For several months there has been discussion and downright controversy surrounding the use of lodging tax dollars by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce. It’s time for a formal audit to disclose exactly how and where the lodging tax money is spent.
Secrecy and mistrust are two words you never want to hear when discussing expenditures of public tax dollars, yet those two words have been very common in talks about the Chamber of Commerce this year surrounding Project X (which would have seen 2% of the lodging tax allocated to this Cullman County Schools endeavor), the resignation of the chamber president, resignation of four Chamber board members, failure to disclose projects and expenditures to the tourism committee and a lack of transparency with the hotels that generate the money.
Many past and present board members have said there is no accountability for the lodging tax and claim when they ask for reports they are denied. A former local elected official – now serving at the state level – said multiple requests have been made to see how the lodging tax has been spent in previous years.
Three months later that elected official is still waiting on ledgers which should have been made easily available. At the time of the request a high-ranking Chamber of Commerce board member told The Tribune the documents would “all be turned over within a few days,” but that was months ago and as of Friday, no documents have been recovered.
The Cullman County Revenue Commission is obligated by state law to turn over the lodging tax to the Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of tourism and promotion of the county. This money cannot be placed in a general fund nor can it be allocated to other programs, employee salaries, or any act outside of tourism.
The lack of transparency leads to notions that the money has been mismanaged, used for purposes other than those stipulated by law, with those at the top trying to hide something.
One Chamber of Commerce employee said, “If we get audited, we are in serious trouble.”
Opening the books to the public for inspection shines the light on the true picture. If it shows no wrongdoing, rumors can be put to rest. If misdeeds are discovered, then appropriate actions to prevent them from happening again are warranted.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are collected every year.
In 2014-2015, the money was always being lumped into the general fund with the former tourism director only allotted a small portion of the tourism budget. Questions from the director about where the money was going went unanswered.
The only logical decision is the simplest and the one too many have been afraid to call for: a complete audit followed by the removal of the lodging tax from the control of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.
The secrecy and apparent unwillingness to disclose the information is causing concern in the community. Public statements by the Cullman Hospitality Association calling for removal of the funds from Chamber control only adds fuel to those flames.
The audit would give Sen. Garlan Gudger and Representatives Randall Shedd, Corey Harbison and Scott Stadthagen justification to purse legislative action to put the lodging tax money under the control of a newly created tourism group comprised of all the stakeholders like the CHA suggests, if that is warranted.
Open your books, Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.
