(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Approximately 250 Ketchikan Indian Community members were treated to lunch and five different Native dance groups Saturday at the Ted Ferry Civic Center during their annual meeting.   “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was the theme for the 2011 annual meeting held on November 19, 2011.

Prior to the entertainment portion of the gathering, members were provided an overview of the 2012 proposed budget by Debbie Patton, General Manager of KIC and the Tribal Council Committee Chair reports on finance, health, education, housing, economic development, enrollment, and subsistence.

Following the reports, Norman Arriola, Tribal Council President, highlighted the most recent accomplishments of Ketchikan Indian Community in a keynote speech titled “Today”.

Arriola said, "This has been an exciting few years for KIC through growth in funding, expansion of programs, completion of the Elder Housing Units, opening of the Tribal House Drug Store and the Southern Southeast Alaska Technical Education Center, to name a few."

Ranking 6th among the largest employers of Ketchikan, Arriola said, "KIC employs an average of 175 jobs annually with a peak of over 200 during the summer season."

KIC has grown over the last few years by expanding its revenue sources to an operating budget that is over $31 million dollars said Arriola.  He said this is up from $21 million in 2006.

Arriola said, "KIC has worked to support tribal hire, support tribal businesses and keep our money in our community."  Annually KIC spends around $8 million in salaries and $13 million in local spending through businesses, organizations and service providers said Arriola.  "This has a significant economic impact on the community of Ketchikan, through direct employment and as spending ripples through the local economy.  We take pride in being this stable presence in our community during these difficult economic times for our nation," said Arriola.

Norman Arriola, Tribal Council Present and Verna Hudson Tribal Council Vice-President wait to deliver their speeches.
Photograph by Cliff Guthrie

Some of the significant accomplishments for the Tribe in 2011 noted by Tribal Council President Arriola in his keynote speech are:

• Reinstatement of the Advisory Health Board
• A Constitution Committee was established and has spent the entire year working through the critical issues of any constitution – membership, jurisdiction, Council make-up and processes, elections and powers.
• With the development of new businesses came the need for the Tribe to establish a Section 17 Charter which established the Business Corporation
• This year KIC also developed and filed the paperwork with the State of Alaska to establish a non-profit company called the Heritage Foundation
• KIC celebrated the Grand Openings of the Tribal House and SSEATeC Training Center.
• Over the last two years KIC received $1.1 million in capital funding from the State of Alaska for SSEATeC.  We are now pursing capital and operational State funding for these programs.  With this funding we are building a commercial kitchen in the SSEATeC facility that will provide culinary arts instruction
• We reorganized our Senior Management team to accommodate the growth of the organization and to improve administration of and communication within our programs. 
• Established a second meeting a month: the regular monthly meeting on the 2nd Monday of every month and a Business Meeting the 4th Monday
• Working to improve its communication with its membership and public relations
• KIC Tribal Council, Health Committee and staff actively participated in local, state and federal meetings

Dave Jensen, former Tribal Council President, presented a historical look at KIC’s accomplishments in his address to the membership called “Yesterday” while Verna Hudson, Tribal Council Vice-President, gave members a glimpse into the future of the organization.

Ketchikan Indian Community is a Tribal Organization formed in 1940 under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Ketchikan Indian Community provides health care services, education, housing and most recently vocational training at its newly completed Southern Southeast Alaska Technical Education Center on Stedman Street.  

Gabe Daniels won the grand prize drawing of 40,000 Alaska Airline miles at the end of the meeting.

Edited by Mary Kauffman

On the Web:

Download Norman Arriola, Tribal Council President's Keynote Speech (pdf)

Source of News: 

Ketchikan Indian Community
www.kic-tribe.org

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