Back in 2015, the South Texas Town of McAllen booked a big name for their holiday event - Enrique Iglesias. It turns out booking the "king of Latin pop" costs a pretty penny, so the city did what the government does - splurged the hard-earned money of the taxpayers.

CBSDFW reports that the city paid $485,000 for Enrique to perform along with a charter flight from Guadalajara, Mexico, 24 hotel rooms for two nights, and an assortment of food for him and his crew.

McAllen officials kept the cost a secret from multiple media outlets. The only reason the costs are public now is due to a new state law that went in effect January 1st, requiring the city to release the details between a private entity or person and a government agency, including cost.

The city's reasoning for not releasing the details for all these years have varied. One reason is it would give a competitive advantage to neighboring towns with booking artist. But the most likely reason is that the event, which included a parade, lost the city $771,000.

Alright, McAllen. Now that everyone knows, hopefully you've learned your lesson. Take notes on how Georgetown throws events. They book big names and make big profits, like at the annual Red Poppy Festival coming up in April.

 

 

More From KUSJ-FM