Some stories almost write their own punchlines. In this episode of public power meets private windfall, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) managed to pay $5 million for a chunk of rural land—acquired, as Flatwater Free Press details, from two of its own top executives. To be clear, that’s a price tag roughly five times the property’s assessed value, and at least double what their own appraisal put it at. You don’t have to be a specialist in government procedure—or irony—to spot something unusual here.

Five Times the Fun

Flatwater Free Press reports that in February, NPPD’s board approved buying 202 acres of farmland just north of the Sheldon Station power plant, a parcel handily situated for new development. Board minutes show the deal sailed through with a unanimous vote, conducted mostly in executive session and with minimal public discussion. But if the setting felt routine, the numbers were anything but: NPPD shelled out $25,000 an acre, when the property had recently been appraised at less than half that—around $11,000 per acre for the whole tract.

Officials interviewed for the story—General Counsel John McClure and CEO Tom Kent—insisted on the strategic value. The parcel’s geography ticked every box for the utility’s Princeton Road Station expansion and neatly tied in with existing infrastructure. They cited a private developer’s competing offer of $30,000 per acre as justification for going high. Still, Flatwater Free Press’s analysis found that NPPD’s previous Lancaster County land acquisitions only averaged 150% above assessed value; this one punched right through the ceiling at a thoroughly astonishing 500%. Appraisal records reviewed by the publication pegged fair market value for investment purposes at about $2.3 million—less than half the final sale price.

As University of Nebraska law professor Anthony Schutz noted to Flatwater Free Press, while agricultural land often goes for more than its assessed value, this sale stood out. Many states put legal brakes on just how far beyond “market value” a public agency can go; Nebraska, however, offers little more than the gentle guardrail of political optics.

A Familiar Face—Or Two

The real plot twist, as highlighted in the outlet’s report, lies with the sellers: Ronald Starzec, who heads the agency’s land management, and his spouse, Donna Starzec, NPPD’s chief audit and ethics officer. Yes—the ethics officer. Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer cited by Flatwater Free Press, described this as “a laugh,” and admitted he’d never seen a transaction quite like it in decades of legal work.

In a detail raised by the publication, neither Starzec filed a conflict-of-interest disclosure with the state, which is required for government employees making more than $150,000 annually—something that both easily clear. McClure told Flatwater Free Press that, because the couple were excluded from participating “in the course of their employment,” disclosure requirements didn’t apply, a reading of the statute that’s about as reassuring as a fox explaining why it’s fine to mind the henhouse.

Documents and interviews reviewed by the news outlet further indicate that while the Starzecs signed statements recusing themselves and acknowledging their personal interest, most substantial board discussion occurred in executive session. The public was informed that employees were the sellers, but—as the article notes—the adopted purchase resolution left out that relevant detail.

Practicality or Precedent?

McClure told Flatwater Free Press that a private law firm handled negotiations “to avoid pressure” on NPPD staffers who work with the Starzecs. Still, questions linger about why the utility agreed to far exceed both the assessed and appraised value—especially given its condemnation authority (hello, eminent domain!). Schutz, the legal scholar, pointed out that a condemnation would likely have capped the price at fair market value, saving millions—even with legal costs accounted for. The outlet also notes Kent’s rationale: if the private developer’s deal had closed, it would have set a new high comp, potentially costing NPPD more in any future forced sale.

But as Flatwater Free Press’s reporting makes clear, the rush to pay top dollar to two insiders (while bypassing typical disclosure and public deliberation) seems to erode public trust far more than any competitive negotiation could have.

A “Transparent” Shadow

Transparency, as NPPD leadership described to the publication, apparently means executive sessions and absent specifics in meeting resolutions. Schutz commented to Flatwater Free Press that best practices would involve “a lot of disclosure, and making sure everybody knows exactly why” public money is being spent on property from public officers at this price. By that measure, Nebraska’s leading power agency opted for the minimalist approach—just enough “disclosure” to tick the legal boxes, but not nearly enough to inspire confidence.

Transactions like this, according to Schutz, risk establishing an informal but expensive precedent. Future landowners see the playbook: hold out, and NPPD may just overpay when circumstances align in your (or your executive’s) favor.

The Starzecs, asked repeatedly for comment, opted for silence, Flatwater Free Press confirms. Perhaps, from their perspective, the transaction speaks for itself.

So, to sum up: Public utility. Insider sellers. No explicit conflict-of-interest filing. A sale price that makes the average Nebraska land deal look quaint. The kind of “transparent” negotiations that occur mostly in executive session. It all leaves us to quietly marvel: Is this just business as usual—Nebraska style? Or a new high-water mark for the public sector’s ability to keep things in the family, all while hardly stepping outside the lines? As always, your archive will be waiting to see if anyone decides to remember.