[00:00:02]
[CALL TO ORDER]
JUNE 7TH MEETING OF THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSION.WE'RE ONLINE ONCE AGAIN, UM, WHEN EVERYBODY IS HERE, UH, WE, UH,
[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]
WANT TO START THINGS OFF, UM, YOU KNOW, A FEW, FEW MONTHS BACK, YOU KNOW, WE ADDED A MUSIC PERFORMANCE ELEMENT TO MUSIC COMMISSION, UH, TO CELEBRATE MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN THAT ARE PART OF THIS GREAT FABRIC, THIS GREAT TAPESTRY.AND, UH, WE WANT TO, UH, HAVE A FEW PEOPLE.
UH, WE HAVE A FEW PEOPLE JOINING US TONIGHT.
SO, UH, THE FIRST, UH, GUESTS THAT I WANT TO, UH, I DON'T KNOW, THERE'S NO MIC WITH THE FIRST GUEST THAT I'M GONNA INVITE IS A GREEN SHARMINI YOU OUT THERE.
HOW YOU DOING? GOOD TO SEE SIMON.
UH, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A VIDEO THAT WE'RE GOING TO PLAY, YOU PERFORM IT.
UM, WHY DON'T YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, THE PEOPLE KNOW, UH, MAYBE, UH, A NEXT PLACE THAT YOU'LL BE PERFORMING AND, UH, WHERE THEY CAN ALSO FIND YOU ONLINE.
WELL, DO I, SOMEBODY WAS SHARMIN GREEN.
I'M A SAXOPHONIST I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN SINCE 2008.
UM, IS DEFINITELY THE PLACE FOR VARIANTS OF MUSIC, WHICH I LOVE.
UM, ALL OF MY PERFORMANCE AND FOLKS CAN BE FOUND IN MY WEBSITE.
SHARMIN GREEN.COM SPELLED JUST LIKE THE TISSUE, LIKE WINNIE, UM, UH, THE VIDEO THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS A COVER OF NEVER TOO MUCH BY LUTHER VANDROSS.
UH, SO HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOY IT.
HOPEFULLY IT GIVES US A LITTLE, UH, RELAXATION, BUT ENERGY AFTER IT'S CRAZY.
WHERE, WHERE ARE YOU TEACHING IT? SO I TEACH AT HARMONY.
UM, I WAS A BAND DIRECTOR AND MUSIC TEACHER THERE.
UM, SO I WOULD GET TO DO THE SINGING AND THE PLANE, UM, WITH ALL THE INSURANCE.
WHICH, UH, WHICH ONE IS A COUPLE OF CAMPUSES, RIGHT? UH, SO THERE'S A PEOPLE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY, I MET THE ONE ON RON BIRD.
SO IN MY OPINION, THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT YEAH, I'M BORN IN 35.
SHOUT OUT, SHOUT OUT ALL THE STUDENTS AT A HARMONY ROMBERG, BIGGEST CR UH, WE'RE GONNA, UH, PLAY THAT VIDEO.
I MEAN, OF ALL TIME, COME ON NOW.
ARE WE READY WITH THE VIDEO CANADA? THANK YOU, SEAN.
WE'RE HAVING ONE MORE TIME WHERE THEY CAN FIND YOU, WHERE CAN THEY FIND YOU? IT, AH, SO EVERY FIRST PARTY I'M ACTUALLY IN ROUND ROCK Y'ALLS I HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER PLACES, BUT BECAUSE IT'S THE SUMMER, I'M TRAVELING AND TOURING QUITE A BIT.
SO THAT IS THE ONE IN THE CITY THAT YOU CAN SEE.
SO, BUT FOR ME THERE FIRST FIVE DAYS, YOU ALL STEPPED IN ROUNDUP.
DO WE WANT TO TRY THAT AGAIN? I'M SORRY.
DO YOU WANT TO TRY THAT AGAIN? I DON'T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG, BUT WE CAN TRY IT AGAIN IF YOU LIKE NO PROBLEM AT ALL, CHAD.
I MEAN, YEAH, WE'LL JUST KIND OF, WE'RE JUST KINDA TALKING UNTIL THE VIDEO COMES UP, SO LET'S FIGURE THIS OUT.
WEBEX MAN ADVENTURES IN WEBEX.
WE'LL PICK UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF.
WHY DON'T YOU START FROM THE BEGINNING, MAN.
[00:05:04]
I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING.SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THE VIDEO Y'ALL PLAN IT.
WE'RE SHARING THE CHAIR ON, ON THE BROADCAST.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE DISCONNECT IS, BUT, UM, I GUESS AT THIS POINT ON WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION AND WE CAN NO, NO, I MEAN, I DIDN'T KNOW WHY I WAS TALKING OVER IT.
SO WHAT ARE WE TALKING OVER THAT? COULD THEY HEAR US TALKING WELL, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AND CHAMBERS IT, THE MUSIC IS COMPETING WITH YOUR CONVERSATION.
SO WE WERE CURIOUS WHICH WE'D PREFER IT WAS PLAYING.
I JUST LET IT, I JUST, AND YOU TELL ME WHAT ENDS.
WELL, WE'LL TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT BEST WE CAN.
I HAD NO IDEA TO VIDEO WITH PLAN.
[00:11:44]
LET'S SHARE THE RUMOR IS IF, IF YOU'RE WATCHING TV, THIS LOOKED AND SOUNDED GREAT.WELL, THANK YOU, UH, SHARMAN, UH, FOR REPRESENTING, UH, LUKE THERE.
I, I HAD THE AUDIO ON FROM THE LIVE STREAM.
I DEFINITELY WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO BACK AND WATCH THE RECORDING.
THAT WILL BE, UH, AN ARCHIVE, UH, SO MUCH TALENT, UH, SHERMAN.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GO SEE Y'ALL PLAY LIVE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND BEING PATIENT WITH OUR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES AND WE WILL HAVE THIS ALL FIGURED OUT ABOUT THE TIME IT'S, WE'RE READY TO GO BACK TO IN-PERSON MEETINGS, BUT YES.
WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS, BUT YEAH, IT SOUNDED, IT SOUNDS GREAT ON THE LIVE STREAM.
AND ANDRE, UH, ANDRE HAYWARD WAS JUST IN MY STUDIO YESTERDAY, RIGHT HERE RECORDING.
YEAH, DEFINITELY GLAD YOU ALL ENJOYED IT.
I ALWAYS LOOK UP WORKING WITH ANDRE.
WELL, WE'RE GOING TO LET YOU GO SO WE CAN GET OUR NEXT, UH, PERFORMING ARTISTS UP HERE.
YOU'VE GOT A BIT OF LIGHT IN THERE, MAN.
I CAN HARDLY SEE IT'S VERY DARK.
NOT REALLY TO THE CAMERA CLOSER.
UM, THIS ARTIST RIGHT HERE, A BIG FAN OF HIS MUSIC.
I MET HIM RECENTLY AT AN EVENT, A LASH STREAM EVENT THAT WAS PUT ON BY NICK TURNER, UM, EVENT CALLED WE ARE AUSTIN.
WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE A CLIP FROM THAT, UH, CP LONELY, MAN.
WHY DON'T YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF? UH, FIRST OF ALL, UM, THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME BE ON HERE.
I GO BY THE NAME CP LONEY, I'M BORN AND RAISED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
I'M LIKE HIP HOP ARTISTS OUT HERE.
I'VE BEEN TAKING, I'VE BEEN DOING MUSIC SINCE I WAS 13.
NOW I JUST RECENTLY STARTED TAKING IT SERIOUS PROBABLY ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO.
I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF SHOWS, OPENING UP FOR A LOT OF, UM, BIG TIME ARTISTS MAKING GOOD CONNECTIONS.
AND, UM, MY MUSIC HAS BEEN RECEIVED VERY WELL AND THE COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN AND OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN.
SO, UM, I'M VERY PLEASED BY THAT AND YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST STEADY GRINDING AND TRYING TO JUST SPEAK FOR WHERE THE VOICES IN THE COMMUNITY THAT I COME FROM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE THE HARDSHIPS WE GO THROUGH AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
JUST GIVING A VOICE FOR WHERE THE PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY, JUST SHARING OUR, OUR ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT WE GO THROUGH WITH, WITH PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT SEE, SEE IT ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS, JUST SHEDDING LIGHT TO, SO WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY? UH, SHOUT OUT COLONY PARK AS THE CP AND THE LOONY RAY.
I'M UM, NORTHEAST I'M FROM A COMMUNITY CALLED COLONY PARK.
IT'S UH, NOT TOO FAR FROM, UH, LBJ HIGH SCHOOL IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN.
IS THAT, IS THAT WHERE YOU WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL? YES, I IN 2012.
WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THIS MUSIC FROM CP.
OH, WHAT CAN, WHAT CAN THEY FIND YOU MAN?
[00:15:01]
LIKE TELL HIM LIKE A WEBSITE OR INSTAGRAM OR WHATEVER.UM, YOU CAN FIND A LOT OF MY MUSIC ON MY WEBSITE, UH, CP LOONY.COM.
OF COURSE I HAVE INSTAGRAM CP LONEY I G UM, FACEBOOK CP LONEY.
UM, MY MUSIC IS ON OUR MAJOR PLATFORMS. SO YEAH, SPECIFICALLY MY WEBSITE CP LONEY.COM.
YOU CAN FIND ALL THE NEW CONTENT AND NEW UPDATES ON CONCERTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THAT'S WHAT'S UP, MAN? WELL, WE'RE ABOUT TO GET INTO A SONG CALLED AMERICAN REBEL.
I HAD THE PLEASURE OF, OF PRODUCING THIS EVENT WITH NICK TURNER, THAT WE ARE AUSTIN EVENT AND ALSO EDIT IN THIS VIDEO AS A MATTER OF FACT.
SO, UH, HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY AMERICA WHERE YOU SEE PEOPLE ON.
I SEE JUST A QUICK REMINDER TO COMMISSIONERS, TO MUTE YOURSELF, WATCH ON YOUR PHONE.
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN'T HEAR IT.
WE COULD HEAR A TINY BIT, BUT NOT MUCH.
DON'T LET THEM TRY TO EXPOSE ME NOW SHOULD NOT MURDER, BUT I HAD TO KILL THE GIRL GAVE ME LOVE.
SO WHAT BROKE HER HIDE AND BLAMED HER FOR MY INSECURITY.
[00:20:27]
I WOULD BET.IT IS LIKE SOME STRANGE DELAY.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO SHARE, UM, SOME CP MONEY BEFORE HE TAKES OFF? YEAH, AGAIN, THAT WAS SOUNDED GREAT ON THE LIVE STREAM.
I KNOW THAT'S HARD TO SIT THROUGH THESE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WHILE WE'RE DOING THIS.
REALLY PULLED DIVERSITY OF, UH, MUSIC GENRES TONIGHT.
UM, SO SHAKA AND THEN LAUREN YOU'RE DISTRICT TWO, I THINK YOU'RE UP NEXT MONTH FOR SELECTING, UM, OUR MUSIC ARTISTS.
EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU CHOOSE FOR US, BUT YES.
SO WE'RE GOING TO, UH, MOVE ON
[CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
TO, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.SO I HAVE A, AT THE TOP, I GOT RAY PRICE, UH, GENERAL COMMUNICATION, UH, AUSTIN, TEXAS MUSICIANS.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO THE MOMENT.
UM, FOR ALLOWING ME TO A FEW MOMENTS TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF CITY CITIZENS COMMUNICATES TO THE CREATIVE SPACE AND BOND.
I DEFINITELY JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THE OPPORTUNITY OR BASICALLY JUST THE AWARENESS AND THE INSIGHT OF A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF HISTORY THAT WE HAVE IN THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHICH IS THE DOOR IS ANOTHER AUDITORIUM.
UM, IT'S BEEN THERE SINCE THE FORTIES AND THROUGH THAT TIME, FORTIES AND FIFTIES ARTISTS, UM, FROM ALL OVER THE CHITLIN CIRCUIT WERE ABLE TO COME THROUGH AND DORIE MILLER WAS ONE OF THOSE STATES.
THEY WERE ABLE TO GRACE AND MY, UH, THE NOTES TO NOSE STUDIO OF A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, NATIONWIDE ORGANIZATION.
BUT THE ONLY ONE IN ALL OF TEXAS IS RIGHT THERE, INDOORS MILLER HOUSE AND DORIE MILLER, UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE THE SENIOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR OVER THIS ORGANIZATION.
BUT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITHIN THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LONG.
THE STANDARD HAS BEEN AMAZING PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, BOTH YOUNG AND OLD HAVE COME THROUGH THOSE DOORS AND IT HAPPENS TO BE DIRECTLY IN THEIR SEPARATE ONE DOORWAY, SEPARATE THAT STUDIO FROM THAT STAYS INSIDE DORY MILL AUDITORIUM, WHICH ALLOWS OUR BLACK ARTISTS TO PERFORM AND MANY OTHERS TO PERFORM ON THAT DATE.
IT'S BEEN OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS OR SO MORE CATERED TO A BASKETBALL COURT.
NOW WE DO HAVE VINCENT IN THERE LIKE SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST PEOPLE LIKE SAW PAUL HAS THROWN AMAZING EVENTS.
WHAT MANY OF WHICH WE COLLABORATED WITH THEM ON WITH NOTE FOR NOTES, UM, THEATER PROGRAM THEATER.
SO THE TAKING PLACE FROM THAT STAGE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE TCPA, TOTALLY COOL, TOTALLY ART, WHICH HAS BEEN AMAZING.
HOWEVER, IT'S ALWAYS A, UH, A TASK AND A LOGISTICAL ISSUE ISSUE TRYING TO GET THAT PLATE SET UP TO BE A PERFORMANCE VENUE, EXCUSE ME, WHICH WAS HIS ORIGINAL INTENDED PURPOSE.
WE HAVE TO ALWAYS BRING HIM ON FRONT OF HOUSE SOUND ON HIS LIGHTING SYSTEMS AND SOUND SYSTEM TO MAKE IT BE A PRESENTABLE SHOW AND ENJOYABLE SHOW.
SO THE ASK FOR MONIES FROM THE CREATIVE SPACE AND BOND WOULD BE TO REINSTATE REVAMP THE WHOLE DORY MILLER AUDITORIUM WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SOUND SYSTEM AND LIGHTING AND ACOUSTIC TREATMENT IN ORDER TO CREATE THIS OR IN ORDER TO PRESERVE ITS RICH HISTORY.
NOT ONLY BACK BY DOING THAT, WE NOW HAVE CREATED MORE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY.
WE GIVEN THE YOUTH ACCESS TO GRADUATE FROM PROGRAMS LIKE NOTES, FOR NOTES TO WALK RIGHT OUT OF THE STUDIO DOOR ONE TO A RESPECTED STAGE WITH A LOT OF EYES ON OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE CAN THROW THEIR EVENT, THEIR AD, THE AD THEY HAVE BEEN, BUT NOW IT BECOMES MORE SO A FOCUS POINT INSTEAD OF AN ALTERNATIVE.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU ALL FOR A TOUR OF THE SPACE.
UM, ONCE WE GET THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE CITY TO MOVE INTO OUR BUILDING, AGAIN, WE WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SET UP A TOUR FOR YOU ALL, GET SOME HANDS GOING FROM FIVE NINE FOR YOURSELVES,
[00:25:01]
BUT ALRIGHT, THANKS, RAY.UH, FOR SHARING THAT IMPORTANT VENUE IN THE COMMUNITY AND FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND IN, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
WE'VE GOT SCOTT STRICKLAND, UH, GENERAL COMMUNICATION AND CREATIVE SPACE BOND.
MUSIC COMMISSION FOR HAVING ME, UH, SPEAK ON SPEAKING, UM, ON REGARDS TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, ABOUT 15 MILLION PEOPLE ARE STILL ON UNEMPLOYMENT.
THAT'S ABOUT 6% OF THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE.
30% OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE GIG WORKERS, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, MEANING THAT THEY RECEIVE A 10 99 AT THE END OF THE YEAR FOR WORK THAT THEY'VE COMPLETED.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE, AS WE ALL KNOW, GREG ABBOTT, UM, HAS, UM, UH, SHUT DOWN ALL, UH, UNEMPLOYMENT, UM, FOR CONTRACT WORKERS.
AND THAT AFFECTS ON 30% OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY UNEMPLOYED.
AND THAT AFFECTS VIRTUALLY EVERY MUSICIAN IN AUSTIN, TEXAS THAT HAS RECEIVING, UM, A, UM, UM, A 10 99, UM, OR A CONTRACT WAGE.
SO, UM, I AM ASKING THAT, UH, THE MUSIC COMMISSION, UH, PUT, UM, AND APPLY PRESSURE TO, UH, CITY MANAGER, CITY COUNCIL TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT A WE GET, UM, ITEM 60 HAS AS, HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED, HAS BEEN, IT'S GONE TO THE CITY MANAGER.
THAT'S FANTASTIC, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT THOSE FUNDS ARE BEING ALLOCATED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE, THAT THE CITY IS PARTNERING WITH, UM, UH, UM, BUT THEY, UH, RESPONSIBLE, UM, VENDOR AND THAT WE'RE NOT USING LOOPHOLES, UM, TO ACTUALLY, UH, MOVE THIS MONEY INTO THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY NEED THEM, THAT WE USE A CONTRACTOR THAT WE CAN SERIOUSLY, UM, AND VEHEMENTLY VET FOR THE WORK.
UM, IT'S ALSO, UM, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE USE THE MONEY THAT THE FUNDS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH FOR THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, UM, TO ALSO HELP AN AID, THESE MUSICIANS, THE MONEY NEEDS TO GO TO THESE MUSICIANS, UH, AND NEEDS TO GO TO THEM YESTERDAY AND USED TO GO TO THEM NOW.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF MUSICIANS THAT ARE GOING TO BE, UM, NEEDING SOME SERIOUS, UM, AID HERE PRETTY SOON BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, MY NEWSFEED LOOKS LIKE 2019.
I'M SURE EVERYONE ELSE HERE HAS DOES TOO, BUT, UM, YOU WILL PROBABLY LOOK CLOSER AND YOU'LL FIND THAT MUSIC IS NOT QUITE BACK TO JUST YET.
IT'S NOT QUITE, UM, KICKING AT THE RATE IT WAS BEFORE.
UM, COVID-19 SO IF WE CAN GET TO THESE MUSICIANS, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.
AND AS MY, UH, BROTHER RAY PRICE WAS SAYING BEFORE, I GUESS WE DO INVITE YOU ALL FOR A TOUR TO COME OUT AND TOUR THE JURY MINERAL DORIAN MILLER AUDITORIUM.
