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Cass, Leech Lake Reservation plan lobbying efforts
By MONICA LUNDQUIST Cass County Correspondent CASS LAKE - Cass County and Leech Lake Reservation have a long history of cooperating on some government programs like law enforcement, some human services and some court functions.
At a joint meeting Tuesday the county board and tribal council took steps toward starting a joint lobbying program this year and to expand their cooperation.
This was the first meeting between the two bodies since a mostly new tribal council was elected last June.
The new council includes Chairman Arthur "Archie" LaRose; Secretary-treasurer Michael Bongo; District Representatives Robbie Howe, Lyman "DeDe" Losh and Eugene "Ribs" Whitebird. Only Losh was an incumbent.
Their new administration includes Executive Director Rob Aitken, whose position functions similar to a county administrator's, Tribal Attorney Frank Bebeau and Public Works Director Bob Goggleye.
One of the first lobbying efforts will be to seek Minnesota legislative approval to extend a pilot project that enabled Leech Lake and White Earth Reservations to assume responsibility from counties for placing children into foster care this year.
County Administrator Robert Yochum said this change has saved Cass County money and, more importantly, provided better service to tribal children. The initial two-year $4 million state funding runs out June 30.
Yochum also reported the county plans to use some of the county's financial savings for out-of-home placements to extend funding to preventive programs five family centers provide throughout Cass County. Commissioner Jim Dowson suggested the county consider adding another family center at Bena, an area underserved by current family centers.
The tribal court and Ninth Judicial District Court in Cass County have created a wellness court to offer repeat DWI offenders an opportunity for intensive counseling and assistance to overcome alcohol addiction. Tribal council and board members agreed this program has been successful for those who choose to participate as an alternative to going to jail or serving probation.
"It gives people hope," Commissioner Jeff Peterson said. Bongo noted it has cut repeat offenses and also noted the positive attitude of participants.
Bebeau reported Leech Lake's court system is qualified to assume juvenile sentencings, probation monitoring and divorce cases if a funding source or shift from state court funding could be arranged.
Tribal council members expressed interest in contributing financially to Longville Ambulance Service District funding, so people living in the Federal Dam and Sugar Point areas could receive emergency services from Longville rather than have to wait for Cass Lake ambulances to drive most of the way around Leech Lake.
Yochum estimated the cost for Leech Lake to participate in the Longville district would be about $25,000 per year.
Tribal council members also expressed significant interest in participating in Essentia Health Care's proposed critical access hospital and health care campus at Ah-Gwah-Ching and in looking at a way to integrate Essentia's services with the Indian Health Service's hospital at Cass Lake.
Bongo noted the Cass Lake hospital is certified to provide 5.5 doctors, but most of the time in recent years there has been only one doctor on staff. Aitken said Leech Lake definitely wants to participate with Essentia.
Tribal representatives plan to attend the Dec. 18 county board meeting at the land department building in Backus to hear Essentia's expected presentation on funding options for the critical access hospital.
The council and board agreed to lobby together on a second issue: seeking to maintain the traditional fall Mississippi Headwaters river drawdown. Dams regulate water levels in the river and lakes the river passes through here. This year, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed moving the drawdown to mid-summer.
That decision to open dams mid-summer drains water from wild rice beds before harvest season and lowers many Cass recreational lake water levels beginning mid-summer.
While Leech Lake has an environmental ordinance, the band plans to study Cass and other overlapping county ordinances from Beltrami and Itasca to consider drafting zoning laws for the reservation, Bebeau said. Cass refers tribal members living on tribal land to Leech Lake offices for information on complying with the reservation's environmental law, Yochum said.
The two governments discussed future road and land exchanges. They discussed how best to work out a permanent solution to the Boy Lake Road in Rogers Township. It is a gravel road the two governments have shared funding and providing maintenance services, but it continues to be in disrepair due to high traffic use. Rogers Township also contributes funding.
Assistant County Engineer Kris Lyytinen said the 200-vehicle count per day would qualify it to become a paved road if it were a county road, but the county cannot spend the more than $100,000 per mile paving cost on a road the county does not own.
Goggleye said he might be able to apply for Bureau of Indian Affairs funding to pave it in four to five years.
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