Butler County supervisors reinstate Senior Center director on probation after investigation; termination motion fails

Butler County supervisors voted March 6, 2026, to reinstate Senior Center Director Diana McDonald on a one-year probation under a Performance Improvement Plan after an HR investigation and a state audit review raised questions about unreported cash and recordkeeping at the Butler County Senior Center. An earlier motion to terminate McDonald failed on a roll call vote.

The action followed an investigation that HR Director Aida Hickman said began Dec. 2, 2025, and reviewed interactions between Senior Center staff and Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts auditors. Hickman told the board a Dec. 1, 2025 recorded phone call included language in which McDonald referenced using cash to bail an inmate; Hickman characterized the recording as demonstrating intent. Hickman also said a $1,500 grant from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), awarded in August 2024 with stated permitted uses, was not disclosed during an APA cash audit and that handwritten receipts were later produced…