Tribal ID Cards Update
from Vice-Chairman Robert Soto
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Dear Tribal Members:
Back on December of 2009, I accepted the responsibility of producing your tribal ID cards.
I inherited over 300 applications that had information missing like signatures, passport
quality pictures and incomplete addresses. Soon after, the computer for the tribal
ID cards crashed. It took several months to replace it. There was another back order
of cards and before I knew it, there were over 400 cards that needed to be done. Since
then, I have been working hard on the cards and since January of 2010 I have printed over
500 cards. Unfortunately, like all tribal council members, I have a full time job which
demands I travel a lot and can only do cards when time permits. I am working on getting
the cards out as quickly as possible, and would like to ask you to please be patient with
the process.
Here are several things you may not know about your ID card application. Unless the signature
is done nice, thick and dark, filling the entire signature box, the card printing software will
not print your signature. So when I get your application, I have to find ways to make your
signature dark enough to be picked up by the program. The process can take between thirty to
forty-five minutes. Furthermore, many of the pictures have had to be resized to make sure
you get a good,large picture on your card. It must be a passport picture. Also, you cannot apply for a tribal ID card without
the tribal ID number that you receive when you are voted into the tribe by the Tribal Council.
Some of you are jumping the gun and sending me your ID card application with the $11.00 fee
before you have been accepted as a member of the tribe.
If you sent your card order before May of 2010 and you have still not received it, one of four
things has happened: it got lost, the information was misplaced in the old computer, you used the
old application and the information is not complete, or it got lost in the mail. So, if you have
not received your tribal ID card and it was sent before May 2010, you will need to resend the
information. If you happen to be one of those who sent your application before May of 2010 and
paid your $11.00 processing fee, you do not have to resend the money - just let me know on your
application that you have already paid the processing fee.
By the way, all applications must have a check for $11.00 to process the card.
Ink for the
card machine and special equipment to keep it clean has to be ordered from the company and it
is expensive. Some have sent in an application with no processing fee for the card because
you have paid for your genealogical research. Whatever fee you agree to pay for your genealogy
research is a private matter between you and the genealogist and has nothing to do with the
tribe, including processing your tribal ID card. So your $11.00 check is still needed to process
the tribal ID card. All checks or money orders must be made payable to the Lipan Apache Tribe
of Texas NOT Robert Soto.
If the card is needed for some kind of emergency, I will put the order on the top of the list.
Some people have requested a rush on their card because of promotions or new application in the
work force. Some students going to college needed it as proof of membership for grants and
scholarships. We are here to serve you the best we can and so will try to accommodate these
urgent needs.
So once again, we ask you for your patience with the tribal ID card process. Thank you for
your understanding.
God bless,
Robert Soto
Vice Chairman, Director of Tribal Communications
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