The Sarpy County Board of Commissioners is interviewing several candidates to serve as the county’s next treasurer.

The board already interviewed four candidates last week, and it will interview three more Tuesday. After the interviews, the board plans to make an appointment that will last through January 2023.

The candidates are:

• Heidi Plummer-Pepper of Bellevue, the audit revenue control assistant manager for the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.

• Azrael Rossell of Bellevue, an assistant project manager at Aksarben Roofing and the owner–operator of RC Flooring.

• Janette Kelley of Gretna, who was in charge of project development for Lanphear Industries.

• Dale Marples, who lives near Tiburon Golf Course, the owner–director of Business Financial Management and CFO Systems.

• Jason Carter of Papillion, real estate and finance technician in the Sarpy County Treasurer’s Office.

• Angie Lauritsen of Gretna, co-owner and president of Lauritsen Ventures and recent former member of the Gretna City Council.

• Tracy Jones of Papillion, the county veterans service officer.

Jones was appointed interim treasurer last month after Brian Zuger was removed from office by the county board.  Zuger has an appeal of his removal pending in Sarpy County District Court.

The state Auditor of Public Accounts began an investigation into the office in April 2020. In October 2020, the Sarpy County Board hired Kutak Rock LLP to conduct an independent review. The state auditor’s office released a report last November identifying concerns about financial reconciliations and record-keeping.

The auditor found “numerous issues that impacted over $12.5 million in public funds.” Those issues continued after BerganKDV, an accounting and professional services firm, was hired to recommend improvements and assist in reconciling county bank accounts.

In finding to remove Zuger, the County Board cited millions of dollars in Omaha Public Power District payments in lieu of taxes that were incorrectly distributed to local school districts, the county’s five municipalities and the county government itself. The board also said Zuger failed to properly and timely distribute motor vehicle pro-rate commission to political subdivisions within Sarpy County.

Zuger has said he was following the same system as his predecessors. He has said the problems date back “long before” he took office in 2019. The office had last been audited by the state in 1992.

The county Treasurer’s Office’s responsibilities include motor vehicle titling and registration, collecting and distributing real estate taxes, and managing the county’s investments. The office is located in the Sarpy County 1102 Building at 1102 E. 1st St. in Papillion.