Report: Batkid cost San Francisco $105,000

SAN FRANCISCO

Part of making Batkid's wish a reality cost the city $105,000. Most people say, who cares? It was priceless.

Not only did Miles Scott get his wish in the most amazing way, the city and the Make-A-Wish Foundation received invaluable, positive international exposure.

The Make-A-Wish foundation made the 5-year-old's dream come true, transforming San Francisco into Gotham City with the help of donations and sponsorships.

People were so head over heels for Batkid, the city estimates 20,000 people gathered at Civic Center to see. To accommodate the crowd, the city spent some money.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that most of the $105,000 went toward a giant TV screen and professional staging. The money will come out of the fees that conventions pay for using the Moscone Center.

Most of the money was needed for the Civic Center celebration, during which Mayor Ed Lee presented Batkid with a chocolate key to the city. Since the crowd grew to thousands, the city opted for a big presentation with a big screen TV and professional staging.

The police chief is already on the record promising the police department did not pay any overtime for Batkid.

Many people are saying it was priceless to see Miles so happy, not to mention the event generated positive public relations for the city. It was also great exposure for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Carole writes on Facebook, "Priceless not only for Batkid and everyone involved but for everyone in this country. I know my faith in humanity was restored."

And on Twitter, James Mowdy calls it "a bargain."

Not everyone feels that way.

There were more than 400,000 tweets about Batkid on Friday. Marketwired reports four percent were considered negative, questioning the use of taxpayer dollars.

Justin tweets, "I think Batkid was a misuse of city funding, on paper, but completely worth the sense of community."

It seems even so-called negative comments come with a compliment.

And Antonio may speak for the majority when he posts, "You can't put a price tag on Batkid."

Do you think it was too much money, or worth every penny?

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