PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) - The Sarpy County Board had voted to begin legal proceedings that could remove the county’s embattled elected treasurer from office.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday following a state auditor’s report saying missteps by Sarpy County Treasurer Brian Zuger’s office caused Millard Public Schools to miss out on a nearly $2.4 million tax payment, while Bellevue’s school district was overpaid by $2.3 million.
The audit also found that Zuger’s office had distributed certain funds to school districts once a year, instead of on a monthly basis as required. As of Dec. 31, more than $515,000 had not been distributed to the school districts, according to the audit.
In all, the audit identified multiple issues that affected more than $12.5 million in public funds, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Zuger criticized the county board’s move Tuesday, saying the issued identified in the audit existed before he was elected treasurer in 2008, and that his office has been working to correct them.
“Our taxpayers put me in this position because I promised to modernize the Treasurer’s Office, expand taxpayer services and develop a culture of engaged, empowered and high-performance employees,” Zuger said in a written statement. “I am doing just that.”
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