(Mitchell, NE) -- Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley alleges Mayor Paul Murrell used city-owned vehicles for personal purposes and received nearly $50,000 for work by his private business at the city-run Mitchell Care Center. Read the Auditor of Public Accounts letter (PDF, Sept. 16, 2025) for specifics and referrals.
Foley says Murrell gave auditors a sales tax form to claim he owned the vehicle, but investigators confirmed through the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office and a local equipment supplier that the vehicle belonged to the city and the form was for a different vehicle.
The Auditor’s Office has referred its findings to the Scotts Bluff County Attorney, the Nebraska Attorney General, and the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. The auditor cannot file charges.
Murrell did not respond to a request for comment.
Photo: Photo: Mike Foley - Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts - Official Website