Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan recently learned their per capita payments will be reduced due to declining gaming revenue. Starting with the first quarterly payment in July, non-graduated per capita payments for adult Saginaw Chippewa members will be reduced by 0 each biweekly pay period. After that, payments will be lowered by an additional 0 per quarter.
Currently adult non-graduated members receive biweekly payments of $2,400, or about $62,400 a year. In July, those payments will drop to $2,280, and then decrease to $2,160 in October, and so on. As a result, adult non-graduated members will receive around $60,000 in 2016, about $2,400 less than originally scheduled.
Graduated adult members’ and minors’ biweekly per capita payments also will be reduced.
Tribal Chief Frank Cloutier, in a letter to members, explained he decided to lower per capita payments in order to protect the trust fund’s future. The reduction schedule will be re-evaluated every six months after July, he noted. Cloutier wrote. “Although Tribal Council is committed to increasing gaming income, this take s a time, may involve risk and is not guaranteed. We must act now to protect our immediate future and our children’s financial resources and future.”
Cloutier added, “Tribal Council understands the seriousness of this issue and how this change will be difficult, however we must act now for the sake of children and our livelihood. Delaying this action will only make the issue more difficult to address once the future’s trust is depleted.”
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe owns and operates the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish and the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant.
