President Donald Trump's attendance at Tennessee football's Sept. 26 matchup against top-ranked Texas cost Knoxville taxpayers close to 60% more than a normal game at Neyland Stadium.
Trump caught local leaders off guard when he announced via Truth Social he would be in Knoxville for the game, which also attractedESPN's "College Gameday" and a handful of celebrity football fans. The Tennessee-Texas matchup provided a favorable audience for the president going into the midterm season, and Trump said Sept. 23 he had always loved Neyland Stadium.
As the Vols trailed the Longhorns at halftime, Air Force One was already on its way back to Washington. All told, Trump's visit lasted around three hours and cost Knoxville taxpayers around $30,000 more
than the game day would have without the president in attendance.
Eric Vreeland, a spokesperson for Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, told Knox News on Oct. 2 the city was not aware of any plans for the federal government to reimburse Knoxville for the visit. The $30,000 covered overtime costs for members of the Knoxville Police Department and Knoxville Fire Department who otherwise wouldn't have been working during the game. Nobody was removed from their regular duty because of the visit.
The city sets aside money in each department's budget to cover overtime, communications director Kristin Farley said, so no money was reallocated from other projects or services to cover overtime costs. The cost for overtime comes mostly from property and sales taxes.
Kincannon said at a Knoxville City Council meeting Sept. 29 that the game was one of the smoothest home game experiences she's ever had.
"We had a jam-packed weekend," Kincannon said. "Despite all the people in town and all the attention on our city, we kept things safe. There were no major problems recorded. Kudos to our partners at UT, our police officers, firefighters, traffic engineers, public service workers and everybody who made that a safe and fun experience."
How much did President Trump's visit cost Knoxville taxpayers?
Here's an initial breakdown of how much Trump's visit cost Knoxville taxpayers. Vreeland told Knox News more exact numbers will be available later this month when payroll is calculated.
"Our costs are almost all in labor - extra staffing assigned, sometimes OT if the Saturday Game Day duties can't be covered by employees' regular shifts, or if shifts are extended additional hours," Vreeland said in an email.
Knoxville Police Department:
- Usual football game day cost: "More than $40,000"
- How much Trump's visit added: "Roughly $29,000"
- How staffers helped: Vreeland said officers provided traffic management and foot patrols.
Knoxville Fire Department:
- Usual football game day cost: $3,820
- How much Trump's visit added: $1,450
- How staffers helped: Vreeland said firefighters provided EMS support.
Traffic engineer crews
- Usual football game day cost: $8,950
- How much Trump's visit added: Zero
- How staffers helped: Vreeland said traffic crews assisted with lane closures, detour signs and road cones and resynching of traffic signals.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee game cost Knoxville taxpayers thousands more with Trump in town
