Bureau of Indian Affairs Assistant Secretary William “Billy” Kirkland met with Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community leaders on Feb. 17 to discuss priority operational and administrative matters identified by the Community.

SRPMIC President Martin Harvier, a few Council members and leaders from the Social Services, Community Development and General Counsel departments represented the Community at the meeting.

The roundtable discussions centered on federal service delivery, staffing capacity and program administration.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIA Western Regional Office (WRO) closed the Salt River Agency, located on the corner of McDowell and Longmore roads, and eliminated its superintendent position. Because of that, Salt River Agency activities have been managed out of the Pima Agency in Sacaton, down in the Gila River Indian Community.

The Community said that current staffing levels at the Salt River Agency do not align with the workload required to effectively support SRPMIC programs and operations.

“From my understanding, we have one individual that’s at the Salt River Agency. And unfortunately, if [they become] sick or something happens—and it happens a lot of times—nobody is there,” Harvier told Kirkland.

“Some of our staff have to drive down to the Gila River Indian Community to try to get signatures on papers that need authorization. And so, it’s been difficult for our staff to get things done.”

Kirkland later remarked, “If we’re not efficient getting back to you all, … that’s time you’re not getting back, that’s time you’re losing. So, I think that’s something that we have to get better on. Hopefully, you can help us point out those areas where you think we can work better and we can try to work with you and do that.”

The SRPMIC has also been working with the BIA since April 2025 to resolve issues related to the Welfare Assistance Grant (WAG).

SRPMIC group home staff salary expenditures are documented by the Community as a line item of the Foster Care Program consistent with Financial Assistance and Social Services Report (FASSR) instructions, with no recent issues.

However, after submitting the FY 2024 FASSR in October 2024, the Office of Indian Services Department of Health Services issued a correction notice stating that approximately $3.1 million in group home expenditures was deemed unallowable under 25 U.S.C. § 13d.

After discussions with BIA staff in 2025, the Community said that as of the Feb. 17 meeting, the matter remained unresolved.

Another core issue addressed by the Community during the meeting is the current backlog in the probate process. Since 2025, the Community has provided testimony to Congress, participated in BIA consultations and engaged in multiple discussions with the BIA regarding probate processing delays and backlog issues.

“It’s horrible to hear about the millions and millions of dollars stuck in probate that is someone else’s money,” said Kirkland.

Under its self-governance authority, the SRPMIC has compacted the probate function from the BIA, which means that the tribal government has taken over responsibility for handling probate matters.

To streamline the process and eliminate duplicative review levels at the WRO, the Community is proposing that the BIA grant authority for completed probate packages to be transmitted directly to the Office of Hearings and Appeals. After the meeting, a group photo was taken on the third-floor Two Waters bridge. The group then took a tour of the Salt River Police Department’s Communications Center.