Newark residents get a big bill for Whitney Houston's funeral

Late singer Whitney Houston's hometown funeral may have been invite only, but the whole city of Newark, NJ is being saddled with the bill.  And it's a big one.

According to the LA Times, residents of Newark aren't happy that $187,000 of their tax dollars are paying for police overtime during the star's final visit home:

"I think it was a waste of time.... It makes you think twice saying was it worth it or not," resident Minerva DelValle told the local CBS News affiliate on Friday. Another resident said he thought the family should cover the bill.

Houston's funeral, though televised, was strictly invite-only. Newark Councilwoman Mildren Crump defended the police presence, telling WCBS that she witnessed thousands of people who were desperate to attend but were held back safely by law enforcement at barricades.

In contrast to the Newark situation, the estimated $150,000 to police Michael Jackson's private funeral at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale in 2009 was covered by that pop star's estate up front. The overtime budget for Glendale's police department in fiscal 2009 was just under $2.8 million, with regular salaries around $35 million.

h/t Gawker