Of course the ticket price will reflect the rising costs. Isn't that what the tickets are for?
AIKEN --- Aiken County coaches say the cost of playing games is going up fast and they're not sure where to get the money to cover the costs.
At $45 an hour, for example, security personnel often are the highest paid workers at sporting events.
Others costs are rising, too, prompting the coaches to seek the county's help.
Last month, they asked the Aiken County School District for $500 per team to offset rising bus fuel and security costs.
But such help is doubtful.
"We don't really have a plan for that because we don't really have a funding source," Aiken's Deputy Superintendent David Caver said. "Do I think it's needed? Yes. But the money's just not there."
The problem won't ease up from Aiken Public Safety or the Aiken County Sheriff's Office any time soon, either, because gas prices will drive up the rate, coaches said.
"During football season, we average paying out $800 a night," Aiken High School Athletic Director Carey Johnson said. "But I can't argue with that price when it's chance that they put their life on the line every time they're out here."
Larger schools, such as Aiken High School, require up to eight officers for home football games.
Officers sign up for extra-duty events based on their schedule with the law enforcement agency. The sheriff's office gives school resource officers first take at school events. The charge is $45 an hour.
"The sheriff's department has done a good job for us," said Al Lown, the athletic director at Silver Bluff High School. "The thing that gets me is it was $20 (an hour) just a few years ago."
Aiken Public Safety charges time-and-a-three-quarters for services based on an officer's pay scale. Both agencies take a cut of the pay for their costs, including patrol car, uniform and insurance.
"Some they know they'll work harder (at games), the detail is not as easy as other events, but the officers enjoy the extra money," Public Safety spokesman Lt. David Turno said.
Mr. Caver said the school district didn't expect services to rise so quickly.
With each football and basketball game requiring an officer at each high school by South Carolina High School League rules, coaches said the cost would ultimately show up in the ticket price.
Reach Julia Sellers at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106 or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Of course the ticket price will reflect the rising costs. Isn't that what the tickets are for?
Why is the cost $45. per deputy? Richmond County Cops get $15. an hour and Columbia County Gets $18. an hour for specials including games. Seems like a little irregularity there?
RE: "The thing that gets me is it was $20 (an hour) just a few years ago." Oh, gee, I wonder why? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we have a Federal Reserve that is trashing the value of the dollar, and a U.S. Congress and U.S. executive that seem to think that that's a great idea. Anybody that believes the government's bogus inflation statistics is either smoking the strong stuff, or needs to be woken from his/her nap. And, if you are awake, you can currently view the Federal Reserve bailing out one of their members, Bear Stearns, and others, by exchanging Treasury notes/bonds/bills (backed by the U.S. taxpayer) for all sorts of trashy mortgage paper accumulated by those bankers.
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