The Nyssa Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture is going through an organizational crisis that calls into question whether Thunderegg Days, the community’s signature event, will be held.
The chamber held a public meeting on Friday, April 25, to elect new board members. The newly elected board moved into a closed session to elect new officers, but the chamber, as of Monday, April 28, would provide no public information about the actions.
The meeting followed the resignation of nearly the entire board earlier in the month, leaving in place just one person – Tawni Maxwell, the most recent president.
Records from a board meeting in February show other members had concerns about the handling of chamber money, including questioning some expenses.
The chamber is a private organization formed in 1953 that operates from member dues and fundraising events.
Maxwell, a lifelong resident of Nyssa who operates an accounting business, reacted strongly to the accusations, releasing a two-page statement on Sunday, April 27.
“Have we done everything right? Absolutely not,” she wrote. “Have I embezzled money? Absolutely not. Is there any money missing at the end of the year? Absolutely not.”
She said those making the accusations and moving to take over the chamber don’t have “the community’s best interest at heart.”
The internal fight broke into the open after a public meeting in April to consider the future of the chamber.
The Argus Observer initially reported the resignations, saying there was concern about chamber finances and that the organization couldn’t host Thunderegg Days in July.
Minutes from a Feb. 24 meeting of the chamber board show it placed an “immediate stay” on all financial transactions “until an independent third-party” audit was conducted to determine whether “fraudulent or improper activity” had occurred. The record showed the board members at the meeting included Brianna Berdowski and her husband Neil, James Bunn, Deanna Tucker, Stephanie Barnes and Maxwell.
The minutes record concerns that “thousands of dollars” were “unaccounted for” and that proceeds from raffling off an ATV weren’t accounted for.
The chamber’s 2023 federal tax return, a public document, provided insight into the organization’s finances.
The tax form showed the group took in $64,896 from fundraising events, spent $61,281 putting them on, leaving the chamber a profit of $3,615 from fundraising.
For the year, the tax return showed, the chamber’s total expenses exceeded its income by $12,253.
The chamber’s most successful event was its annual banquet and action, which earned the chamber about $20,000. Its signature public event – Thunderegg Days – lost the chamber $8,600.
At the end of 2022, the chamber had $52,292 in cash, finishing 2023 with $40,384. Maxwell said in her statement that the chamber as of April 25 had $22,000 in the bank.
News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at [email protected].
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