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The Programs |
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Tribal Report of the Northern Cheyenne Nation (June 2006 Vol. I No. 7) |
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Page 5 |
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Wallace Bearchum
[ My main
focus for this article will be to explain the history behind the Tribal per
capita and to give an update on this year’s per capita payment. The enrollment department has some news and
I also want to introduce the new hires for the Tribal Services program. Enrollment News The enrollment department
recently acquired and converted to a new enrollment system. The “Origins Today” enrollment software
system, from DNA Today, LLC, some of its new capabilities includes: a photo
tribal ID system with signature capability; print family trees back ten (10)
generations; scan vital documents and attach to enrollees record; can now
store DNA information; and capable of using smartcards (computer chip stored
with info onto tribal ID). Andy Huxford from DNA Today LLC did the installation and
training for program staff the last week in April. We are also happy to announce
that 182 enrollments were approved by the enrollment committee the second
week in June. These 182 enrollments
made the May 26 deadline to be included in the per capita payout. Of the 182, 46 were ‘automatic’ enrollments
meaning the enrollee had ½ or more New Hires We want to welcome Goldstein Little
Eagle as the new Information Technology Manager! Goldstein does the planning, coordinating,
directing and designing of I.T.-related activities for the Tribal
organization. He will manage all
information systems, networks, workstations and related hardware and
software. He will provide end user
support through troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrades and any technical
support. His background and education
includes: attending the Recording Workshop program in We also want to welcome LaVonda Brady as the receptionist/enrollment clerk for
the enrollment department. This is a
temporary position for the summer to help our office as we prepare for the
upcoming per capita distribution. Per Capita Update and History The Tribal Services program
and the Central Finance department are the two main programs working on and
preparing for the upcoming 2006 per capita payment. The 2006 per capita is tentatively
scheduled for August 8 – 10 and will be disbursed at |
the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation in Lame Deer
starting at 8 am. We encourage all
tribal members to update their addresses and bring in copies of
custody/guardianship court orders to the enrollment department. So when did all this
start? What is the history behind the
per capita that we now receive? Where
does the money come from? Why don’t we
get more money, like other Tribes? It
all started back in 1992 (even prior to that) when Tribes brought forth a
lawsuit concerning double taxation.
Federal courts decided in favor of the Tribes allowing them to tax all
retail sales of gasoline and cigarettes that occur within the exterior
boundaries of their reservations. This
in turn caused This leads us to the Northern
Cheyenne Gasoline Tax Ordinance No. 6 (93), which was enacted by the Tribal
Council by 14 votes for passage and zero votes against on December 22, 1992
and signed by then Tribal president Llevando
Fisher. The amount taxed is equal to
current state gasoline tax for each gallon of gasoline sold within the
exterior boundaries of the reservation.
There is a complex formula the state uses for sharing the tax revenue
(which I won’t go into) I do want to emphasize one number used in the
formula: # number of enrolled tribal members residing on the
reservation. The way it works is the
state collects the tax from the distributor and then quarterly (every three
months) the money collected is paid back to the Tribe. Tribes are free to determine the best use
for the funds they receive through the formula. Which finally leads us to
tribal Ordinance No. 20 (96) enacted by the Council on August 6, 1996. This ordinance allocates all of the
cigarette and gasoline tax monies to be invested every two years for per
capita payments for the Councilman Killsback
introduced legislation where only resident tribal members would receive the
per capita (resolution defeated at June 19 council meeting). This would increase the amount, but only
for resident tribal members. What
about our families and relatives living off the reservation? A true per capita is one where we receive
money from sales of our own tribal resources, whether it be timber sales,
water or coal sales, casino revenues, etc.
In essence our per capita is not a true per capita, in that we are
receiving tax monies on other people’s resources being sold on the
reservation. We all know that other
tribes get large per capita because they have sold their coal, methane, water
or have large casinos generating thousands or millions in revenue. I hope this article clears up the many
questions about our per capita and motivates people to help increase our per
capita or divert it to other uses. Tribal Report of the |
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David Millegan
[ On Thursday, July 22nd, the Northern
Cheyenne Environmental Protection Department was notified by the Indian
Health Service Offices in As a result of efforts by the
Northern Cheyenne Tribal President Eugene Little Coyote, the Environmental
Protection Department Director David Millegan, and
the Indian Health Service will provide the funding for clean-up activities
through its Sanitation Deficiency System.
These funds will be used for direct on-the-ground clean-up of
approximately 16 open dump sites and to place “No Dumping” signs at the
various locations. A meeting will be held with
representatives from the Indian Health Service Engineering Offices the first
week in July to begin the process of bidding out the work to be performed and
to identify any requirements that need to be implemented as part of the
project. The Northern Cheyenne
Environmental Protection Department has spent the past several years trying
to address solid waste problems on the Reservation. Arnie LaFranier, Solid Waste Coordinator for the Tribe, has
supervised the efforts of a community service work crew with the primary
responsibility of providing clean-up at the solid waste transfer stations and
along the roadways on the Reservation.
