After all the streets were cleaned and city officers paid, the Halloween celebration cost the city of Athens almost $70,000 - about $20,000 more than the city had budgeted.
Most of the $69,829.03 was used to pay overtime to city employees who were on-duty, said Athens Mayor Ric Abel. The rest was spent on smaller expenses such as PortaJohns and dumpsters.
Abel said the city usually budgets about $50,000 for the event. Because the actual cost exceeded the budget, money will be taken from each individual department's budget to cover the difference.
The taxpayers will pay it
he said.
The parking garage and shuttle service generated some money during the weekend to offset the costs, Abel said. Money from fines and citations also will come in after people go through the judicial system. However, that total amount is only about $12,000.
The total cost to Athens Police Department was $24,565.26, said APD Chief Richard Mayer. Almost $20,000 was spent on officer overtime, with the rest used for transportation and meals for out-of-town mounted officers, the booking station set up at the Courthouse, radio rental and damaged property.
Mayer said the department does not have a set budget for Halloween each year, but the event forces police to cut back on costs in other areas, including training.
Last year, APD spent $21,131 on Halloween. Mayer said costs typically increase each year, partly because wages increase. The riots in the Mill, Stewart and Palmer street area led to greater overtime costs.
We had (officers working) until six or seven o'clock he said. Officers are usually done working by 3 or 4 a.m.
The riots also added to the costs of property damage, but were not the main cause. The total damaged or stolen property was $16, 922, not including vandalism or theft of city property. The overturned car might be the only property damage stemming from the riots, Mayer said.
There was a lot of other things he said. More than $4,000 in property damage already had been reported to APD by 7 a.m. Saturday.
The fires occurring during the riots as people set fire to couches were not at any private residences, said George Klinger of the Athens Fire Department.
Because the fires did not occur on private property, they did not lead to personal property damages.
Abel said the fires did not cost the city anything immediately, but they are continuing to check the condition of the streets for liability reasons.
The amount of property damage this year is almost four times the amount from 2001, which was $4,755.
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Lindsey Nelson
