Las Vegas takes heat for putting vast majority of CARES Act funding to city payroll costs, not aid

[TexasTowelie]

Las Vegas takes heat for putting vast majority of CARES Act funding to city payroll costs, not aid to residents


The City of Las Vegas attracted bipartisan scrutiny on Friday for spending more than 90 percent of the $119 million it received in federal coronavirus relief funds to maintain public safety payroll, rather than disbursing a larger amount to residents in direct services.

Members of the Legislature’s Subcommittee to Review and Advise on Coronavirus Federal Aid questioned the city’s decision to send $109.2 million either to its public safety payroll or to support pay for employees whose jobs changed during the pandemic, and sending just 5 percent to “economic support” such as rental assistance.

Other cities had a vastly different makeup, with North Las Vegas putting 83 percent of its allotment to residents and businesses and just 17 percent to city operational expenses. None of the three largest cities behind Las Vegas put nearly as much toward payroll; next highest was Henderson, which reported about 27 percent to that line item.

“Almost 90 percent of the dollars you receive are spent basically backfilling budgeted payroll, when so many of the citizens or residents from Las Vegas were unemployed or unhealthy, struggling,” said Republican Sen. Ben Kieckhefer. “The purpose of government is to serve, not employ.”

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/las-vegas-takes-heat-for-putting-vast-majority-of-cares-act-funding-to-city-payroll-costs-not-aid-to-residents