Wasilla chamber asks for $20,000

WASILLA — The board of directors will ask the members of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce for $20,000 in donations at today’s chamber luncheon.

The chamber, which has been running a budget deficit since the beginning of the year, will use the money to fund an audit of its books, a review of its by-laws and liability insurance for the board of directors.

The board was tasked by the membership to complete an audit amid allegations of unauthorized expenditures by the executive director, Cheryl Metiva. Metiva has been placed on administrative leave until the board reviews the results of the audit.

Depending on the type of audit the board chooses to do, the process could take as long as six to nine months, said Pamela Nelson, owner of Nelson Administrative Services. Nelson, who used to do audits on non-profit groups, has volunteered to help the chamber draft a request for proposal for a third-party audit.

Metiva is only paid for the first three weeks of her leave per her accrued vacation time. However, if no malfeasance is found at the end of the audit, she is owed the entirety of her back pay.

This fact prompted board member Marcus Reum to suggest internal audits done independently by three chamber members who are certified public accounts. This would expedite the process and be much less costly, he said. Other members disagreed, saying an independent audit must be done no matter what the cost or timeframe.

The board members voted to allow Nelson to look over the books with Reum, the chamber’s treasurer, in order to make a public request for proposal.

The chamber is looking at having the Foraker Group review its by-laws and employee practices, both of which need to be updated to move forward, the directors agreed. The Foraker Group counsels non-profits around the state about structure and organization. The firm charges $250 for a by-law review and $500 for a by-law rewrite. The chamber has asked the group for proposals with regard to reviewing its human resource policies.

The chamber has been working without directors and operators insurance, making directors personally liable for lawsuits. Directors and operators insurance protects board members and volunteers from reasonable and informed decisions they make. Again, all the directors agreed this was a priority, and Reum will have quotes within a week, he said.

Chamber president David Abernathy asked the board to pass a resolution to ask the members-at-large for donations before the proposals for these three things have come back. Having the funding on-hand will allow the board to act as soon as the proposals come back, he said.

With 328 members of the chamber, the $20,000 breaks to do $61 per member.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.