The auditor’s office revealed that over seven years, a staggering 200 transactions, amounting to $219,963, were directed towards Arley’s food truck, a mobile vendor based in Steinauer, owned by Arlan Meints, spouse of Bobbie Meints.
Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley has called for a criminal inquiry into financial transactions involving the former executive director of Five Rivers RC&D
Foley strongly criticized these payments, deeming them “outrageous,” asserting that they lacked any apparent connection to services provided by or sanctioned by the RC&D board. He promptly submitted his findings to both the Nebraska Attorney General and the Johnson County Attorney’s Office. Additionally, Foley raised concerns about the oversight exercised by the Five Rivers RC&D board of directors over their executive director‘s expenditure.
The investigation into RC&D’s finances was set in motion after the Secretary of State issued a certificate dissolving the non-profit in June 2021. Despite this, in April 2022, Five Rivers RC&D managed to secure contracts from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for household hazardous waste collections and safeguarding native grasslands against invasive species. They subsequently requested reimbursement for the grant funds on June 8. An audit by the environmental trust followed on June 30, and on July 25, 2022, Five Rivers RC&D’s non-profit status was reinstated.
The Secretary of State once again administratively dissolved Five Rivers RC&D
The report underscored Five Rivers RC&D’s inability to furnish sufficient documentation about Arley’s catering services and highlighted a lack of recollection of any such services by RC&D representatives. Moreover, Five Rivers RC&D could not produce the necessary documentation to substantiate certain payroll and reimbursement checks totaling $28,000 to Meints.
Foley’s report concluded with a stern recommendation, urging the responsible political subdivisions to institute safeguards against jeopardizing funds through poor banking practices, delayed credit card payments, or non-compliance with federal tax laws in any entity affiliated with them. Established in 1993, the RC&D was designed to benefit multiple counties, primarily funded by state environmental and agricultural grants.
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