LINCOLN — The Kansas-based agency overseeing Omaha-area child welfare cases nearly ran out of cash in March and expects to lose about $27 million on its Nebraska contract this fiscal year. William Clark, the interim CEO of the embattled Saint Francis Ministries, told a Kansas reporter that Nebraska officials had “agreed to cover” that projected loss as well as $7.4 million in losses for the previous, partial year of the contract.
But Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday that the state is still negotiating with Saint Francis over money and other issues, including making sure that the agency can meet the terms of its contract, which was signed in July 2019.
Among the issues under discussion are revelations that the Rev. Bobby Smith, Saint Francis’ former president and CEO, charged more than $469,000 on a pair of company credit cards over almost three years. Charges included luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, iTunes, and luxury clothing stores. The organization also came under scrutiny for spending over $80,000 on tickets to the Chicago Cubs, the team owned by the Ricketts’ family.
In an editorial this week, the Omaha World Herald endorsed the call for a special legislative investigative committee on the matter. The paper stated that St. Francis is supposed to oversee case management for abused and neglected children in Douglas County and Sarpy County, however the whistleblower report confirmed many red flags officials began to notice early in the partnership which deserves investigation. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha stated this week that she plans to call or a special investigative committee when the legislature returns in January.