Read Niobrara Council Audit Report here
State Auditor Mike Foley issued a scathing letter with his report released Wednesday on the non-profit Niobrara Council. The Niobrara Council was created in the late 1990’s by the Nebraska Legislature to manage the Niobrara Scenic River corridor in conjunction with the National Park Service.
Auditor Foley says it’s two employees received over $7,500 in bonuses that would violate federal and possibly state laws.
The audit report also questions the payment of $40,000 to the Council’s Executive Director over a 21-year-period during which she claimed not to have used a single day of sick or vacation leave. She received that money as compensation for supposedly unused vacation leave balances at the end of each of those years.
In the Niobrara Council’s response to the Audit Report, they say through a consensus of the Council, they agree that the items listed in the report should have a closer examination. Committee meetings have been set over the next couple of months to discuss the report in closer detail. They add that while they are not responding to specific details of the report, they take the comments and recommendations very seriously. The response continues that committee and audit reports will be part of the full Niobrara Council board meeting in August.
