Trump rally visit costs start to come into focus

QUINCY (WGEM) - Adams County Board Chairman Kent Snider said Friday it was too soon to know exactly what a visit by former President Donald Trump for a political rally to endorse a candidate for Congress will cost the county.

However, he said Adams County Emergency Management Director John Simon estimates it will cost no more than $10,000 to provide law enforcement and EMS services Saturday at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon, where Trump will rally for Rep. Mary Miller in the GOP primary for Illinois’ 15th Congressional district.

“The latest number I’ve heard from John (Simon) is less than $10,000 in overtime and so forth,” Snider said. “$7,000 to $10,000.”

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said whatever the cost to the city, it’s an expense the city will cover.

Troup said members of the Quincy Police and Quincy Fire departments will primarily be providing security at Quincy Regional Airport in conjunction with the United States Secret Service, as well as help as needed at the fairgrounds.

“Our primary responsibility is centered at the airport,” Troup said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has placed electronic signs with traffic information on Ill. 336 near the fairgrounds. IDOT released a statement saying everything they have placed utilizes existing equipment.

“The department is assisting Illinois State Police and law enforcement in placing several digital message signs with traffic information to assist motorists, as would typically be done for large-scale events,” the statement said. “We have not manufactured any new signs and relying on existing and available resources.”

Troup said the city incurred expenses with previous presidential and presidential candidate visits, but he said he has found no evidence of the city ever being reimbursed for those expenses.

“The city incurred expenses in all of these,” Troup said. “We’re doing the same effort that we did with all of them, we’re doing that with Trump.”

Since the year 2000, the city hosted visits from President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama, who made official visits while in office. Obama also visited briefly in 2008 while campaigning for president while he was in office as a U.S. Senator. Trump’s visit is the first in recent memory by a former president, and it is for a purely political purpose, to endorse Miller.

Troup said the city has developed a budget code to help track expenses. He expects most of the city’s expenses will be related to “manpower and overtime.”

Snider said he will not have an opportunity to meet Trump on Saturday. Early Friday afternoon, Troup said he was unsure if he would be able to meet the former president.

Troup took part in a press event in early June in Quincy that saw several local Republican leaders join state Rep. Randy Frese (R-Paloma) and state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) offer their endorsement of Miller’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville). However, Troup said he did not endorse Davis.

“I haven’t endorsed Rodney (Davis), but I do support him,” Troup said.

Read more about Trump’s visit to Adams County