State: Tax Dollars Off Limits to Charities
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Omaha firefighters have lost another round in their battle to “Fill the Boot” on taxpayer time.
The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, the state ethics board, voted Friday that firefighters are not allowed to raise charitable funds while on-duty, wearing City-owned uniforms, or using City equipment such as fire trucks.
Nebraska Watchdog first reported that an advisory opinion prepared for the Commission argued there is no legal basis allowing public funds to be used for charitable purposes.
The Commission’s ruling directly effects the Omaha Fire Department’s annual “Fill the Boot” fundraising campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
According to Frank Daley, the Commission’s executive director, several firefighters and supporters of MDA testified against the advisory opinion.
The Commission voted 5-1 to prohibit the tax supported operation. Opponents could appeal the ruling to the Lancaster County District Court.
Last December the Omaha City Council, backed up by a legal opinion from the Omaha City Attorney, passed an ordinance prohibiting those same on-duty fundraising techniques.
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Reported by Joe Jordan, joe@nebraskawatchdog.org
Posted under News, Omaha City Hall, State Politics.
Tags: Frank Daley, Joe Jordan, MDA, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Nebraska, Omaha Fire Department, Watchdog
2:02 pm on March 12th, 2010
Good grief. They aren’t using “taxpayer” money for the project. Is it any wonder people are tired of idiocy in government?
2:40 pm on March 12th, 2010
John,
You must be a fireman in Omaha. To bad they have to waste their time to vote on lack of common sense issues like this.
5:58 pm on March 12th, 2010
So does this mean government employees cannot contribute while on duty as well? No more Girl Scout Cookies? No more United Way? The road needs to run both ways in my book. We shouldn’t be paying govt folks to be scanning cookie fliers or the such when they are on duty.
2:50 pm on March 13th, 2010
It’s a worthy casuse so the firemen can VOLUNTEER like millions do
they should not be using city time and money to do this period. But see they get holiday pay and get to do it while working and look good..volunteer like everyone else
3:46 pm on March 13th, 2010
To tea party and jazzee why now is this a bad thing when it was allowed for the past fifty or more years. Firefighters were raising money for MDA long before Jerry Lewis was involved. This was a result of partisan attacks on the fire dept and nothing else. The cost to the city and taxpayers on this issue was next to nothing. Just remember this also puts an end to Shop With A Cop. jazzee many firefighters do volunteer to raise money for the MDA on thier own time. Some traditions are right no matter what and do not have to be changed.
8:43 pm on March 15th, 2010
To Mr. Bob Smith I don’t have a problem collecting for MDA, but then every other day they are not doing anything they should be collecting for every other charity out there. I’m a big fan of the Kidney Org., we’ll schedule them for next weekend, then how about the Heart Association the weekend after that, then we can schedule them for the many cancer org. for the month of April. My point is if they are going to use public money then they should be fair and raise funds for ALL of the charities instead of one they pick.
8:45 pm on March 15th, 2010
If the Fire Fighters feel so strong about it then we should still see the city full of FF’s collecting, it will just be the off duty ones. If we do not see FF all over the city we know how they really feel.
10:29 pm on March 15th, 2010
to david see my post again this is the firefighters chosen charity nation wide. They have collected for this charity since its inception. The police officers chosen charity nationwide is the Special Olympics. Some tradtions do not need to be changed.
2:18 pm on March 16th, 2010
The United Way is and always has been a recognized “City” wide charity through all City departments. MDA has not been. Maybe you’re right and it should go too. It does take a lot of City time to run it.
I agree that if the firefighters had to do MDA on their own time it wouldn’t happen.
By the way……….how is it that a uniformed firefighter and an eye Doctor can use a City fire truck to advertise a private business? What did the City get paid for that and was the firefighter on City time?
10:05 am on March 18th, 2010
Really chucku, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Do you know about the monthly steak frys for the MDA, all done by off duty firefighters. Were you at Clancy on 114, there were off duty firefighters there collecting for the MDA. This attack has only the sick kids this charity helps.