Mummer’s Parade

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

City policy cuts Mummers a cost break

So what does it cost to strut?

In this year's Mummers Parade, the answer is $75,222.23.

That's the estimate of total expenses parade organizers must pay the city to hold their 111th annual New Year's Day event - and it's far less than it would have cost if organizers had to pay for police overtime.

Last year's estimate of city services totaled $347,000, but the Mummers did not have to pay most of it because the city made special arrangements after the Mummers argued they had too little notice of the city's new policy requiring parade organizers to start paying the city for police and cleanup services.

Police costs, though, are now cut out permanently because of a recent City Council bill.

As a result, this year the biggest expense is the one city officials were touting last week as helping to make the 2011 parade more family friendly than ever: $24,180 for portable toilets and labor.

There's also an anticipated charge of $19,703 from the Fire Department for emergency medical services; $15,566 for cleaning up; and $12,757 for the city's Public Property Department to provide 700 barricades.

The cheapest aspect of the Mummers Parade: $504 to the Health Department for food-service inspections.

Bon appetit!