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The Nation |
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Tribal Report of the Northern Cheyenne Nation (July 2006 Vol. I No. 8) |
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Page 3 |
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Jason Woodside [Business Development
Consultant to N.C.] It
is difficult even as a Tribal member to stay informed on what is happening
behind the scenes with our Tribe. So we feel the need to give the
people an update as to the Tribe’s progress on development of the Tongue
River Reservoir Casino. First a brief introduction of whom we are and what we
do. Michael Mason is the Tribe's Economic
Development Attorney who brings over 20 years of experience working with
tribes on economic development and strengthening tribal governments. As
an attorney, he was instrumental in the largest casino development in the
Northwest, the Grand Ronde Tribe’s Spirit Mountain
Casino. He also worked on various Indian land issues in the Department
of the Interior Solicitor's Office in Jason
Woodside, Business Development Consultant; is an enrolled member of the
Northern Cheyenne Tribe and grew up on the Warm Springs and Siletz
reservations in Jason’s background to navigate tribal
business and political structures is the added value that creates efficient and
culturally-appropriate leadership for many projects in Indian Country
today. For the last 15 years he has worked with various tribes
throughout the West in opening three different casino
resorts. This included the oversight of development, construction
and management of all projects.
Now he wants that experience to serve the Tribe with Economic
Development. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe is in the
process of developing and creating a casino that can become an economic
asset, tourist attraction and recreational amenity to the entire
region. In addition to gaming, the new Northern Cheyenne Casino will
provide a first class venue for entertainment and dining to complement the
already abundant The new casino and future businesses on
the Northern Cheyenne Reservation will provide jobs to our Tribal members and
to the surrounding communities. Employees will receive competitive
salary and benefit packages. This
employment option will provide Tribal members the chance for developing new
skills and providing for personal growth.
It is our goal to ensure that our tribal members receive extensive
training so that they provide strength in backing our tribal entities
success. Over the past few months, you may have
heard about the plans of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe to create and develop
our new casino on 25 acres at the Tongue River Reservoir located in This is a complex project, mostly because
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act makes it hard to develop a casino on land
that is off-reservation and went into trust after 1988. The Secretary
of the Interior must decide that the casino will help the tribe and not hurt
the surrounding communities, and the Governor must concur before construction
on the casino can begin. Also the Tribe's Gaming Ordinance and the Class
III Gaming Compact with Understanding that development needs to
be done responsibly, we asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to conduct
an Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA, which includes significant
opportunity for public involvement, will examine a variety of potential
impacts from the project including effects on geology and soils, water,
biological and cultural resources; air quality; socioeconomic conditions;
traffic and transportation; land use; public utilities and services; noise;
hazardous materials; environmental justice; and visual resources/aesthetics.
We promised to work with the BIA to take a hard look at the potential
environmental and other impacts of the Casino Resort. The BIA, as the lead
agency, is working with an independent third-party contractor to prepare the
EA, and should release a Draft EA late this summer. Under the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act (IGRA), Indian governments must spend gaming revenues to: § Fund tribal government operations or programs; § Provide for the general welfare of the Indian tribe
and its members; § Promote tribal economic development; |
§ Donate to charitable organizations, or; § Help fund operations of local government agencies. This project will: § Improve tribal economy and self-sufficiency; § Create jobs and career opportunities; § Generate funds to make up any budget short falls the
Tribe is facing; § Generate funds to help us preserve our culture and
language while protecting ancestral lands and the environment. We are working with the Tribal
Administration and the following partners on the agreements needed for the
casino: § Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office—to fund at
least one new deputy position to be held by a tribal member and a vehicle; § Ambulance & 911 Services—in agreement for
services rendered at the site; § TRECO, City of § MTDOT—to redesign and reconstruction of the road from
Highway 314 to the site; § Big Horn County Fire District—with an MOU for
services rendered; § Big § City of We will be developing a Memorandum of
Understanding with • Abide
by county development and environmental protection ordinances; •
Pay county development and processing fees; •
Compensate law enforcement and fire districts that provide services to the
property; •
Address traffic and safety issues in conformity with • Contribute
to a Tribal program to treat problems associated with compulsive gambling. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe intends to compliment not
compete with the local business community. Our commitment is to work together
with other businesses, not isolate ourselves. As one
example, visitors to the casino resort also will pay the same amount of
sales tax as they would if shopping or eating off Tribal lands. The Tribe's Class III Gaming Compact
Amendment Negotiating Team started negotiating in November with the
Governor's American Indian Nation's Council staff. The Tribe's team is
President Little Coyote, Gaming Commission Chair Fisher, EDA Chair Killsback,
Councilman Fisher, Business Consultant Woodside and Attorney Mason. The
Tribe's Gaming Compact needs several changes because it was negotiated with a
former governor who opposed tribal rights. Therefore the team is
negotiating for adding not only the Meanwhile, in the Nations' Capital,
Senator McCain introduced a bill to stop all casinos planned for land taken
in trust after 1988. This could have killed the Tribe's project.