WHEN WE GET THE GREEN LIGHT TO ACTUALLY HAVE PEOPLE BACK IN THAT SPACE, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU.
SO I'LL YIELD THE REST OF MY TIME AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME APPRECIATE IT.
UM, SARAH HO ON AGENDA ITEM TO A LIVE MUSIC FUND.
I WANTED TO SPEAK TODAY REGARDING THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AS WELL.
I'M A STUDENT AT UT AND MY ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME IS GIGGING.
I'M A PROFESSIONAL HARPIST, AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING GIGS IN AUSTIN FOR FOUR YEARS.
AND THIS PAST YEAR I HAD A LOT OF CANCELLATIONS AND MISSED INCOME DUE TO COVID.
UH, WE'VE ALL GONE WITHOUT STABLE EARNED INCOME FOR 14 MONTHS NOW, AND GIGS ARE STILL NOT FULLY BACK.
UM, I'M NOT GETTING BOOKED FOR NEARLY AS MUCH AS I WAS BEFORE.
SO IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THE LIFE MUSIC FUND IS UP AND RUNNING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED TO EAT AND PAY RENT.
NOW, NOT IN A FEW MONTHS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE FEDERAL PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS ENDING AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
UM, OUR JOBS AREN'T BACK AND IN MOST CASES ARE TOTALLY OUT OF OUR CONTROL SINCE THEY'RE BOOKED AND FACILITATED BY OTHERS.
UM, SO WE REALLY NEED THIS MONEY TO CONTINUE SURVIVING.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR HANDLE THESE FUNDS.
UM, SO THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF THE FUND GROWING.
IF IT STAYS WITH CITY STAFF, IT'LL BE TIED DOWN DIRECTLY TO THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES, AND WE'LL BE LIMITED IN ITS ABILITY TO HELP MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN AND HELP OUR INDUSTRY GROW BACK.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR LISTENING.
WE GOT ONE LAST SPEAKER, UH, JESSICA FORESIGHT ON ITEM TWO, A
[00:30:08]
JESSICA ARE.WE'RE BOTH HERE, BUT, UM, BUT, UH, HI EVERYBODY.
THIS IS JESSICA
UH, I'M HERE AS A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THE SISTERHOOD DIVISION OF AUSTIN, TEXAS MUSICIANS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR.
UM, AND YOU'LL HEAR FROM GUY IN A MINUTE POSSIBLY ABOUT, ABOUT, UH, HIS STORY BEING A LIFELONG MUSICIAN HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S HUNDREDS OF MUSICIANS THAT ARE HERE STRUGGLING TO CONTINUING TO MAKE MUSIC IN THE CITY.
THAT'S SLOWLY PUSHING US ALL OUT OF IT.
UM, IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR, WE HAVEN'T HAD STEADY INCOME AND MUSICIANS.
WE NEED THIS TO HELP ME OR LIKE BASIC NEEDS.
UM, I'M ASKING THAT TODAY, UH, FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, LIKE SARAH HAD MENTIONED, WE NEED THIS TO BE RELEASED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE F PUC, IT ENDS ON THE 26TH OF THIS MONTH.
UM, THAT'S JUST WEEKS AWAY AND WE NEED THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AVAILABLE NOW TO HELP MUSICIANS GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, UM, AND HELP US TRANSITION BACK FROM THE PANDEMIC.
IT'S NOT IMMEDIATE, UH, FOR US TO JUST BE UP AND RUNNING.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND THIS, UH, THIS FUND WILL NOT BE AS HELPFUL IF WE HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FROM NOW, WE NEED IT NOW GETTING THE LIVE MUSIC FUND UP AND RUNNING.
THIS WILL, UH, IF IT COULD HAPPEN SOON, THAT'S GOING TO BE CRUCIAL IN BRINGING OUR INDUSTRY BACK TO LIFE.
AND, AND SARAH, I AGREE WITH YOU THAT A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR TO BE BROUGHT IN TO HANDLE THE FUNDS, BASICALLY FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT WE WILL, UH, WE NEED THOSE FUNDS OPEN.
UH, WE NEED THE POSSIBILITIES OPEN FOR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO GROW.
UM, IF MONEY STAYS WITHIN THE CITY STRUCTURE, IT WILL BE TIED DIRECTLY TO THE CITY HOTEL, OCCUPANCY TAXES, AND WE NEED THE FUNDS TO REMAIN SUSTAINABLE IF THE MONEY STAYS WITH THE CITY STAFF AND, UH, OR IF THE MONEY STAYS WITH CITY STAFF TO ADMIN, THAT CANNOT HAPPEN.
UM, LET'S SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INTRODUCED BY THE VISITOR, UH, THE VISITOR TASK FORCE IN 2017, THE MUSICIAN AND VENUE REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM THAT PAYS FOR PERFORMANCES IS THE BEST WAY FOR US TO GET THIS INDUSTRY BACK UP AND RUNNING.
AND LASTLY, ALTHOUGH ITEM 60 WAS APPROVED, IT DID REMOVE ANY TIMELINE FOR ACTION ON THE CITY MANAGER'S PART.
UM, LET'S GET THOSE APR FUNDS MOVING TO BACKFILL THE M L F LOSSES AND GET THE MLF UP AND RUNNING.
UM, I, I THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.
UM, IF YOU'D LIKE TO ALLOW GUY TO SPEAK, YOU WILL AND IF NOT, THAT'S COOL.
UM, YEAH, I THINK GUY CAN JUMP IN THERE.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE'RE AT ON TIME, BUT YEAH, GO AHEAD GUY, IF YOU CAN.
SO, UH, SHALL I CONTINUE? YES, GO AHEAD.
UM, UH, MY NAME IS GUY FORSYTH.
I HAVE THREE DECADES OF WORKING IN AUSTIN.
UH, CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE WOULD SAY THAT I'VE DONE AT LEAST 3000 SHOWS IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND ACTUALLY THE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE A LOT HIGHER THAN THAT.
UH, THE LAST YEAR AND THE CONDITIONS CAUSED BY THE LOCKDOWN WAS A UNPRECEDENTED ECONOMIC BURDEN FOR THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC COMMUNITY, ALL AROUND.
WHAT WE DO IS THE EXACT WRONG THING TO DO IN THE TIME OF A PANDEMIC.
WE ALL KNUCKLED DOWN AND WE'D DONE OUR BEST TO SURVIVE, BUT THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IS DIRE IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE CULTURE OF LIVE MUSIC IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, THE FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED IN THE, IN THE, UH, IN THE, IN THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC, UM, UH, MUSIC FUND NEED TO GET TO THE WORKERS IN MUSIC SO THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE AND MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF MUSIC THAT HAS MADE AUSTIN, TEXAS, A PRIMARY TOURIST DESTINATION FOR FANS OF MUSIC.
I KNOW THAT THE CITY'S OWN, UH, OWN, UH, INVESTIGATIONS HAS FOUND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LIVE MUSIC COMMUNITY.
THERE'S NO REASON TO THINK THAT THAT LIVE ME'S COMMUNITY WILL SURVIVE.
IF EFFORT IS NOT TAKEN RIGHT NOW, I FAVOR TAKING THOSE FUNDS AND PUTTING THEM IN A THIRD PARTY'S HANDS, SUCH AS THE LONG CENTER, UM, THE, UH, THE NONPROFIT, WHICH OVERSAW THE MONEY GOING TO VENUES SO EFFECTIVELY IN THE MOST, UH, IN, IN THE RECENT ATTEMPT TO TRY TO SUSTAIN THE VENUES, IT MAKES SENSE TO PUT IT IN A THIRD PARTY'S HAND, BECAUSE THAT ALLOWS, UH, COOPERATION WITH CORPORATIONS
[00:35:01]
AND OTHER DONORS AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT WANT TO ENSURE AUSTIN'S TOURISTS, ECONOMIC VIABILITY.UM, I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE DONE AND SHOULD BE DONE, AND IT SHOULD BE DONE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, BECAUSE AUSTIN IS BLEEDING TALENT RIGHT NOW, THOSE PEOPLE NEED TO BE PROTECTED SO THAT AUSTIN CAN MAINTAIN ITS POSITION AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
I THINK THAT SUMS UP MY POINT.
I THINK THAT'S IT FOR CITIZENS' COMMUNICATION TONIGHT.
UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVAL OF MINUTES.SO THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE TO, UH, LOOK OVER THE MINUTES FROM MY THIRD MEETING MOTION TO APPROVE A SECOND.
[2. CHAIR’S REPORT]
ON PART TWO OF THE AGENDA TO CHAIR'S REPORT.I'M NOT SURE AS IS, UH, COMMISSIONER, THE MOUNT HERE.
CHRIS, YOU GOT THERE? NO, THERE WE GO.
IT WASN'T AMUSING AT THE TIME.
WELL, UM, WE HAVE A NEW, UH, COMMISSIONER JOINING US TONIGHT AND I'M THINK HE'S ELIGIBLE TO VOTE, BUT HE'S, UH, COMING IN, UM, YOUR COUNSEL WOMAN IS, UH, WHO E O S P PR PR.
DISTRICT GRIER WELCOME, UH, TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
I FEEL LIKE I KNOW MOST OF Y'ALL FROM WATCHING THE VIDEOS FROM THE PAST, YOU KNOW, MEETINGS AND WHATNOT.
DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING REAL QUICK, SHARE ANYTHING? UH, YOU KNOW WHAT, MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER
UH, YOU KNOW, I MAY, BESIDES MY TIME IN LA IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, I MADE LIFELONG BORN AND RAISED EAST AUSTIN NIGHT.
UH, YOU KNOW, OUR FAMILY HAS LONG TIES, UH, IN AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS, SINCE THE 18 HUNDREDS, I COME FROM A VERY LARGE FAMILY AND PREDOMINANTLY ALL OUT OF DISTRICT THREE.
SO, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTING MY DISTRICT, I'M FEEL VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN A LONG TIME MEMBER OF THAT COMMUNITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE GROWN UP BETWEEN THE, BETWEEN LIKE THE THREE PARTS OF PAKISTAN GOSA GIBBONS AND ROSEWOOD, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE, THOSE WERE, THAT WAS THE GENERAL AREA WHERE I GREW UP RIGHT OFF AIRPORT BOULEVARD.
AND TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMISSION RIGHT NOW, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY AWESOME TO BE PART OF THIS, I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL IT A REBUILDING OF AUSTIN'S MUSIC SCENE AFTER COVID.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, I LOVE EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL BEEN SUPPORTING AND JUST LIKE THE GENTLEMAN EARLIER WAS EVEN SAYING, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THOSE MAILERS.
I MEAN, I'VE HAD REALLY GREAT MEMORIES GROWING UP THERE.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS AS WELL, BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE OWN BUSINESSES ON EAST SEVENTH STREET.
UH, DRY CLEANERS HAS BEEN OVER THERE FOR FIELD FOR 50 YEARS WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GIVEN US THE ABILITY WHERE IT'S KIND OF LIKE A, KIND OF LIKE A BARBER SHOP IN A SENSE WHERE PEOPLE COME BY AND COMMUNITY AND THEY'LL JUST PICK UP THEIR CLOTHES, BUT THEY TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SINCE MY GRANDFATHER USED TO BE A PRETTY BIG PUBLIC FIGURE WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT HE'S GONE IN AGE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER, OTHER PEOPLE TAKING OVER AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SUPPORT, AND I'M HOPING THAT I CAN BE ONE OF THOSE THAT BRINGS A POSITIVE IMPACTS IN DISTRICT THREE.
IT'S GOOD TO HEAR THAT HISTORY AND WELCOME.
SO, UM, WHERE, UH, THIS PART OF CHAIR'S REPORT, I, I WROTE A LITTLE SOMETHING I WANTED TO SHARE.
NO, IT'S A LITTLE ECHO, UH, WROTE SOMETHING TO SHARE JUST TO REFLECT ON THIS MOMENT RIGHT HERE THAT, UH, WE'RE IN, UH, THIS MONTH IS THE MONTH OF JUNE TEAM IS ALSO THE MONTH OF PRIDE.
SO I WANTED TO TRY TO PUT SOME THOUGHTS TOGETHER AROUND THOSE, THOSE TWO THINGS AND ALSO THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM.
SO I'M GOING TO SHARE THAT WITH Y'ALL AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE AGENDA.
I APPRECIATE, UH, THIS MOMENT.
SO LET'S JUST IMAGINE FOR A SECOND, JANUARY 1ST, 1863, I THINK SOMEONE MIGHT NEED TO MUTE YOU ARE THE DESCENDANT OF CAPTURED AFRICANS LIVING ON AMERICAN SOIL.
AND THEN IT'S PROCLAIMED THAT YOU ARE FREE FROM BONDAGE.
A CIVIL WAR CONTINUES TO RAGE ON, BUT LEGALLY, ACCORDING TO A DOCUMENT ENTITLED THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, YOUR ENSLAVEMENT IS NOW UNLAWFUL.
[00:40:01]
IN THE MOMENT IT'S IN YOUR VERY LUNGS AND SPIRIT WHERE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, BUT NOW IN YOUR BODY, WHERE DO YOU GO WITH THIS PUBLICLY DECLARED EXTERNAL FREEDOM THAT A DAY PRIOR WAS UNHEARD OF IN ALL WAYS, EXCEPT WITHIN PERHAPS MESSAGES FLOATED TO YOU IN THE WIND OF THIS DAY, COMING YOU DANCE SCREAM, SHOUT WELL AT THE SUN, THE MOON, THE STARS DOES THE SKY LOOK DIFFERENT? THE EARTH.DOES THE AIR FEEL DIFFERENT ON YOUR SKIN? TRY TO IMAGINE THIS FEELING WITH ME FOR JUST A MOMENT.
NOW, FAST FORWARD TO GALVESTON, TEXAS, JUNE 19, 1865, MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER FELLOW PRISONERS OF WAR WERE RELEASED IN OTHER REGIONS OF A TERRITORY, THEY CALLED THE UNITED STATES.
SOME TROOPS ARRIVE AT THE BAY ANNOUNCING THAT YOUR DAY HAS ARRIVED VIA AN EXECUTIVE DECREE.
IS THIS FEELING THE SAME AS 1863 OR DIFFERENT THE SUN, THE MOON, THE STARS, THE EARTH TWO YEARS LATER, THE SAME OR DIFFERENT JUNETEENTH IS A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM THAT IS NOW BEING RECOGNIZED AND CELEBRATED NATIONALLY.
BUT I OFTEN WONDER IF WE CAN POSSIBLY FATHOM THE DEPTH OF THIS DATE, THIS STATE OF TEXAS, IN WHICH WE RESIDE HELD ONTO THE SPOILS OF SLAVERY TWO YEARS LONGER THAN ANY OTHER, AND ONLY LET IT GO LIKE EVERY OTHER SOUTHERN STATE BEFORE IT UNDER MILITARY FORCE, HOW MUCH LONGER WOULD LEGALIZE ENSLAVEMENT HAVE LASTED WITHOUT THE COPIOUS AMOUNT OF BLOODSHED AND SACRIFICE THAT WE CALL THE CIVIL WAR.
I DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS, BUT DEEP WITHIN THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THIS STATE HELD ONTO THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY LONGER THAN ANY OTHER SPEAKS VOLUMES, SOMEONE HAD TO BE THE LAST BUT TWO FULL YEARS AFTER EMANCIPATION, TEXAS NEEDED 2000 UNION TROOPS TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL.
THIS IS NOT A HISTORY LESSON, BUT THE LEGACY IS IMPORTANT TODAY IN THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO MEASURE HOW FAR WE HAVE COME FROM JUNE 19, 1865.
THE MUSIC BORN FROM THE DESCENDANTS OF THIS HISTORY HELPED DEFINE THIS CITY INTERNATIONALLY.
IF FOR THE MOST PART, THE SPOILS OF THIS GROWTH ARE NOT EXPERIENCED IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
I WANT TO PUSH US ALL TO EVALUATE FREEDOM TODAY.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE IN 2021? THIS IS A VERY PERSONAL REFLECTION WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE LEGACY OF SLAVERY CONTINUES TO BE A MASS INCARCERATION.
JIM CROW, 2.0 LEGISLATION AND UNJUST POLICE PRACTICES, BLACK CHICANO, ASIAN, WHITE, QUEER NONBINARY.
HOWEVER YOU IDENTIFY, I CALL ON THOSE OF US IN THE MUSIC COMMUNITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE VALUE OF THE LABOR CREATED BY MUSICIANS AND CONSIDER HOW MUCH THIS LABOR HAS DEFINED THE SPIRIT OF AUSTIN.
I ENCOURAGE US TO RECOGNIZE THAT SLAVERY WAS AT ONE TIME LEGAL AND DEEMED A NECESSARY EVIL.
WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY EVILS THAT WE ARE CARRYING INTO 2021 AFTER THE REFLECTION AND SUPPOSEDLY RESET OF 2020 IN OUR INDUSTRY, HOW DO WE ERADICATE THEM AND MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS GREATER FREEDOM AND THE REALIZATION OF OUR HIGHEST SELVES THROUGH THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY THAT MUSIC PROVIDES US WITH, WE ALL WANT TO GET BACK TO LIVE SHOWS, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO GET OURSELVES INTO A DEEPER COMMITMENT FOR MAKING THIS EXPERIENCE MORE LIBERATING AND EQUITABLE.
FOR THOSE THAT CREATE SO MUCH VALUE, LOCALLY, STRONGER PROTECTIONS AND GREATER OPPORTUNITIES MUST BE PUT IN PLACE FOR ALL WORKERS, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TO THRIVE, BUT ESPECIALLY MEMBERS OF THE BIPAP COMMUNITY.
WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO YOU TODAY AND CELEBRATION OF PRIDE MONTH? I WANT TO LEAVE US WITH A FEW THOUGHTS FROM THE BRILLIANT QUEER AUTHOR.
JAMES BALDWIN, A COUNTRY IS ONLY AS GOOD, ONLY AS STRONG AS THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT UP.
[00:45:01]
INTO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT IT TO BECOME.I DON'T BELIEVE ANY LONGER THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO SAY THAT IS ENTIRELY OUT OF OUR HANDS.
WE MADE THE WORLD WE'RE LIVING IN AND WE HAVE TO MAKE IT OVER.
NOT EVERYTHING THAT IS FACED CAN BE CHANGED, BUT NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED UNTIL IT IS FACED.
LET'S BE PROUD OF WHO WE ARE TODAY, UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE NOW BASED ON WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND DEDICATE OURSELVES TO FACING WHAT MUST BE CHANGED, HAPPY JUNETEENTH AND PRIDE MONTH TO EVERYONE AND ALL THE FREEDOM SEEKERS OUT THERE.
