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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.