BAY MILLS &mdash The Bay Mills Indian Community General Tribal Council convened Monday, Aug. 16, to discuss tribal business.
Adoptions
The Bay Mills Enrollment Committee recommended 25 applicants for membership and 10 for denial. The recommendations were based on ancestry ties &mdash whether an applicant had lineal ties (parents or grandparents are members) or collateral ties (aunts, uncles or cousins are members). The 25 applicants recommended for adoption into the tribe all had lineal descendant ties.
The Enrollment Committee's recommendations were approved by the GTC.
Enrollment Director Phyllis Malloy will inform those that were denied membership that they can appeal the GTC's decision in person at the next regular meeting.
New Business
The Bay Mills Conservation Committee's Rule 15 restricting the number of trap nets allowed by Bay Mills fishers was disputed by some who thought the rule was unfair. Committee Vice Chairman Tony LeBlanc spoke on their behalf, saying the rule “tied the hands of fishermen” and that many trap net fishermen were forced to lay people off. Many have thousands of dollars worth of equipment rotting on the ground because they can't be put into the water, he said.
Allard Teeple made a motion to rescind Rule 15. His motion was carried unanimously.
Bay Mills Ojibwe Charter School Board Vice President Wanda Perron asked if the council was planning to help the school with busing for the next school year. Last year, the school used two small buses belonging to the Bay Mills Child Development Center. CDC Director Andrea Shaw said that this arrangement resulted in a large amount of overtime and added stress for employees.
Parker said that the council discussed trading in two of the center's four small buses for full-sized buses that would seat 36 students instead of 18.
Aneen Waite stressed that school enrollment would drop without adequate busing. Currently, 124 students are enrolled for school, 30 percent more than last year.
Roland Menominee asked the GTC to grant Randy Touchtone permission to use tribal construction equipment to do side work during the evening and weekends. He said that Touchtone, currently employed with Bay Mills Construction, saves money for tribal members by doing jobs for much less than other workers.
Parker said the tribe had concerns about liability and maintenance. Touchtone said that he would be responsible for repairs if the equipment breaks while he is working.
Kurt Perron made a motion to allow qualified and experienced tribal members use tribal equipment on the weekends to service the community, pending a written policy.
Before a vote could take place, a member asked for a roll call. When it was determined there was no quorum, the meeting adjourned.
