Submitted by LCO TGB Member Tweed Shuman
Greetings,
As you all may know there has been movement within the government this past month as we look to the future for our Tribe. At the end of May we had a two-day Strategic Planning Work Session facilitated by Blue Stone Strategy Group. The outcome of those two-days was a list of priorities identified by leadership, which fit in with our mission. We prioritized those priorities into short-term, mid-term, and long-term priorities. Of those priorities there are eight short term projects which we will begin implementation of the assessment phase in the upcoming weeks. With this letter we have attached a brief recap of the Work Session.
Listed below we have our four short-term priorities identified for the government. Starting immediately, we will have Blue Stone Strategy Group on-site, meeting with the Finance Department to begin an assessment.
• New Planning and Budget Process
• Government and Business Separation
• Health Clinic/Assisted Living Center
• Modernizing the Government Organizational Structure
We feel this is a positive direction we are taking to strengthen our government operations and business operations to provide stability for the future of our community. We hope you all will be as excited as we are to the changes that will be coming to the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. If throughout the process you have questions about what is going on, or concerns, please reach out to a tribal governing board member to further discuss. Tweed Shuman states we will be involving the tribal membership and open to input regarding the upcoming initiatives. These initial priorities set by the TGB can be realigned as membership input is received and warranted.
Chi Miigwech, The Tribal Governing Board
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
Two-Day Economic and Government Planning Work Session
Priorities Summary
The Tribal Governing Board (TGB) has retained Blue Stone Strategy Group (Blue Stone), a Native-owned advisory firm, to provide government and economic development advisory services to support the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin (Tribe) in accomplishing Tribal strategic goals.
To initiate the project, the TGB held a Two-Day Planning Work Session on May 29th and 30th, 2019, facilitated by Blue Stone, with the purpose of determining overall Tribal priorities, articulating the Tribe’s vision and mission, and developing a strategic action plan to set a strategy to move forward with the stabilization and economic growth of the Tribe. The Session was successful, in which the aligned TGB was able to identify and prioritize short-term, mid-term, and long-term priorities, and develop a strategic action plan to launch eight project workstreams focused on stabilizing existing businesses, strengthening the accounting processes and existing governance structure, building the foundation/infrastructure for improved economic development governance, and initiating feasibility planning for potential diversification opportunities.
We, the Anishinabeg, the people of Odaawaa-Zagga’iganiing, the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe, will sustain our heritage, preserving our past, strengthening our present, and embracing our future. We will define our inherent sovereign rights and safeguard Mother Earth. We will provide for educational, health, social welfare, and economic stability of the present and future generations.
Aligned with the Tribal Mission (list above), below are the identified short-term priorities that the TGB has decided to implement, with Blue Stone’s support, based on best practices, the needs of the Nation, the impact and benefit they will have on the Tribal Membership, and the vision forward. A work plan laying out specific tasks to be completed over the next three to six months has been developed to address the established priorities and ensure forward movement on behalf of the Tribal Community.
TGB Immediate Government Short-Term Priorities
• New Planning & Budget Process
o Clean Audits/Off High Risk
• Government and Business Separation
o Update Policies, Procedures, and Laws
• Health Clinic/Assisted Living Center
• Modernizing the Government Organizational Structure
TGB Immediate Economic Short-Term Priorities
• Business Structure Development
• Taxation/Code Development
• Profitable Businesses
o In-House Training
• Hemp Production