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Board approves $400,000 in tourism funding amid public allegations of misuse
Summary
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $50,000 to the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce and $350,000 to the Calaveras Visitors Bureau despite public allegations that the recipients misused transient occupancy tax funds and an ongoing IRS inquiry, according to a commenter at the Sept. 23 meeting.
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 23 to allocate a combined $400,000 in transient occupancy tax (TOT) funding to local tourism organizations despite a public commentator's charge that the recipients had misused prior TOT distributions.
Christopher Butner, who identified himself as publisher of calaveras2026election.com, told the board he has reviewed tax returns and filed a complaint with federal authorities. "Continued transient occupancy tax funding of the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce by the Calaveras County government is fiscally irresponsible," Butner said, and later told the board he had filed a formal IRS complaint against the Calaveras Visitors Bureau.
The board considered Item 7, a resolution to provide $50,000 in TOT to the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce for West End tourism promotion, and Item 8, a resolution to provide $350,000 in TOT to the Calaveras Visitors Bureau for fiscal year 2025—6. Supervisors moved and seconded both items and the motions carried in separate roll calls recorded during the meeting.
Board members did not take on-the-record substantive rebuttal to Butner's allegations during the meeting; staff presented the items as budgeted tourism support. The minutes packet describes the funding purpose for both allocations as promotion and visitor services. The board's recorded votes for these set items were noted by the clerk as approved during the session.
Why it matters: Transient occupancy taxes are levied on short-term lodging and are commonly used for tourism promotion and destination marketing. Public scrutiny of how those dollars are spent can prompt audits or requests for additional reporting. Butner said he has provided documentation to the Department of the Treasury's Tax Exempt and Government Entities division; the agency acknowledged receipt of his submission, according to his remarks.
What's next: The board did not direct staff to pause payments or to open an audit during the meeting. If federal or state agencies pursue reviews, outcomes could affect future allocations. The board moved on to other agenda items after voting.
