When Vice President Dick Cheney came to Orono last week for a Republican fundraiser, the city's police department spent about $4,000 that hadn't been in the budget.

Now, city officials want to be reimbursed.

"It's not an outrageous amount of money, but we can't require everyone in the city to pay for a private affair," said Mayor Jim White. "You could even consider it a campaign contribution, and that's just not appropriate."

White wasn't sure whether the bill has yet gone out to the unidentified homeowner who hosted the fundraiser but said he doesn't expect to have a problem collecting the overtime charge.

During Cheney's appearance on June 9, about 100 GOP supporters donated what a party spokeswoman described as "a six-figure take."

Recouping the city's cost was first suggested by Police Chief Correy Farnick, in part to plug a hole in the city's budget but also in anticipation of a summer and fall that could produce a bumper crop of political fundraisers. "With the Republican convention coming to town, you can bet this will be just the first of many out here in the lakes area," he said.

"It's going to be a long summer," White said. "It will be important to treat everyone the same. I don't care if it's the Green Party, the separatists, whoever."

If the experience of cities who incurred unexpected costs during campaign events in the last presidential cycle are any indication, covering those costs may be easier said than done.

In 2004 in several cities nationwide, among them Duluth and Mankato, officials billed the Bush and Kerry campaigns for their costs, normally entailing security, but the campaigns' payments were spotty or nonexistent.

Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184