Boulder government: getting fat on taxpayers’ dime?

by Amy Oliver | 1:32 pm, August 9, 2009 | Comments Off

Boulder city government has an expanding waistline. The Daily Camera reports that “Boulder taxpayers shelled out more than $230,100 for government food last year, representing a 13 percent increase over 2007 and 19 percent over 2006 food expenses.”

The paper offered further explanation:

The costs are for a wide range of snacks and meals for employees, officials and volunteers, including: $64,700 for boards and commissions; $50,800 for promotions, retirement parties and employee recognition; $25,200 for training; $21,400 for coffee and bottled water; $18,500 for public meetings and community forums; and $4,600 for traveling employees.

But apparently the Boulder Planning Board is looking out for taxpayers’ money.

Susan Honse, clerk to the Planning Board, said that group has taken the charge to reduce its food costs seriously. While the board used to go out to restaurants before meetings, she said, it has decided in the past year to order mostly take-out and forego special beverages.

“They get ice water,” Honse said. “They love their water.”

COST commends members of the planning board for willingly sacrificing “special beverages” in order to save money.  Hopefully it will be enough to save the libraries.

This situation reminds us of something that transparency activist Natalie Menten says, ”it becomes very easy to spend someone else’s money, unless that someone is watching.”

Boulder needs transparency.

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