The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1991-12-18

              Task force expects report on BIA reorganization in early 1992
■ni.-   • j   • t«-l- t:~..~«> «». .u-    —,..lv th.  ' .u_™ k.,    Mirlnnal offir«»c ic »T-ru>^«/>i4 «•« K»    iniri^tii/oc   th#» TasVr Fnm> nut a    Ponf«»renre Renorf on the FY 1991    Bureau nroBTams havine the hiehest
The Advisory Task Force on the
Reorganization of the BIA Nov. 15
wound up three days of meetings in
San Diego, California with plans to
submit a report on its work to the
Secretary of Interior and
Congressional Appropriations
Committees in early 1992.
Here are actions taken to date
during the group's nine meetings
that it is expected to spell out in
detail in the Task Force report:
• Considered a draft restructuring
and streamlining plan for the BIA
Central Office which reduces
positions required for a headquarters
operations and makes additional
funds available for distribution to
the agencies or other field offices;
• Formally approved a resolution to
create a Central Office of Economic
Development and will review and
receive tribal consultation on the
creation of a regional structure for
the Bureau's credit and financing
program;
• Further institutionalized a
consultation process for bringing
management improvement and
reorganization initiatives to the
group for information and action.
• Proposed that the name of the
BIA budgeting process and system
wherein tribes establish funding
levels for programs, from the Indian
Priority System (IPS) to the Tribal
Budget System, to better emphasize
the government-to-government
relationship;
• Initiated a process for tribes to
rank the programs serving them by
requesting that each tribe identify
the eight programs they believe have
the highest priority; and
• Accelerated development of a
standard assessment methodology
for budget development using the
services of the National Indian
Policy Center. The approach would
be to develop a methodology to
apply for all tribes to determine
funding allocations.
Harold Monteau, tribal attorney with
the Montana law firm of Monteau and
Guenther, a Task Force representative
for the Billings Area and Task Force
tribal coordinator, was asked to begin
the task of writing the report. Federal
staff representatives will work with
him in that effort. Interior Secretary
Manuel Lujan at the Task Force's
Anchorage, Alaska meeting last
month urged the group to submit a
report by January 1992 so that any
necessary information could be
included in the Administration's
budget message to Congress in
February.
While Task Force members agreed
on headquarters functions of the
economic development office, they
deferred action on a proposal
designating headquarters for
regional offices. A proposal for
regional offices will be taken to
tribal leaders by the designated tribal
representatives for consultation to
determine the most effective cities
for locating the regional offices. A
decision on final locations of the
regional offices is expected to be
reached when the group concludes
its meeting in Tampa, Florida, later
today. It was agreed that the Central
Office will use existing positions to
create an office of preferential
contracting and technical assistance
in the new Office.
In working on the consultation
process for management
improvement and reorganization
Reservation fishing co-op
paid $2.5 million bonus
Bemidji, Minn. (AP) - A $2.5
million bonus being divided
among nearly 600 Red Lake
Fisheries Association fishers is the
largest in the association's history,
an official says.
The amount nearly doubles the
$1.35 million in bonuses paid out a
year ago, fisheries general
manager Marlene Hanson said.
"Part of the reason for the higher
bonuses is hard work," Hanson
said. Another was an increase in
the number of Red Lake
Reservation commercial fishers,
from 348 a year ago to 578 who
will share bonus money this year.
Last year's record bonus and
money drew more interest in
commercial fishing this year, she
said.
Higher sales of yellow perch also
helped push sales to a record
plateau, Hanson said. Red Lake
Fisheries (lad a record 54.4 million
in 1991 sales. Last year's Sales
were $2.5 million.
A family-oriented industry,
commercial fishing at Red Lake
has become an important
economic industry with a weekly
payroll of $100,000, according to
Dave Connor, Red Lake tribal
fisheries biologist.
"It's not a glamorous occupation,
but high unemployment has forced
many to turn to fishing," Connor
said.
