Catawba audit gets green light from tribal committee

An outstanding 2012 audit from the Catawba Indian Nation will be submitted on time to avoid a loss of federal funding.

The tribe’s executive committee reviewed the report from Scott and Co. on Friday and – after consulting with the firm and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs – agreed the document was complete. The committee directed Scott to submit the audit to the BIA as soon as possible.

Once the report is completed, the tribe will avoid sanctions that would cost them access to $1.2 million in federal funds from the BIA, money that is necessary to pay for several services tribe members rely on at their reservation in York County east of Rock Hill.

“The audit will be submitted, and the tribe will not face Level III sanctions,” Catawba Chief Bill Harris said, referring to the sanctions imposed if a tribe falls three years behind on an audit.

Harris couldn’t say Tuesday whether the audit report had yet been submitted to the bureau, only that it would be at the BIA’s regional office in Nashville by close of business Wednesday.

“That’s the drop dead time,” he said.

Harris declined to discuss the findings of the audit.

If the audit were not submitted by Wednesday, the tribe could have lost more than a million dollars in funding for social services provided to members through the tribe – including children’s services and clothing and food provision to needy members – as well as economic development efforts and money that pays for running the tribal government.

The tribe suffered Level III sanctions in 2003 after falling behind on its audit reports. It took tribal leaders four years to restore funding, following years of working to rebuild their relationship with the Interior Department, which oversees the BIA. During that time, tribal members lost access to the services normally available at the Catawba longhouse.

The Catawba still need to complete outstanding audits for 2013 and 2014. Now that Scott and Co. has the background on the tribe’s finances from completing the 2012 audit report, the next two could be completed much more quickly, Harris said, bringing the tribe in full compliance with the BIA’s standards within the next year.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Catawba audit gets green light from tribal committee."