Karuk Tribe of California
Tribal Council Meeting Minutes
November 17, 2005
Orleans, California
Ayukii,
The meeting was called to order at 5:06 PM by Leeon Hillman, Treasurer.
Roll Call
Present
Leeon Hillman, Treasurer
Roy Arwood, Member
Florence Conrad, Member
Robert Goodwin, Member
Robert Grant, Member
Alvis Johnson, Member
Absent
Arch Super, Chairman – excused on travel
Leaf Hillman, Vice Chairman – excused on travel
Florrine Super, Secretary – excused on travel
Quorum is established.
The preamble to the Constitution was read aloud by Leeon Hillman, Treasurer.
Approval of the Agenda for November 17, 2005
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve the Agenda for November 17, 2005. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Robert Goodwin and Roy Arwood were duly sworn in as Tribal Council Members for their new terms.
Bob thanked those who voted for him and he states he feels they have done a good job and they are always open to comments from the membership.
Roy states that he offered his services two years ago not knowing what he was getting into. He has seen many good things happen and he is always open to change if they will let him know what their ideas are because they care what their members/communities feel.
1) Approval of the Minutes for October 27, 2005
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve the Minutes for October 27, 2005. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
2) Eric Hoffman, Cufis Technologies
Eric was present to address the Council and discuss the company that he owns. He distributed information on the company, the top 8a organizations, the 8a application that shows how to start, and the Federal Register that governs 8a.
He states he started his own technology company and then gained 8a status as he is a Tribal Descendent of the Karuk Tribe. He has been approached by several large companies inquiring if the Tribe has 8a status for technology contracting purposes. He figured he would take this opportunity to address the Council and let them know a little about all of the things they can do that will be economically successful for the Tribe.
He states if the Tribe owns the corporation, there are no requirements to submit tax records for Board Members which was a concern in the past. There is a simple form that is signed by the Board stating they are able to serve as Board Members.
Leeon pointed out that the Board changes from time to time. Eric states that would not be an issue because it would be a for-profit corporation separately for this specific company and the President, Vice President, etc. would be appointed and not change.
He states that the majority of the top 8a organizations are Tribes and this would not be a new thing for them to pursue. Several Tribes set these up but don’t have business to feed off of, if they did this, he could provide them contacts of companies that are seeking Tribes to work with.
Bob asked what they would do. He states one service that can be done is security system integration and monitoring. Another could be radio frequency monitoring. He would recommend a technology company as it is profitable, creates high paying jobs, can be done from virtually anywhere once the equipment is in place, and there are contracts out there to be obtained.
Bob states that the Karuk Community Development Corporation would be the appropriate branch of the Tribe to administer a venture of this nature. It would be beneficial to forward this information to that Board for a more detailed presentation.
Eric states once they set up the structure, they can set up holdings for everything from technology to forestry to pursue.
They would like to schedule a follow up meeting to discuss this further in more detail with the other staff that previously worked on the 8a status also.
3) Duke Arwood
Duke was present to address the Council and request assistance with uniforms for the youth basketball team he has started. He currently has 18 players that come to practice on a regular basis, 12 of which are Karuk Tribal Members or descendents. He predicts the expense would be $800 for 10 uniforms and would accept whichever amount they can afford. They state they will put it on the agenda for Wednesday and then get back to him.
4) Sonny Mitchell and Tonya Johnson
Tonya was also present to request assistance with funding for the youth basketball team she works with. It is a girl’s team. They predict their season would end in February. They are requesting $800 for assistance with uniforms and travel to the tournaments. All of the team members are Tribal Members. They are only planning to purchase tops and then purchase shorts later. She states Sonny Mitchell and Chook Chook Hillman coach at no expense. She states they do bake sales, raffles, and car washes. They will also take this to their Wednesday meeting and get back to her.
5) Florence Conrad
Florence distributed information regarding the 5th Annual Buffet Awards, Leaf Hillman is the runner up. She states this is a very prestigious accomplishment and she wanted to make sure everyone knew about it. The audience applauded this honor.
