VALENTINE, Neb. - Cherry County commissioners didn’t approve a funding request from Open Plains Transit (OPT), citing concerns over financial transparency and service stability. OPT requested $47,448 from the county for two years, along with the same amount from the Valentine City Council and Cherry County Hospital.

The public transportation service had shut down for around eight weeks after OPT Director of Transportation Jonnie Kusek said it didn’t get reimbursement from NDOT and government transportation funds.

“I don’t even see the assurances that if we offer money that there will be services for the next two years,” said commissioner Mike McConaughey.

“We agreed to this last time not knowing that you were so far behind. That would have been great to know, but nobody told us. There’s no paperwork in front of me telling me where you are right now or how far behind you are,” said commissioner Martin DeNaeyer.

“I don’t think we have this budgeted right now. The only way I think we can justify it is through some tourism dollars, but that would take time to figure that out,” said commissioner Nina Nelson.

At a recent Valentine City Council meeting, some residents spoke out against the funding, raising concerns about OPT’s financial management and suggesting the city explore operating its own transit service at a lower cost.

“For $47,000, I could drive a lot of miles,” said City Council Member Neil Wescott.

Despite reservations, the council ultimately approved the funding after hearing from residents who missed the service during its shutdown. However, both the city council and hospital made their contributions contingent upon county approval.

Cherry County commissioners said they would be open to reconsidering the request if OPT could provide more detailed financial information and demonstrate its long-term viability.