Destination Packwood, a tourism nonprofit in East Lewis County, closed suddenly in July.
The White Pass Country Historical Society has petitioned for county lodging tax dollars to take over operations of Destination Packwood, which was forced to close up shop earlier this year due to accounting irregularities.
The request will be evaluated at a hearing scheduled to take place on Nov. 6.
The society and Destination Packwood — a volunteer tourism vehicle that promotes the Packwood community as a place to live and visit — will be joining forces next week in the interest of securing public monies to facilitate the re-opening of the latter’s visitation center.
Destination Packwood closed July 7 amid investigations related to accounting and financial issues by both the Sheriff’s Department and the Prosecutor’s Office both conducted investigations on the organization’s tax filings and whether it provided the IRS with the proper information.
According to IRS.gov, Destination Packwood is on an “auto-revocation list,” meaning their tax-exempt status was automatically revoked by the IRS for “not filing a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years.”
“Just because an organization appears on this list, it does not mean the organization is currently revoked, as they may have been reinstated,” the website states.
According to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, the organization’s nonprofit registration is current.
The revocation of their tax-exempt status has reportedly necessitated the enlistment of White Pass Country’s services to formally appeal for county dollars that would later be redirected to Destination Packwood’s coffers.
Bill Serrahn — a Packwood resident and member of Lewis County’s Citizens Budget Committee — said “the Packwood people should not be involved in this application process” that will see other tourism enterprises request lodging-tax dollars, also known as the hotel-motel tax. These tax-exempt entities include: ARTrails Of Southwest Washington, the Chehalis Centralia Railroad and Museum, the Chehalis Farmers Market and the Cowlitz River Valley Historical Society.
“Packwood should sit out a year and get their books back together,” said Serrahn, who also operates DevastationPackwood.com, a website mainly consisting of reports and commentary on the outdoor adventure gateway company.
Applications for funding come before the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, a seven-member panel consisting of six individuals affiliated with the lodging industry and one county elected official. The LTAC board makes funding recommendations to the Lewis County Board of Commissioners, which then votes on the allocations.