6) Robert Goodwin
Bob was present to address the Council and audience to announce that his son Robert Goodwin has been selected as the Rookie of the Year at the Fire Training he is attending at Sycuan. The audience also applauded this accomplishment.
7) Jeanerette Jacups-Johnny
She is requesting approval of $118.48 for assistance with her balance on a medical bill. Her other request is dollars to assist with hygiene supplies for Elders such as Depends, and other types of similar needs. Her third request is regarding assistance she has requested from Lisa’s program for wood/propane assistance. Her fourth request is regarding the use of Housing’s building for acupuncture. She has been told that because she came to the Council they will not work with her. She reminded everyone that without the People, there would be no Housing or KCDC, or other programs. Erin states she needs to follow up with paperwork to her and Lisa in order to be reimbursed for the wood/propane assistance. She is eligible; she just needs to submit the receipts.
They can table these items to Wednesday so that they can take action at that time and gather additional information in the meantime. They would also like to know what the dollar amount may be for the Elder’s assistance.
8) Susan Gehr, Language
Susan was present to review her written report; she has no action items at this time. She updated that the Master Edition of the Dictionary was updated and the Master Edition has been received. They have changed it to dedicate the Dictionary to Danielle McCarthy as she worked so hard with Susan on the project.
She announced that there are still 8 openings for Happy Camp employees to attend the Beginning Excel Class on December 13, 2005. She also stated that if the individuals signed up want specific information, they can get that to her so she can be sure to address them in the class. They hope to extend that to Orleans and Yreka also. There is a computer center in Orleans that could be used for that type of training.
Bob asked about the networking she was planning to do with the Volkswagen Foundation in Germany. They have a project for documenting endangered languages and she has met with them and it went very well. She hopes to pursue this and has gathered information regarding how they can get funded.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Susan’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
9) Don Voyles, Maintenance
Not present, written report only.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Don’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
10) Sandi Tripp, DNR
Sandi was present to review her written report with the Council.
She requested approval to submit a proposal to the California Endowment Fund for $25,000 to provide organizational development support for 12 months for the Klamath Restoration Council. Funds will cover basic operating costs, meeting support, presentations, consultants, media workshops, and Tribal administration of the grant. Resolution 05-R-137 was assigned.
Florence Conrad moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve Resolution 05-R-137. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
She requested approval of Contract 06-C-010 with Jeanette Quinn in the amount of $14,058 from November 17, 2005 through September 30, 2006. She went over the type of activities that will be done under the Contract.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Contract 06-C-010. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Her last item is approval of a grant with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the amount of $110,338 for the period of May 1, 2006 through June 1, 2007 to partially fund the 2006 Field Season for decommissioning the 12N07 Road in the Merrill Creek Watershed. Resolution 05-R-136 was included.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Resolution 05-R-136. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Her last item is to request meeting dates from the Council. She needs a meeting to review the report on their IRMP Progress before December 15, 2005. December 1, 2005 at 10 AM in Happy Camp was set for the Mid-Month Meeting.
She also needs meeting dates in January, March, and June to review the drafts of the IRMP. January 9, 2006, March 6, 2006 and June 19, 2006 all at 10 AM were all set.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Sandi’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
11) Dion Wood, TERO
Dion was present to address the Council and review his written report. He does not have any action items. He states they have elected Dave Nelson as the new President for the TERO Commission. He would also like permission to pursue letters of intent to fill that vacancy. They are starting to hold meetings every other month also to conserve funds. They would like to recruit a Commissioner from Orleans if possible.
Consensus: To advertise for the vacancy on the TERO Commission.
Roy Arwood moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Dion’s report. 4 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara (Alvis Johnson).
12) Hector Garcia, Self Governance
Not present, written report only.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Hector’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
13) Jennifer Goodwin, Education
Jennifer was present to review her written report. She states she has no action items at this time. She states the Education Committee began working on policies and procedures at their last meeting.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Grant seconded to approve Jennifer’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
14) Rick Hill, Grant Writing
Rick was present to review his written report with the Council. He announced that he attended the HCHS Board of Director’s meeting last night along with Alvis Johnson and Larry Jordan. They have decided to move forward with transferring the HCHS Clinic Building to the Tribe so they can pursue funding to renovate that facility. They will have Gary Ball come up in the near future to see what can be done and to begin working with him on plans for renovations.
