NFAT updates Madison County Commissioners

NORFOLK, Neb. -- The North Fork Area Transit met with Madison County commissioners for an update Tuesday morning.

The update was to help give commissioners insight into what NFAT was doing after their former general manager was accused of embezzlement. Back in December, it was discovered that the former general manager of NFAT, Jeff Stewart, had allegedly embezzled over $740,000 on personal expenses.

NFAT suspended service indefinitely on Jan. 6 to stop acquiring debt and began looking for ways to recover its lost funds. Madison County had awarded the non-profit $750,000 in ARPA funds back in July. Madison County Commissioner Troy Uhlir expressed his frustrations that residents of Madison County can no longer utilize public transportation.

"I think when this all went down, I was super frustrated at the thought that people who really care about community kind of got taken advantage of," Uhlir said. "We're angry at the (NFAT volunteer) board...but at the end of the day, we still have people that need this service."

While expressing his frustrations, Uhlir still commended the board's effort to keep the non-profit afloat. Corrine Donahue, who was representing NFAT, reiterated several points made to the City of Norfolk earlier this month. Since that time, Donahue said some progress has been made, such as paying the remaining amount owed to employees.

The debts owed to local vendors, however, still need to be paid. Donahue said they are still seeking every avenue of funding. She revealed NFAT has the potential to receive $500,000, although they must match that amount in local dollars.

According to Donahue, the NFAT volunteer board is still dedicated to becoming fully operational again. Her presentation stated that it will take a minimum of three to four weeks before the non-profit can resume operations, however, this may take longer depending on how much NFAT is given. Madison County took no action in relation to NFAT.