Cindy Gonzalez
LINCOLN — A Capitol gift shop run by the Nebraska State Historical Society is set to make a comeback in June, following a pandemic-era shutdown.
Director Daryl Bohac told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee last week that salaries of two full-time staffers devoted to the store will be absorbed in the agency’s general fund budget, which he said would remain flat under Gov. Jim Pillen’s recommended biennial financial package.
Bohac, in response to a question by a committee member, said the Capitol Commission would help with startup costs, including merchandise to stock up the first-floor gift shop.
A spokesman for the historical society said the shop likely would sell Nebraska-centric items similar to that of the gift shop in the society’s main museum.
While many other agencies expect to see reduced funding over the next two years, Bohac said the historical society’s unchanged general fund budget should allow the agency time to explore and expand other revenue streams.
The society — immersed in controversy for the past couple of years — operates with a mix of funds including from the state, federal government and donors.
“It also provides time for us to build donor confidence in the activities of the historical society,” said Bohac, who was appointed to his position by Pillen in November and confirmed in February.
Among his goals, Bohac said, is to return permanent exhibits to the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln, an effort he hopes will increase donations. The agency, overall, collects and preserves state history, is the official state archives, publishes a quarterly magazine and operates a half-dozen other historic sites across the state.
Bohac’s remarks came during a public hearing last week at which he presented highlights of the 147-year-old historical society’s budget. No one else spoke either in favor or in opposition.
Pillen tapped Bohac to direct the historical society after Bohac already had been retired 18 months from leading the Nebraska National Guard. The governor said at the time that he needed someone to steer the historical society that he said had veered “off the tracks.”
The historical society has been scrutinized and restructured, and recently became part of the governor’s cabinet following a state audit and criminal charges filed against a former executive director.
In December, a Lancaster County district judge dismissed the felony theft by deception charged against former director, Trevor Jones. The judge ruled that prosecutors with the Nebraska Attorney General’s office had violated Jones’ right to a speedy trial.
The AG’s Office in February appealed the dismissal of its case alleging that Jones had illegally transferred funds donated to the agency’s private foundation. The appeal was accepted by the Nebraska Court of Appeals.