Under the cooperative system,
reservation fishers are paid for fish
they bring to the Redby processing
center. Profits from commercial
sales by the Fisheries Association
are pooled and the association's
board of directors decides how
much to give in bonuses at the end
of the season.
"During the summer we paid out
to all fishermen $1.25 million,"
Hanson said. "After the bonus, we
will have paid out $3.79 million,
so 87 percent of the fisheries total
sales went back to the fishermen."
The bonus amounts to a final
payment for the season. For
example, a Red Lake Reservation
tribal and cooperative member
earning $3,000 during the season
would receive a bonus check
Wednesday of $6,030.
Only association members may
fish commercially on the Red Lake
Reservation and the fish is
marketed through the association.
The fishing season runs May 15 to
Nov. 15, with the Red Lake
Fisheries Association the only
commercial walleye fisheries in
the United States.
Bonuses are paid based on
poundage of fish brought to the
fisheries plant during the season,
Connor said. While walleye take
has declined, the take of yellow
perch has skyrocketed, he said.
The average daily catch per fisher
was 179 pounds of walleye and
25 of yellow perch in 1989. By
1991, the average was eight
pounds of walleye and 112 of
yellow perch.
The Red Lake Fisheries
Division, which has no
connection to the commercial
fishing association, monitors and
manages fish resources.
Self-governance Project
draws large attendance
In mid-November, more than
110 individuals attended a
working conference on Indian
tribal self-governance in Mesa,
Arizona. The elected heads of 11
tribes and representatives of 16
of the 17 "compact" tribes
explored creative ways to refine
and improve the Self-
Governance Demonstration
Project.
"Both the President and I view
self-governance as the next step
in the government-to-
government relationship,"
Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan
wrote in a letter to the
conference participants. "I am
pleased that self-governance has
become a reality during the
President's first term in office. I
am also pleased that it has started
to expand in terms of the number
of tribes participating and in the
range of issues that it is
addressing." He continued, "Over
the next year, let us see how far
we can go in streamlining
Departmental, Bureau and Tribal
procedures in order to improve
the efficiency and effectiveness
of programs and services that are
ultimately delivered to American
Indians and Alaska Natives."
In his keynote address,
Assistant Secretary Eddie F.
Brown said the Demonstration
Project will continue to receive
the highest priority from his
office. "Secretary Lujan has
made it clear that this
administration views it as
becoming permanent for those
tribes who want it. The question
before us is not whether this
program will continue but rather
what form it will take." Brown
encouraged the sixteen
participating tribes to push for
change but to recognize that
change does not occur overnight
in the federal government. "To
the BIA area and agency staffs, I
encourage you to roll up your
sleeves and participate in a rare
opportunity in the federal
government - the creation of
something new."
Twelve work sessions for the
conference were organized
under the four main themes of
functional restructuring;
budgetary and resource
allocation; legal and
programmatic issues; and
accountability. William Lavell,
director of the Office of Self-
Governance, termed the
conference a huge success.
"This success is due to the
cooperative efforts of tribal
leaders and staff working
closely with BIA staff," Lavell
said. He added that many issues
and questions were discussed
and numerous options were
proposed for consideration.
"A variety of tasks are being
planned and progress reports
will be made at a follow-up
conference which is tentatively
planned for next spring, prior to
the commencement of
negotiations of the FY 1993
Compact Agreements," Lavell
said.
initiatives, the Task Force put a
process in place for identifying
current or future initiatives of the
Bureau and determining the ones to
be brought before the Task Force for
review and comment or
recommendations which need Task
Force approval. The process adopted
further refines the participatory role
of the Task Force in dealing with
reorganization as referenced in the
Conference Report on the FY 1992
appropriations bill. Reports were
also heard on the continuing
development of agency level
organizations which reflect tribal
design of the offices direcdy serving
them. The process was begun at the
Bismarck meeting in September and
should be completed by all areas in
December.
