Waste of the Day: ‘Leftover’ Money Spent on Art Project

Topline: There’s no such thing as “extra” government money. Unnecessary funds should be returned to taxpayers or repurposed for something important.

Spending the extra money just to have it in the budget next year

Nobody explained that to the City of Eugene, Oregon back in 2010. In a classic example of use-it-or-lose-it spending, the city used $80,000 to build an abstract sculpture out of metal tubes and fishnet rather than return the stimulus funding it did not need to build a new bridge.

That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses. 

Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, earned the nickname “Dr. No” by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects using the Senate rules. Projects that he couldn’t stop, Coburn included in his oversight reports.   

Coburn’s Wastebook 2010 included 100 examples of outrageous spending worth more than $11.5 billion, including the money spent on Eugene’s excess bridge supplies, which would be worth $115,000 today.

Key facts: The City of Eugene began building its $6.2 million Delta Pond Bridge for bikers and pedestrians in 2009, funded mostly by the Federal Highway Administration.

The project created 85 jobs and ended up being cheaper than expected. Rather than send back the unneeded money, the city decided to piece something together — literally.

The remaining funds paid for a 30-foot steel sculpture made of seven red poles stuck toward the sky at different angles, tied together with netting. It was chosen out of eight proposals.

“Part of the attraction”

The sculpture was meant to honor Native American fishing communities in the Northwest, but it would be tough to figure that out just by looking at the poles.

“That’s part of the attraction — what the hell is that thing?” Tim Smith, a member of the city of Eugene’s public art committee, told The Bulletin at the time.

If Smith had to ask, perhaps it was not worth spending $80,000 on.

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Summary: The city installed another pedestrian bridge at Delta Ponds earlier this year, with plans to add a boardwalk and more. Hopefully, the expansion will be budgeted with the correct amount of funding.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RCI and made available via RealClearWire.