Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency Foster Care Services

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Secretarial Election set to be held on or before Sept. 26

Sault Tribe members, mark your calendars. The Secretarial Election on proposed constitutional amendments establishing a three-branch government is set to be held on or before Sept. 26, 2026.

Once the Secretarial Election Board is formed, it will establish the official election date and election timeline. The Sault Tribe is accepting volunteers to serve on the board through July 3. The Board of Directors will randomly select one tribal citizen from each voting unit and two at-large tribal citizens during its July 7 meeting.
Tribal citizens interested in serving on the Secretarial Election Board are encouraged to submit their interest by emailing legal@saulttribe.net.

In May, the Sault Tribe Board of Directors unanimously voted to submit proposed constitutional amendments to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), beginning the Secretarial Election process. The election is administered by the BIA and is required under federal law and Article X of the Sault Tribe Constitution.

When ballots are mailed later this summer or early fall, eligible tribal citizens will vote "yes" or "no" on whether to adopt the proposed constitutional amendments establishing three separate and equal branches of government.

To ensure ballots and election information are received, tribal citizens are encouraged to verify that their mailing address is up to date with Tribal Enrollment.

Constitutional Amendment Update

Resolution 2026-145 requests a secretarial election on proposed constitutional amendments and places the decision to update the tribe’s Constitution in the hands of Sault Tribe membership. The resolution will be sent to the BIA by June 19 and then the BIA will begin the federal election process. Linked below are the Resolution 2026-145 and the Attached Amended Constitution drafts. Please watch the tribe’s website and Facebook in the coming months for updates on this.

3 Branch Separation Amendments Attachment for Reso 2026-145

2026-145 Authorizing Amended Constitution Submission for a Secretarial Election

Notice: Opportunity to Serve on the Secretarial Election Board for the Constitutional Amendment Election

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is seeking Tribal citizens who are interested in serving on the Secretarial Election Board for the upcoming Constitutional Amendment Election, which is expected to take place later this summer or in early fall.

The Secretarial Election Board will assist with duties related to the Secretarial Election process for the proposed constitutional amendments including setting deadlines for the election. The Tribe is seeking interested citizens from each of the five election units and representatives from the at large membership. The Board of Directors will select:

One tribal citizen from each unit, and two at-large tribal citizens.

Selection will be made by drawing names from the list of interested Tribal citizens. The drawing is anticipated to take place by the July 7 Board of Directors meeting.

Tribal citizens who are interested in being considered should submit their name, enrollment number, contact information, a letter of intent and the election unit in which they reside to legal@saulttribe.net . If selected you will be expected to be able to attend in person meetings in Sault Ste. Marie.

Interested citizens should submit their information no later than July 3, 2026.

For questions, please contact legal@saulttribe.net .

Miigwech to all Tribal citizens willing to participate in this important constitutional process.

Details: Category: Child Placement; Published: 05 July 2011

The Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency is licensed by the state of Michigan to provide foster care services. As a licensed agency, the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency is required to comply with all the rules and regulations established by the state of Michigan. When providing foster care and adoption services through a Purchase of Service (POS) contract, Binogii is acting as an agent of the Department of Human Services (DHS). When cases are referred to the DHS via a court order, they monitor the cases in which the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency provides primary services. Title IV-E funds are accessed for eligible children as Binogii is considered a private contractor. DHS is the gatekeeper of IV-E funds and they determine eligibility. All Sault Tribe children within the seven eastern counties of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Tribal Service Area) under the jurisdiction of either tribal or state court and in out-of-home placement due to substantiated abuse or neglect are generally referred to the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency for services.

The agency has an annual licensing review by the Bureau of Child and Adult Licensing. This review ensures that the agency provides services in accordance with the Michigan licensing rules for child placing agencies. The agency also has an annual quality assurance and contract compliance review that is conducted by the DHS Office of Contract Compliance. This review ensures that the agency is providing services in compliance with the Michigan Department of Human Services Foster Care Policy.

Tribal children in out-of-home placement and their families, residing in the seven-county service area, receive services through the Sault Tribe Binogii Placement Agency and other program components of ACFS. It is the goal of these services to reunify the family as soon as is feasible and appropriate. Services are provided within the parameters of the permanency planning guidelines of reunification within one year after removal. The following service components are incorporated into the overall services as warranted:

Mental health counseling for both child and parent, family counseling, psychological evaluation*
Substance abuse counseling or referral for inpatient treatment*
Family Support Services (intensive home-based services)*
Parenting skills education*
Direct services, which include Emergency Assistance, NEW (Native Employment Works), Title IV-B, Child Care Assistance Monies, Domestic Violence Funds, USDA food distribution services
Referral to other appropriate community services

* Priority given to children at risk of or in out-of-home placement and their families.