$264 of Stuffed Flounder and Fancy Hotels: The Rising Fury Over Government Spending

‘I feel cheated.’ Purchasing-card use by public officials, including waste and alleged fraud, is stoking taxpayer backlash in cities and towns across the U.S.

By Scott Calvert of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"Municipalities routinely grant p-cards to elected officials and other employees as a way to streamline business-related purchases. What’s being targeted now is purported misuse and lax oversight. Watchdogs’ findings range from claims of wasteful spending to alleged fraud. Some local officials have pushed back, though many say they have beefed up rules for p-cards."

"In Richmond, Va., a city audit last year identified $5 million in questionable transactions out of about $21 million over roughly two years. Among them: $1,423 on a catered lunch for a training session attended by 14 employees; $738 on “drinks, desserts, popsicles, and supplies” for an appreciation event attended by 11, and a $480 business suit for an employee to wear to court."