VenuWorks To Pay Bemidji Back For Unauthorized Spending

The Sanford Center’s management company VenuWorks will pay back $138,000 to the City of Bemidji to make up for unauthorized spending by the facility’s former executive director.

The Bemidji City Council voted Monday night to modify its contract with the management company to accept the payment. This comes after a lengthy review by the state auditor, who shared their findings with the city a few weeks ago over the misuse of funds by former Sanford Center executive director Curtis Webb.

Council members vented their frustrations about the situation. They also approved recommendations from the state auditor to prevent the misuse of funds from ever happening again.