Niobrara Council warns of collapse after federal cooperative agreement ends; critics cite audit and management concerns

Kiebors (executive director) and Wade Hollenbeck (Niobrara Council chair and Rock County commissioner) told the Appropriations Committee the Niobrara Council is a unique, locally led entity that manages the 76-mile Niobrara Scenic River corridor and that the council will face closure without continued state funding.

Kiebors described the council's role: a 16‑member board made up of local appointees, county commissioners and representatives that coordinates conservation easements, visitor services, vault-restroom maintenance and local zoning coordination. He said the council had relied on a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service that expired in October 2024 and that the Park Service cooperative funding has been "halted" and is currently non‑existent.

Chair Wade Hollenbeck and other local testifiers described tourism and protection functions the council performs and warned that dissolution would remove a local forum for coordinating landowner, county and federal interactions along the scenic corridor.

Critic Kimberly Stewart testified that the council's financial practices and oversight are problematic. She provided the committee a 2023 balance sheet showing $98,000 in salaries and minimal project spending, alleged incomplete reporting required with the balance sheet, and cited a state audit that found unused leave payouts and $7,500 labeled as bonuses which the auditor deemed improper. Stewart said the council rewrote rules after the audit rather than issuing corrective action and questioned whether the council's work justifies ongoing state funding.

Ending: Senators heard competing perspectives: council leaders emphasized local stewardship and tourism-support functions and warned of program collapse without funding; at least one community member asked for closer oversight and corrective steps following the audit. The committee did not take formal action at the hearing.