Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audit Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Scotts Bluff County drafts formal response to Nebraska auditor, pledges policy fixes
Summary
County staff told commissioners they will conduct an internal review and update purchase-card, rebate, and personnel policies after a State Auditor draft letter flagged minor credit-card and rebate issues; commissioners approved the county's response and authorized the chair to sign.
County officials told the Scotts Bluff County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 20 that they have received a draft letter from the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts following an anonymous complaint about a small number of credit-card and personnel transactions.
The county presented a draft response committing to an internal review, revisions to personnel policies and purchase-card agreements, and adoption of a formal policy covering rebates, rewards and incentives. The response also proposes limiting purchases of gifts with public funds to a per-purchase maximum of $50 and strengthening receipt and documentation requirements.
Board members noted the total amount in questioned transactions identified in the auditor's preliminary review is small — the board chair read that the transactions “added up to less than $1,000.” County staff said the auditor reviewed roughly an 18-month window and discovered some rebate accounting and a few purchases that lacked complete documentation. Officials described the bulk of examples as minor and operational — for example, small recognition gift cards and food provided for volunteers — and said they will correct procedures and require updated signature/acceptance forms for purchase-card users.
Commissioners voted to approve the county's response to the auditor and authorized the chair to sign the letter; the vote was recorded as four yeses. The county will file the response by the auditor's deadline and expects the auditor to issue a final report to the public once its review is complete. Commissioner and staff members also scheduled personnel-policy-board follow-up work (personnel board meeting date noted in record).