In asking tribes to rank eight
Bureau programs having the highest
priority, Assistant Secretary Eddie
Brown will direct the Bureau's line
officers to work with the tribes in
their jurisdictions. The Task Force
can then communicate these
priorities to the Secretary and senior
management officials of OMB for
their use in making funding
allocation decisions in the federal
budget process.
"VTaoxoa—   of -fclng;   Anishinabe
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 4 Issue 12
December 18,1991
U
c Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1991
Alternative
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
schoofmust Is there a truck in your future?
repay state v
St. Paul, Minn. (AP) - A private
alternative school for American
Indian children has been ordered to
return $29,100 to the state and won't
get a $48,267 grant.
The state Board of Education on
Monday ordered the Red School
House in St. Paul to make the
repayment based on an audit
showing the money had been
improperly spent. The board also
said the school won't get the grant
previously awarded for this year's
language and culture programs.
The Red School House has an
annual budget of $1.5 million, made
up mostly of federal money, and
serves 150 students.
"This will really hurt our
program," said Ronald Leith, the
school's administrator.
The state audit covered the
1989-90 academic year when
Stephanie Autumn was the school's
administrator. Autumn left in May
after the school board did not renew
her contract.
Leith, a critic of the previoiV,
administration, said school officials
did not keep careful financial
records and auditors could not find
receipts for many expenses.
>   ♦.t"    ' * -, ■"'>■■'.■■■..
It has been rumored that the Red Lake Tribal Council will be using creative financing to meet their
next payroll. Could these trucks be a Merry Christmas present for some one?
East Grand Forks and Red Lake Falls to host new casinos
Redlake, Minn. (AP) - The Red
Lake Chippewa Band plans to locate
casinos in East Grand Forks and Red
Lake Falls according to tribal
officials.
Thief River Falls and Crookston,
two cities considered as possible
casino locations, were ruled out by
the tribal council, said Bill Hallett,
the tribe's economic development
director.
The tribe, which opened a casino
in Warroad in August, initially
planned to open a second casino in
Thief River Falls but now is
"proposing to go ahead with two
additional expansions," Hallett said.
Three sites in East Grand Forks
have drawn the tribe's interest:
Liberty Lanes bowling alley and the
former Regency Inn, both located on
U.S. Hwy. 2; and the White Mart
store within the Holiday Mall
downtown.
In Red Lake Falls, the tribe is
interested in a 15,000-square-foot
space available in the downtown
mall. The Red Lake Falls City
Council won the tribe's attention
with an "aggressive" proposal this
week, Hallett said.
East Grand Forks would have the
larger of the two casinos because it
would serve a larger market, Hallett
said, but the Red Lake casino may
open sooner.
"Red Lake Falls would be the
quickest to develop. We're looking
at minor renovations in the mall
there," Hallett said.
East Grand Forks Mayor Ken
Moulds said he informally polled
City Council members on die casino
proposal and found unanimous
support.
"Everybody has some questions,"
Moulds said, "but at the same time,
everybody is anxious to get on with
it."
"Whatever you do, you'll have a
certain element of people who have
concerns about gambling. Overall,
people will recognize that this is a
good thing for the community."
Meanwhile, the tribe's decision
was a letdown for city and county
officials in Thief River Falls. The
community was the tribe's first
choice for a casino, but it also was
the only town in which there's been
significant opposition.
"We're very disappointed, to say
the least," said Thief River Falls
City Council member Bob Reeve.
"But I can't feel entirely bad about
Red Lake Falls. They've had some
rough times too. They're close to us,
so hopefully, we'll get some
spin-off."
Hallett said the tribal council
decided to avoid Thief River Falls
because tribal members detected a
"radical, racist element" among
casino opponents.
"There were calls to the chairman
while we were in council, vowing to
do everything they could to shut us
down, including picket," Hallett
said.
David Grothe, a Thief River Falls
businessman who led a campaign
against the casino, said he called the
tribal council during its deliberations
Tuesday.
