview. The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. in the Tribal gym.

Also included in the Sept. 27 Tribal Council packet were authorizations to proceed that allotted an additional $2,000 to the Ceremonial Hunting Board due to increased harvesting and processing, waived Tribal policy to allow five members of the Enrollment Board to attend the 2017 Northwest Enrollment Conference and directed the Information Services Department to research a vendor who could create a centralized database that all Tribal departments could use to ensure data is current.

Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson opened the meeting with a cultural presentation on the Upper and Lower Table Rocks near Medford and Tribal practices in harvesting acorns from oak trees in the area.

The entire meeting can be viewed on the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org by clicking on the News tab and then Video.