PEMBROKE — Representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are in Robeson County this week to conduct an audit, but Lumbee Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin feels like he is dealing with two inspections at once.

Godwin and his administration are working on negotiating and closing out findings from a 2015 audit that showed problems under a previous administration while the current one takes place. Upon taking office in January 2016, Godwin said he has worked on increasing compliance with HUD and addressing problems cited previously.

Godwin anticipates that the results will be different.

“We’re excited to go through this audit,” he said while talking about the need for “transparency.”

Godwin said administrative changes he has implemented have improved tribal operations.

“First and foremost is the approach that the administration took from Day 1,” he said. “We immediately got in contact with HUD.”

The addition of a new position helped increase accountability in the administration, according to Godwin.

“We hired a legal compliance officer,” Godwin said. “Having that position was critical.”

The tribe also took a closer look into its housing program, looking for ways to make it more cohesive and inclusive.

The ultimate goal was to help the tribe become more confident in its administration, but staff also gained confidence in their abilities to perform their jobs, according to Godwin.

“They’re more empowered now to run their departments,” he said. “Everyone feels a sense of accountability.”

The success of those changes will be determined by four representatives from the Eastern/Woodlands Office of Native American Programs who are in town until Thursday.

Once the audit is complete, the monitoring team will determine if any additional documentation is needed from the tribe. When that requirement is satisfied, they will have 60 days to send out a draft monitoring report, according to Gina Rodriguez, a public affairs representative with HUD.

That draft is not meant to be viewed by the public.

The tribe will then have 30 days to respond to the draft, and an extension can be requested if necessary.

The Office of Native American Programs records the responses and takes them into consideration when finalizing the report. The final version is presented to the Office of General Counsel before being sent to the tribe.

The reviewers will be looking at two previous program years stretching from October 2015 to September 2017, as well as the current cycle that started in October. The audits were postponed through those two years while the tribe dealt with the consequences of the 2015 audi.

Six areas are covered by the audit: organization and structure; financial and fiscal management; procurement and contract administration; eligibility and occupancy standards to include Indian preference; maintenance and inspections; and self-monitoring.

The reviewers are looking to verify that HUD grants are appropriately utilized, as well as identify areas where intervention by the department is necessary. From there, HUD can provide assistance as needed.

The audit in 2015 revealed that the tribe misspent more than $730,000 in federal money under the leadership of former Chairman Paul Brooks.

One violation had to do with $264,985 in housing money being spent on travel expenses for meetings and conferences. Some of those business functions were not related to housing at all.

The tribe’s Youth Services Department also was also the subject of violations for inappropriate spending, including $106,405 in unallowed costs for vehicles and operations.

Godwin defeated Brooks in the 2015 election.

“My ultimate goal is to have have an audit with no findings,” Godwin said.

But the tribe’s history of issues with HUD predates the 2015 audit, including that the tribe was using HUD money to overpay stipends.

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By Brandon Tester

Staff writer

Reach Brandon Tester at 910-816-1989 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Tester_Brandon.