PEMBROKE — Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr. told the Lumbee Tribal Council this week that the tribal government owes the federal government almost $265,000 that has been misspent during the last several years.
Godwin, who was in Chicago this week visiting the Eastern Woodlands Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was told by HUD officials that the tribe had misspent $264,985 for excessive travel and activities and programs not directly related to housing between Oct. 1, 2012, and March 20, 2015.
Godwin, who has only been the tribe’s chairman since replacing Paul Brooks in January, called the problem “his responsibility” and asked the council to work with him to reach an agreement with HUD that could reduce the amount of money that must be repaid.
“We need to fix this. God has endowed us with this money and we need to be responsible with how it is used,” Godwin told the council. “This is something we can do together.”
According to Godwin, the HUD report that includes five major findings is preliminary. The tribe has an opportunity for a hearing before HUD officials to respond to the findings, he said.
The council set a meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the housing complex on N.C. 711 to begin working to develop a tribal redistricting plan that, according to the tribe’s constitution, was supposed to have been implemented immediately after the 2010 census. It would increase the number of districts from 14 to 21.
“This is going to be a laborious process,” said Councilman Larry Townsend, chairman of the Constitution and Ordinance Committee. “This is going to be a long process, not something that is done in one, two, three, four or even five months.
“We need to set some parameters,” Townsend said. “All we have done is to determine that we want 21 districts.”
The tribe last May contracted with the Lumber River Council of Governments to assist in the redistricting effort, and according to Councilwoman Anita Hammonds-Blanks, the council was paid for its services in July.
In other business, the council:
— Amended the council’s travel ordinance to remove a requirement that each time a council member travels to a conference or similar event, that person must submit a written report to the full council providing any information he or she obtained. Now the report, if requested by a council member, can be presented verbally.
— Heard concerns from tribal member Sam Kerns about council members getting a monthly $200 stipend for travel. According to Kerns, a $200 stipend each month totals $50,400 per year for council travel. He said each council member should just receive enough money to cover the actual cost of them attending meetings.
Kerns also asked the council if it was true that 18 members planned to attend an upcoming three-day conference in Hawaii. He estimated the cost of sending 18 members to the event would be about $48,859.
Council Speaker Bill James Brewington told The Robesonian after the meeting that no council members will be going to Hawaii.
“There were some members who asked about going, but that is not going to happen,” he said. “That’s null and void.”
— Asked Godwin to take the steps necessary to move forward with the purchase of 16.69 acres along N.C. 130 in Rowland to be used as the site for an elders center. Money to purchase land and construct an elders center in District 1 has been approved and included in the tribe’s budget for several years.