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City council approves spending hotel tax to cover security costs
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press MADISON, Wis. - Almost six months after the U.S. Conference of Mayors met here, the city council approved using $512,000 from the hotel-motel room tax fund to pay for unexpected security costs of the meeting. Madison Police originally had estimated that security for the June event would cost around $92,000, but the department re-evaluated its plans after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and because of expected protests. Officials said security ended up costing around $700,000, including expenses from the fire department, city bus service, traffic engineering and parks. The event drew mayors from across the country, as well as high-ranking officials with the Bush administration. Council president Matt Sloan called the appropriation a "judicious use" of the fund. "It's pretty clear to me that these police costs were related to tourism events," Sloan said. But Cal Worrell, of the Madison Innkeepers Association, objected to using room tax funds for the police budget overrun. Alderman Cindy Thomas backed agreed. She said the room tax, "should not be looked at as a piggy bank every time we can't meet our own budgetary needs. It should be a segregated fund we use for tourism." The council also approved spending $375,000 in contingent reserve funds to cover police overtime and towing costs for 2002. The department accrued $477,000 in overtime expenses, but $257,000 was offset by grant revenues. Some council members said it's time to re-evaluate the police department's budget, since it has overrun its overtime and towing allowances each year for more than a decade. Police Chief Richard Williams said the
department collected almost as much in towing fees as it spent on towing,
and overtime isn't easy to avoid in police work. |
