Tribal Council amends ordinance to expand COLA allocation

By Dean Rhodes

Smoke Signals editor

Some Tribal employees received an early Christmas present.

Tribal Council approved final adoption of amendments to three ordinances that will, among other things, ensure that all Tribal employees receive the same cost-of-living adjustments granted to governmental employees during its Wednesday, Dec. 4, meeting.

The amendment to the Governmental Corporations Ordinance mandates that Tribal employees at Spirit Mountain Casino and Grand Ronde Station receive the same COLA as governmental employees.

In the last couple of years, Tribal governmental employees have received 2.5 percent COLAs in 2019 and 2018 and a 1.7 percent COLA in 2017. The largest COLA ever granted Tribal employees was 4.1 percent in 2004.

COLAs are not guaranteed, however. During the depths of the recent recession, COLAs were not granted in 2009 and ’12.

Tribal Council also adopted the new General Welfare and the Elders’ Retirement and SSI Program ordinances that make benefits under the Elders’ and SSI programs available on a tax-free basis and the new ordinance affirms the Tribe’s inherent sovereign right to promote the general welfare of the Tribe and provide qualifying assistance and program benefits on a tax-free basis to the fullest extent permitted by law.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a $350 timber revenue member benefit distribution that will accompany the Dec. 13 per capita distribution of $1,650;
• Approved an agreement that transferred an unspecified amount of Tribal funds into the Baird Venture BVP V limited partnership investment;
• Approved a membership roll correction that corrected a number assigned in error;
• Approved the enrollment of an infant into the Tribe because he or she meets the requirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.
• Approved applying for two grants from the Environmental Protection Agency. The first grant, for $350,000, would fund further environmental assessment work of remediation areas at the former Blue Heron Paper Mill site in Oregon City purchased by the Tribe in August. The second, valued at $500,000, would fund cleanup of the Water Street block of the Blue Heron property;
• Approved applying for a $25,000 Business Oregon Brownfields Redevelopment Fund integrated planning grant that would help fund brownfields planning activities at the Blue Heron site;
• Approved a construction contract with Whisler Construction for siding and roof repair work at the Noble Oaks conservation property outside of Willamina;
• And approved applying for federal Title VI Older Americans Act funding that would help pay for Elder site and home-delivered meals and caregiver services for Tribal members suffering from arthritis, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. During the last three-year funding period, the Tribe received $348,840 for meals and $134,430 for caregiver services.

The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the Government tab and then Videos.