LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A new audit says Nebraska tourism officials used state money to reimburse a marketing firm for alcohol and cigarettes, accepted meals from contractors and paid $44,000 in speaking fees for a 90-minute speech by a corporate executive.
The blistering state audit released Friday highlights numerous questionable expenses by the Nebraska Tourism Commission.
Auditors say commission officials accepted meals from state vendors without properly reporting them. The audit says commission officials also paid nearly $19,000 to move an existing state employee from Sidney to Kearney.
Commission Director Kathy McKillip says none of the activity was illegal or fraudulent, and the marketing firm has repaid all of the money that was not reimbursable under state rules. McKillip says the audit was a learning experience for her agency, which was created in 2012.