Leech Lake begins program designed to put people back to work
By MONICA LUNDQUIST
Cass County Correspondent
CASS LAKE - Leech Lake Reservation started a new day labor program this year that could serve as an example to the federal government of a way to get people back to work.
It is a temporary help system that does not allow anyone to work more than two days per week, but it pays $9 per hour for unskilled work and has helped Leech Lake clean up public and private properties on the reservation. Anyone age 18 or older can register to work.
Some 300 tribal members have registered to work as the day laborers. Registered workers can show up for work any morning. About 80 are put onto crews each day. At the end of the day, they are given a voucher, which they take to a tribal casino to receive cash wage payments.
Secretary-treasurer Michael Bongo said communities in each of the three Leech Lake voter districts have purchased equipment for laborers to use. One bought an old school bus to transport workers to job sites.
U.S. Forest Service and some Bemidji businesses now contract with Leech Lake for the day laborers to do work for them, so Leech Lake can derive some revenue from their work crew contracts as well as expand the number or workers served.
It is helping people pay their utility bills and other financial obligations, said Chairman Arthur "Archie" LaRose.
Leech Lake Tribal Police will start a program this summer to hire students to work with the police department in the hope they will become interested in pursuing a law enforcement career, Chief Garr Pemberton said. A student interest inventory is also being conducted to encourage students to pursue careers that match their interests.
Tribal Attorney Frank Bebeau reported Leech Lake will distribute $1.5 million to band members this year from a tax rebate the band received.
To Subscribe to the Brainerd Dispatch, Click Here.
Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Brainerd Dispatch. Please read our posting rules in the terms of service policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the triangle alert icon.
Top Commented Articles