[a. Discussion and Possible Action on Live Music Fund following update from staff.]
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON LIVE MUSIC, FOLLOWING UPDATE FROM STAFF.SO GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
SO THERE'LL BE A WHOLE RABB ACTING DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE THAT STAFF PRESENTED CONCEPTS AROUND THE FRAMEWORK OF USE OF AMERICAN RESCUE DOLLARS.
AND AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING ITEM NUMBER 60 WAS PASSED, WHICH REFERENCED THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
WE HAVE, UM, BEEN WORKING HARD IN TERMS OF, UH, COMING UP WITH A COMMON, UH, FOUNDATION FOR ALL OF THE HOT FUNDED PROGRAMS, AS I HAVEN'T MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS.
AND SO WE ARE AWARE OF THE ITEM THAT WAS PASSED, AND THOUGH IT DID NOT GIVE A DEFINITE TIMELINE.
WE WILL BE COMING BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ONCE THE ARPA FUNDS ARE APPROVED.
THAT IS HOW THE RESOLUTION READ.
UH, WE HAVE SHARED DRAFT COMMENTS WITH, UM, THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR.
AND SO WE ARE WORKING TO COME BACK WITH GUIDELINES TO THE FULL COMMISSION BEFORE WE TAKE THEM TO COUNCIL.
BUT I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SOME THINGS.
THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IS FUNDED FROM HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
THESE HAVE TO BE USED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STATE STATUTE.
SO IN TERMS OF EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR RENT LIGHTS, ET CETERA, THESE FUNDS CANNOT BE USED FOR THOSE ACTIVITIES.
THESE FUNDS HAVE TO BE USED OR EVENTS THAT ATTRACT TOURISTS.
SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE CLEAR ON, UH, THE HOT TAX, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX VERSUS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN BUDS, WHICH COULD BE USED FOR EMERGENCY TYPE OF EXPENSES.
SO WE HAVE NOT BEEN SITTING IN THE BACKGROUND, UM, UH, NOT DOING ANYTHING.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE UPLOADED A REPORT FROM THE WORK THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING WITH OUR CONSULTANT IS ACTUALLY ON SPEAK OF AUSTIN.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO'S WATCHING TO GO AND READ THE REPORT.
WE HAVE GATHERED ALL THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE HEARD, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONSULTANT, ET CETERA.
SO THAT WAS UPLOADED ON, UH, FRIDAY.
AND SO WE WILL BE WORKING WITH, UH, THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR ON A POSSIBLE SPECIAL CALL MEETING TO BRING FORTH THE GUIDELINES.
BUT AGAIN, WE WILL PRESENT FINAL GUIDELINES AFTER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING IS APPROVED.
SO I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND THE GUIDELINES TOOK INTO ACCOUNT, BOTH RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
UM, I HOPE SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT I SPOKE EARLIER, UM, HEARD THAT IF THERE ARE OTHER, THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WATCHING, UH, ANY PEOPLE TO, TO GET THAT WORD TO THOSE FOLKS.
UM, AND JUST IN GENERAL, UNDERSTAND THAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LIVE MUSIC FUNDS AND THE ARP FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, NOT BEING SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS FOR EMERGENCIES.
AND ALSO THAT IT'S DERIVED FROM HOTEL TAX FUNDS AND CAN'T BECOME SOME OTHER, OTHER ENTITY.
UM, WE ARE HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND AS A MUSIC COMMISSION ABOUT OTHER ENTITIES, WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION.
UM, LAUREN, UM, WE'LL PROBABLY TALK ABOUT THAT LATER ABOUT LOOKING INTO, YOU KNOW, PARTNERSHIPS AND THINGS THAT WE CAN BUILD THROUGH A ALLIANCE AND BE MORE CREATIVE ABOUT WAYS TO GENERATE FUNDS FROM
[00:50:01]
COMPANIES AND THINGS THAT ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE CITY.AND I THINK ALL THOSE COMMENTS WERE GREAT, BUT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE POTS.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, YEAH.
DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSION, UH, SYNOVIA AND ERICA AND STEPHANIE HAVE BEEN IN MEETINGS WITH, UH, SHOTGUN I AND THE CHAIRMAN VICE CHAIR OF THE ARTS COMMISSION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBLE, UM, PLANNED USES OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUNDS.
SO YES, EDD HAS DEFINITELY BEEN WORKING HARD ON A PLAN FOR THAT.
UH, THAT'S TAKING A LOT OF THINGS INTO ACCOUNT, THE PANDEMIC, THE EQUITY ISSUES.
UM, SO I'M DEFINITELY EXCITED FOR EDD TO SHARE THAT WITH THE WIDER COMMISSION.
AND SO NOVIA YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UH, SO WE'RE NOT DOING THAT TONIGHT, BUT, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT POSSIBLY BEFORE JULY IN A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.
UM, MY HOPE IS THAT IF WE CAN DO A SPECIAL CALL MEETING THAT AS SOON AS COUNSEL RETURNS, WE'RE SENDING A MEMO INFORMING THEM OF THE GUIDELINES.
AND ALSO I HEARD THE COMMENT ABOUT A THIRD PARTY, AND I THINK I EXPLAINED IN ONE MEETING THAT THIRD PARTIES DON'T OPERATE FOR FREE.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO PAY THEM, UM, OR THEIR SERVICES.
AND SO TRYING TO BALANCE THAT WITH THE AMOUNT IN THE FUND, UM, IT'S GONNA BE, UH, AN ITEM THAT I WILL BRING FORTH.
UH, JUST SO EVERYONE IS AWARE OF WHAT THE STANDARD, UH, COSTS HAVE BEEN ACROSS ALL OF OUR, UM, COBIT PROGRAMS AND EMERGENCY PROGRAMS, JUST SO THAT YOU'RE AWARE.
AND SO HOW, HOW DOES, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PASSAGE OF ITEMS $65 MILLION A YEAR FOR TWO YEARS? HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND USE? BECAUSE THAT WE HAVE THOSE SEPARATE FUNDS SET ASIDE, THAT'S HOT MONEY THAT'S SITTING IN THE BANK, UM, OR SOME, SOME BANK OR SOMETHING SOMEWHERE, WHEREVER IT LIVES, IT'S WAITING.
UH, SO I GUESS, YEAH, I GUESS THAT'S MY QUESTION.
WHAT, WHAT DO WE HA CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THE STEPS, LIKE THE HURDLES THAT WE HAVE TO GET PAST TO BE ABLE TO START SPENDING THE FUNDS? SO THE FIRST STEP IS WE NEED TO BRING THE GUIDELINES TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO GET INPUT, AND WE WOULD POST FOR CITIZEN COMMENT.
UM, WHEN WE CAN WORK WITH YOU ON HOW LONG YOU THINK YOU WANT TO GET FEEDBACK, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU JUST WANT TO DO AND THEN ACT OR POST, AND THEN GIVE PEOPLE TIME TO REVIEW IT, COME BACK AND PROVIDE INPUT.
BUT I'M HOPING BECAUSE WE'RE STILL UNDER, UH, THE EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WE CAN STILL DO VIRTUAL.
SO I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN BUILD IN AN EXTRA MEETING TO DO THAT.
UM, AND SO THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE TO BRING THE GUIDELINES THAT, UH, TO THE COMMISSION OR THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN A GLIMPSE OF GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, GET FEEDBACK FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION OF SUGGEST ANY RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEN COME BACK TO THE COMMISSION IF NECESSARY TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOOD WITH THIS.
UM, UH, I DON'T THINK JUST A MEMO INFORMING COUNSEL, AND THEN, UH, THE PROCESS OF FINDING A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR AND WHERE WOULD WE PAY FOR THAT COST? UM, AND DEPENDING ON WHO THAT SELECTED INDIVIDUALS, THEY MAY HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE ALREADY IN PLACE THAT COULD, UH, DO A TURNKEY.
THEN YOU WOULD NEED TO TAKE THAT CONTRACT TO COUNCIL ONCE COUNCIL APPROVES THAT CONTRACT, UM, WE CAN, UH, ENTER IT TO IT AND TRANSFER FUNDS, AND THEN THEY COULD GET STARTED AT MINISTRY GUIDELINES.
NOW, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE GUIDELINES ON WHAT WE'RE BRINGING TO YOU TO UP HUYNH ON THE THIRD PARTY IS ONLY GOING TO EXECUTE WHAT YOU APPROVE.
SO THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD MATCH MAKE AND DO SOME EXTRA FUNDRAISING, BUT FOR THE DOLLARS SPECIFICALLY THE WHOLE TO OCCUPANTS DOLLARS, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COMPLY WITH, ESPECIALLY WITH THAT STATE STATUTE AND THE RUBRIC THAT WE WILL BRING FORTH FOR YOU TO CONSIDER.
SO, SO IN TERMS OF TIMELINE, YOU SAY, HOW MANY WEEKS STILL? NO ELVIA.
[00:55:01]
I KNOW.LET ME GET THERE SO BEST CASE SCENARIO.
UM, WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN UNDER CONTRACT, UH, POSSIBLY BY SEPTEMBER.
AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE RUNWAY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT YOU WANT TO DO, RIGHT.
AND THEN, UM, WE COULD START KIND OF, ONCE YOU KIND OF LOOK AT THE GUIDELINES, WE'D GET START INTERVIEWING POTENTIAL THIRD PARTY INDIVIDUALS AT THE SAME TIME, YOU'RE TAKING YOUR FEEDBACK.
SO THAT WOULD CUT DOWN SOME TIME BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE'VE DONE OUR EMERGENCY PROGRAMS. WE GET THE DRAFT GUIDELINES, WE START TALKING TO THIRD PARTIES TO CLOSE THAT GAP.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALSO DO, BUT I'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION, UM, TO WANT, WANNA DEPLOY THESE FUNDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, YEAH, THAT, SO SEPTEMBER THAT'S GREAT.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S SOONER A LITTLE BIT SOONER THAN WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER BECAUSE THAT THAT'S STARTING IN THIS FISCAL YEAR AND SO OKAY.
AND ALL THE STARS HAVE TO ALIGN.
AND CHARLOTTE, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THE STARS HAVE TO ALIGN ON OUR BACK END.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PROCESS, ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
I JUST WANT TO POP IN AND JUST ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO TUNE IN TO COUNCIL THIS WEEK, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EMERGENCY FUNDS THAT CAN BE DEPLOYED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, IT REALLY IS THOSE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, UH, ALLOCATIONS.
SO THERE IS A WORK SESSION TOMORROW, PLEASE TUNE IN AS WELL AS A MEETING ON THURSDAY.
AND SO THIS IS THE KEY TIME FOR COMMISSIONERS IN PUBLIC TO LET THEIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING IN TERMS OF THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT CAN BE, UH, DEPLOYED MORE QUICKLY AND FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF.
UM, AND THEN THAT OUR HOPE IS TO, YOU KNOW, USE IF THAT GETS APPROVED AND THEN THAT WILL LEAD INTO THE HOT PROGRAMS. AND SO THAT THERE IS A FLUIDITY AS EACH QUARTER GOES BY WITH SOME TYPE OF SUPPORT AND IT WON'T JUST BE HOT.
IT WON'T JUST BE FEDERAL THINGS.
WE'LL ALSO BE DEPLOYING OTHER PROGRAMS TO HELP SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN TERMS OF TRAINING.
SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT, THAT, UH, SORRY, I'M HEARING AN ECHO, BUT, UM, ARE YOU SAYING THAT OUR, OUR FUNDS CAN BE DEPLOYED MORE QUICKLY? CAUSE I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS ALL PART OF THE BUDGETING FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, 22, THAT THAT WAS ALL GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THOSE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, BUT IS THAT, AM I MISSED? CAN IT BE FASTER? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? SO THE PROPOSAL IS SPENDING IN THE CURRENT YEAR F Y 21, WHICH MEANS BY SEPTEMBER AND THEN THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION FOR AN AMOUNT FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
AND SO THE CONCEPT IS IN STAGES.
SO IF YOU CAN GET EMERGENCY RELIEF NOW, THEN WE DEPLOY THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FUNDS, THEN A NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
WE HAVE OTHER TRANSFORMATIONAL TYPE PROGRAM AROUND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AROUND, UM, UH, TRAINING, SOLAR PRENEURS, OR ENTREPRENEURS, UH, INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY INCORPORATED.
ARE THEY LICENSING EVERYTHING TO GIVE TRAINING? SO IT'S A ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE PUNCH, ONE EMERGENCY HOT TRAINING, UM, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN WE COME BACK AGAIN WITH, UH, IF IT PASSED WITH MORE EMERGENCY AND SO AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN BY THE TIME, UH, WE'LL BE BACK AROUND FOR THE NEXT YEAR OF LIVE MUSIC FUND.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE, WE'RE PLANNING A SERIES OF PROGRAMS THAT WILL HELP ALL CREATIVES, NOT INCLUDING MUSICIANS.
SO IT'S, WE'RE JUST NOT THINKING IN SILOS, WE'RE THINKING LONG-TERM SO SOMETHING IMMEDIATE, SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN WORK ON THAT ACTIVITY THAT'S IN GUIDANCE WITH THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX STATUE AND THEN TRAINING.
SO TRYING TO BE COMPREHENSIVE.
SO THEN FOR US, FOR THIS COMMISSION, UM, SO I'M SPEAKING TO ALL OF THE, MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON.
SO ONE IS THE, THE GUIDELINES, LIKE HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT THEM? OKAY.
SO MAYBE ACTUALLY THERE'S THREE THINGS.
HOW DO WE, AS A COMMISSION FEEL ABOUT THOSE AND WE SEE THEM, WHAT, WHAT FEEDBACK DO WE HAVE SECOND? HOW DO WE, UM, SWIFTLY AND EFFECTIVELY, AND IN A VERY WIDESPREAD
[01:00:01]
WAY, GET FEEDBACK FROM THE MUSIC COMMUNITY.UM, SO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO THE DUE DILIGENCE OF COMMUNICATING TO THE COMMUNITY AND GETTING THE FEEDBACK IS DONE, BUT WE ARE NOT HOLDING THINGS UP BECAUSE IT'S IT'S DIRE, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE PEOPLE OUT OF THAT PROCESS.
SO I THINK WE ALL, UM, I WAS AT AN ATX M SISTERHOOD MEETING THIS THIS WEEKEND AND WAS ASKING, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW CAN THE MUSIC COMMUNITY HELP US GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT GETTING FEEDBACK ON IMPORTANT FUNDING MEASURES? SO, UM, THEN, THEN THE THIRD THING THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT AS A COMMISSION, THERE MAY BE MORE, BUT THIS IS THE THREE IN MY HEAD, UH, IS AS THIS ISSUE OF THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION VERSUS A CITY ADMINISTRATION IS STILL, NOBODY HAS POINTED OUT THERE'S, UM, THERE MAY BE MORE COSTS ASSOCIATED USING A THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATOR, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WHERE THERE MAY BE OTHER FUNDS COMING IN OR HOPE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FROM THE, UH, AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
DID THOSE GO TO A DIFFERENT PLACE TO THOSE BE THIRD PARTY ADMINISTERED IN ORDER TO, TO GROW THEM? UM, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING FOR US TO ALL THINK ABOUT.
AND YEAH, SO THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY.
I JUST WANTED TO THROW THOSE QUESTIONS OUT TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND, UH, FIND OUT WHERE YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THOSE.
AND IF I CAN, WE HEARD COUNSEL LOUD AND CLEAR ABOUT A SWIFT DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE FUNDS.
AND SO ALL OF OUR COBOT FUNDING PROGRAMS WERE DONE VIA A THIRD PARTY, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE MINDFUL THAT IT COSTS IF THERE WAS A COST TO THAT.
I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE, THE DEFINITION OF WHAT IS SUPPORTING TOURISM IN THE, IN THE USE OF THE HOP FUNDS.
AND, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE SORT OF CAUTIOUS OR NARROW DEFINITION YOU'RE USING, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE IS NOT, UH, A PRETTY CLEAR LEGAL ARGUMENT THAT SUPPORTING MUSICIANS WITH EMERGENCY FUNDING, HELPING MUSICIANS WITH RENT, IS IT SUPPORT TOURISM KNOWING THAT THE BRAND OF AUSTIN'S TOURISM EFFORTS IS RESTS HEAVILY ON MUSIC FROM THE GUITARS AT THE AIRPORT TO THE LIVE MUSIC SLOGAN, AND THAT, UH, AUSTIN REGULARLY HELPS WITH LIKE SAY THE SOCCER STADIUM WITH THE LEASE WITH, WITH CENTRAL REDUCING THE COST OF STAYING IN AUSTIN AND LIVING IN AUSTIN.
AND, UH, AND, AND HOW HAS, HOW HAS SUPPORTING MUSICIANS STAYING IN AUSTIN AND PREVENTING AN EXODUS AND MUSICIANS NOT SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM HERE IN AUSTIN? THANK YOU RAM.
AND WE HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
IT IS NOT LOST ON US BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE, BUT, UM, AND WE CAN POSE THAT QUESTION AGAIN, BUT THE GUIDELINES, THE WAY THEY'RE CURRENTLY DRAFTED, UH, DOESN'T PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF THE LAW QUITE THERE YET.
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING WE WOULD APPROACH THE LAW DEPARTMENT, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK TO SEE IN SUCH AN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE, IF THIS IS THE TIME TO BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SUPPORTING TOURISM MEANS? SO THAT IS A QUESTION ACROSS ALL THREE DIVISIONS THAT I'M CONTINUALLY HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
AND I WILL HAVE IT AGAIN BEFORE I BRING BACK THE GUIDELINES.
SO IT'S NOT JUST THE MUSIC IT'S, IT'S, I HAVE IT ACROSS THE THREE DIVISIONS.
THEY DEFINITELY SEE WHAT YOU SEE.
AND SO I WILL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AGAIN.
AND I KNOW, I KNOW YOU SEE IT TOO, SO IT'S NOT, I WASN'T PRETENDING TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU DID KNOW, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS FOR THE SORT OF PUBLIC CONVERSATION WHY, WHY THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED SUPPORTING TOWARDS THEM.
I ALSO, UM, THINK THEY'RE PART OF THE CONVERSATION TOO, AND I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY THIS SPACE IS A POOR AND IT'S, UM, WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK LONG, LONG, SHORT AND LONGTERM, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ARP FUNDING, UM, BEING SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT IS LIKE REALLY IMPORTANT AND ALSO A LOT MUSIC FOND ABOUT DEVELOPING AND LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW I PERSONALLY SAID, AND I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, BUT, UM, UM, THAT'S IN MY MIND, I THINK THOSE ARE THE, THAT'S THE TWO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE THINGS.
