Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development and Tourism (ED&T) Division is about to hand the City 3 years worth of requested financial documentation - data which the City in turn hopes will demonstrate how the board has spent over a half million dollars of local hotel/motel tax revenues.

The state approved last year for the City to reclaim its hotel/motel tax revenues-dollars which a previous Council had turned over to the Chamber several years ago. Prior to the state's approval to reclaim the privilege tax, the revenue had been transferred monthly to a Chamber account and was basically just an in/out fund for the City.

Some Council members like Henry Feldhaus, local joint economic advisory committee chair, has stated in previous Council meetings that he believed those dollars would be more amply invested in the community if returned to the City for administration.

The City and County entered into an agreement last year to hire a new economic development director; they've since chosen Shane Hooper of Mississippi.

Budget documents show the City received $223,294 in hotel/motel tax revenues in 2017 and had estimated for 2020 a receipt of $250,000. The City has been paying out 100 percent of what it collects to the Chamber on a monthly basis, less an administrative fee, those same budget documents reveal.

During last week's study session, Council moved for the audit request to be included for possible approval on Thursday's business meeting agenda. The City recently discussed is that the ED&T board should provide financial documentation for the previous 3 years up to and including calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2020.

Chamber Chief Executive Officer Allen Pitner recently sent a letter to Council in which he stated the ED&T board will enter into an "agreed upon procedures engagement with a certified accountant." He further explained in the letter to Interim City Manager Lori Saddler, the City's full-time purchasing agent, how that procedure would work.

Pitner stated how the Chamber will provide a listing of all expenditures, including payroll, made from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2020, the payee, the amount, the reason for the expenditure and the general ledger account where it was recorded-all which will be given to the Chamber's accounting firm. He also stated in the letter that the Chamber's accounting firm, which is not mentioned in the letter, will trace the expenditures listed to the supporting invoices to verify the payee, amount, date, and reason for expenditure.

The accountants will also trace the expenditures to inclusion in the general ledger. Pitner requested that Council review the procedures in the letter and had asked for an agreement to proceed by Dec. 31, 2020.

"We believe that this will provide a complete verification of where funds from the hotel-motel tax have been disbursed over the past 3 years," advised Pitner in the letter.

City officials said Thursday that it is unclear whether Council will move during regular session to make any more changes to the audit procedure, before the green light is given to the Chamber's auditors.