No matter what time of year , the annual Court Street Halloween celebration always seems to find its way into the news.
Whether the headcount of arrestees immediately afterward, the yearly debate over safety or the often vague ideas tossed around by Athens City Council on how to cut its losses, the Halloween conundrum is always a hot topic both on and off campus.
Well, we're sick of it ' particularly when it comes to the council wasting its time and money attempting to balance an unwieldy financial equation.
Excluding the incalculable amount of revenue gained by local businesses during the Halloween weekend (which the council seems to largely ignore), the amount of money spent on an overstock of cops and post-party cleanup will always far exceed any funds generated for the city from street vending or from whatever fresh ideas the council imagines might be generated by an event planner.
But if some members of the council have their way next Monday, they will be risking even further losses, sinking as much as $16,000 into hiring an event planner. If this ordinance is passed, the city already will be thousands of dollars in the hole; well before thousands of outsiders come to Athens for some good, rowdy Halloween fun.
Cities commonly offer their residents events such as carnivals or rib burn-offs in which, more often than not, the goal isn't to stay in the black. It's just accepted that some things will lose money. Council would be better off spending its time on projects with higher potential for returns than money pits like Halloween.
Financial concerns aren't the only motivation behind the event planner search. Councilwoman Carol Patterson, D-at-large is one of the biggest supporters of the proposed ordinance, and she said on June 11 that the goal is to change the image of Halloween and make it family friendly.
Recent history suggests this is not necessary. Arrests dropped from 95 to 82 in 2006, and the majority of those were for minor misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Considering that thousands of alcohol-soaked partygoers converge on our small-town streets each year, the arrest statistics aren't incredibly shocking. According to Post articles, police have noted smaller crowds in each of the last two years as well.
And the crowds should only get smaller. Ohio University will charge visitors of dorm residents $25 just to have a roof over their heads during the weekend. With the majority of Halloween arrestees being non-OU students and given the small-time budget of most college students, this new fee should help contribute to the waning popularity of the event.
If the council expects this event planner to turn the street party from raucous financial drain to a family-oriented event that puts less strain on the budget, it will require a minor miracle ' or perhaps a fence.
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Council should scrap event planner ordinance, forget about cutting losses from street party
