Gentry Fire Department discloses its earnings from fall festival car shows

Agency's non-profit status lapses, to be reinstated

— Assistant fire chief Jeff Trammell has released to the Westside Eagle Observer costs and expenses related to the car shows sponsoredby the Gentry Fire Department and held in conjunction with the Gentry Fall Festival for the last three years.

"We have an operations cost of approximately $1,600 each year," Trammell wrote. "The expenses are as follows: Event shirts $1,000, Trophies $375, Plaques $125, and Miscellaneous $100."

Total earnings from the event over the past three years were reported by Trammell as follows: 2008 - $493.42; 2009 - $34 loss; 2010 - $697.

Gentry's former mayor, Wes Hogue, filed a lawsuit against the city, also naming current mayor Kevin Johnston and Gentry fire chief Vester Cripps, for failing to provide him with the above information and records to verify the figures. The city contends it did not possess the documents Hogue requested, and Cripps said those records belonged to a separate non-profit organizationwhich was not subject to Freedom of Information Act requirements since it is a firemen's association and not agovernment agency.

A hearing has been set in the case for 9 a.m. on Oct. 17 in Judge Mark Fryauf’s courtroom.

Non-profit status

In a related issue, the Gentry Fire Department, according to an Internal Revenue Service document published on the IRS website, lost its nonprofit status on May 12, 2010, for failure to file Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, or 990-PF for three consecutive years. The revocation is automatic when the annual reports are not filed.

The revocation of the non-profit status waspublished in a listing of revoked agencies and organization on June 9, 2011, according to the website.

Gentry fire chief Vester Cripps confirmed that the department was notified of the revocation of the non-profit status and has filed the needed paperwork for reinstatement. Cripps said the department was not notified of the revocation and apparent oversight for more than a year after it occurred.

"All the necessary paperwork (for reinstatement) was sent in July," Cripps said. "We are still waiting for an approval letter from the IRS," he added.

No further information on the status of the reinstatement application was available from the IRS on Thursday.

Just how this affects the tax-deductible status of contributions made to the organization after May 12, 2010, was not answered by the IRS. But, according to Cripps, the fire department’s reinstatement application was to have its non-profit status be retroactive to the date of revocation.

News, Pages 7 on 10/12/2011