I HEAR THE ARGUMENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE NEED MONEY NOW AND I, I AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, TRY, TRY TO THINK
[01:05:02]
IN TERMS OF INNOVATION AND TRY TO THINK, TO THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE WITH THE LINE MUSIC FUND, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND NOT GET INTO, UM, KIND OF THE SURVIVAL MODE AND TRY TO FIND THE FUNDS THAT HAVE FEDERALLY COMING IN FOR THAT AND TO USE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MY POSITION IS THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO USE A LOT OF MUSIC FUND FOR, YOU KNOW, BUILDING A FOUNDATION FORWARD FOR THE INNOVATION AND FOR THE FUTURE.
SO THAT THAT'S JUST, UM, UH, AND THIS IS A GREAT DISCUSSION AND I WANT TO KEEP HAVING THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.
I JUST WANT, I WOULD LOVE TO BROADEN THE DEFINITION OF WHITE, BLACK MUSIC FUND CAN BE USED FOR, REGARDLESS OF SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM SO THAT OUR LONG-TERM PLANS CAN INCORPORATE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING WHAT MUSIC MEANS TO AUSTIN, HOW WE CAN USE THOSE SPOTS.
DOES ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON, UH, ON THERE? I HAVE, I HAVE ANOTHER QUICK QUESTION.
AND HONESTLY, LIKE, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD TALK ABOUT THIS FOR 10 HOURS.
LIKE THERE'S SO MUCH TO COVER HERE ON LIVE MUSIC, BUT I WON'T MAKE US STAY FOR 10 HOURS, BUT, UH, SO LET ME GET, YOU WERE, YOU TOUCHED ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND, AND THAT'S, YOU SAID THAT'S AN UMBRELLA INITIATIVE ACROSS, UM, ARTS AND MUSIC.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU TELL US ANY MORE ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE? AND WE ARE STILL WORKING OUT THOSE DETAILS THROUGH OUR, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS A COMPONENT THAT IS ALSO NEEDED.
AND SO WE JUST HIRED A NEW WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, STAFF MEMBER.
AND SO, UH, EDD HAS COMMITTED TO SEE HOW TO EXPAND THAT.
BUT AGAIN, UM, UM, OR ME IT'S, SO MUSICIANS, IN TERMS OF TECH, HOW DO YOU PARTNER, HOW DO YOU SCORE ON A GAME? ALL OF THAT COULD ENCOMPASS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND I KNOW ERIC HAS BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH, BUT ALL OF THOSE COMPONENTS WE'RE LOOKING FOR, SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO LIMIT OURSELVES.
UM, AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION, WE CAN COME BACK, UM, TO YOU ABOUT THAT.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A LONG-TERM.
UH, AND SO THOSE ARE THE MODULES THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING TO DEVELOP TO SUSTAIN THE INDUSTRY LONG-TERM.
AND SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE THE HOT FUNDS AND I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE MATH PROBLEM OF IT NOW.
WE HAVE THE 5 MILLION A YEAR THAT WAS APPROVED BY ITEM 60.
AND AS THAT WAS INITIALLY WRITTEN, THAT WAS SORT OF, IT WAS FAIRLY SPECIFIC ABOUT USING AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN SIGNS, BUT THEN WHEN IT WAS REDLINED, UH, THE FUNDING SOURCES I THINK, WERE PULLED OUT OF THAT.
UH, I THINK MORE LAUREN POINTED THAT OUT TO ME.
SO I CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR NOTICING THAT, BUT THE ALARM POINTED THAT OUT TO ME.
SO, UM, DO YOU, CAN YOU ALL GIVE US ANY INSIGHT ABOUT WHERE, WHERE THAT MONEY IS COMING FROM? IS THAT, IS IT SEPARATE FROM THE HOT FUNDS COMING IN? SO ACCORDING TO THE, UH, RESOLUTION, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO GET UP TO THE RECOMMENDED NUMBER.
AND SO IT MAY NOT BE JUST ARPA.
IT COULD BE HOT, IT COULD BE SOME OTHER SOURCES.
AND SO WHAT WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN TODAY IS THAT WE HAVE PRESENTED AN, OUR FRAMEWORK.
WHAT WE ALSO KNOW IS THAT WE HAVE PRESENTED THE LAB MUSIC FUN, WHAT HAS BEEN CAPTURED OR COLLECTED ACTUAL THROUGH LAST YEAR AND THE PROJECTIONS.
WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET UP TO AND WHAT OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
SO WE HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THAT, AND WE HAVEN'T QUITE LANDED ON WHAT THAT COULD BE, BUT TWO FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE ARE WORKING ON FOR CERTAIN IT'S THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
WE AREN'T QUITE SURE OF THE DOLLAR BECAUSE COUNCIL HASN'T APPROVED IT, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT SOME FUNDS WILL COME FROM THERE.
AND WHEN WE COME BACK FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, I'LL BRING AGAIN THE FUND SUMMARY SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
YOU KNOW, WE RECOMMEND IT ONLY A MILLION, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S SOME MORE SITTING IN THE FUND BALANCE.
AND SO WHEN WE COME BACK, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE HAVE ONE MEETING JUST ONLINE MUSIC FUND.
SO YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT, IS THE MILLION A GOOD NUMBER? WOULD YOU WANT TO PUT MORE, BUT REMEMBER NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, THE REVENUE IS BASED ON AN ESTIMATE.
AND THAT'S ALWAYS, THE CHALLENGE IS WHEN THE BUDGET IS APPROVED, IT'S AN ESTIMATE AND
[01:10:01]
SAY SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS AND WE DON'T COLLECT.AND THEN WE ENTER INTO ALL THESE CONTRACTS FOR THIS ONE CONTRACT, OR MAYBE NOT.
SO YOU JUST KIND OF WANT TO HAVE ALL OF THAT IN MIND WHEN WE COME BACK.
SO IT WAS OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT WE BE CAUTIOUS, BUT THE COMMISSION MAY SAY, HEY, WE WANT TO RECOMMEND THIS.
AND THEN WE WORK TOGETHER ON THE BEST, UM, WAY FORWARD, JUST BASED ON HISTORICAL AND THINGS THAT WE DONE DEALING WITH THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
IF THAT MAKES SENSE, WHAT I'M SAYING, YOU JUST WANT TO, YOU JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S AN ESTIMATE FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND SO YOU DON'T WANT TO OVER-COMMIT, WHAT'S NOT THERE.
AND I GUESS JUST WHAT I DON'T WANT TO SEE IS, UM, COUNCIL STUFF.
AND THEN THEY WERE SAYING LIKE, OH, BUT ACTUALLY WE'RE COUNTING ALL THIS MONEY.
THAT'S ALREADY IN THE BANK FOR THE LIVE MUSIC SIGNS.
LIKE IT WAS, THAT WAS INITIALLY, I MEAN, THIS COMMISSION CALLED FOR A BUDGET THAT WAS BIGGER, BIGGER THAN MY COUNCIL, UH, PER WHAT, THE RESOLUTION THAT GOT WRITTEN AND APPROVED.
SO, I MEAN, IDEALLY IN MY MIND IS MY ISN'T A MUSIC COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE.
IT'S LIKE, I WANT TO SEE THAT THE, THE HOT TAXES ARE OVER HERE AND THEY DON'T GET TOUCHED.
AND THEN WE HAVE THIS ADDITIONAL BUDGET COMING IN.
UM, SO I KNOW THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE IN AUSTIN THERE'S LOTS OF NEED, BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY FOCUS AS A COMMISSION, AS A COMMISSIONER.
AND I HOPE EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE COMMISSION IS THINKING ABOUT THAT TOO.
LIKE, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE ADVOCATE FOR THE COMMUNITY? SO THAT, THAT, THAT ALIVE MUSIC SIGN, ISN'T JUST KIND OF INCLUDED IN THAT, THAT 5 MILLION A YEAR NECESSARILY.
SO THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHT ON IT.
THE IDEA IDEAS HAVING, UM, A SPECIAL CALLED MEETINGS SPECIFICALLY TO DISCUSS LIVE MUSIC, FUNDERS, I THINK, ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE.
SO I LIKE THAT SUGGESTION A LOT AND, UH, ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE DIALOG AND THE ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS IN HERE.
I JUST WANT TO, UM, MAKE IT AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE.
UH, BUT THERE THERE'S A LOT OF NEED IN THE CITY AND, UM, STAFF IS TRYING TO BALANCE EVERYTHING.
DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, YEAH.
I WOULD SAY IS IN ALL THIS, UH, DECISION-MAKING UH, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, MS. WOODRUFF, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, IS THERE ANY HISTORICAL DATA AVAILABLE AROUND, AND I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO, BUT, UM, JUST STATS AROUND, WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY REVENUE STREAMS FROM POSITIONS IN THE SCAM OF READINESS FESTIVAL LICENSING? AND OF COURSE, WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC FUNDING, THERE'S ALSO AN ASPECT OF BRD THAT WE SEE.
AND WHAT DOES THAT PICTURE LOOK LIKE FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR? IS THERE ANY HISTORICAL DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE, UH, AROUND FEES, UM, YOU KNOW, PARAMETERS.
SO IT, IN OUR BUDGET DOCUMENT, UH, AT THE BEGINNING, IT LAYS OUT THE REVENUE FOR THE ENTIRE CITY, WHETHER IT'S HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS, ET CETERA.
UM, AS PART OF STRATEGIC DIRECTION, 2023, WE JUST STARTED FORMING SPECIFIC METRICS ON MOVEMENT.
AND SO I KNOW FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING, WE DEFINITELY HAVE HISTORICAL DATA ON DISBURSEMENT ON WHO ETHNICITY, ET CETERA, AND SPECIFICALLY FOR COVID.
BUT BECAUSE A LOT OF MUSIC WHEN HASN'T BEEN DEPLOYED, THIS IS DEFINITELY A METRIC WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE, UH, GOING FORWARD.
BUT WE DO HAVE DATA FROM THE CULTURAL ARTS, BUT ALSO REMEMBER IT'S A SELF IDENTIFYING.
WE CAN'T MAKE PEOPLE ASK, UM, WE CAN ASK THEM.
AND SO WE DO HAVE SOME DATA, BUT IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, IT LAYS OUT THE REVENUE FROM THE CITY, WHETHER IT'S FROM SALES TAX, PROPERTY TAX, UH, CERTAIN FEES, THE TRANSFER FROM AUSTIN TO TRANSFER FROM WATER, ALL OF THAT.
AND THEN AS WELL AS THE HIGH LEVEL EXPENDITURES.
SO I CAN SEND THAT LINK AND KIND OF GET YOU SPECIFIC PAGES.
SO YOU'RE NOT DELVING INTO THE WHOLE DOCUMENT, JUST GO TO THE FRONT.
AND IT'S IN THE LATEST BUDGET DOCUMENT.
IT EVEN CATEGORIZE IT BY THE SIX AREAS, WHETHER IT'S CULTURE AND LIFELONG LEARNING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AFFORDABILITY, GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS, THEY HAVE NOW GROUPED THE BUDGET ACCORDINGLY.
THEN THEY COME BACK IN THOSE SUB AREAS AROUND STRATEGIC.
SO I WAS ACTUALLY NOT EVEN SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO HOW THE FUNDS GET DISPERSED.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS, AND I UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTY IN, IN, IN, YOU KNOW, PULLING DATA TO THIS, BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE'S ACTUALLY DATA
[01:15:01]
MUSICIAN DATA IN FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN GENERAL, AT TIMES THE TIMES UNDER THESE KIND OF.SO WE DID COLLECT SOME DATA THROUGH THE LAST MUSIC CENSUS AND ERICA REMIND ME OF THAT YEAR.
SO IT'S PROBABLY TIME THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AGAIN.
UM, UM, AND IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD WANT US TO WORK ON, WE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUDGET FOR IT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE TIME, BUT YEAH, 15.
AND, UH, SO OBVIOUSLY THAT DATA IS OUT OF DATE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE PANDEMIC.
WE ACTUALLY HAD A, WE WERE ABOUT TO LAUNCH AN RFP TO DO AN UPDATE TO THE STUDY RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HIT.
AND THEN EVERYTHING KIND OF JUST CHANGED.
SO WHAT WE DO HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL THROUGH THE TEXAS MUSIC OFFICE IS STATEWIDE DATA OF WHAT TYPES OF REVENUES ARE BEING MADE BY MUSICIANS SPECIFICALLY.
UH, BUT YES, AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT NEW DATA, BECAUSE THIS WILL ALSO FEED INTO WORKFORCE TRAINING, YOU KNOW, CURRICULUM AND THOUGHTS OF WHAT, HOW WE SHOULD INVEST THOSE CITY DOLLARS IS, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH LICENSING INCOME, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO SEE WHERE ALL THE REVENUE IS COMING FROM AND WHERE THE REVENUE POTENTIAL IS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES, LIKE THE FILM INDUSTRY GAMING INDUSTRY AND HOW WE CAN TRAIN UP OUR MUSICIANS TO WORK ACROSS CREATIVE SECTORS, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, HIGH PAYING JOBS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT AUSTIN FOR MUSICIANS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY JUST LIVE MUSIC.
AND SO, UH, NOT ONLY WILL WE COLLECT DATA JUST GENERALLY, UH, FROM THE COMMUNITY ON WHERE WE'RE AT, BECAUSE WE NEED A BASELINE SO THAT WE CAN SEE IMPROVEMENT WITH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.
UH, I, I MEAN, I ESSENTIALLY ASKED BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S WORTH, UH, UH, IT'S A, IT'S A WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOR TO HAVE, UH, DATA SUCH AS THAT AND, YOU KNOW, FULLY AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, I WOULD FATHOM THAT DECISIONS AROUND HOW FUNDS ARE DISPERSED ARE MADE BASED ON SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE.
PLUS JUST HARD IS ACTUALLY WHICH, AND I THINK THAT WOULD ADD THE MOST VALUE.
UM, ANY MORE CONVERSATION ON IS WE STILL HAVE A FULL AGENDA.
ALSO DON'T WANNA PUSH ANYBODY PAST, UH, BUT UH, WE STILL HAVE MANY OTHER ITEMS. SO IS THERE ANY FINAL COMMENTS ON THIS? OKAY, SWEET.
[b. Discussion and Possible Action after update from Systemic Racism Working Group.]
THREE B UH, DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION AFTER UPDATE FROM SYSTEMIC RACISM WORKING GROUP.UM, WE HAVEN'T MET SINCE THE, UH, SINCE THE LAST MUSIC, UH, COMMISSIONED MEETING, BUT, UM, AS I THINK WE DISCUSSED IN THE LAST MEETING, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY PUTTING TOGETHER, UH, LOOKING TO PUT TOGETHER AND WE'D LOVE SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM Y'ALL ABOUT A GROUP OF MUSICIANS THAT CAN LOOK AT THE, UM, EQUITY PLANS FROM THE VENUE.
SO AS A PART OF THE FUNDING THAT VINNY'S RECEIVED IN 2020, WHAT WAS IT? YEAH, TONY, TONY, UM, THEY HAVE TO CREATE DIVERSITY AND EQUITY PLANS THAT THEY HAVE TO TURN INTO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND AS A SYSTEMIC RACE RACISM WORKING GROUP, UM, WE ASKED IF WE COULD ACTUALLY GIVE SOME FEEDBACK TO THE VENUES BASED ON THEIR PLANS.
SO, UM, THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER RIGHT NOW.
IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOLKS THEY THINK SHOULD BE IN THAT REVIEW COMMITTEE, THE REVIEW COMMITTEE WILL BE ANONYMOUS.
THE VENUES WILL NOT BE KNOWING WHO THESE MUSICIANS ARE.
WHO'S PROVIDING A CRITIQUES AND EVALUATIONS.
WE ALSO WILL NOT NECESSARILY KNOW.
WE WILL NOT KNOW WHAT VENUES WERE READING APPLICATIONS FOR.
UM, WE ARE JUST PROVIDING FEEDBACK, UM, READING IT, LOOKING AT IT AND GIVING DIRECT FEEDBACK THAT CAN HELP THEM FURTHER THEIR, THEIR PLANS TO BE MORE EQUITABLE AND TO, YOU KNOW, OPEN THEMSELVES UP IN A DIFFERENT WAY IN 2021.
UM, AND ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? OKAY.
SO OUR NEXT MEETING IS TOMORROW AND, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE STILL, UM, LOOKING AT SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
I HAVE, UH, LET ME SEE, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I THOUGHT I HAD TO DOCUMENT, BUT IT'S LABOR PROTECTIONS AND ALSO, UM,
[01:20:02]
DAMN, I CAN'T REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.YEAH, BUT, UH, I MEAN, I GUESS TOMORROW WE'LL GET TO YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING, BASICALLY.
UM, WHAT WERE, WHAT WE HAD DECIDED TO NOT, BUT WE WILL HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
OUR GOAL IS THE AUGUST TO HAVE A FEW OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WRITTEN OUT, UM, AND PRESENTED TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
AND I'LL DEFINITELY HAVE MORE OF AN UPDATE IN JULY AT THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, WOULD YOU GO, I'M SORRY, I LOST MY, UH, AGENDA.
THERE IS, UM, THREE C DISCUSSION
[c. Discussion and possible action on Downtown Commission update from Vice-chair Patterson, upcoming joint meeting on the future of downtown music venues and land use, and appointment of new music commissioner liaison to Downtown Commission.]
AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON DOWNTOWN COMMISSION UPDATE FROM VICE CHAIR PATTERSON, UPCOMING JOINT MEETING ON THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN MUSIC VENUES AND LAND USE AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW MUSIC COMMISSION, A LIAISON TO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.UM, YEAH, SO WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A MUSIC COMMISSIONER ACTING, UM, JOINTLY WITH THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHO THAT PERSON IS GOING TO BE.
BUT I DID ATTEND THE LAST DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING AND, UM, TO THE TWO TOPICS THAT WERE COVERED, THERE WAS, UM, THE ISSUE OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UH, NOW THAT, UH, PROPOSITION B PASSED IN THE LAST ELECTION.
AND SO THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
UM, I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, AS WE ALL KNOW, LIKE IT'S A VERY COMPLEX PROBLEM.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORTS BEING MADE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO.
UM, SO I WON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON IT.
