Ninham Named to Task Force to Assist DOI with Trust Reform
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KalihwisaksKalihwisaks “She Looks For News” Local/State/National Girls Win, Boys Lose in Pow Wow Something News Basketball Action Review Page 2A-5A Page 8A Page 1B January 24, 2002 Official Newspaper of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin www.oneidanation.org Geologist raises Ninham named to task force to questions assist DOI with trust reform about PCB By Keith Skenandore assist in addressing the main which would devise the appointment to the position. Kalihwisaks issue in Indian Country. It’s process of protocol, purpose, The suit is seeking to force cleanup Tribal leaders first met last the most significant issue by-laws, and goals and objec- the government to fix the week in San Diego for the affecting Indian Country.” tives. Individual Indian Money plan Task Force on Trust Reform The issue to be addressed “Additional assignments (IIM's) account system and dedicated to providing con- GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - by the task force is to provide will be coming out through reconcile the 300,000 A geologist hired by an envi- crete advice to the alternative plans to Secretary our conference calling,” said accounts. Attorneys for the ronmental group says the Department of Interior (DOI) of Interior Gale Norton’s pro- Ninham. plaintiffs say the government government's $308 million to guide its reform efforts. posal of the creation of new He said Norton’s creation could be liable for billions of plan to dredge PCB-contami- Oneida Councilman Paul agency called the Bureau of of a new agency was a breach dollars in under payments to nated sediment from stretches Ninham, selected from the Indian Trust Assets of a government to govern- Indians. of the Fox River is flawed. Minneapolis region, joins 23 Management (BITAM). ment relationship agreement “My belief is she (Norton) The plan recommended by other tribal appointees repre- On Nov. 14, 2001, Norton between tribal leaders and the just threw together a not so the state Department of senting the 12 BIA regions, moved forward to create a this federal government. very well thought out plan to Natural Resources and the and two tribal co-chairs, and agency, through a secretarial “She planned on taking the please the courts,” said U.S. Environmental two DOI co-chairs to make up order, and planned to strip the trust functions from the BIA Ninham. “It appears that her Councilman Ninham Protection Agency relied the task force. Also selected BIA of its trust management and leave a skeleton agency people have not opted to take heavily on computer models from the Minneapolis region responsibility and transfer address issues such as data which would be more service a hard look at an extremely to predict sedimentation prob- was Melanie Benjamin, chief those duties to the BITAM. cleanup and records manage- oriented,” said Ninham. He serious situation.” lems in the river and the bay executive of the Mille Lacs The task force will evaluate ment, business-oriented trust said the BIA would have been of Green Bay, said Diane Susan Masten, president of Band of Ojibwe, with all available options and processes, trust funds left with transportation, edu- NCAI, said in a press state- Boreck, a geologist from Menominee Tribal Chairman develop and submit to the accounting systems, natural cation and health services. Colorado. ment, “The Department of Apesanahkwat appointed as DOI one or more alternatives resources and minerals man- Norton’s proposal comes in “The farther the model is Interior has been consistently an alternate. to the reorganization of the agement, probate backlog and response to litigation of the projected into the future, the criticized in its trust reform land fractionalization, real more inaccurate it becomes,” “I’m really surprised, yet BIA as proposed by the Cobell vs Norton class-action efforts for making cosmetic estate and policy and regula- Boreck said Wednesday. “It is elated, that through this Department, consistent with suit. The lawsuit, initially changes while ignoring the tions, and other topics as nec- not appropriate to leave the process I was named as a del- principles enunciated by the named Cobell vs Babbitt prior real problems of accountabili- essary. PCBs in the river and bay egate to the task force,” said tribal leaders. Member of the to the former Secretary of See Page 4 based on imprecise computer Ninham. “I’m honored to task force are prepared to Ninham said one commit- Interior’s departure, was models, when we know have been selected and to form subcommittees to tee was formed in San Diego inherited by Norton upon her Task Force through actual data that pub- lic health risks will remain Reports: high without cleanup.” AndAnd thethe winnerswinners are...are... Twenty miles of the river