Interested where your tax dollars go with OSSA?

[DLynn]

Go to the link, http://tfcny.fdncenter.org/990s/990search/esearch.php
type in "Oregon State Snowmobile Association" add in the state "OR" Read the 990 tax returns for 2005 - 2008. Very interesting.
Executive director gets a +/- 5k a year increase every year, spends $61,000 on their travel (almost doubled in 3 years). Remember they provide NO written explanation to us on what they spend their travel money on. How much money do they spend on protecting the Oregon riding areas? Ask someone from Mount Hood area or Bend where OSSA tried to give away Dutchman snow park in trade for a low elevation parking lot. How much goes to helping the clubs with trail maintenance? We have sent formal requests to OSSA asking for details of their past budgets. Guess what we got told?...NO.
Looks to me like one person controls all the money and has been in the same position for many years. No checks and balances. It's time for a correction of poor management practices.

You decide for your selves.

 

[dragonrmk]

Oregon State Snowmobile ***.

Over the last 9 years as being a member of OSSA, I have seen one constant problem. The Executive director and her husband have made constant decision that have hurt the general snowmobiling public in Oregon. Two of the main issues have been failing to help the Portland snowmobile clubs to fight the MT. Hood wilderness bill and tried to give away Dutchman snow park without asking anyone. If you ask the Director at Large District 3 & 4 her husband, he would tell you they did ask the general public about giving away Duthman snow park (whatever). That's why the local club Moon Country didn't know anything about the giveaway of the snow park for a low level new one. The good old boys club of directors that the Executive Director has assembled need to go and we need a set of new directors. Then maybe we can have some transparency between the OSSA and it's clubs. Until then OSSA will see no more membership dues form me and may others.

 

[donbrown]

As a member what are your rights and their obligations?

What kind of "legal entity" is it ?

Get a copy of the bylaws and determine what your rights and obligations.

 

[volcano buster]

Thanks for the info.

 

[DLynn]

FYI / Tax dollars

Just so we are clear. This is not a one person crusade. There are many people working on this issue as we speak. We are not trying to destroy anything but bring light to what looks like some serious issues that effect all snowmobilers. Every time any snowmobiler fills their gas tank on a sled you are paying into the ODOT winter funding that goes to OSSA.
Go to http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/COMM/docs/0709budgetbooklet.pdf and read the doc. You will see the Snowmobile Funds committed are $4,000,000.00 for the current year.
Page 17 of the PDF doc.
OSSA needs to be run like a real business and not some under the table club.

OSSA is a 501 c 7 organization. We do have their bylaws however they are missing pages and are not signed which means they are not a legal document according to our attorney.

This is the culmination of months of work to uncover the apparent nonsense. It looks like we are just scratching the surface.

More to come soon