It's no surprise that taxpayer dollars pay for some ridiculous things. Today, the Post is outraged that the city has spent $3.3 million so far this year on food for workers and guests. The main problem is that city workers are not allowed to expense meals, yet seem to be hiding food under categories like "non-overnight travel expenses." That's right, city officials are being sneaky. more ›

Created on Thursday by City Comptroller John Liu, checkbooknyc.com lets taxpayers discover how their hard earned cash is being spent. For instance, the city has spent $3,771,246.41 this year on office furniture, and Mayor Bloomberg's office spent $5,500 on liquor! The city's law department also spent about $66,000 on car services, about six times as much as City Council staffers. Liu told the Daily News, "The more information we make available to the public, the more built-in incentives all of us in city government have to save taxpayers' money, which has really become more important than ever before." more ›

Yesterday, the Daily News went after the city's five borough presidents with an article titled, "Borough presidents spend our tax bucks but New Yorkers get little back": "In the last two years, they've plowed through more than $450 million in taxpayer money, in some cases buying items that appear to fall outside the realm of their limited duties, the Daily News found. The bulk of the money goes for construction of pet projects - while the rest covers salaries, drivers for four of the five, glossy promotional brochures and magazines, photo equipment and things like $400 chairs, $5,000 for drapes and thousands more for pictures and videos." The News also drills down with some spending details for each one—Brooklyn BP Marty Markowitz, former Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion Jr., Manhattan BP Scott Stringer, Queens BP Helen Marshall and Staten Island BP James Molinaro. Government watchdog group Citizens Union's Dick Dadey tells the News the Beep position (which pays $160,000/year) "should be abolished or it should be strengthened. I'm not confident that the way the office is currently constructed has proved to be effective." Last fall, the Post looked at the Beeps' schedules. more ›

The Budget Maze is a new "game" from the Gotham Gazette -- because what's more fun than cutting city spending? However, one can learn more here than at, say, Guitar Hero; "If you're seeking to lobby the powers that be, the game offers a useful guide. If you're a student or an armchair activist, the three mazes should help you better understand the tortuous process that shapes city taxing and spending." more ›