For as long as I can remember, the rescue boats of the Keokuk Volunteer Emergency Corps have been a fixture on the Mississippi. They’re a symbol of assurance. A searchlight sweeping the dark water means help is on the way, dispatched by neighbors, for neighbors. The KVEC is woven into the fabric of Keokuk, funded by our fish fries, our memorial donations, and our city and county contracts. We trust them when the river shows its unforgiving side.
But that trust is predicated on a simple understanding: that they are what they say they are. And the more I dig, the more I fear they are not.
In public statements, at city council meetings, and on every donation can, Chief Dan Tillman calls the KVEC a non-profit. When you investigate a non-profit, the first place you look is the public record. You pull their Form 990, the annual tax filing that details their finances for all to see. It’s the baseline for transparency.
So I went to find the KVEC’s 990s. I searched the IRS Tax Exempt Organization database. Nothing. I checked with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office for a non-profit incorporation. Nothing. I’ve spent days searching for any official document that grants the Keokuk Volunteer Emergency Corps non-profit, tax-exempt status.
I have found no such record.
This changes everything. It’s no longer a question of whether their spending is appropriate; it’s a question of what legal entity is actually cashing the checks.
Every year, the City of Keokuk allocates a portion of its budget to the KVEC. That’s your taxpayer money. Where does it go? Without public filings, there is no way to know. When you drop a $20 bill into a firefighter’s boot during a fundraising drive, where does that cash end up? The KVEC operates with zero financial transparency, because as far as I can tell, it has no legal obligation to provide any. It simply doesn’t appear to be the public-service charity it claims to be.
This is not just bad bookkeeping. This is a fundamental deception.
Without public documents, I had to follow the money another way. I filed a request for all payments made from the city to the KVEC and its known vendors. A significant portion of the funds for “boat and engine maintenance” goes to a single local marina. It took one more search of state business filings to confirm that the marina’s owner is Dan Tillman’s brother-in-law.
This is the kind of conflict of interest a functioning board of an actual non-profit would have to disclose and manage carefully. But who is holding Tillman accountable? Who is on this board? If they aren’t registered as a non-profit, what is their legal structure? Are they a private business? A club?
The story from a former rescue crew member I spoke to now seems even more disturbing. “We were holding bake sales for new drysuits for the dive team,” they told me. “Then suddenly there was money for a brand new SUV for the chief, but we’re still being told the budget for essential gear is tight.”
The questions are no longer just about oversight. They are about legitimacy. Is the KVEC a public trust or a private slush fund masquerading as one? And did our own city officials ever bother to check?
This is the most troubling story I’ve worked on in a long time. It strikes at the heart of our community’s trust. The investigation is far from over.
My work on this is just beginning. If you’ve seen something I should know, reach out. My inbox is always open.