He said he told a tribal official mat
some opponents planned to picket if
the tribe opened a casino in Thief
River Falls, but that he would
concentrate on convincing Gov.
Arne Carlson not to sign a gambling
compact with the tribe.
"She said I used nice-sounding
words, but that I was a racist,"
Grothe said. "I told her it wouldn't
matter if a totally white group
brought in a casino. We're opposed
to it because we think it'll hurt
people."
Hallett said, "There's a lot of
charitable gaming going on in that
community and these people aren't
standing outside picketing them."
Hallett said the tribe isn't
concerned about competition from
the White Earth Chippewa Band,
which last month opened a casino in
Mahnomen, because "business
creates business."
In fact, the Red Lake Band hopes
to expand its Warroad casino soon,
Hallett said. The tribe is negotiating
the purchase of Reed's Landing, a
motel-restaurant-charter fishing
resort in Warroad.
Gambling casinos, which offer
video slot machines and high stakes
blackjack, have proved a major
economic success for Minnesota's
Indian tribes since
Congress passed the Indian Gaming
Act in 1988. All of the tribes in
northern Minnesota are building
casinos or expanding current
operations.
The state's Indian-run casinos
drew $400 million in wagers in
1991. State officials predict wagers
could top $700 million in 1992.
Lujan addresses Federal Financial System issue
Speaking to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs' Albuquerque area and central
office employees recently, Interior
Secretary Manuel Lujan called BIA's
conversion to the Federal Financial
System (FFS) to date a success and
declared that it was time to fully
integrate BIA employees into the
management team.
"As you know, last year there was
much turmoil here in Albuquerque
because I sent a team of financial
and management experts from other
bureaus here in response to an
Inspector General's report regarding
major accounting problems," Lujan
told the employees. "This team came
to Albuquerque to put into effect the
FFS for BIA. I'm pleased that this
task is being accomplished," he
added. He said that it was now time
to move ahead in cleaning up the old
system, entering proper dates into
the new accounting system, and
fully integrating BIA employees into
the new operations.
"It is my desire that upon
reconciling of all accounts and
control problems and full
implementation of the new system,
all financial and management
functions will be solely in the hands
of BIA employees," Lujan said.
The Interior Secretary spent more
than three hours in his visit
answering questions from BIA's
financial and management staff, the
team of experts that have been
working since last year in converting
to FFS, and all employees of the
Albuquerque area. "I always make it
a point to meet with the Bureaus that
have large staffs in the areas I visit,"
he said. "I especially wanted to visit
at this time to call attention to the
new accounting system to which
BIA has just converted," he added.
He told BIA's financial and
management employees they would
continue to be trained to take full
control of the FFS system. He asked
Brown to speed consideration by the
Reorganization Task Force of a plan
to restructure the unit so that further
training of employees could begin.
Lujan also said some new positions
would be created for which many of
the current employees in financial
and management unit could qualify.
"One of the problems still being
addressed is the backlog of payment
vouchers," Brown said. "Each
Bureau that has converted to the new
system has initially built up
substantial payment backlogs and
BIA has been no exception." He said
that to address the problem, the
Division of Accounting
Management formed a special
project team to establish controls
over the flow of payment
documents,   to   identify
documentation problems before
much time is wasted on transactions
not yet ready for payment, and to
identify and resolve roadblocks to
making payments. Typical payment
problems include incomplete
documentation and a lack of a
recorded obligation in the
accounting system.
Interior officials told BIA that
BIA's conversion so far has been the
smoothest of any of the seven
Interior bureaus currently using FFS.
Prior to conversion to the new
system, a $95 million negative cash
balance with Treasury was cleared
and differences in excess of $400
million in BIA's general ledger
balances and Treasury balances were
resolved. It will take about a year for
the BIA staff to become proficient at
using the new system based upon the
experiences of the other Interior
bureaus that have converted.
Christmas Greetings from the Ojibwe News