HONOLULU
(HawaiiNewsNow) - Mayor Peter Carlisle on Thursday announced that hosting the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November cost the City less than $21
million—which is less than half the $43 million that had been budgeted for the
prestigious international event.
"Hosting
APEC was a challenging task, and Honolulu did a remarkable job," Carlisle said.
"We made sure everything was in place to ensure a safe, smooth event that made Honolulu proud, while
keeping expenses to a minimum."
Final
costs for hosting APEC were calculated this week. The savings will offset
increased electricity and fuel costs for other City operations, which have
risen substantially due to increased world energy prices.
The
money spent on APEC paid primarily for supplies, equipment and personnel from
the Police, Fire and Emergency Services departments to ensure the safety of
President Obama and other visiting dignitaries from APEC's 21 participant
economies, and to minimize traffic disruptions. The City has applied for
reimbursement from the federal government for some APEC-related costs.
The Honolulu
Police Department spent $10.5 million of the $18.3 million allotted for APEC in
fiscal years 2011 and 2012. "Due to excellent city, state, federal,
and private sector partnerships and extensive preparation, Honolulu was fortunate that we did not have
any large protests, allowing for the $7.8 million savings," said Police
Chief Louis Kealoha.
Fire
Chief Kenneth Silva said the Honolulu Fire Department saved approximately $2
million through prudent planning, management and implementation of its APEC
security plan. "In short, HFD's participation in APEC benefitted Oahu's
citizens and visitors by creating a more robust and dynamic emergency response
force," Silva said.
Department
of Emergency Management Director Melvin Kaku similarly attributed the savings
in his agency to carefully coordinated joint training exercises among
stakeholders.
The
Department of Transportation Services spent approximately one third of its $1
million budget for the APEC conference, resulting in a savings of more than
$600,000. "This budget reflected assumptions for an event of a magnitude never
before held in Hawaii,"
said DTS Director Wayne Yoshioka. "As such, the amounts estimated for APEC were
based on conservative estimates of cost, both in labor and current expenses."
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