The NYPD "wants to charge the organizers of the New York City Marathon and dozens of other races the full cost of controlling traffic and other services" in an effort to "generate revenue to cope with the city’s budget deficit," according to Belson & Robbins of the N.Y. TIMES. By charging a "new, separate fee, the police are trying to offset the rising costs and increasingly burdensome job of shutting down traffic for popular athletic events." But the change "could let the police bill race organizers for their expenses after the events have been held, making it harder for event directors to plan." New York Road Runners President & CEO Mary Wittenberg said, "The proposed rules create an unpredictable fee." Wittenberg said that her organization, which last year "paid more than $850,000 to city agencies, including $107,000 to the police, is willing to reimburse the police for more of its costs." But because "many race fees are set months ahead of time," NYRR officials "want the police to put off changing the rule until at least 2012." Wittenberg said that if the proposal is adopted, N.Y. would become the "only city hosting a major marathon to ask race directors to pay for the full cost of police coverage." Wittenberg and other race directors also noted that they "fear that the proposal could prompt other city departments, like Sanitation and Transportation, to follow suit." Belson & Robbins note the NYPD proposal "does not specifically name the Road Runners, but instead is directed toward 'noncharitable athletic parades' that earn revenue from registration fees." There is "no mention of billing the Mets, the Yankees, the Knicks or other professional teams for police details around their stadiums and arenas" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/10).