I THINK EVERYBODY HERE IS WHERE WE'RE ALL AWARE, UH, WELL, WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUES WITH THAT, BUT YES, THAT THE DOWNTOWN CONTRIBUTED, UH, SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT FROM ISSUES RANGING FROM PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
SO HOW APD WE'LL WILL HANDLE, UM, THE ISSUE GOING FORWARD, UM, NOW THAT THE BAN IS BACK IN PLACE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOUGH ONE, HOPEFULLY THE CITY'S GETTING ON THE RIGHT ROAD FOR THAT.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE OTHER THING THAT WAS COVERED WAS A PRESENTATION ABOUT, UM, THE WATERLOO GREENWAY, WHICH WAS A REALLY ENJOYABLE PRESENTATION TO SEE.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S EXCITING TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE AT THE SERIES OF PARKS.
UM, ALONG THE CREEK WAY, EXTENDING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UH, LADY BIRD LAKE.
THERE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A MUSIC PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S EXCITING TO, TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT SPACE CAN MEAN, UH, FOR MUSIC IN AUSTIN.
UH, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IN MY MIND IS JUST HOW, HOW CAN THAT BE A REALLY INCLUSIVE SPACE JUST FOR BOTH FOR MUSICIANS AND FOR AUDIENCES? UM, I MEAN, SIMPLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN IS A REALLY EXPENSIVE AREA NOW.
SO A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S CLOSEST TO IT OR SOME OF OUR MORE AFFLUENT RESIDENTS.
AND SO I WOULD REALLY, UM, THINK AS A COMMISSION IS WE FOCUS ON MUSICAL PERFORMANCES THERE, UH, HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO, TO REACH OUT TO DIVERSE AUDIENCES? AND, UM, PART OF THAT, OBVIOUSLY I THINK IS GOING TO BE HAVING A DIVERSE MUSICIANS, UM, DIVERSITY MUSICAL ACTS, SO EXCITING, UM, THINGS COME IN DOWN THE PIPE FOR THAT.
I MEAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY, WE COULD REQUEST A PRESENTATION FROM MICHELLE.
UM, AT SOME POINT WHEN I THINK WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY BOGGED DOWN WITH A LOT OF FUNDING QUESTIONS THAT ARE TAKING UP A LOT OF TIME IN OUR MEETINGS, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT AT SOME POINT.
UM, SO ALSO WITH, UH, WE HAVE A JOINT MEETING COMING UP, UM, WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE ALL SEEN THE DOODLE POLL AND RESPONDED WHAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING.
THERE IS A USE OF DOWNTOWN SPACE AND HOW MUSIC FITS IN.
SO THE, THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF DOWNTOWN.
UM, SO, UH, I, WHEN I THINK ABOUT DOWNTOWN, I ALSO THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, JUST HAVING JUST EAST OF BY 35.
I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN IN MY MIND SORT OF ENCOMPASSES THOSE AREAS AS WELL, BECAUSE IT'S OBVIOUSLY A NEW GEOGRAPHICALLY THEY'RE JUST REALLY CLOSE.
SO, UM, I WAS VERY, I WAS INTERESTED IN INTRIGUED BY THE INVITATION TO GO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, DORIS MILLER AUDITORIUM, UH, OREN.
SO HE'S, HE'S DEALING WITH THE FAMILY EMERGENCY THAT HE HAD AT ONE TIME TALKED ABOUT, UM, POSSIBLY HAVING COMMISSIONERS TOUR, UM, AND AMERICAN PARK.
THERE'S A PERFORMANCE STAGE THERE.
I MEAN, IT'S REALLY BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR AREA.
AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WATERLOO THREE-WAY AS WELL.
[01:25:01]
UM, YEAH, I WOULD DEFINITELY BE OPEN TO YOUR, UM, RE READ PRICE'S SUGGESTION THAT READS WHERE DORIS MILLER, AND MAYBE WE CAN COMBINE THAT WITH A VISIT TO, UH, PAN-AMERICAN PARK AT THE SAME TIME.I'M NOT SURE WHEN WE CAN VISIT WATERLOO GREENWAY.
I KNOW IT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING, BUT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, WE PUT ON.
WE TALKED ABOUT AS A COMMISSION, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE JUST DIDN'T GO BACK TO THAT FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT, UM, IS, WERE THE POSSIBILITIES OF MEETING IN PERSON AGAIN, ARE COMING UP? I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT A FIELD TRIP.
UM, SO I JUST THROW THAT OUT TO YOU GUYS, WOULD IT, WOULD OTHER COMMISSIONERS BE INTERESTED IN THAT AND OKAY.
THERE'S A LINE MORE SINCERE, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO I GUESS THEN MY QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF IS HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK AND HOW DO WE LIKE, DO WE HAVE TO SAY PUBLICLY THAT WE'RE DOING THAT BECAUSE OF FORUM ISSUES? OR HOW WOULD WE GO ABOUT ARRANGING THAT IN AN OFFICIAL LEANER, I'M GOING TO DEFER TO KIM B.
IF THE, IF THERE'S A QUORUM OF MEMBERS THAT GETS TOGETHER FOR ANY REASON, THEN WE'D NEED TO DO A PUBLIC NOTICE AND JUST LET PEOPLE KNOW THE POSSIBILITY OF THERE BEING A QUORUM AT ANY EVENT OR, OR, OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO WE JUST NEED TO LET, LET THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT IT'S HAPPENING.
UM, WELL, I, UM, IF, IF ORIN WAS HERE ON, TOOK THIS BACK OFF ON ORIGIN, UM, BUT, UH, I I'M HAPPY TO, I DON'T KNOW IF RAY PRICE IS STILL LISTENING TO THIS MEETING, LIKE, HE'S WELCOME TO REACH OUT TO ME AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT ARRANGING A TOUR AND I CAN, UM, ACTUALLY TALK TO MY COUNTERPART ON THE PARKS BOARD, UH, THE NEW DISTRICT SEVEN APPOINTEE AND SEE HOW WE WOULD GO.
BUT I'LL ALSO, UM, FOLDING ON CAN AMERICAN PARK ON THE THEY'RE BOTH, THEY'RE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AND MAYBE TURN BOTH THOSE FACILITIES.
WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO BE THE MUSIC COMMISSION PERSON THAT ATTENDS THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETINGS? WE STILL NEED TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO DO THAT.
UM, I KNOW SOME OF US ARE IN OTHER WORKING GROUPS CURRENTLY, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT CURRENTLY IN A WORKING GROUP, PLEASE, PLEASE CONSIDER IT BECAUSE THAT, THAT IS A REALLY A DOWNTOWN LAND USE IS IT'S A CRITICAL QUESTION FOR US, BOTH IN TERMS OF HOUSING AND PERFORMANCE AND SPACE.
SO WE D WE DO NEED SOMEBODY REPRESENTING US OVER THERE, ON THE COMMISSION.
WELL, MAYBE TALK AND MAYBE YOU AND I CAN REACH OUT TO SOME FOLKS INDIVIDUALLY AND WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
I TWIST, TWIST, TWIST SOME ARMS BEHIND THE SEAT.
WE'VE GOT A NEW NON-VOTING MEMBER.
SEE, IS HE STILL HERE? I DON'T SEE HIS NAME ON THE THING ALL THE BETTER.
WELL, HE'S OUR SENIOR PRESS BECAUSE HE CAN JOIN US FURTHER.
WE CAN INVITE PEOPLE TO JOIN FOR THE DISCUSSION.
WE CAN SEE IF HE'S INTERESTED IN DOING HAS THIS, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD ANY OF THAT CONVERSATION, CHRIS, BUT YEAH, I WAS LISTENING.
MAN, UH, DOWNTOWN, UH, I'VE A MAN'S NEEDED, I GUESS LIKE A, YOU KNOW, I CAN THINK I CAN SWING IT PROBABLY.
I THINK YOU'RE A GOOD FIT, CHRIS, UH, WITH YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY IN TOWN, YOU'VE CERTAINLY SEEN, UM, LAND USE AND DOWNTOWN TRANSFORM IN WAYS THAT WERE NOT EQUITABLE, NOT WISE, NOT IN SUPPORT OF THE MUSIC.
AND SO I THINK, UH, YOU'RE A GREAT FIT FOR THIS, THIS PARTICULAR TASK.
I WAS, I WAS LIKE, ASK HIM REALLY.
I WAS LIKE SAID, I SAY ALL WAY, I THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT YOU'RE WILLING AND YOU'RE NOT VOTING ON ANYTHING, BUT THEN ONCE YOU ARE AN OFFICIAL MUSIC COMMISSIONER, WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE OUR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE DOWNTOWN MUSIC, UH, COMMISSION.
DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THAT? OKAY, GOOD.
[01:30:01]
I THINK YOU CAN JUST HAVE A VOLUNTEER SAY WHAT? I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO VOTE ON OTHER THINGS.YOU CAN BE SOMEONE WHO VOLUNTEERS, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE UP TO YOU.
WELL, EVERYONE ELSE SAID, NOW THAT CHRIS SAID, CHRIS, IS IT NOW JUST KIDDING? UH, YEAH.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING COMES UP AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE FEELING THAT IT'S NOT A GOOD FIT, THEN, YOU KNOW, LET US KNOW.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US ARE ON MULTIPLE GROUPS AND I CAN TELL YOU, LIKE, MY BRAIN JUST SHUT DOWN A FEW MINUTES AGO.
THESE DAYS, LIKE FAIR ENOUGH, FAIR ENOUGH.
SO, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? UH, IT'LL BE GOOD TO GET SOME FRESH BRAIN, BRAIN ENERGY OUT THERE IN THE WORLD REPRESENTED THE MUSIC COMMISSION.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, STEPPING UP FOR THAT.
CITY STAFF WILL CONTACT YOU, UH, CURTIS ABOUT HOW, WHEN THE MEETINGS ARE AND HOW TO LOG IN AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
THAT'S THAT'S THE END OF THE HAZING.
YOU'RE IN NO, DON'T, DON'T START THAT RAUNER.
YOU KNOW THAT GUY'S GOING TO BE AN EXPO EXPO TODAY, TOMORROW ABOUT THE HAZING RITUALS AND THE MUSIC.
UH, ANYWAY, UH, I WE'RE ONTO A THREE, I DON'T KNOW.
[3a. Discussion and Possible Action following presentation by Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Deputy Director, Economic Development Department, on the budget and funding process, how and when to engage in it, including calendar and steps.]
SO FOR A DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION, FOLLOWING A PRESENTATION BY SYNOVIA, WHOLE RAB, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ON THE BUDGET AND FUNDING PROCESS.AND YOU ASKED FOR A BUDGET CALENDARS OF STAFF TO BRING UP THE ONE SLIDE.
SO THIS IS AN OVERALL LOOK OF, UH, WHAT INTERNAL DATES AS WELL AS EXTERNAL DATES.
SO WE TYPICALLY START THE BUDGET SEASON, HONESTLY, IN DECEMBER WHEN WE'RE LOOKING BACK AT OUR METRICS THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED FROM THE PRIOR YEAR DETERMINING, UH, WHAT WE MAY DO IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, BUT WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL INTERNAL BUDGET KICKOFF MEETING TYPICALLY IN JANUARY.
AND I JUST INCLUDED, UH, 20, 21, BUT TYPICALLY IT FALLS IN JANUARY, FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH MARCH.
WE TYPICALLY HAVE A BOARDS AND COMMISSION TOWN HALL MEETINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED OR ORGANIZED BY THE EQUITY OFFICE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE.
THIS IS A TIME, ESPECIALLY FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS, TO GO TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS.
I KNOW THAT THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSION THIS YEAR ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED AS PART OF THAT PROCESS IN TERMS OF SUBMISSION OF A RECOMMENDATION, WHEN THAT RECOMMENDATION COMES IN, IT ACTUALLY GOES TO THE BUDGET OFFICE IN APRIL, AND THEN, UH, THEY ACTUALLY SEND THOSE TO THE DEPARTMENTS TO UNDERSTAND, IS THIS SOMETHING IN YOUR BUDGET? COULD IT BE PART OF THE UPCOMING BUDGET THIS YEAR IN APRIL? UH, THE FORECAST WAS DELIVERED.
AND THAT IS WHEN I CAME AND GAVE YOU ACTUALLY PROJECTIONS OF WHAT, UH, IS FORECASTED FOR THE HOT BUDS ACTUALLY SHOWED YOU ACTUALS FROM LAST YEAR.
UM, AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS ON MAY SEVEN, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUBMITTING OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TO OUR ACM UP TO THE BUDGET OFFICE BETWEEN MAY AND JUNE.
AGAIN, MY APOLOGIES STAFF WILL RESPOND TO THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BUDGET OFFICE MAY HAVE, ET CETERA.
THIS YEAR ON JULY 9TH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL PRESENT HIS PROPOSED BUDGET, NOT SURE OF THE FORMAT, IF IT'S GOING TO BE A MEETING, OR IF IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A MEMO.
TYPICALLY IT'S BEEN A PRESENTATION, UM, BUT NOT QUITE SURE, UH, OF HOW IT WILL HAPPEN, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY GET THAT INFORMATION OR LINK OUT.
AS SOON AS WE KNOW ON JULY 22ND AND 29TH, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO GIVE INPUT ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, TYPICALLY THERE'S A HEARING HELL PEOPLE SIGN UP TO SPEAK.
UM, PEOPLE ACTUALLY CONTACT THEIR, UH, CITY COUNCIL PERSONS FOR THEIR CONCERNS ON JULY 27TH.
WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER BUDGET WORK SESSION.
AGAIN, UH, CITIZENS CAN PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON ANY AREA OF THE BUDGET, BUT I KNOW PARTICULARLY FOR THE MUSIC, YOU'LL BE
[01:35:01]
CONCERNED WITH THOSE ITEMS PERTAINING TO THE MUSICIANS ON JULY 29TH, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL SET THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE, UH, AND BUDGET AND TAX RATE HEARINGS WHEN THOSE WILL BE PAL.SO THE FIRST HEARING IS ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE IN THE BUDGET.
THEN COUNCIL COULD SET A TAX RATE AND THEN THEY WANT TO TAKE INPUT ON THAT.
THEN ON AUGUST 3RD, THERE IS ANOTHER BUDGET WORK SESSION.
WHAT COUNCIL WILL PROBABLY DELIBERATE, UM, ITEMS THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE SEEN AS PART OF THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET, WANT IT INSERTED ANY CHANGES OR IDEAS THAT THEY MAY WANT TO SEE IN THE BUDGET.
THIS WILL BE A TIME FOR THEM TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS ON AUGUST 11TH.
THAT'S WHEN AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE AND THEN AUGUST 11TH THROUGH THE 13TH IS WHEN COUNCIL ACTUALLY, UM, DELIBERATES THE BUDGET AND IT HAS TO BE PASSED ON THREE RATINGS.
SO WHEN CAN YOU GET INVOLVED REALLY AT ANY POINT DURING THE YEAR, UH, BUT IN PARTICULAR, SENDING YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS PRIOR, UH, TO, UH, THE TIME THAT STAFF SUBMITS THEIR BUDGET SUBMISSION IS IDEAL.
BUT AT THIS TIME, UH, AGAIN ON JULY 9TH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL COME OUT WITH HIS BUDGET.
UH, WE CAN SEND YOU THAT LINK WHEN IT HAPPENS, COMMISSIONERS CONVINCE COUNT, TACK THEIR COUNCIL PERSONS.
YOU CAN HAVE DIALOGUE, UH, AT YOUR MEETINGS AND, AND ANY ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF THINGS THAT, UM, YOU MAY WANT TO SEE IN THE BUDGET THAT WASN'T INCLUDED.
AND SO THIS IS A GENERAL CALENDAR THAT REALLY FOLLOWS EVERY YEAR.
THEY MAY CHANGE BY A WEEK OR TWO, BUT THIS IS GENERALLY THE CALENDAR FOR THE BUDGET PROCESS.
SO I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.
I JUST WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU.
THIS IS GREAT, BUT THEN DOING THIS COMMISSION FOR SO LONG, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT LAID OUT SO CLEARLY.
AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO, AS A GROUP, PUT A BIG MARK AROUND NEXT YEAR, APRIL WITH THE, WE USING THE FIRST QUARTER TO DEVELOP ANY CONSENSUS ON BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO WE CAN REALLY BE IN THERE RIGHT FROM THE FIRST STEP AND HAVE OUR, OUR 2022 RECOMMENDATIONS INTO ON AND OUR APRIL MEETING NEXT YEAR.
AND TWO OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONS, UH, ONE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE JUST A TOWN HALL MEETING JUST ON BUDGET.
LIKE THEY HAVE A TOWN HALL MEETING FOR THEIR, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT THEY REPRESENT TO COME AND TALK ABOUT THEIR MAJOR CONCERNS.
SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN POSTING, UH, KEEP THAT IN MIND AND LET US KNOW TOO GOT, I GUESS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTED IN HOSTING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, DO HAVE YOU, CAN YOU SEND THIS TO US VIA EMAIL, PLEASE? THANK YOU.
UM, PUT EVERYTHING IN PERSPECTIVE.
AND I'LL MAKE A NOTE TO SEND IT TO, UH, NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET CALENDAR TO ALL OF OUR COMMISSIONS THAT WE STAFF SO THAT WE ALL BE IN SYNC.
I TRY TO KEEP EVERYTHING CONSISTENT, RIGHT.
I MEAN, AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE GENERAL, I THINK THAT'S JUST GOOD PROJECTION.
I AGREE WITH YOU GRAHAM, THAT, UH, WE SHOULD START DECEMBER, START LEANING ON REALLY, REALLY THINKING TOWARDS THE 20, 22 BUDGET AND EVERYTHING.
AND I'LL BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD, ALTHOUGH I THINK WE DID A GREAT JOB LAST MINUTE HERE.
UM, YEAH, SO I, I WOULD SAY IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A SPECIAL CALLED LIVE MUSIC SIGNS MEETING, UM, BETWEEN NOW AND JULY, UM, THAT'S GOOD.
AND WE ALSO NEED TO SORT OF CLARIFY AS A COMMISSION, BUT HOW WE IN OUR MINDS CRYSTALLIZE HOW WE WANT CURRENT PROPOSED FUNDS IN THIS BUDGET.
SO WE CAN'T LET OURSELVES OFF THE HOOK UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
SO I WOULD SAY IN THE MONTH OF JULY, THAT'S THE TIME FOR US TO BE REACHING OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ADVOCATING FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT FUNDING WE WANT AND WHY AND WHERE IT SHOULD COME FROM.
UM, SO LET'S DEFINITELY COVER THOSE THINGS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, MUSIC FUNDING LATER THIS MONTH AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT HOW TO REACH OUT TO COUNCIL, UH, IN JULY SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET THE FUNDS THAT WE NEED FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BUT YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SYLVIA THAT'S, UH, DEFINITELY HELPS CLARIFY THINGS IN MY MIND.
AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME.
THEY SAID I WAS A LITTLE LOW BEFORE, SO
[01:40:02]
YEAH, THAT WAS A GREAT POINT.UM, COMMISSIONER, UH, AND CHARLOTTE APPRECIATE, UM, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON, EXCUSE ME.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, ANY OTHER FEEDBACK? ALL RIGHT.
[3b. Discussion and Possible Action following Gender Equity Working Group update.]
B UM, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FOLLOWING THE GENDER EQUITY WORKING GROUP UPDATE.UM, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT OF A QUESTION ABOUT THE LAST TOPIC, RIGHT.
ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE A SHARE MOMENT.
UM, UH, YEAH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, UH, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE, THE POTENTIAL FOR A TOWN HALL BUDGET DISCUSSION, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO VOTE ON AND MAKE OFFICIAL NOW, OR IS THAT SOMETHING TO JUST KEEP IN OUR BACK POCKET FOR LATER WHEN IT GETS CLOSER? MY THING IS WANTING TO GET CLOSER.
IT'S SEEMS PRETTY EARLY TO ORGANIZE A DECEMBER, JANUARY.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO JUST HAVE SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT, UM, WHAT KIND OF THINGS WE WANT TO FOCUS ON STARTING DECEMBER AND THEN, SO THAT WE LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT IT IS WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING IN TERMS OF BLOOD.
WELL, I WILL SEGUE INTO THE NEXT ITEM THEN IF THAT'S OKAY.
UM, SO, UH, WE, I DON'T WANT TO MUDDY THE WATERS ANY FURTHER WITH OUR FUNDING DISCUSSION, BUT, UM, WE ACTUALLY, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER IDEA TO SHARE WITH YOU GUYS.
UM, SO, UH, THE GENDER EQUITY WORKING GROUP, UH, HAS GOTTEN TOGETHER A FEW TIMES, UM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE STILL KIND OF SOLIDIFYING THINGS.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER PIKE, COMMISSIONER METTA, CHARLA, AND COMMISSIONER PATTERSON MYSELF.
UM, SO BEFORE I GO ON, I JUST WANT TO GIVE THE CAVEAT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT ALL LIKE 100% IN AGREEMENT WITH, UH, THE DETAILS AND THE MECHANISMS ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL.
UM, BUT THE IDEA IS JUST TO GET THIS CONVERSATION GOING SOONER THAN LATER, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME SORT OF A PROPOSAL FOR COUNCIL BEFORE THEIR JULY 22ND MEETING.
UM, SO THAT KIND OF FEEDS INTO THE DISCUSSION WE WERE HAVING EARLIER.
UM, AND, UH, OUR RATIONALE FOR WORKING ON THIS TOPIC WITH THE GENDER EQUITY GROUP, A WORKING GROUP IS THAT, UM, THIS, THIS WORKING GROUP WAS KIND OF BORN OUT OF, UH, THE, THE SISTERHOOD, THE ATX M SISTER KIND OF COMING TO THE COMMISSION AND REQUESTING THAT THIS BE FORMED SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT GENDER EQUITY IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION ALONGSIDE ALL THE OTHER SUPER IMPORTANT EQUITY CONVERSATIONS GOING ON.
UM, SO THEY, AFTER THAT VERY FIRST SISTERHOOD MEETING, THERE WAS A SURVEY THAT WENT AROUND, UH, PARTICIPANTS, UH, JUST TO ASK KIND OF WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES WERE, WHAT ISSUES THEY SAW, UM, AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION OR FAIR PAY WAS THERE WAS THE FIRST ISSUE THAT PEOPLE DISCUSSED.
SO THIS ISSUE, OBVIOUSLY IT AFFECTS THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, WE FIGURED, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT WAS A PRIORITY THAT GROUP AND BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY OF OUR SITUATION, THAT IT, IT MADE SENSE FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND WORK ON THIS.
UM, AND, UH, SO DID IT DO AS IT, I MEAN, YOU GUYS HEARD FROM ALL OF THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S AN ISSUE OF, OF, OF, UH, OF A GAP BETWEEN UNEMPLOYMENT ENDING AND, UM, OTHER FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY SYNOVIA, YOU ARE AMAZING, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR ALL YOUR WORK, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AND, UH, AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IT AND TO TALK MORE ABOUT IT.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER.
UM, SO, UM, BECAUSE OF THIS GAP, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS THAT WE COULD COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF STOCK GAP, UH, TO GET US THROUGH THOSE, THE LEAN SUMMER MONTHS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A WORKING MUSICIAN, I KNOW, UH, SUMMER IS OFTENTIMES THE LOWEST TIME OF YEAR.
UM, SO, UH, WHEN THEY PASSED ITEM 60, UM, THEY IDENTIFIED THE, THE URGENCY OF IT.
I DON'T EVEN NEED TO, YOU KNOW,
[01:45:01]
CONVINCE YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT.WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT ON THAT.
UM, SO I REALLY WOULD LIKE, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE HEARD THEM AND THAT WE'RE LISTENING AND ACTING ON THEIR BEHALF.
UM, SO THIS PROPOSAL THAT, UH, THAT WE SENT EVERYBODY OUT THERE, EVERYBODY'S HAD A CHANCE TO SEE IT.
UM, IT'S, UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, IT'S NOT NEW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN GOING AROUND FOR YEARS NOW.
THE CONVERSATION AROUND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
UM, IT'S BEEN FILTERED TO A WIDE VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, AND, UH, THE IDEA IS TO USE THE, A PORTION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND OR AN IMMEDIATE ONE TIME, UH, MUSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.
UM, AND THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WHAT IT IS, BUT IT IS A WAY TO, UM, TO KIND OF KICKSTART THE LIVE MUSIC, PERFORMING, UM, THE LIVE MUSIC ECONOMY ECOSYSTEM WHILE MY BRAIN, MY BRAIN IS OVER THIS TIME.
UM, SO, UM, YEAH, I JUST WANT TO OPEN THIS UP FOR DISCUSSION WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT THE OTHER POSSIBILITY OF, UH, PRESENTING A PROGRAM THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, SHORT AND IMMEDIATE AND JUST LIKE A ONE-TIME THING TO KICKSTART, UH, TO KICKSTART THINGS.
AND I WAS CURIOUS WHETHER, UM, MAYBE COMMISSIONER GARCIA OR COMMISSIONER PIKE WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, TO COMMENT ON THE, THE HISTORY OF THIS IDEA, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN REALLY INVOLVED AND PERHAPS, UH, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON CAN ELABORATE ON THE, UH, THE NUMBER, THE SPECIFIC NUMBER THAT WAS PROPOSED.
SO, UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, DID, UM, UH, HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY'S HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA, UH, THAT ARE WATCHING NOW AND, UH, ARE, UM, MAYBE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK IT BACK UP THE BACKUP ITEMS OR, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST WATCH THE VIDEO, I'M GOING TO JUST GIVE LIKE A HIGH LEVEL, UM, OVERVIEW OF IT.
SO, UM, THE GENDER EQUITY WORKING GROUP, UH, TALK WITH THIS FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT, UM, LAUREN TALKED ABOUT, BUT BASICALLY IT'S USING A SMALL CHUNK OF THE LIVE MUSIC FIND $650,000 WAS, WAS THE NUMBER THAT WE ALIGHTED ON.
UM, THINKING IF THERE'S, IF WE KNOW THAT THERE'S 1.7 MILLION AND CHANGE, UM, UH, PROGRAM THAT EDD HAS BEEN WORKING ON, UH, PAUL OF USING 1.1 MILLION A BAT, AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE'VE HAD OTHER HOT FUNDS COMING IN DURING THIS YEAR THAT COULD STILL STAY IN RESERVE.
UM, THAT TO ME, WAS IT EASY SUBTRACTION PROGRAM PROBLEM.
AND WE CAME TO THE $650,000 NUMBER FOR THIS MUSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.
AND, UH, ESSENTIALLY IT'S A GRANT PROGRAM TO REIMBURSE BOOKING GUARANTEES FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS, WHICH MUSICIANS PAY INDIANS, PAY MUSICIANS, A FAIR WAGE, AND ARE FASTLY REIMBURSED THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE FUNDS TO REIMBURSE GUARANTEES FOR LOCAL APPS, HIRE TO SUPPORT TOURING ARTISTS, INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO APPLY TO USE THIS FUNDING TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCED PUBLIC WIDE EVENTS.
UH, SO THIS IS INTENDED TO BE, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST RENTAL ASSISTANCE OR FOOD ASSISTANCE, WHICH MIGHT NOT BE COVERED BY HOT TIMES IS AS YOU KNOW, IT'S TRICKY, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY GETTING PEOPLE OUT GIGGING.
SO IT'S A KICKSTART FOR THE AUTONOMY.
IT'S GETTING MONEY INTO MUSICIANS AND IT'S GETTING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, HAS VENUES BUYING DRINKS GOING OUT TO DINNER? IT'S A GOOD, UM, NO VITAMIN B12 SHOT FOR THE SUMMER, UM, MUSIC ECONOMY.
AND, UM, FURTHERMORE, THE DOCUMENT THAT WE SENT AND, AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO READ THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT MUSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.
SHE WAS ESTABLISHED A SET OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN SUCH CRITERIA TO PRIORITIZE DIVERSITY OF RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUAL IDENTITY.
UM, AND I DO KNOW THAT EDD HAS BEEN WORKING ON A SET OF CRITERIA THAT WE, THEIR COMPANY, THEIR PROGRAM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT MORE IN OUR NEXT MEETING, BUT SO THEN THERE MAY BE SOME, UM, ALREADY DEVELOPED
[01:50:01]
GUIDELINES THAT CAN HELP, UH, ESTABLISH HOW THE, HOW THE GRANTS WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED.SO THEN, YEAH, AND I, AND WE DID HAVE, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WITHIN OUR WORKING GROUP, WHICH IS SMALLER RIGHT NOW, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO INCLUDE MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, BUT WE'VE BEEN HAVE A VERY ROBUST, THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION.
UM, WHAT WE BASICALLY CAME TO AGREEMENT THAT WAS THAT WE WANT MORE OF FEEDBACK FROM THIS, FROM THE SORT OF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.
WE WANT MORE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN REALLY NAIL DOWN THE DETAILS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE ALL ON.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE'S AN URGENCY HERE.
UM, SO, UH, THEN I'LL JUST, YEAH, I'LL GET PATRICE OR, UM, MOLLY WOULD LIKE TO WEIGH IN AND TYPE THE DATE.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK FIRST? I DEFINITELY HAVE SOME COMMENTS TO MAKE BRIEF, BUT DETAILED THAT CAN HELP, I THINK, HUMANIZE SOME OF THIS AND SITUATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANT TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE TODAY.
UM, I'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD ALL DAY DRIVING TO AMARILLO.
UM, RIGHT NOW I'M PAYING A TWO AND A HALF TIME RATE TO MY BANDMATES WHO JUST STARTED TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH ME IN AUSTIN ON THURSDAY AT THE SAXON PUB, UM, THE WAY I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO, OR THAT I'M WORKING THROUGH PAYING THEM A TWO AND A HALF TIME RATE FOR THEIR NORMAL RATE IS THAT I CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE THEM ON THE ROAD, BUT I CAN LEAVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PLAY OTHER VENUES AND OTHER STATES AND OTHER CITIES BY MYSELF, UM, IN ORDER TO BRING IN MORE REVENUE SO THAT THE SHOWS THAT WE CAN PLAY IN AUSTIN ARE A HIGHER RATE PAID TO, TO MY BAND MATES, CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE THEM OUT BECAUSE ALSO THE VENUES OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT WE WORK IN, OR ANOTHER CITIES ARE NOT OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY.
SOME OF THESE VENUES ARE OPERATING AT A 20 TO 50% CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.
AND, UM, SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT I PAY THEM A HIGHER RATE IN AUSTIN, PARTIALLY BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ENOUGH VENUES OPEN RIGHT NOW FOR US TO BE EMPLOYED AT THE, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE NORMALLY ARE.
UM, AND WE'RE ALL SCRAMBLING RIGHT NOW.
ONE OF THE VENUES THAT WE WERE PRIMARILY EMPLOYED AT CLOSED AFTER RACKING UP $60,000 WORTH OF RENT DEBT AND BEFORE THE VENUES WERE BEGINNING TO GET AID.
UM, AND THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
UM, IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS CITY.
AND I KNOW THAT WE ALL KNOW THIS, BUT IT'S TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TODAY FOR ME TO DRIVE EIGHT HOURS TO AMARILLO.
SO I CAN GET TWO GIGS AND SANTA FE AND TAOS AND SALIVA, COLORADO, WHERE THEY'RE OPEN TO EITHER 20% CAPACITY AND A TO 50% AND TRYING TO DO ALL THE MATH OF HOW TO MAKE THAT WORK.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT WE ALL DID LIKE TIPPING OUT OUR BANDMATES FROM OUR LIVE STREAMS, WHERE THEY COULDN'T BE ON THE LIVE STREAM, BECAUSE IT WASN'T SAFE FOR US TO BE IN A ROOM TOGETHER.
UM, IT, IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT.
AND PART OF THE DIFFICULTY IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VENUES OPEN.
AND THE END THOUGH, WE DO HAVE VENUES OPENING.
WE HAVE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF OUR MUSICIAN COMMUNITY TRYING TO GAIN ACCESS TO THAT WORK.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE, AS A COMMUNITY WITHIN THIS BODY, THE CITY COUNCIL STAFF AND EVERYONE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD ON EQUITY LAYERS, EDUCATING OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER, AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF THE NEW AUSTIN AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT A BROADER, UM, AMOUNT OF, OF DIVERSITY OF HUMANS THAT ARE DIVERSE WITHIN OUR CITY WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO WORK.
AND ALSO ON TOP OF IT, THAT WE WILL GIVE INCENTIVES THROUGH THE PROGRAMMING AND THE ECONOMIC, UM, SORT OF, UH, FORMULAS THAT WE'RE CREATING, UM, TO INCENTIVIZE VENUES, TO HIRE MORE MUSICIANS OF COLOR, UH, VARIOUS CULTURES.
AND I'M SITTING IN MY VAN AFTER DRIVING TO AMARILLO IN A DRIVEWAY.
SO I COULD JOIN DURING THIS TIME.
SO FORGIVE THE NOISE AND, UM, AND I YIELD BY, UH, ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY TO VOLLEY.
UM, MAY I, UM, SO AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, UM, THIS WHOLE IDEA OF LOSING THE FUNDS WITH URGENCY, UM, I'M, I'M COMPLETELY ALIGNED.
[01:55:01]
THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT.AND, UH, UM, IT'S, IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, MY THINKING IS THAT THE MUSIC COMMISSION THINKS FOR EVERYBODY, UH, IN NOT SPECIFIC GROUPS, UH, EVEN THOUGH IT IS, THERE ARE STRONG PILLARS OF DEI, ET CETERA, WITHIN THAT, THAT SHOULDN'T COUNT INTO DECISION MAKING.
UM, SO SOME COMPLETELY IN LINE WITH THE FUNDS BEING RELEASED EARLY.
WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF MS
THE MECHANISMS MENTIONED ARE, UH, WORTHWHILE.
THEY, THEY, IT SHOULD, THEY WISH THOSE MECHANISMS SHOULD BE INCLUDED, BUT I THINK THERE NEEDS TO, THEY NEED TO BE BROADER MECHANISMS IN, UH, DISBURSING THESE FUNDS.
UH, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO PUT SOME THOUGHT ON, BECAUSE AGAIN, IN THAT SITUATION, I THINK THE REALITY FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR MIGHT BE DIFFERENT ARTISTS OF COLOR MIGHT BE DIFFERENT.
SO IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN, IN COMING UP WITH WAYS TO DISPERSE THE FUNDS.
UM, BUT, BUT REALLY IN TERMS OF RELEASING THE FUNDS, UM, IF MS
I'M JUST, I'M JUST CURIOUS ON THAT FRONT.
I THINK, AND I'M, I'M CHATTING WITH STAFF.
LIKE, CAN YOU SEE IF YOU CAN GET ANY, I CALL ME IN BETWEEN JUNE 22ND AND JUNE 30TH, SO THAT WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR YOUR REGULAR MEET ON JULY 12TH, WE'LL BE READY.
SO I'M ALREADY IN THE BACKGROUND TRYING TO ORCHESTRATE MEETINGS AND GET FEEDBACK.
UM, BUT I JUST DON'T WANT TO OVERCOMMIT.
UH, IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHO DOES, I WANT TO HEAR ALL OF THAT BEFORE WE START INTERVIEWING, YOU KNOW, CAUSE IF WE GET SOME GUIDELINES, WE CAN KIND OF START TALKING THEN OUR PROCUREMENT ON THE BACK END TO TRY TO SPEED THINGS UP.
BUT I KNOW IT, I KNOW THEY NEED TO BE DISPERSED FAST.
AND I DO THE BEST I CAN, BUT I DON'T WANT TO OVER-COMMIT AND THERE ARE CERTAIN PROCUREMENT CRAP POLICIES WE HAVE TO FOLLOW, BUT THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET THE GUIDELINES TO YOU HEAR FROM YOU HEAR FROM COMMUNITY, UM, AND GO FROM THERE.
BUT I DON'T, I JUST DON'T WANT TO OVER-COMMIT AS FAST AS WE CAN, BUT I JUST, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, AND, UH, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YEAH, IT WOULD BE VERY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE BECAUSE THAT COULD SERVE AS THE BASELINE TO, TO RESPOND TO AND GO FROM THERE.
AND I WANNA, I WANNA FOLLOW UP ON THAT BECAUSE, UH, COMMISSIONER NAGA AND COMMISSIONER GOULD, YOU, YOU WEREN'T HERE WHEN WE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED AS COMMISSION, UH, FOR SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND EQUITY.
UM, SO THOSE ARE A PART OF THE DETAILS THAT NEED TO BE SHARED.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE DELICATE NATURE OF JUST RUSHING THIS FUNDING BECAUSE, UM, THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE IN AUSTIN.
UM, EQUITY IS A MAJOR ISSUE IN AUSTIN, UM, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S AT THE FOREFRONT.
I MEAN, IT WAS A UNANIMOUS VOTE ON THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND IT WAS ALSO, UM, PASSED THE CITY COUNCIL FOR A SERIOUS LOOK AT EQUITY.
AND, UM, SO THAT'S PART OF THE DETAILS THAT HAVE TO BE TALKED ABOUT.
