Parks commission changes housing policy after auditor report

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BY JOE DUGGAN / Lincoln Journal Star

KEARNEY — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission changed its housing policy Friday so an assistant director can continue to live at Eugene T. Mahoney Park.

The commission provides housing for 63 employees who are required to live at parks, fish hatcheries and wildlife areas they manage on a daily basis. But it also has provided a house at Mahoney for Roger Kuhn, the assistant director in charge of parks who works primarily in the Lincoln headquarters building.

A report by state Auditor Mike Foley found the arrangement for Kuhn violated the agency’s housing policy since he is not involved with the day-to-day operations of Mahoney near Ashland.

In response, the commission changed the policy to make living at Mahoney a condition of Kuhn’s employment. The eight board members voted unanimously to approve the new policy during their meeting at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Kuhn began living in the house in the late 1980s as the park was being built and developed. He served as its first superintendent until 1994 and continued living there after he was promoted to the assistant director’s position.

Mahoney has become the state’s flagship park, drawing about 1 million visitors and generating nearly $7 million in revenue each year. It accounts for nearly half of the revenue generated by the entire state park system.

Commission Director Rex Amack said that Kuhn, in addition to managing parks statewide, is integral to the smooth operation of Mahoney. Living at the park allows him to stay in close contact with the park superintendent and other staff.

Kuhn also maintains a close relationship with Mahoney’s financial benefactors, whose contributions funded about 85 percent of the park’s development.

“To a large extent, he serves as the long-time business manager (at Mahoney),” Amack said.

The park has houses for its superintendent and assistant superintendents.

Assistant Deputy State Auditor Don Dunlap said that, other than the housing question, the review of fiscal management at Mahoney came back clean. The auditor suggested modifications mostly having to do with segregation of duties when it comes to collecting park fees.

The agency already has adopted account management changes recommended in the auditor’s report, Amack said.

The commission’s overall financial management is reviewed annually in the statewide single audit, said Patrick Cole, the agency’s fiscal administrator.

In other business Friday, the commission:

* Received a gift of 57.5 acres of land along the Platte River from the Platte River Habitat Foundation. The land is next to Bassway Strip near Kearney.

* Approved an easement for the U.S. Corps of Engineers at Randall W. Schilling Wildlife Management area near Plattsmouth. In exchange, the corps will make about $3 million in wetland and river habitat improvements. The arrangement requires the commission to pay about $29,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which helped fund the original purchase of Schilling.

Reach Joe Duggan at (402) 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com