A tribal delegation led by President Little Coyote visited Senator Baucus and
the Indian Affairs Committee staff to press for an amendment to assure the
Tribe's project would go forward. Senator Baucus agreed to work to
preserve the Tribe's economic development rights and convinced Senator McCain
to amend his bill, S.2078, to allow casinos, if the Tribe had started the
process before this April. The bill is slowly moving in the
Senate, but is now not a threat to the Tribe's rights. Part of keeping this project moving is
regular contact with Also on the The President and Tribal
Council are leading the way through a tangle of federal and state
laws to regain economic opportunity for the Tribal Report of the |
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Housing Application Packaging Grant Jolene Spang Director HIP
Program Updates Program Description The
HAPG are funds received from the USDA Rural Housing Services for each
complete and eligible application for a loan and/or grant. The HAPG is to assist tribal members in applying
for loans and/or grants from the USDA Rural Development Program. There are two programs available for home repairs for very
low-income families. Section 504—Home Repairs Grants Eligibility: 1.
Must be elderly
(62 years or older) 2.
Must be very
low-income 3.
Must own and
occupy your own home Applicants
can qualify for up to $7,500.00 (lifetime assistance) to do repairs that will
remove health and safety hazards. Section
502—Home Repairs Loans Eligibility 1.
Must own and
occupy your own home 2.
Must be very low-income 3.
Must have
repayment ability Repairs
must be to remove health and safety hazards. Application’s can apply for up
to $20,000.00 at 1% interest, and payment can be up to 20 years. Application Process Section 504 Grants: The first step in applying is the prequalification. All
applicants must submit a prequalification form. This will determine if they
are grant eligible for if they qualify for a loan. Once the determination is
made, the next step is the application. The applicant can complete the application
with the assistance of the Loan/Grant Packager. After the application is
complete with all the required documents, the application is then forwarded
to the Rural Development Office in Section 502 Loans: Loans are to provide low interest loans to eligibly
low-income and very low-income households to construct a new home, or
rehabilitate or improve an existing house.
The HIP priority list is updated every year. Applicants who do not
receive services during the current fiscal year are required to reapply in
order to be on the next priority list. Services Rendered The number of projects depends on the amount of funds
received—previous funding has allowed us to do 203 complete renovations per
year. The scope of work is completed on
the projects funded. This is reviewed and concurred by the homeowner upon
completion. The projects are then put out for bid according to the Tribe’s
Procurement Policy (30 days). A bid opening is held with the Program
Director, Procurement Officer, and TERO. The bid is awarded at this time.
After the Final signature of the contract, the contractor may begin the
work. The HIP Staff monitors the
progress of the projects. When completed, the Regional Area Housing Office is
contacted for final inspection. Tribal
Report of the |
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