Council roundtable presses DCHA on financial controls as forensic audit debate continues

Robert White, chair of the Council's Committee on Housing, opened a Jan. 27 roundtable to press the District of Columbia Housing Authority for a clear plan to fix longstanding finance weaknesses after federal and local audits flagged gaps. "I'm calling to order this committee roundtable regarding financial management and oversight of the District of Columbia Housing Authority," White said at the start of the meeting.

Petuna Cooper, the housing authority's vice president and chief compliance officer in the Office of Audit and Compliance (OAC), told the committee that OAC's review grew out of finance‑team complaints and a 100‑plus‑page compilation of documents. Cooper said the office's work included observations of "unsupported transfers," stale checks and instances where supporting documentation was missing; she said OAC could not verify management's written responses without additional testing. "Trust but verify," Cooper said, describing why OAC sought deeper review.

Councilmembers pressed both sides on whether a forensic audit is necessary. Some committee members, including Councilmember Fruman, said the magnitude of the sums cited in OAC's document — including transfers in the tens of millions — justified a deep investigation. DCHA board chair Raymond Skinner and Executive Director Keith Pettigrew urged caution: the board's Budget, Audit and Finance Committee reviewed OFM's responses and concluded a forensic audit was not warranted at that point and that follow‑up documentation should be reviewed by OAC first.

White directed the agency and board to provide a matrix of outstanding audit findings with specific timelines ahead of the committee's February oversight hearing. The committee kept the record open for written submissions through Feb. 10 and scheduled its formal performance oversight hearing on DCHA for Feb. 25.