LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) — The third member of a rural Dodge County township board has been fined after board members voted themselves a more than 50-fold increase in yearly salary.
The members of the Elkhorn Township Board had voted themselves raises from $600 a year to $33,000 a year during the 2019 floods, citing an increased workload.
On Friday, the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission agreed to fine Jody Delaney $1,300, or $100 for each of the 13 violations found after a formal hearing.
‘Mitigating factors’
The penalty was less than levied against the two other members of the Elkhorn Township Board in Dodge County. The commission cited “mitigating factors,” including that Delaney, the treasurer of the board, had first brought concerns about the salary increases to the Nebraska State Auditor’s Office.
The auditor investigated, which led to a probe by the NADC. That probe resulted in consent agreements with the two other members of the township board.
Jeremy Moss and Nancy Schlotfeld both agreed to repay the excess salary they were paid to the township, which is east of Fremont.
Frank Daley, the executive director of the NADC, said those repayments are ongoing.
‘Open and public process’
According to a response to the state auditor, board members said the unprecedented flooding required an immediate response to repair and reopen flooded roads in the township and required extra work by township board members.
However, state law requires that any raises for such board members be granted at an annual meeting after being advertised, which did not occur.
The auditor also raised concerns about the township hiring Moss to do nearly $140,000 in repair work. Members of public bodies cannot be hired to do work for that political subdivision except through an “open and public process,” which the auditor said did not happen.
Moss has said he did not intend to break any laws. The township, in responding to the auditor’s report, said they hired his company because all other contractors were busy during the flooding.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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