Dzawada’enuxw First Nation AGM Finance Administration Kris Nicolson – DFN Financial Controller Pam Dawson - Finance Administrator Leanne Moon – Payroll and Accounts Receivable Clerk Emily Webber – Accounts Payable Clerk

The MANDATE of the DFN Finance Department is to: to work with all the department managers to take care of their revenue (monies coming in) and expenditures (monies going out) through the budgets created for each fiscal year. to work with the DFN Finance Committee to ensure that the DFN finances are administered in a manner that encourages and promotes the continued solvency of the Nation, obtaining good value for money spent, and have regular understandable reporting of the Nation’s financial position to the council and membership

provide support for financial management, financial policies and procedures and helps to ensure that they are followed. provides monthly financial statements, support with budgeting, including mid-term budgeting, and takes care of the audit process

CHALLENGES: The need for full compliment of staff to get the work done. There are only three positions for the finance administration. Filing, data entry on to excel spreadsheets, and chasing down paperwork are huge undertakings, aside from our regular duties per our job descriptions. As well, medical issues for employees affects the job performance. The need for more office space, and for more storage that allows us to have easy access to old files. The need for more funds for training for existing finance employees as well as training more people who would be willing to sub when there is a need for existing staff to be away from their positions.

The need for a working finance committee; there seems to be a problem getting a finance committee up and running due to lack of interest from the community.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Finance would welcome its own secretary/ receptionist who would be used to help streamline the workload of the three existing employees by taking on the filing of the massive amounts of paperwork going through, as well as being required to do data entry to the excel spreadsheets that are used to keep information updated on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis; the position would be used for subbing for Accounts Payable and the Accounts Receivable/Payroll positions.

To train interested community members on the use of the accounting software (Adagio programs/Easypay Payroll Programs) as well as the policies which govern the administration. (To date we have received approval for a finance clerk trainee for a period of 24 weeks from NVIATS, which is hoped will start after the audit is complete.) A large new administration building, that includes housing the finance staff, would be most welcome. Storage space close to finance which would allow for easy access to old(er) files as is required at times.

to canvass for volunteers to sit on the DFN Finance Committee which is a support system for the finance and administration as well as Council.