A preference for wood flooring over carpeting has gotten one New Mexico city into some hot water.
A special audit of Las Vegas, N.M., determined that city officials misused emergency funds in order to rip out all the carpeting in its city hall and replace it with new hardwood flooring, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The city procured $10,000 of emergency funding after a water fountain leaked and damaged the surrounding carpeting in March 2017. However, instead of replacing only the damaged carpeting, the city expanded the project to install wood floors throughout the building, coasting approximately $94,000 in emergency funds.
The city’s finance director defended the decision, stating that the new hardwood floors would keep everything consistent in the building and would “create a safe and healthy environment for the public as well as employees for a long time to come.”
The state auditor recommended that the city consider hiring an outside party to review all of it nonstandard funding procurements from now on.
