NORTHWEST : HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Agrees to Pay Overtime for Parade

Riding to the rescue of the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, city officials have agreed to pay the $35,000 tab to cover overtime expenses for police and city staff.

The City Council last week approved the overtime spending for the 90th annual parade. This was to have been the first year that the city did not pay the city employees who work at the event.

Two years ago, when the city began to face financial problems, officials had asked the Fourth of July Executive Board to make make the parade self-supporting, including covering employee overtime, said Ron Hagan, director of community services.

Some 100 city employees work the day of the event.

Hagan said donations are down this year and it has been difficult for board members to raise the money to offset overtime expenses.

Contributions by residents are expected to be considerably less this year--about $5,000--compared to $15,000 to $20,000 in previous years, and corporations and businesses are giving less too.

This year, Hagan said, the 17-member board--made up of residents--hopes to raise about $260,000 to pay the direct expenses of the holiday festivities, including costs for fireworks, marketing and celebrity personalities.

After the event, he said, its costs will be re-evaluated. He said options range from stepping up fund-raising to reducing the size of the event.

The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. on Independence Day.

The parade will start at North Main and 6th streets and travel north along North Main Street, ending at Clay Avenue.