Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the Wisconsin Capitol to promote school choice this winter cost state and local officials more than $40,000 in safety and setup expenses.

Likely the first time a sitting VP or president has ever set foot inside the current Capitol building, Pence’s Jan. 28 appearance racked up $22,206 in overtime costs for the Madison police and fire departments and $10,589 for Capitol Police officers’ compensation.

It also logged more than $10,000 in expenses from the Department of Administration as workers put up risers, stage pieces, TV lights, snow fences and more in preparation for the National School Choice week event.

Pence used the trip to Madison, a stop that came as Wisconsin stands as a focal point in the 2020 presidential race, to tout President Donald Trump’s support of school vouchers and applaud the state’s three decades-long history with school choice.

But behind the scenes, six EMTs from the Madison Fire Department were on standby at the Capitol to respond to medical emergencies on site, Capitol Police logged 352 personnel hours to staff the event and Capitol custodial services listed more than $1,000 in labor expenses.

The following is a breakdown of costs incurred by Capitol Police, Madison police and fire departments and the Wisconsin Department of Administration, according to responses and records obtained by the Cap Times.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office had "pretty minimal" involvement in the event, spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said, and likely involved assisting with the motorcade as well as having some individuals from the bomb squad available. But she added that because the office wasn't getting reimbursed for the time, "it was not tracked or separated out."

Madison Fire Department:

In addition to the six EMTs inside the Capitol, MFD also had an ambulance and two paramedics available during the event in case of medical emergencies.

Additionally, a paramedic was embedded with MPD’s SWAT team.

In all, the overtime and special event staffing totaled $4,082.06, spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said.

Other precautionary measures taken that involved on-duty crews and didn’t incur extra costs included: the stationing of the MFD Mass Casualty trailer, which can tend to multiple patients in an emergency, and Hazmat Team downtown; and the participation of three fire chiefs in a unified command post.

Madison Police Department:

Overall, MPD logged $18,124 in overtime costs tied to Pence’s visit, spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

The total includes employees who opted to take the overtime as pay (which totaled $12,470) or comp time (which was $2,722), DeSpain noted. Those who worked also had a current fringe benefit rate for overtime, at 19.3%, or a cost of $2,932.

Capitol Police:

Officers logged 352 personnel hours with a total compensation cost of $10,589, according to the Department of Administration, which oversees the Capitol Police.

But the costs are a mix of both regular and overtime hours, a DOA spokeswoman said, which is different than how both MPD and MFD logged expenses from the day's events.

DOA in its response to a Cap Times records request also declined to disclose the number of officers who were assigned throughout the Capitol during the event because “we have determined that the public interest in effective law enforcement and public safety outweighs the public interest in access to these records.”

Separately, Capitol Police also logged a $300 invoice for a parking permit in the Dane County ramp.

Other Department of Administration costs:

In addition to Capitol Police expenses, DOA also logged $10,423 for the cost of labor, material and equipment ahead of, during and after Pence’s appearance, as well as 224.5 hours of labor, per agency records.

A detailed work order analysis shows nine different phases with costs between $8.75 and $3,463 for activities such as setting up risers, chairs, TV lights and snow fence, renting barrels, paying for janitorial services and more.

Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Briana Reilly Briana Reilly covers state government and politics for the Cap Times. She joined the staff in 2019, after working at WisPolitics.com. Follow her on Twitter at @briana_reilly. Follow Briana Reilly Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today