Despite a surplus of money paid by tourists who visited the island this year, the Town of Hilton Head Island and the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce won't be getting a slice.
In the Press
A judge has ordered the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce president to dismantle his “improperly constituted” board of directors, reinstate the old board as ‘lawful,’ and provide board members with copies of the organization’s financial records within a week.
Local chambers of commerce may soon be forced to show how they spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. If they don’t comply, one elected leader said, their funding could be stripped.
The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce board of directors is suing its president, saying he has refused to turn over tax records or hold meetings with the board since August amid discrepancies with the organization’s finances.
In a recent Island Packet artical, Tuesday December 17th, 2019, Council man Thomas Lennox tries to discredit Skip Hoagland who takes the podium every meeting in beufort coounty to complain about the lack of transparency. Skip Haogland is only asking the City council from Beaufort County, Bluffton County and Hilton Head County council to let tax payers know HOW their tax monies are being spent.
If the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce wants to keep getting 30% of tourism taxes automatically allocated its way on the island, it will need to submit its financial statements to an audit each year, according to a new contract with the Town of Hilton Head Island.