Additionally, through cooperative projects with the Indian Health
Service, the Environ |
-mental Protection Department, and the Northern Cheyenne Housing
Authority have been able to clean-up and renovate the Muddy Cluster and the
old Lame Deer Transfer Stations.
Currently, the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority is working on the
design of a new modernized Solid Waste Transfer Station, to be placed on top
of Lame Deer Hill, and anticipates that construction will begin this fall. When asked about the project,
President Eugene Little Coyote stated “Native Americans are viewed as being
custodians of nature and as being environmentally conscious, yet, our
reservation has been criticized for poor solid waste management in the past. Now,
however, the Environmental Protection Department, with Dave and Arnie’s efforts, has begun to turn that around.” President Little Coyote further went on to
state that “Open dumps have added to the deterioration of our community for
too many years and I am looking forward to taking these positive steps to
better the environment for our people.
Of great significance is the fact that we will be able to clean up an
open dump located near the gravesite of one of our historically prominent
Chiefs. With these efforts we can
honor the memory of our great leaders and the sacrifices that they made for
the People and the homeland that they will keep forever.” The Environmental Protection
Department Director David Millegan stated, “I am
really excited about this opportunity.
We are very serious about trying to clean these sites up - they have
been an eyesore and potential health and safety threat for a number of
years. Hopefully, through these
efforts and involvement by the community, we can prevent any future sites
from being created.” Tribal Report of the |
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Northern Cheyenne Medical Resources
Department JoHanna Spang [ The purpose of the Medical Resources
Office is to assist patients residing on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in
seeking alternative medical resources.
Our goal is to maximize the available Health Resources for patients
and clients. Our office assists all
referrals for Alternate Medical Resources for the following: Self-referrals
or walk-ins; Indian Health Service or Contract Health Care; Board of Health
Programs; Other local health agencies. The Medical Resources Office serves as a
liaison for patients/clients and alternate resource agencies. Some of the
alternative resources we assist people in applying for are: Medicaid;
Medicare A, B, and D; CHIP; Social Security; SSI, SSDI, Survivors Benefits
and Retirement Benefits; Veterans Administration. We are here to provide information and
assist the general public in networking with various Human Service agencies
on or near the reservation in case-management issues regarding Alternate
Resources referrals. We help arrange
transportation to those |
appointments ordered by the
Social Security Administration for disability verification evaluations. Our
office also provides a room at the Lame Deer Indian Health Service for Social
Security telephone appointments. Phone calls and assistance through written
communication to the various agencies mentioned above. Our office will also help coordinate
outreach activities. The Social Security Administration has a representative
that comes down every third Wednesday of the month. We are setting up a time for a CHIP
representative to come down during open enrollment for nearby schools. The
representative will be on hand at the schools to answer any questions or take
applications. Our office is also willing and able to make home visits for
those patients/clients who have a hard time making it to the Lame Deer IHS,
or who would feel more comfortable in their own homes. For
any questions or concerns regarding alternate resources please stop by our
office, which is located behind patient registration at the Lame Deer
IHS. Our office hours are from 8:00 am
to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. You
can give us a call: JoHanna L. Spang, Medical
Resources Coordinator (406) 477-4477; Verna Old Mouse, Medical Resources
Technician (406) 477-4523. Tribal Report of the |
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LIHEAP Has Services for Newta Manley [Director Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program] The LIHEAP is coming to the end of the fiscal
year 2006 on September 30. The new
fiscal year will start on October 16, 2006 we will start taking applications
on that day. We have small amount of monies left to service households with
extreme emergencies. The households with limited fixed income are always the frist to be services. This is only for heating costs. Community
Services Block Grant The Community Services Block
Grant will also end September 30, 2006.
This program allows us to issue food vouchers every third week of the
month to the fixed income households.
We rotate the households and voucher them every three months. In the
past we used to issue vouchers every two months but this changed because
there are more households now. This
way every household gets a change to receive one. |
Residential Area Challenge Program This program is assisting low
income households with pluming, including water pipes for kitchens and
bathrooms, commodes and sinks. We also install furnaces if needed. We also help with water pumps for
households in rural areas and purchase appliances such as refrigerators and
stove ranges. Western Area Power Administration The WAPA program has
been on going for the past 25 years.
It pays $25.00 every month during the summer months and $45.00 during
the cold months. The household head
must be 60 years or older to be eligible and an enrolled member of the
Northern Cheyenne Tribe. If you have any questions about any of our programs, feel free to call at
477-8459 or 477-6691. Tribal Report of the |
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