I DON'T WANT TO RUSH THAT DISCUSSION, UM, AT ALL, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, NOT JUST, NOT JUST SLOW IT DOWN, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE SAYING SEPTEMBER, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GET THE, THE, UH, THE DETAILS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO TALK ABOUT IT, RIGHT.
AND WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS CONVERSATION AND THAT I DON'T WANT TO UNDERESTIMATE HOW LONG THAT MIGHT TAKE.
SO WE'RE IN JUNE RIGHT NOW, SEPTEMBER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
UM, SO I WANT, I WANT US TO TALK TO THE PUBLIC IN THIS WAY AND NOT WORK THEM UP AND BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO GET IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROCESS.
AND AS YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO EDUCATE THEM AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE IS THIS ARP FUNDING THAT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE.
THAT'S GOING TO BE EMERGENCY AND THAT'S COMING, BUT THIS RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW, WE IT'S, IT'S, IT WASN'T SET UP FOR THIS AND IT'S SET UP FOR, YOU KNOW, THIS AND WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR WITH THEM ABOUT THAT.
I KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO GET FUNDING RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD REALLY PUSH OUT MY OPINION.
AGAIN, THIS IS OPEN DISCUSSION, BUT MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT'S SOMEBODY WE SHOULD BE PUSHING THROUGH THE ARP FUNDING.
UM, THAT'S COMING IN THE MONEY'S
[02:00:01]
COMING IN FOR THE FEDS SPECIFICALLY AROUND THIS TYPE OF THING.THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, UM, IS, IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BEAST.
AND, UM, I THINK WE NEED TO BE CLEAR THAT THAT POT IS STILL HAS TO, WE STILL HAVE TO LOOK AT A LOT BEFORE WE EVEN TALK ABOUT DISPERSING IT.
UM, SO THAT I DON'T WANT, I THINK THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO, WE NEED TO TALK TO OUR FOLKS ABOUT THAT AND JUST EXPLAIN TO THEM NOT TO GET THEM WORKED UP AND BE LIKE, IF THE MONEY'S THERE, WHY DON'T YOU JUST GIVE IT TO US? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, LIVE MUSIC FINE.
THERE'S STILL A, THERE'S STILL A PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO ENGAGE IN THAT WE HAVE TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN.
AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULD JUST GROW, KEEP ROLLING OUT.
BUT ONCE WE GET THIS INFORMATION FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THERE'S GOING TO BE CONVERSATION.
THERE'S GOING TO BE, THERE'S GOING TO BE CONCERNS OR WHATEVER.
AND WE HAD A LOT OF TIME FOR THAT CONVERSATION TO HAPPEN.
SO, UM, AND THAT, YES, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THE, YOU KNOW, JUST, WE DON'T WANT TO BE HASTY AND THEN WIND UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT HAPPY WITH.
AND THAT WAS NOT WELL EXECUTED.
DOESN'T SERVE THE COMMUNITY PROPERLY.
UM, I GUESS THE THOUGHT THAT THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE IN MIND, WE'VE HAD, THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A GOOD DISCUSSION ALL NIGHT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUNDING AND THE TIMELINES.
IF THERE, IF THERE ARE RESCUE FUNDS THAT ARE GOING TO BE COMING OUT SOONER, HOW DO YOU GUYS FEEL AS A MUSIC COMMISSION? LIKE, IS THOSE THINGS BE THERE'S FUNDS BEING USED FOR, UM, JUST GRANT GRANTS, THE WAY THE DISASTER RELIEF GRANTS WERE GIVEN OUT.
SO THOSE WERE JUST WENT TO INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS AS OPPOSED TO A PROGRAM LIGHT.
IT'S LIKE ONE THAT WE JUST DESCRIBED WHERE IT'S GETTING FUNDS OUT FOR GIGGING.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO REALLY MAKE IT NEED-BASED.
UM, AND I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT WHEN IT WAS DISTRIBUTED BEFORE THERE WERE, UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTION AS TO, UH, HOW, UM, THE, HOW THE, HOW THE REQUIREMENTS WERE OR HOW THE ELIGIBILITY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T RECEIVE THAT FUNDING THAT SHOULD HAVE.
AND, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO THAT, BUT I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF IT'S NEED-BASED AND THEN IT'S GOING FIRST TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEED IT THE MOST AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF, AND SO I'LL JUST HIT IT OFF ON YOU, LAUREN, CAUSE YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION, BUT, BUT IN TERMS OF USE IT, AND NOW I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT RESCUE FUNDS, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT LIKE THE HOT SUNS AND THE LIVE MUSIC FAN, BUT IS IT BETTER TO USE THOSE FUNDS FOR OUR EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND THAT TYPE OF THING, OR JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST CHECKS GOING OUT TO MUSICIANS OR IS IT WITH MUSIC FOR THE MUSIC COMMUNITY? UM, DO YOU THINK PREFER THIS KIND OF A MUSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT FOR GROUND WHERE IT'S IT ENCOURAGES? UM, PERFORMANCE? I MEAN, I, I I'LL ANSWER, I WASN'T SURE IF YOU'RE OUT.
I'M ASKING YOU, I MEAN, I'D LOVE FOR ANYBODY TO JUMP IN ON THIS, BUT I MEAN, I GUESS I'M JUST, I'M JUST, AND I WAS ONLY, I'M ONLY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS PROGRAM ONLY IS LIKE KIND OF A SHORT TERM SENSE BECAUSE EDD HAS SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON AND THEY WILL BE ROLLING OUT.
SO THIS IS NOT AN INSIST SUPERSEDE THAT, AND MAYBE IT DOESN'T EVEN COME FROM THE SAME SOURCE OF FUNDS, BUT I MEAN, I'M JUST THINKING LIKE, WHAT IS THE BEST, MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET MONEY OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY? UM, YOU KNOW, IS IT PATRICE AS I'M LISTENING TO, TO YOU ALL TRY TO ASSESS THIS OUT? I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE ELEMENT OF, UM, DIRECT FUNDING TO INDIVIDUALS DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT IT CAN BE A, IT CAN BE A, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET EMERGENCY FUNDING TO INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS IN THEIR FAMILIES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, AND THAT TAKES AWAY THE ISSUE AROUND, OKAY, IF IT ALL FILTERS ONLY THROUGH, OR, YOU KNOW, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, BUT IN REGARD TO THESE FUNDS, YOU'RE TALKING
[02:05:01]
ABOUT IN AN IDEAL WORLD, IT SEEMS LIKE DIRECT PAYMENTS SO THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO CONCERN ABOUT, WELL, WHO'S ACTUALLY GETTING THE WORK AT THE VENUES AND HAVE WE ADDRESSED THOSE EQUITY LAYERS YET.AND HAVE WE ADDRESSED THE FACT THAT WE WANT VENUES TO ANSWER TO, UM, THE REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ENGAGING AND ACTING ON THESE EQUITY LAYERS THAT WE'RE REQUIRING.
SO IF IT WERE, IF IT WAS ABLE TO DO BOTH, IF THESE EMERGENCY FUNDS WERE ABLE TO DO BOTH ON SOME LEVEL WHERE WE CAN GET MORE OF OUR VENUES OPEN, WE CAN GET MORE OF OUR MUSIC VENUE, WORKERS AID WHILE THEY'RE WAITING TO BE STAFFED UP AGAIN, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD A TON OF FEEDBACK ABOUT PEOPLE TRYING TO STAFF UP THEIR VENUES, THAT THEY COULDN'T DO IT PRIOR BECAUSE YOU KNOW, IT W THERE WEREN'T THERE, THEY WEREN'T OPEN YET, YOU KNOW? AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE A COMBINATION OF THAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL SITUATION.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING I'D LIKE TO BRING UP ON THIS ISSUE IS I AGREE WITH PATRICE IS THAT WHEN YOU FUND DIRECTLY, IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS A BAND-AID, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REALLY A LONG-TERM FIX.
VERY FEW PEOPLE'S LIFE IS GOING TO TURN OVER FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT IT CAN HELP YOU GET THROUGH THE NEXT MONTH.
TO ME, I REALLY HAVE A REAL STRONG FAITH.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY BEING, HAS BEEN DEALT WITH, I THINK LAST WEEK IN THE COUNCIL, WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY LONG-TERM USES OF MONEY.
THINGS LIKE SIMS, THINGS LIKE HAM, THOSE ARE THE PLACE BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE MUSICIAN IS GOING TO FACE A PHYSICAL INJURY OR ILLNESS OR A MENTAL MENTAL ILLNESS.
AND WHEN YOU PUT MONEY INTO THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEY GO TO ANYBODY THAT NEEDS HELP, IT'S A VERY EQUITABLE WAY TO DISTRIBUTE THE MONEY.
AND IT'S A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY TO DISTRIBUTE THE MONEY IN TERMS OF KEEPING THE COMMUTE, A CREATIVE CLASS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF MAYBE GETTING, YOU KNOW, HAVING A BABY ILLNESS, INJURY, OR MENTAL, YOU KNOW, MENTAL EPISODE, THOSE ARE THE THREE THINGS THAT KNOCK ALL ARTISTS, NOT JUST MUSICIANS, BUT ALL ARTISTS OUT.
AND THE MORE WE CAN BUILD THAT FOUNDATION AND SOLIDIFY THAT FOUNDATION TO ME, THAT IS ALWAYS MONEY WELL-SPENT BECAUSE IT IS A UNIVERSAL NON-SPECIFIC.
IT'S LIKE, I'M NOT CHOOSING YOU, I'M CHOOSING THE COMMUNITY.
IT IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT.
AND SO I KNOW IT'S SOMEWHAT SIMPLISTIC, BUT SIMS AND HAMS, AND IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO SEE A FEW MORE OF THESE DEVELOPED ARE, TO ME, THE STRONGEST ALL WORKS AGAINST, UH, YOU KNOW, THE DANGER THAT, THAT, THAT IS ALL OF US ARE AT RISK.
I'M SORRY FOR WHAT, IN WHAT WAY WOULD, WELL, ALMOST EVERY SINGLE MUSICIAN I'VE KNOWN OVER THE LAST 37 YEARS AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER HAS HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN, A PHYSICAL INJURY, A PHYSICAL ILLNESS.
I GOT THAT, BUT WHAT, WHAT, W HOW HAS THE CONNECT I'M MISSING THE CONNECTION? WELL, THOSE ARE HOW PEOPLE RUN OUT OF MONEY.
THOSE ARE HOW PEOPLE HAVE TO GET A JOB LEAVE AND MOVE HOME.
THOSE ARE THE NUMBER ONE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE APPROACH THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN.
AND THAT ALL THE YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE, THAT KNOCKS PEOPLE OUT OF THE GAME FOR LACK OF A BETTER, AND OKAY, I I'M HERE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW YOU TO, THROUGH THE NECK.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? CAUSE, I MEAN, FOR ME GETTING KNOCKED OUT OF THE GAME, HAVING AN INJURY, HAVING A BREAKDOWN, HAVING SOME OTHER, THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU STOP BEING AN ARTIST AND GET A REGULAR JOB.
I GET THAT, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO GET IT TO WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
WELL, I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE USE, HOW THE BEST USE OF MONEY, WHETHER IT'S IN THE CAR.
SO YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE GIVE MONEY TO HIM AND SIM IS THAT I'M JUST TRYING TO GET ABSOLUTELY.
I JUST WASN'T CLEAR LIKE WHAT, OKAY.
YOU'RE SAYING, IN ADDITION TO THESE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING, BUT THAT ALSO IS A PRIMARY SUPPORT SYSTEM, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
I'M SAYING THAT IT IS IN MY WAY, IT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY TO USE CITY MONEY TO PROTECT AND SUPPORT OUR ARTS COMMUNITY, INDIVIDUAL PAYMENTS.
LIKE YOU SAY, CAN BE BAND-AIDS TO HELP HERE OR THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING SOME THINGS LIKE GIGS TO PAY OUT, HAVING LITTLE PERKS TO TOSS OUT ARE GREAT, BUT IN MY MIND, W ANYTHING THAT IN GENERAL SUPPORTS OUR COMMUNITY ON VERY VULNERABLE ISSUES IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE TO SPEND MONEY.
[02:10:02]
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? UH, JUST THE, UH, YEAH.UH, SO, UH, MS. WHOLE DRUG IS BASICALLY JUST, UM, JUST LIKE YOU KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE THE TAX FUND.
UM, WHAT ARE, WHAT'S THE GENDER CRITERIA AND CONSTRAINTS AROUND, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, SKEW PLAN? OKAY.
SO NOW, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I WILL HAVE STAFF SEND YOU THE LINK TO THE POWERPOINT THAT WE PRESENT IT.
SO IN GENERAL, THE ELIGIBLE USES OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS CAN BE SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH, ADDRESSING NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS, UM, CAUSED BY PUBLIC HEALTH, SERVING HARDEST HIT COMMUNITIES AND FAMILY REPLACING THE LOSS OF PUBLIC SECTOR REVENUE, UM, PROVIDING PAY FOR CENTRAL WORKERS, INVESTING IN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTING IN BROADBAND.
AND SO IN THE PRESENTATION, WE'VE BEEN TALKED ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT COUNCIL IS STILL DEBATING.
SO I WILL DEFINITELY SEND YOU THE LINK.
AND IT INCLUDES BACK UP FROM LAST YEAR IN TERMS OF ALL THE RESOLUTIONS, JUST SO YOU CAN READ IT, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY SEND YOU THE LINK TO THE POWERPOINT WE PRESENTED TODAY.
ANY OTHER, UM, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? YEAH, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO PUT LIKE A BOW ON THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, SO IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT WE NEED TO MAYBE TABLE THIS DISCUSSION FOR THIS, MAYBE THIS SPECIAL MEETING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TALK WITH WITH EDD, UM, ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT FUNDING OPTIONS AND, AND MAYBE WE JUST JOIN FORCES AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE WAY OF DOING THIS AND JUST CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION THEN DOES THAT SEEM? YEAH, I THINK THAT I'M NOT OF THE SAME MIND THAT, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE NEXT, I MEAN, THERE'S A COUNCIL MEETING THIS WEEK, BUT WE, SO WE WOULDN'T REALLY BE PREPARED TO PRESENT ANYTHING TO COUNCIL THIS WEEK, BUT THEN THERE'S ONE IN LATE JULY.
SO I THINK IF WE HAVE THIS OTHER MEETING WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVE MUSIC FUN, LET'S LOOK AT THAT AND BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM WAYS.
UM, SO EVERYBODY, PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND.
LET'S AND, UH, LET'S JUST BE READY TO DO SOME REALLY GOOD WORK AND PROBLEM SOLVING IN THAT, THAT MEETING THE SPECIAL MEETING.
UH, SOME, UH, SOME CONVERSATIONS AHEAD WILL, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY, BUT AGAIN, LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND SOME OF THEM THAT FOLKS ARE DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE.
I KNOW PEOPLE GET WORKED OUT WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THERE'S MONEY SITTING AROUND, BUT IT'S NOT SITTING AROUND THERE ARE, THERE ARE, UH, THERE'S A PROCESS TO THIS.
NOBODY'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST TWIDDLING YOUR THUMBS, JUST LOOKING AT IT, UM, BE, BE ENCOURAGING TO FOLKS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, UH, TOWARDS THIS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THAT AND THAT THERE ARE FUNDS EMERGENCY FUNDS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AND WE WILL FIGURE THAT OUT AS WE CAN.
[3c. Discussion and Possible Action following presentation by Dusty Saxton on innovative retirement for Austin musicians.]
IS OUR FORESEE DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION, UH, FOLLOWING A PRESENTATION BY DUSTY SAXON, UM, ON INNOVATIVE RETIREMENT FOR AUSTIN MUSICIANS.HOW ARE WE LOOKING IN TERMS OF TIME? DO WE HAVE A SPECIFIC ANTON 9:30 PM IS YOUR CUTOFF TIME.
UH DESSIE IF YOU CAN KEEP THAT IN MIND, UM, VIA YOUR PRESENTATION, WE'D APPRECIATE IT.
UM, I AM TRYING TO SHARE MY SCREEN, BUT MY SHARE BUTTON IS GREAT OUT, BUT TO BE HONEST, I DON'T EVEN NEED TO SHARE MY SCREEN.
I JUST, I JUST, I'LL JUST BE ABLE TO TALK.
UM, I'VE BEEN SITTING THROUGH THIS WHOLE MEETING AND I'VE LISTENED TO ALL OF YOU GUYS.
NOW I CAN SHARE MY SCREEN, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO RIGHT NOW.
UM, W WHAT I'VE GAINED FROM THIS, I MEAN, LET ME JUST START OUT BY SAYING, I MEAN, I AM A LIFELONG MUSICIAN.
[02:15:01]
AWAY, BUT MY, MY MOM WENT TO AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL.I GREW UP HEARING LEGENDARY STORIES OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE LEGENDARY DAYS OF AUSTIN IN THE SIXTIES, SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES.
AND, UH, I GREW UP, I MEAN, MY, MY DREAM AS A CHILD WAS TO MOVE TO AUSTIN AND BECOME A PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID.
AND I FEEL LIKE THERE WAS NO OTHER CITY THAT I COULD HAVE DONE IT IN.
UM, AND I, I LIVED MY WHOLE LIFE PLAYING DRUMS, AND I GREW TO AN AGE WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN, I FOUND MYSELF WITH A FAMILY AND A HOUSE AND BILLS TO PAY.
UM, AND WHEN 2020 HIT, I, I LOST THAT.
MY TOUR SCHEDULE WAS BLANK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 12 YEARS.
UM, AND, UH, I, I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY MUSICIANS WHO WAS ABLE TO GO ON UNEMPLOYMENT FOR MOST OF 2020, BUT WHEN THAT RAN OUT, I HAD TO FIND MYSELF A NEW JOB.
AND, UM, WITH TRYING TO FIND A JOB THAT WOULDN'T CONFLICT WITH FUTURE GIGS AND TRYING TO FIND A JOB THAT I COULD DO FROM HOME.
I FOUND MYSELF BECOMING A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT.
AND, UM, WHEN I BECAME A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT, IT, IT STARTED LIKE, AS I WAS STUDYING FOR IT, I, I DISCOVERED LIKE, WOW, I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THIS STUFF.
AND NEITHER, NONE OF MY FRIENDS HAVE ANY OF THIS STUFF.
LIKE NO LIFE INSURANCE IS NOT EVEN SOMETHING THAT MUSICIANS EVEN HAVE TIME OR MONEY OR FUNDS TO EVEN THINK ABOUT.