He distributed a copy of the brochure that he and Erin developed for Hector to distribute regarding the Self Governance Department. The goal is to distribute these when asked about their program and use it as a promotional tool.
Roy Arwood moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Rick’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
15) Chris Kleeman, IT
Not present, written report only.
He will be first on the agenda for the Planning Meeting on November 23, 2005. In the meantime they can halt the purchase of any additional combination locks.
Directive: To not allow the purchase of any more combination locks until a standardized security system is discussed in further detail.
16) Larry Jordan, EDHHS
Not present, written report only.
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve Larry’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
17) Laura Mayton, CFO
Laura was present to request approval to repair the vehicle that was recently damaged in Yreka. The lowest price is $3,032 with a $1,000 deductible at Fairlane Auto Body. It was not the Tribe’s fault so the Tribe should be reimbursed by the other driver’s insurance company.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve the repairs. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
She also announced that she would like to speak to them next week about the software that Enrollment is looking into purchasing. At the Health Board Meeting they authorized them to begin negotiating prices up to a certain amount. She has some ideas for where they can pay for it from and can discuss it further next week.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Laura’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
18) Erin Hillman, Administrative Programs/Compliance
Erin was present to review her written report with the Council. She states they are working on the Education Program and LIAP Program policies and procedures; they will bring them to the Council for approval in the near future.
She distributed the Draft EA for the upcoming Yreka Karuk Community Center that will be built with the HUD ICDBG Grant Number B-SR-04-06-1785. She will be working with Scott and Sami to review the document to allow the final draft to be prepared. Once that is done, the FONSI will be issued and then funding can start being drawn down to begin work on the project. She states there are 6 architects inquiring about the project, and the bid opening is on November 28, 2005. Weddle Gilmore will not be submitting a proposal as they are too busy.
She included the draft language to implement a formal policy for reviews of MOUs, MOAs, and Agreements. She will request approval of that in December once the Directors have a opportunity to comment on the proposed changes.
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve Erin’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
19) April Attebury, Tribal Court/TANF
Not present, no report submitted.
20) Lisa Aubrey, LIAP
Lisa was present to distribute and review her report with the Council. She has no action items for them at this time. She let them know some of the new processes she is working on right now to make things easier and try to help her clients more. The CSD dollars are exhausted until January 2006. She also states that the Council discretionary fund that has been established is wonderful and it has been very helpful to the Members. She states they will not hear until January if anyone was eligible for the 2006 HIP funding. She will be mailing applications for 2007 in February. She received 30 applications this year, but she mailed out 638. She will be advertising for the wood contractors in the near future.
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve Lisa’s report. 3 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara (Florence Conrad) (Robert Grant not present for voting).
21) Scott Quinn, Land/Transportation
Not present, written report only.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Goodwin seconded to approve Scott’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
22) Toni McLane, Head Start
Not present, written report only.
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve Leo’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
23) Leo Carpenter, People’s Center
Not present, written report submitted.
Sara states he is requesting approval for himself and Alvis Johnson to travel to Santa Ana Pueblo, NM, November 19-23, 2005 to attend training that is funded through the Seventh Generation Fund. They will share with other Tribes how and why sweat houses are important to the health and well being of the Karuk communities.
Roy Arwood moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve out of state travel for Leo Carpenter and Alvis Johnson. 4 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara.
Robert Goodwin moved and Alvis Johnson seconded to approve Leo’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
24) Sami Difuntorum, Housing
Not present, written report only.
Roy pointed out that Housing is seeking funding for an Assisted Living complex in Happy Camp which is a needed addition to that community. Roy states they are having some troubles with six of the Elders homes in Yreka and he is not sure what the problem is, but the families have sold their homes and the City is causing some hitch to allow them to move in. Bob states that the land was not in Trust but was treated as though it was through the whole process, then someone caught it and put it through the Planning Department and now they continue to put obstacles before the Housing Authority which hinders the ability to allow these homes to be approved for the families to move in.
