FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Report on Costs of 2001 Halloween Event
DATE: November 26, 2001
This memorandum presents a summary of the Halloween event that took place on Franklin Street on October 31.
On Halloween night of 2000, approximately 50,000 came to Franklin Street to celebrate. Public safety resources were strained to manage a crowd of that size. Neighborhoods were overrun with illegally parked cars and litter. The number of arrests and disturbances exceeded the totals experienced in previous years.
In an attempt to limit the size of the crowd, and to enhance the capability of public safety officials to provide a safe environment for those coming to Franklin Street, we implemented a traffic diversion plan intended to keep all but local residents and those with business in the downtown area away from the Central Business District. A month-long public information program was conducted to ensure that as many people as possible were made aware of the change in plans from previous years.
We believe that the traffic diversion plan worked as intended. Vehicles were diverted from the downtown area from 8:00 p.m. until about 1:30 a.m. Public parking in lots and along residential streets was restricted. We experienced few problems related to illegal parking or vandalism in residential neighborhoods adjacent to downtown. Thousands of people walked to the event area from as far away as Eastgate Shopping Center and Carrboro.
The peak crowd size was approximately 25,000. Franklin Street was closed from 10:20 p.m. until 3:15 a.m., a span of time about ninety-minutes less than in previous years. Arrests were down about forty percent from the 2000 event. Few fights or disturbances were reported. No serious injuries were reported.
Over 500 people were needed to manage this year’s event, including over 200 police officers from jurisdictions including Morganton, Wilson, Henderson, and Raleigh. Extra firefighters were also recruited from neighboring agencies. Approximately 300 town employees worked Halloween night.
The cost of managing this year’s Halloween event was approximately $110,000. This estimate is about $35,000 more than the year before.
A breakdown of the direct costs:
Law Enforcement $49,000
Fire/Emergency Medical $9,500
Transit $5,000
Public Works $40,000
Miscellaneous $6,500**
** Includes equipment rentals, food, public information materials etc.
In addition to these direct costs we estimate that over 200 employee-hours were spent on planning the event.
Even though this year’s event was significantly more expensive to manage, only a small portion of the additional costs can be attributed to the change in traffic patterns. Most of the extra costs are the result of the additional 100 police officers needed to manage the event. Had the traffic diversion plan not been used, these extra officers would still have been needed to manage the crowd of 50,000 that would likely have been downtown.
Within the next two weeks will be conducting a comprehensive review of the event to see how we can do a better job next year. This review will include an evaluation of our traffic plan to determine how we can minimize the traffic congestion and maintain the health of the neighborhoods while still ensuring that the event can continue in a safe and enjoyable manner.
Also, the Police Department has scheduled a public forum to provide citizens the opportunity to offer their comments on the event and to offer suggestions for next year. The forum will be held at the downtown post office on November 28, at 6:00 p.m.