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Cost To Philadelphia In Dealing With 'Occupy' Protests Hits 7 Figures

By Mike Dunn

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- One million taxpayer dollars is the estimated price tag to the city so far of dealing with the Occupy Philadelphia protest on Dilworth Plaza.

Mayor Michael Nutter's top numbers cruncher, Budget Director Rebecca Rhynhart, has been making a list and checking it twice of all the expenditures incurred in dealing with Occupy Philadelphia.

"Through Wednesday, we've spent a little bit more than a million dollars in extra cost," said Rhynhart. "The majority of that is police overtime.  About 930-thousand-dollars is overtime."

And the great bulk of that overtime -- 400-thousand dollars -- was incurred in the past week as hundreds of officers were deployed to evict the protestors.  Finance Director Rob Dubow said the price tag could end up higher.

"We don't know what will happen the rest of the year," said Dubow. "So it could very well end up costing more than what we've spent so far."

In fact, the mayor had earlier projected a total cost of Occupy at 2.5 million-dollars.

Dubow wouldn't say what city programs could get trimmed to make up the shortfall.

The mayor's spokesman, Mark McDonald, said the protestors had agreed to be billed for the electricity used during the encampment, though there is no total yet for that cost.

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