SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Documents obtained by KCRA 3 show that city leaders used taxpayer funds on projects some residents said they never knew they were going to pay for.

Some of the expenses include Mayor Heather Fargo spending $199 on cookies for Solar Cookers International, $160 on See's Candies for an Elected Women's luncheon, $250 to sponsor a crab feed event, $117.39 for funeral flowers, $200 for an Earth Day magic show and $32 for ice.

Every year, Sacramento's City Council members are given up to $50,000 each of taxpayer money to spend at their discretion in their districts.

"It is a slush fund. It is discretionary funding not subject to a normal budget process," Jon Coupal from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy defended this type of spending, as much as $450,000 a year, as important to the community.

"What that money is used for is to assist the community in what needs to be taken care of," Sheedy said.

Mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson told KCRA 3 that at a time when budget cuts could shrink the number of police officers on the streets, this kind of spending is irresponsible and must stop.

"We're talking about cutting public safety or funding pet projects. No ... that should be eliminated," Johnson said.

Fargo countered that remark and said some of that money does go to worthy causes.

"Certainly that is something we are going to look at, but people need to understand that is money that tends to go to non-profit organizations," Fargo said.

There are, however, a growing number of city taxpayers who said they think personal discretionary funding is unjustifiable at a time when the city is $58 million in the hole.

Several council members said this spending does go to good things like community gardens, parks and other non-profit events. But Sheedy said if this is something that needs to be cut, then nothing should be off the table.

As of Oct. 1, there was a total of $448,000 of unspent money sitting in councilmember's personal discretionary accounts.