Robert Goodwin moved and Alvis Johnson seconded to approve Sami’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
25) Fred Burcell, Construction
Not present, written report only.
Bob pointed out that he has forwarded information to Housing regarding the speed bump issues in Yreka. Erin states he would most likely come to a Planning Meeting to discuss this in more detail with them.
Robert Goodwin moved and Florence Conrad seconded to approve Fred’s report. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
26) Requests
None at this time.
27) Phone Votes
The phone votes were included in the packets to be read into the record.
a) 10/31/2005 – Approval to purchase Halloween candy for the front office. Passed.
b) 11/16/2005 – Approval of the KTHA Annual Performance Report for submission to HUD. Passed.
28) Informational
None at this time.
29) Committee Reports
Florence states the Elder’s Gathering was great. She states the worked hard but it was fun. There was a hoop dance with nine youth which was fun and then he did a dance for the attendees. The Aztec Dancers were there along with dancers from Pomo and Smith River.
30) Norman Goodwin
Norman was present to thank them for their support of the ceremonies. He also thanked them individually for their involvement and participation in the dances. He also specially thanked Leeon and Leaf for their regalia. Leeon thanked him for his time and dedication because it is a lot of work and it is deeply appreciated. He states this was one of the best years they have had with participation. Bob thanked him for explaining and showing him what is going on. He understands it is a lot of work to put that on and the knowledge he has is amazing to pass on. He again thanked them from the bottom of his heart for their financial support.
31) Bob Goodwin
He states they are still moving forward at KCDC. They plan to investigate the 8a opportunity that was presented to them tonight and they plan to proceed with caution to make sure it is the right thing to do. Corina Alexander and Barbara Amidon in the Naa Vura Yee Shiip continue their work. Jim Berry is preparing for their upcoming Audit. The Hardware Store had to be closed, but it has never made a profit and it was time to do something different; there are a couple of different individuals interested in purchasing the inventory. Rosie continues to seek funding for the Happy Camp Computer Center. The Fire Crew has been transferred and the Head Start is planned to transition on January 1, 2006.
Closed Session from 8:09 PM to 9:50 PM
Roy Arwood moved and Florence Conrad seconded to inform the Housing Authority in a non-invasive manner letting them know it is not normal and won’t happen often, but in this case they want the eviction overturned and dismissed and Tribal Member #510 to remain in his home. 3 haa, 0 puuhara, 2 pupitihara (Robert Goodwin and Alvis Johnson).
Directive: They need to place this topic on the Agenda for the February Housing Planning Session to address consistency with reviewing actions that take place on/off Tribal Housing Property and how it impacts the residents.
Consensus: To submit the State Bar Complaint Form as presented.
Robert Goodwin moved and Alvis Johnson seconded to approve Amendments 6 and 7 to CBSA Employee Benefit Plan. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to pay $16,996.40 to Dr. Beckham from discretionary. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Florence Conrad moved and Alvis Johnson seconded to approve purchasing a booth and sending Sara Spence to the Job Fair in Sacramento on December 6, 2005. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Florence Conrad moved and Robert Grant seconded to approve a loan in the amount of $2,285 to be repaid $50 per month for Tribal Member #1780 if Tribal Member #335 will co-sign. 4 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara (Robert Goodwin).
Roy Arwood moved and Robert Grant seconded to approve a $500 donation to the Naa Vura Yee Shiip program. 4 haa, 0 puuhara, 1 pupitihara (Alvis Johnson).
Florence Conrad moved and Roy Arwood seconded to approve a loan for $1,500 to be repaid at $100 per month for Tribal Member #11 if Tribal Member #531 will co-sign. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Next Meeting Date: December 22, 2005 at 5 PM
Robert Goodwin moved and Roy Arwood seconded to adjourn at 9:55 PM. 5 haa, 0 puuhara, 0 pupitihara.
Yootva,
______________________________________
Leeon Hillman, Treasurer
Recording Secretary, Sara Spence