Mobile’s parading Mardi Gras societies briefly faced the prospect of paying five times more to roll down the streets of the Port City.
Police Chief Lawrence Battiste floated raising the city’s parade permit fee from its current level to $5,000, and met Wednesday night with leaders of local carnival organizations to discuss the idea. According to several people in the room, the proposal landed badly — groups warned a sudden jump of that size could force some societies off the streets entirely, and said they could likely absorb an increase to about $1,500 instead.
Battiste told the organizations he would take their concerns to Mayor Sandy Stimpson. The police department later confirmed the meeting was an open-floor discussion meant to explain Mardi Gras operating costs, and said no decision had been made about whether an increase would take effect or how large it would be.
By Thursday afternoon, the city moved to calm fears: spokesperson Laura Byrne said there would be no permit fee increase for the upcoming 2019 Mardi Gras season, adding that the issue was being explored now only to understand potential impacts down the road.