Tribal Council approves 2024 budget

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Council held its final meeting of 2023 on Wednesday, Dec. 27, by handling items brought to it during its Tuesday, Dec. 19 and Tuesday, Dec. 26, Legislative Action Committee meetings.

Council members approved the 2024 final budget, which included a 3.2 percent increase in spending from the 2023 budget.

The 2024 draft budget was mailed to Tribal members in early November in the Tilixam Wawa and Tribal Finance Officer Chris Leno briefed the membership on its specifics in executive session during the November General Council meeting.

Adult Tribal members had until Monday, Dec. 4, to comment on the draft spending plan.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved an agreement with Upqwena, LLC to remove former Tribal Economic Development Director Bruce Thomas as manager and replace him with Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez. Thomas recently resigned his position as Economic Development Director after being selected for the position earlier this year;
• Approved a secured loan of up to $50,000 to Shasta Administrative Services from the Tribe’s TriState Capital Bank line of credit. The decision brings the amount of Tribal funds loaned to Shasta, which the Grand Ronde Tribe has co-owned since November 2012 with Honolulu-based Hawaii-Western Management Group, to $1.4 million;
• Approved appointing Michael Boyce as the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission’s executive director;
• Approved amendments to the Elders Committee bylaws regarding voting/honorary members, designating regular meeting dates, attendance requirements and specifying nominations;
• Approved the agenda for the Sunday, Jan. 7, General Council meeting, which will feature a program report on the Health & Wellness Center and start at 11 a.m. in Tribal Council Chambers and on Zoom;
• And approved enrolling four infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements outlined in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.

To watch the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Videos tab.