Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events And Economy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spanish Town parade organizers warn policing costs could sink downtown event that brings millions in impact
Summary
Organizers of the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade told the council that newly proposed policing costs for special events could make the parade financially unviable; presenters cited a Visit Baton Rouge estimate of roughly $4.65 million combined economic impact and asked the city to allocate policing support or develop objective criteria for event funding.
Spanish Town parade organizers told the Metropolitan Council they face existential budget pressure if the city requires organizers to pay full policing costs for large downtown events.
Robert King, president of SPILL (the parade organizers), and former president Bill Broomfield told the council the parade has grown into a major downtown event that draws visitors and hotel occupancy and supports local charities. Broomfield cited Visit Baton Rouge figures presented to organizers estimating a roughly $2.8 million direct impact and $1.8 million indirect impact — a total near $4.65 million — and said the city’s share of those receipts translates to roughly $200,000 in tax revenue for the city. Organizers said a preliminary policing estimate (presenters referenced numbers in the tens of thousands for a large police detail) could be as high as $75,000 for one event, which they said would render the parade unsustainable if shifted fully onto organizers.
Council members responded by urging development of a consistent policy or ordinance to govern city policing and other municipal costs for events — one that could use objective metrics such as economic impact, hotel occupancy and demonstrated return on investment. Councilman Dunn proposed an across‑the‑board criteria that administration, finance and BRPD would use to evaluate event policing requests and determine when the city provides services versus when an event must fund security. Organizers and councilmembers discussed alternatives including private security and sponsorships; the mayor’s office and the police chief signaled interest in a longer‑term policy solution but said few immediate changes could be made for the approaching parade season.
BRPD’s chief testified the department’s overtime budget was historically underfunded — roughly $4 million budgeted versus about $8 million spent — and that special events, staffing shortages and overtime demand drive costs upward. The chief suggested setting a reasonable extra‑duty rate (he cited $50–$55 per hour as a more realistic rate than $75) and developing event cost criteria that would be transparent to organizers and city planners.
Councilmembers said they would convene city departments, Visit Baton Rouge, Downtown Development District and downtown event stakeholders to develop a consistent approach before the next major event season.
