OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Flatwater Free Press released a report Thursday listing large bonuses being paid to NPPD leaders, in some cases doubling their salaries. Ta.
“Nebraska Public Power District Chief Nuclear Officer John Dent’s base salary in 2023 is $646,000, the same as other public power executives in Nebraska, but he was paid a bonus of $640,280. “His total compensation subsequently doubled his salary to $1.3 million,” the Flatwater report states.
The bonus alone is nearly double the governor's salary, putting Dent at a higher salary level than his boss.
While NPPD points out that utilities budget for incentive programs to ensure they don't impact customers, state Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon told Flatwater that the bonus rate is shocking.
“Why double the pay of someone who isn't doing anything special when you can divert that money to lower interest rates?” he said.
However, because Nebraska is the only state in the nation served entirely by a publicly owned electric utility, NPPD is committed to providing these critical services while maintaining high performance for the services Nebraskans depend on. They say they need a high salary to do their jobs and keep them there.
“We're looking at big numbers for the average person…but what if our CEO, Tom Kent, went to Iowa or Missouri and worked for an investor-owned utility? His compensation is going to be high when you start thinking about how much money he's going to make.'' Millions,'' said Dallas Beshaler, NPPD's vice president of human relations.
Still, supporters say such decisions, such as making Mr. Dent's 2023 bonus nearly 100% of his base salary, need to be transparent.
“Salary settings and bonus payments should be completely open to the public,” said Jack Gould, former issues chair for Common Cause Nebraska. “How do you justify it in the eyes of the public? What do you do in a job where you get a bonus? That should be fully explained.”
Meanwhile, under the program being rolled out this year, most NPPD employees below the supervisor level will be eligible to receive a bonus of 2.5% or 5% of their salary. For those at the vice president level he will be given a 30% bonus.
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This article was reported by 6 News content partner flat water free press.
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