Commission clears CU in ethics allegation

The commission prohibits public entities from spending public dollars to support or oppose a ballot measure.

A complaint was filed in May by former Missouri legislator Mike Schilling, who said a CU-published Web site and documents sent to customers were persuasive in nature. Though CU has admitted it spent about $9,500 on flyers and the Web site, officials have said those were educational materials.

In a letter to CU General Manager John Twitty, the commission said it “determined that the allegation that you used public funds to support or oppose a ballot measure was unfounded.”

Schilling could not be reached for comment.

Voters approved the bond issue for CU’s second coal-fired power plant, and construction is expected to begin this month.