McCallum to and the entire bay are being left to recover naturally, based cut shared on flawed computer model projections, Boreck said. revenue Boreck was hired by the to local Clean Water Action Council with a federal grant that governments allows local citizens to hire MADISON, Wis. (AP) - outside experts to help them Gov. Scott McCallum wants review and comment on the to end state aid to municipali- highly technical documents ties by 2004, according to produced by the government. news reports. In October, the DNR and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee EPA recommended that seven said Monday night an uniden- paper companies spend $308 tified source in McCallum’s See Page 5 administration stated the gov- ernor would propose severely PCB Cleanup cutting state shared revenue aid to local governments dur- ing the next two years and eliminating it by 2004. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported in Tuesday’s edition that the governor wanted a three-year phase-out of shared revenue to save the state government money as it faces a $1.1 bil- lion state budget shortfall. Photos courtesy Lee Ann Laes Former Oneida Methodist McCallum was scheduled to release details of his pro- Minister Rev. Eldon Riggs, posal Tuesday at a joint meet- shown above, is draped in ing of the Legislature. a pendleton blanket by According to WTMJ, the Chairman Gerald Danforth plan would include: and Carole Liggins, for his -Cutting $350 million in lifetime achievement funding to local governments award at the Oneida in each of the next two years AmVets awards dinner. and eliminating the shared At right, Wayne revenue program by 2004. Skenandore, manager of -Forbidding municipalities the Retail Division, from raising property taxes announces Cheyenna higher than the rate of infla- Delgado, center, as the tion. recipient of the Cherise The reports indicated an $800 million loan from the Slove Memorial state’s tobacco settlement Scholarship award. money would also be part of For a list of all the award winners, see Page 3. See Page 2 Budget Cuts 2 A(T#ken) January 24, 2002 K a lliih w iis a k s LocalLocal NeNewsws From Page 1/McCallum’s budget cut proposal doesn’t sit well with local governments McCallum’s proposal, either ing with neighboring units for has been blamed on the eco- Milwaukee Mayor John publicly released about his McCallum has already to reduce the budget shortfall common services. nomic recession exacerbated Norquist said of McCallum’s plan include sparing $2.7 bil- ordered a hiring freeze and a or ease the elimination of McCallum spokeswoman by Sept. 11. reported plan. “It’s a very lion in health and human ser- 3.5 percent cut in the budgets shared revenue. Debbie Monterrey-Millett Local governments use serious attack on local gov- vice programs and keeping for most state agencies. The Journal Sentinel also would not confirm nor deny state aid to help pay for ernment, local services and the state's commitment to Mike Browne, a said McCallum was expected the reports and declined to expenses such as fire, police local property taxpayers.” fund two-thirds of elementary spokesman for Senate to ask that local property tax describe details of and garbage collection. Norquist’s spokesman and secondary school costs. Majority Leader Chuck levies be frozen at last year's McCallum's proposal. Beloit City Manager Jane Stephen Filmanowicz said the He also has promised $7 levels, except to account for Administration Secretary Wood said her city gets $19 proposal unfairly targets the million in new spending for Chvala, D-Madison, said he inflation and demands of George Lightbourn said he million in aid from the state, aid to local governments various programs. had not seen the complete growing populations, to pre- could not comment. which accounts for more than while leaving other state “We’d like everyone to details of the plan and could vent property tax bills from McCallum has released half of its $32 million annual spending untouched. share the pain a little bit,” not comment until after its soaring to offset the loss of few details of his proposal to budget. The few details McCallum Filmanowicz said. release Tuesday. state aid. fix the state’s finances. “The scenario of phasing The newspaper said The Legislative Fiscal out state shared revenue over Notice to all Oneida Tribal Members McCallum was also expected Bureau announced last week three years is the end of to use the end of state subsi- the state is expected to take in Beloit,” Wood said. “I’m not General Tribal Council Meeting dies to try to force $1.1 billion less than had been exaggerating. We do not have Wisconsin's complex system expected in revenue for the the tax base to absorb or Monday, February 4, 2002 of local governments to cut two-year budget that ends replace shared revenue.” costs by merging or contract- June 30, 2003.