Grants MainStreet didn’t file tax forms

By Helen Davis
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Repeated failures to file documents with the IRS may bring fines or penalties to the Grants MainStreet Project before the project can iron out its internal problems.

In attempting to acquire information concerning activities and the financial history for the project, the Independent consulted the New Mexico Attorney General Office’s Registrar of Charities, Christine Turner. Turner said MainStreet has been delinquent in filing the IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ (Schedule A) since Dec. 31, 2005. The form lists salaries for employees and costs paid private contractors, donations, membership fees, other income and activities, among other things.

Turner said the fine for not filing is $100 per year per form. She added that there is some room to work with corporations that cooperate.

Donald Jaramillo, co-president of MainStreet, said he was unaware filings were delinquent because it was someone else’s assigned duty.

“We are working together to get the records up to date,” Jaramillo said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Independent asked Jaramillo for MainStreet to provide copies of the delinquent documents. The president said he would have the appropriate person get them right away.

In addition to filing Form 990s, a nonprofit must keep copies handy and must present them immediately upon request by any member of the public, for copies up to three years old. Turner said if the clerk is out of the office or in a meeting or otherwise reasonably unavailable, the corporation has up to 72 hours to provide requested access.

Fines for noncompliance of a public request begin after a four weeks and are $20 per form per day charged to the person failing to provide the forms and any and all persons involved in the failure. Fines can go as high as $10,000 and may shared among those involved in the infraction, Turner said.