The Nebraska State Auditor's Office is located in the State Capitol. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — State Auditor Mike Foley in a new report this week accused the mayor of a small western Nebraska town of possibly misusing public equipment and resources for the mayor’s personal benefit, including spraying a weedy area near his driveway with a city-owned utility vehicle.

Foley also raised eyebrows about “excessive” city payments to the mayor’s “Handyman” business.

The auditor on Tuesday released a 20-page report to the Panhandle City of Mitchell detailing findings and including photos. One image, for example, purports to show Paul Murrell, the mayor of the town with a population of less than 2,000 people, using a city-owned weed sprayer vehicle in an area near his home.

When

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