MADISON, Ala. — Donald Trump’s massive Alabama event in Madison was huge for his campaign in the state, as he picked up the endorsement of popular U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions. But the event also left the taxpayers of the city with a huge bill.
According to Madison City Council President Tim Holcombe, the city spent over $30,000 to accommodate Mr. Trump’s event. Below is a breakdown of the costs incurred by the city.
Holcombe said that the Madison City Council was kept in the dark on the event planning. They were not included and had no idea of the costs.
Now Holcombe and his fellow council members are dealing with the bill that was left behind after the massive event.
“The rally was a great thing, and I’m all for having political rallies, but I felt like we should have been given a heads-up early on that this planning was in process. Certainly we could have assisted along the way,” said Holcombe, who wished that Madison Mayor Trulock had given some notice. “My issue was a lack of communication and the amount of money it took to put the event on.”
The money for the event was not budgeted, and the council will have to decide whether to dip into reserves to cover it.
The Madison City Police Department also voiced concerns regarding the event’s scheduling. “I never imagined that I would be notified at 10 minutes after 5 on Thursday afternoon that we needed to plan for an event that takes three weeks to properly plan,” Police Maj. Jim Cooke said.
Trump’s rally was held at a high school football stadium in Madison, and created a “logistical nightmare” for Madison police. “I don’t think you could have picked a worse location for this number of people,” Cooke added.
Last week, Mayor Trulock issued the following statement on the Trump event:
The school system received $20,000 ($10,000 up front and $10,00 down payment) because they did not have an avenue for reimbursement if their stadium was damaged. The city receives reimbursement through economic development (money spent in our businesses) when the estimated 25,000 attended the event, as well as the regional and national recognition that it brings to our city. I have been told that the event was shown on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Headline News, NBC Nightly news and with a reported 300 press passes provided for the event, the city was well covered. The cost for the event is approximately $30,000 and with an estimated 25,000 in attendance (from the Secret Service & MPD estimates) that results in about $1.20 per person for public safety. The city provided public safety support for the event just like any high school football game at the stadium. The city could become involved in a legal dispute if the city decided to charge this event while not charging other events for public safety support.
Madison is not the only city who has been hit with an unexpected bill in the wake of a record-breaking Trump crowd.
Mobile taxpayers also had to cover almost $17,000 in costs after the billionaire businessman visited their city earlier in the campaign.
