Auditor teed off over gifts

LINCOLN — The State Highway Commission’s longstanding practice of soliciting donations to pay for its annual golf outings and social events came under fire Thursday.

State Auditor Mike Foley said the practice appears to violate state laws barring government officials from using their positions for personal gain.

The problem was compounded this year when the commission’s executive secretary, a state employee, sought contributions.

“I think it taints the process and it leads to public cynicism about how the process works,” Foley said.

In response, the commission and State Department of Roads promised to tighten oversight of state resources and to educate commissioners about state accountability and disclosure laws and regulations.

Commissioner Doug Leafgreen of Gering compared the group’s practice to that of lobbyists providing meals and gifts to state senators.

“They (donors) are not getting awarded projects because they threw in $200 to sponsor a function,” he said.

State senators typically do not solicit money from lobbyists, except for campaign contributions. Gifts to senators worth more than $100 have to be reported on annual financial statements.

Donors to this year’s commission outing included several engineering and road construction firms from around the state, along with area chambers of commerce, the audit showed.

Leafgreen said the commission will rethink how it handles social functions in the future.

“We certainly don’t want to violate any statutes,” he said.

Foley has referred the issue to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for investigation.

An audit conducted by Foley’s office found that the commission secretary had used state time and letterhead in asking for donations to help defray the costs of social events.

She raised more than $5,100 to cover the cost of cocktails, golf, dinner and other meals for commission members, roads officials, spouses and others this June.

Among those attending were Monty Fredrickson, the state roads director.

Department spokeswoman Mary Jo Oie said all roads officials used vacation time to attend the functions.

She called the commission a “volunteer independent group” and said she did not know whether the director was aware the commission was soliciting donations.

The commission is a state group created by law to advise the roads director. Members, while unpaid, are appointed by the governor. The roads director is a nonvoting member.

Foley said the commission has gotten donations for social events for the past 17 years. He said this appeared to be the only time a state employee directly solicited donations.

This year’s social events were held in Nebraska City in conjuction with a monthly commission meeting. The golf outing was at Table Creek Golf Course.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com

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