Treasurer says Cherokee Nation completing audit within 180 days, emphasizes grant compliance

Janice Taylor, Cherokee Nation Treasurer, told the Executive and Finance Committee on March 27 that the Nation’s annual audit is on an accelerated schedule required by the Cherokee Nation Constitution and that the office is prioritizing accurate reporting of federal grants.

“Treasurer Janice Taylor said, ‘Cherokee Nation Constitution requires us to have our audit done within 180 days of the end of the year, which is March 31,’” she told the committee, adding that completing the audit promptly helps keep transactions “fresh in our mind” and ensures consistent staffing to support accurate reporting.

Taylor said the Nation’s reporting role has taken on extra scrutiny because Cherokee Nation has been an early reporter on federal programs including CARES Act, ARPA and the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). “When the CARES Act money came out and when ARPA came out and now, the bridal share in the SSBCI program, we're the first tribe to report on it, and so that puts an extra layer of pressure on us to get it right and to have it reported appropriately,” she said.

Taylor told the committee the finance office is working with program teams across Cherokee Nation to ensure grant compliance and to document expenses carefully so federal agencies will not disallow costs. She also thanked committee members for donations listed in the report that are being routed to community groups rather than stored in a warehouse.

No questions followed Taylor’s report in the transcript; the report was taken as information. The committee did not record any formal vote or directive tied to the Treasurer’s presentation during the meeting.

Taylor framed timely audit completion and careful federal-grant reporting as an example she said other tribes follow when they prepare their own filings.