SALEM — The city turned a record-breaking $271,000 profit during October, thanks mainly to its parking garages and lots and higher parking meter rates.
After accounting for the cost of police, public works and fireworks — right down to the small-ticket items like cornstalks for the light poles — the Witch City made an estimated $271,186. That exceeds the revenue record for Haunted Happenings by $66,000, according to Finance Director Richard Viscay.
"It's our best year since we've been keeping track," Mayor Kim Driscoll said. "To have this increase is certainly good news, especially during these challenging times."
Revenue from the parking garages — $240,000 — was down about $14,000 from last year, a dip officials attribute to several rainy weekends in October.
"We are definitely subject to the weather," Viscay said.
Parking meters and lots, however, generated $30,000 more than last year.
"We had a bump there," Viscay said. "Most of it, I would imagine, we can attribute to the meters being a little more expensive."
The city increased parking meter rates from 25 cents an hour to 50 cents an hour earlier this year. The city charges a $20 flat rate on weekends in October at its two parking garages.
On top of the $271,000 already generated, the mayor said the city expects an estimated $90,000 in Haunted Happenings revenue from the hotel/motel tax, which is calculated quarterly.
"I think, at least from my perspective, this helps soften some of the nuisances that come with October," Driscoll said. "It's hard to get through the city and harder to find parking spaces, but it helps knowing that the revenue goes directly into local coffers to pay for things like police and teachers and core city services."
This October, the city spent an estimated $90,000 on police salaries and overtime, mostly on Halloween Saturday when costumed partygoers flooded the downtown throughout the day. The city spent almost $50,000 less on police this year, which the mayor attributed, in part,¬ to using the police station instead of a mobile emergency operations center, as it has in the past.
"That's something (Chief) Paul Tucker did, to his credit," Driscoll said. "He looked for ways to be more cost-efficient, and that's one area we were able to save some money."
Of the estimated $90,000 in Haunted Happenings police costs, the breakdown looked like this:
$43,902 — Salem police (mostly overtime)
$14,840 — Essex County Sheriff's Department
$11,848 — Police officers from other cities and towns
$11,040 — North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC)
$8,420 — Plymouth County mounted police unit
The city spent about $23,288 on overtime in the public works department and about $11,700 on overtime and extra staffing for the parking garages.
The closing ceremonies and fireworks cost $22,000, which is $4,000 less than the theatrical light and sound show performed last year on Washington Street to signal the end of the celebration.
Viscay said the city-owned Witch House made $45,145 in Haunted Happenings revenue, which is about $5,000 greater than last year.
The way the city calculates Haunted Happenings revenue is by taking the average monthly revenue from the rest of the year and calculating the additional revenue generated in October, Viscay said.
Police have estimated that as many as 100,000 revelers came to the downtown area on Halloween, which fell on a Saturday and boasted unseasonably balmy weather.
"I'd like to think we're getting a better handle on how to manage crowds," Driscoll said. "... From my perspective, that's as important as the revenue we bring in: making sure the place is safe and not disruptive to our community from a behavior perspective."
Net revenue from Haunted Happenings
(October)
YearAmount
2006$119,088
2007$205,072
2008$201,627
2009¬ $271,186
Source: Salem Finance Department
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