The governing body of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is the Board of Directors. There are twelve board members and one chairperson.

A chairperson is elected at large by the voters of the tribe and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. The voters of each of the five (5) election units elect from within their qualified membership one member to the board.

Following each election, the Board of Directors selects from within its membership a vice-chairperson, a treasurer and a secretary.

The number of board members represented in each unit are:

• Unit 1 - Five board members
• Unit 2 - Two board members
• Unit 3 - Two board members
• Unit 4 - Two board members
• Unit 5 - One board member

Terms

Those elected who have received the highest number of votes shall serve for a term of four years, or until their successors are duly installed in office. All other members shall serve a term of two years, or until their successors are duly installed in office. Thereafter, the term of office of the chairperson and directors shall be four years, or until their successors are duly installed in office.

Board Meetings

General meetings of the Board of Directors are typically held on the first and third Tuesday of the month. All general meetings start at 6 p.m. The open community hour for public comments start at 5 p.m. All Sault Ste. Marie meetings will be held at the Kewadin Casino and Convention Center, other locations are to be announced.

Special meetings are typically held the second and last Tuesday of the month. Special meetings may be called from time to time by the chairperson or by majority vote of the board of directors. Please note the location, date, and time for meetings is subject to change.  In the event a special meeting is called that is open to the public, an official announcement will be released.

General meetings, special meetings, and workshops are open to the public unless otherwise noted as closed. For meeting agendas, draft resolutions, and approved resolutions please visit the Board Downloads section of this site.

Workshops

Board workshops are typically held prior to board meetings and are held during the mornings and early afternoon. Board workshops can be open to the public, however, some workshops may be closed. Workshop topics are usually announced with the board meeting notices. Workshop agendas can be found on this Web site under the Board Downloads section.

Meeting Notices & Resolutions

In addition to the annually published board meeting schedule (See Calendar Section), public notices of board meeting are announced five days prior to the meeting date. These announcements typically detail agenda topics and provide detailed location information as well as date and time. These notices are typically released on Thursday afternoons. Draft resolutions and tentative agendas are also posted online, the date notices are released. These documents can be found in the Board Downloads section of this site. Approved resolutions are typically posted 7-10 days after a board meeting.

Membership Issues/Public Input Sessions

Open community sessions occur prior to each of the Tribal Board Meetings. This is a chance for Tribal members to voice their questions and concerns to the members of Sault Tribe Board of Directors. This forum is open from 5 p.m. -6 p.m. only, and occurs immediately before the actual board meeting. At 6 p.m. the floor will close when the Chairperson calls the scheduled Board meeting to order. After 6 p.m., in order to stay on task and conduct meetings in a reasonable time frame a set agenda is followed. During the meeting the board is not obligated to entertain questions from the membership, unless an exception is initiated by the board. Those members with issues still in need of being addressed are encourage to wait until called upon and/or may have to wait until the next open community session to have their issue presented.

Tribal members who wish to share an issue with the Board of Directors during a these sessions should complete a Membership Participation Form, which is available on location. A staff person collects all completed forms and submits them to Joanne Carr, the Board’s Executive Assistant. The forms are then given to the Chairperson so that the issues can be addressed. The tribal member listed on the form is then given an opportunity to share his or her issue with the Board of Directors.

If you have a sensitive issue, the Tribal Chairperson may ask the tribal member to present the issue during a closed/executive session. Also, if you prefer to present your issue in a closed session, you are asked to notify the Executive Assistant. The purpose of these procedures is to provide a simple and efficient framework for tribal members to share their concerns with the Board of Directors. These procedures are also intended to preserve the privacy of Board members and tribal employees and to prevent personal attacks during meetings.

Remember to come to the open community time between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to share with the Board members any questions and concerns you may have.