LIKE AFTER YOU PUT MONEY IN SAVINGS AND AFTER YOU PAY YOUR BILLS AND LIKE, YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU, YOU JUST DON'T HAVE MONEY LEFT OVER TO CONTRIBUTE TO LIFE INSURANCE OR RETIREMENT.
AND, UM, STUART SULLIVAN WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT HAMS AND SIMS HOUSE HAMS AND SIMS ARE SUCH GOOD PLACES TO PUT, TO DONATE MONEY, TO GO DIRECTLY TO MUSICIANS.
AND SO WHEN I BECAME A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT, I STARTED THINKING ABOUT MYSELF AS A MUSICIAN AND HOW I'VE NEVER HAD THIS.
AND HOW SO MANY MUSICIANS DON'T HAVE LIFE INSURANCE OR RETIREMENT? UM, THE BAND I'M IN, I I'VE BEEN I'M THE DRUMMER FOR GRANGER SMITH.
HE'S A TEXAS COUNTRY TURNED NASHVILLE COUNTRY SINGER.
UM, AND ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, WE WERE ABLE TO GET A 401K PLAN FOR OUR BAND.
UM, AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, IT KIND OF CLICKED IN MY HEAD.
IT WAS LIKE, WOW, LIKE I NEVER EXPECTED TO EVER HAVE THIS.
AND SO MANY MUSICIANS DON'T HAVE THIS AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CORPORATE WORLD HAVE THIS PROVIDED BY THEIR EMPLOYERS.
BUT AS MUSICIANS, WE DON'T HAVE EMPLOYERS THAT WILL PROVIDE THIS TYPE OF THING FOR US.
UM, AND MAN, SO MANY THINGS THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE SAID IN THIS AND THIS MEETING HAVE JUST, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN TAKING NOTES, LIKE WHEN, WHEN, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER REYNOLDS, GRAHAM REYNOLDS SAID, WHY IS PAYING MUSICIANS RENT NOT CONSIDERED SUPPORTING TOURISM? LIKE EVERY MUSICIAN, LIKE WHAT AUSTIN IS, IS CALLED THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN CALLED THAT? I MEAN, YOU, YOU ARE NOT THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD WITHOUT LIVE MUSIC AND WITHOUT MUSICIANS.
AND I MEAN, ALL OF, ALL OF YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT EMERGENCY FUNDS AND ALL THESE EMERGENCY FUNDS THAT HAVE TO BE RELEASED.
AND HOW, HOW GREAT WOULD IT BE IF THERE JUST WAS A FUND CREATED FOR EMERGENCIES OR FOR RETIREMENT, BUT THAT IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT TO RETIREMENT, IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY BEFORE, THEN YOU COULD PULL FROM IT AND KIND OF, AND PAY YOURSELF OUT OF IT.
UM, SO WHEN I, WHEN I BECAME A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT AND I STARTED, I KIND OF STRUCK MY MIND OF HOW MANY MUSICIANS JUST DON'T EVEN HAVE THIS, OR DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT.
UM, I CONTACTED PAT FROM ATX MUSICIANS AND I WAS JUST CONTACTING HIM OF LIKE, HEY, CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME A LIST OF MUSICIANS TO CALL INDIVIDUALLY AND JUST SAY, HEY, I, I'M A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT NOW.
I MEAN, I'VE, I MOVED TO AUSTIN IN 2010, BUT 2007, SORRY.
[02:20:01]
IN 2010.UM, AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT INDIVIDUALLY TO MUSICIANS TO JUST HELP THEM ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.
AND PAT HEARD WHAT I SAID AND KIND OF ENCOURAGED ME TO THINK BIGGER, THINK ON THE LEVEL OF HAM AND ON THE LEVEL OF SIMS ON THE LEVEL OF HOME.
UM, AND SO I CAME UP WITH, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO SHARE MY RING NOW, AND I HOPE YOU GUYS CAN SEE IT.
CAN YOU GUYS SEE THIS AMPED? I CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA CALLED AUNT, WHICH WOULD BE THE AUSTIN MUSICIANS, PENSION AND EQUITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST, UM, THROUGHOUT BECOMING A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT AND DOING SOME POLICIES ON SOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
I SAW THAT A TRUST CAN BE THE OWNER AND PAYER AND BENEFICIARY OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES FOR EITHER AN INDIVIDUAL OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE OR A FAMILY.
UM, I STARTED LOOKING INTO, UH, RETASK FOR PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN OF, OF AN, A, OF A COMMON NON-OCCUPATIONAL IN OTHER STATES.
UM, COLORADO HAS ONE FOR IT'S CALLED THE IT'S CALLED THE COPRA C O P E R A COLORADO PENSION AND EQUITY RETIREMENT ACCOUNT, I THINK IS WHAT IT'S CALLED.
AND IT'S FOR PEOPLE LIKE TEACHERS, UM, SNOW PAL, SNOWPLOW DRIVERS, STATE TROOPERS, PEOPLE WHO SERVE THE COMMUNITY, BUT WOULDN'T OTHERWISE HAVE AN EMPLOYER ORGANIZATION TO FUND, UM, LIFE INSURANCE AND RETIREMENT.
AND SO PAT KIND OF ENCOURAGED ME TO THINK OF THIS ON A, ON A LARGER SCALE.
UM, AND I CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA THAT WHAT IF THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE HAM OR LIKE SIMS, BUT WAS GEARED MORE TOWARDS LIFE INSURANCE AND RETIREMENT? UM, I, MYSELF WAS A HAM MEMBER.
HAM CAME TO MY RESCUE RESCUE IN 2011.
I WAS OUT ON THE ROAD FOR A WEEKEND AND I HAVE THE WORST SICKNESS I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
IT MIGHT'VE BEEN STREP THROAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT I WAS SO JUST INCAPACITATED ON THE ROAD.
AND WHEN I CAME HOME FROM THAT WEEKEND, I EMAILED HIM AND I WAS LIKE, I NEED, I NEED YOUR HELP.
I JUST HAD THE WORST WEEKEND I'VE EVER HAD ON THE ROAD AND I NEED, I NEED HELP.
AND, UM, HAM WROTE BACK AND SAID, YEAH, YOU JUST, JUST GIVE US YOUR INFORMATION.
AND, AND, AND I BECAME A MEMBER AND I WAS ABLE TO GO TO A DOCTOR THE NEXT WEEKEND AND I WAS OVER WHATEVER SICKNESS I WAS I HAD, BUT JUST TO BE ABLE TO GO TO A DOCTOR RIGHT THEN IMMEDIATELY, AND HAVE IT BE PAID FOR WAS JUST LIKE, THIS IS A GODSEND.
UM, AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT AUSTIN AS A CITY AND IT'S THE, I'VE TRAVELED THE WHOLE WORLD, AND I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER CITIES LIKE AUSTIN, LIKE THERE'S NO OTHER CITY THAT YOU CAN LIVE IN.
YOU CAN MOVE TO AND JUST PLAY LOCALLY AND SURVIVE.
LIKE YOU CAN ACTUALLY PAY YOUR BILLS OUT OF A TIP JAR, LIVING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY SINCE HUNA.
I MEAN THE SIXTIES, SEVENTIES IT'S BEEN THAT WAY FOREVER.
AND IT, AND IT'S STILL KINDA LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY LAURIE DAY STORIES WHERE IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER, BUT I STILL THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TODAY.
UM, I MEAN, I WOULDN'T BE LIVING THE LIFE I LIVE TODAY.
IF I HADN'T MOVED TO AUSTIN IN 2007, I, I MEAN, I WALKED IN AS A 19 YEAR OLD TOLD MY MOM I WAS MOVING TO AUSTIN AND SHE CRIED, BUT SHE WAS HAPPY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SHE GREW UP.
AND EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY KNEW THAT WAS WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.
UM, AND THERE WAS LIKE, UH, UH, UH, TA UH, A TIME OF MY LIFE WHEN I GOT TO, WHEN I TURNED 30 OR I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M NO LONGER IN MY MID TWENTIES.
I'M NO LONGER A BROKE SURVIVING MUSICIAN.
LIKE NOW I'M GETTING OLDER AND I SEE A FUTURE FOR MYSELF.
I MIGHT NOT, YOU KNOW, LIKE I'M THINKING IN TERMS OF YEARS AT A TIME NOW.
AND, UM, I MEAN, DO YOU GET TO A POINT IN YOUR LIFE WHERE AS A MUSICIAN YOU'VE, YOU'VE REACHED, YOU'VE HIT
[02:25:01]
THE POINT OF NO RETURN WHERE IT'S LIKE, NOW THERE'S NO LONGER, UM, LIKE YOU CAN'T REALLY GO BACK AND START OVER ONCE YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH IN THIS PROFESSION.UM, AND I SEE LIKE, EVEN IN THE, UH, IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING WITH SHARMAN CP LOONEY AND ALL HER MUSIC, ALL SHARMANS MUSICIANS, SHE HAD A KEYBOARD AND SHE HAD A DRUMMER, SHE HAD A BASS PLAYER, SHE HAD A TROMBONE PLAYER, ALL THOSE MUSICIANS, THEY DON'T ONLY PLAY FOR HER.
THEY PLAY FOR OTHER GIGS THAT THEY, THEY ACCEPT ANY GIG.
THEY CAN FIND ALL WEEK ALL OVER TOWN.
AND THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY THAT LIVES.
I MEAN, HOW LONG HAS AUSTIN BEEN CALLED THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD? I'VE BEEN HEARING IT MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I'M 35 YEARS OLD.
I MEAN, HOW, HOW LONG HAS AUSTIN CLAIMED ITS MUSICIANS AS ITS CLAIM TO FAME? UM, AND SO I CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA WITH, WITH PAT REALLY ENCOURAGING ME TO THINK, UH, ON A LARGE SCALE.
UM, AND I DISCOVERED THIS THING CALLED A LIFE INSURANCE TRUST, WHICH IS A TRUST FUND THAT CAN BE DONATED INTO THAT.
CAN THE TRUST CAN BE THE OWNER AND THE PAYER AND THE BENEFICIARY OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES FOR, UH, AS MANY PEOPLE AS AS MANY PEOPLE AS THE TRUST WANTS TO TAKE OFF.
UM, SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS, I THINK OF THERE BEING HAM FOR HEALTH INSURANCE SIMS FOR MENTAL HEALTH HEALTH, AND THEN AMPED FOR RETIREMENT, IF A MUSICIAN LIVES TOO LONG OR LIFE INSURANCE, IF THAT MUSICIAN PASSES AWAY.
UM, AND THERE'S EVEN A, THERE'S EVEN SOME THINGS WITH CERTAIN POLICIES THAT CAN PAY A MUSICIAN IF THEY END UP WITH A CRITICAL ILLNESS, LIKE MAN STUART SULLIVAN, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, WHEN HE WAS TALKING THAT WHAT TAKES PEOPLE OUT OF THE GAME IS AN INJURY OR AN ILLNESS, OR, YOU KNOW, SOME HUGE HEALTH INSURANCE DEBT, UM, UH, WITH THE LIFE.
AND I DON'T KNOW, DID YOU GET TO LIKE KIND OF THE MEAT AND POTATOES HERE? SURE, SURE, SURE.
SO, UM, I MEAN THIS, THIS, THIS PROPOSAL IS JUST A LOT OF DETAILS ON HOW THE, HOW THE ACTUAL POLICIES WORK.
UM, BUT WHAT THIS WOULD BE IS ESSENTIALLY A, UH, A, AN ENTITY THAT WOULD BE SET UP TO ACCEPT FUNDING OUTSIDE DONATIONS LIKE, LIKE HAM DOES, BUT IT WOULD APPLY TO PAY THE LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUMS FULLY PAY FOR THEM, FOR MUSICIANS THAT WOULD QUALIFY.
UM, AND I TALKED TO PAT ABOUT THIS, LIKE, HOW DO WE SAY, LIKE, WHO IS ELIGIBLE AND WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE? AND HE SAID THAT ATX M ATEX MUSICIANS HAS A PRO MEMBERSHIP, OR YOU HAVE TO QUALIFY TO BE A PRO MEMBER, UM, WHERE YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTE SO MUCH TO THE AUSTIN MUSIC SCENE AND WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO SH WE'RE KIND OF SHOOTING FOR, UH, UH, THE STARS WITH THIS IDEA TO HAVE GIVE THE CITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO FUND THIS.
AND THIS FUND WOULD GO TO PAY, OR I WOULD GO TO THESE LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES WHERE MUSICIANS WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL FROM THEM IN AN EMERGENCY, LIKE TO PAY THEIR RENT OR TO PAY FOR, UH, I MEAN, IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH A CRITICAL ILLNESS OR A CRITICAL INJURY, YOU WOULD RECEIVE A PORTION OF YOUR LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE BENEFIT IN ADVANCE WHILE YOU'RE STILL LIVING.
UM, BUT IN, IN THE BEST CASE SCENARIO, IF YOU LIVE TO BE AN AGE WHERE YOU, WHERE IT REALLY IS A CONVENIENCE TO CONTINUE DIGGING, UM, YOU CAN, UH, AT A CERTAIN AGE, OUR AGE 72 IS MANDATORY BY THE GOVERNMENT.
YOU HAVE TO START RECEIVING THIS MONEY FOR YOUR RETIREMENT MONEY, BUT YOU COULD RECEIVE THIS MONEY STARTING AT AGE 65.
AND THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE CITY, I MEAN, THE, THE GENERAL GUIDELINE FOR A POLICY LIKE THIS, AS YOU SHOULD
[02:30:01]
BE CONTRIBUTING 10 TIMES YOUR AGE IN A MONTHLY.SO IF YOU'RE A 20 YEAR OLD MUSICIAN, YOU SHOULD BE CONTRIBUTING $2,200 A MONTH.
IF YOU'RE A 40 YEAR OLD MUSICIAN, YOU SHOULD BE CONTRIBUTING $400 A MONTH.
THE IDEA THAT PAT GAVE ME WAS TO TRY AND CREATE A PROGRAM THAT WOULD BE FUNDED BY EITHER THE CITY, GIVE THE CITY THE CHANCE TO FUND SOME OF THIS, BUT THEN TO ALSO ACCEPT OUTSIDE DONATIONS LIKE HAM DOES.
AND I MEAN, I I'VE, I'VE STRUGGLED WITH TRYING TO CON KIND OF CONCEPTUALIZE THE SCOPE OF THIS.
HOW MANY MUSICIANS WOULD QUALIFY FOR THIS? IS IT 500 MUSICIANS? IS IT A THOUSAND MUSICIANS? IS IT 2000 MUSICIANS IN THE CITY? UM, AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS, LIKE, IF YOU THINK IF A THOUSAND MUSICIANS ARE ELIGIBLE, ELIGIBLE, ELIGIBLE FOR THIS 1,040 YEAR OLD MUSICIANS AT 40 YEARS, 40 YEARS IS THE AVERAGE AGE, 1040 YEAR OLDS MUSICIANS RECEIVING 400 A MONTH IS 4.8 MILLION A YEAR.
UH, AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT NON-PROFITS 4.8 MILLION A YEAR, I MEAN, YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LIVE MUSIC FUND HAS 5 MILLION A YEAR FOR HALF TO TWO YEARS.
I THINK, UM, CREATING SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD ENSURE THAT IN A SITUATION, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS, IF A PANDEMIC LIKE THIS WILL EVER HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS WAS IN PLACE TODAY, MUSICIANS WOULD BE ABLE TO PAY THEMSELVES AN INCOME OUT OF THESE POLICIES.
DURING THIS TIME YOU GOT ONE MORE MINUTE.
UM, BUT THAT'S THE, THE BEST CASE SCENARIO IS THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
DUSTY, CAN YOU SHOW US, CAN YOU SHOW US WITH SOME NUMBERS, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? CAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND THAT WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE TO ME, JUST AS FAR AS THINKING ABOUT ALL THE MUSICIANS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO DO THIS, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE EXTRA FUNDING EVERY MONTH TO INVEST THIS FOR OURSELVES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, BUYING HEALTH INSURANCE OR OTHER THINGS, IF IT WERE, UH, COLLABORATIVELY PAID FOR THROUGH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FUNDING WHERE WE COULD INVEST IN OURSELVES, BUT ALSO ADDITIONALLY, IT WAS INVESTED IN TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THEN WE WOULD HAVE THE KIND OF FUNDING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE EVENT OF EMERGENCIES, AS WELL AS, UM, IN THE EVENT OF DEATH.
SO THIS PRESENTATION I JUST MADE UP, THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION, UM, BASED ON A 30 YEAR OLD MUSICIAN GETTING 300 A MONTH, A $300 A MONTH POLICY WOULD PUT IN PLACE A $397,000 DEATH BENEFIT FOR THAT MUSICIAN.
SO IF THIS, IF THIS MUSICIAN PASSED AWAY, EVEN ON DAY ONE, HE WOULD RECEIVE $397,000 IN A DEATH BENEFIT.
AND THAT WOULD GO TO HIS FAMILY, UM, IF HE LIVED, SO THIS IS, THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION.
THIS COLUMN RIGHT HERE IS THE YEAR, UH, YEARLY $300 A MONTH.
TIMES, 12 MONTHS A YEAR IS 360 OR 3,600 A YEAR.
THIS IS THE DEATH BENEFIT, THIS MONEY GOING IN ACCUMULATES VALUE, WHICH IS THIS COLUMN RIGHT HERE.
AND AFTER AT AGE 65, HE STOPS PAYING AT AGE 72, HE WOULD START WITHDRAWING AND HE WOULD GET $25,801 A YEAR IN RETIREMENT INCOME.
AND THIS IS SET TO INCREASE A LITTLE BIT EVERY YEAR JUST TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION.
UH, SO WHEN YOU, UH, IF YOU SEE THIS NUMBER RIGHT HERE, THIS IS 129,600.
THAT'S HOW MUCH THE CITY WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED OVER OR UP UNTIL AGE 65 OF THIS 30 YEAR OLD MUSICIAN.
SO WHEN YOU SEE THIS 102, 130,000 BASICALLY INVESTED INTO THIS RETIREMENT ACCOUNT FOR THIS MUSICIAN, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO RECEIVE INCOME UNTIL, I MEAN, THIS POLICY RUNS UNTIL AGE 120.
SO I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S EVER LIVED TO BE 120 YEARS OLD.
UM, SO THIS WOULD JUST BE SOMETHING IN PLACE THAT WOULD GIVE A RETIREMENT HORIZON IS WHAT I KIND OF CALL IT LIKE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL ONCE, UM, PEOPLE START TO GET TO THE AGE WHERE, I MEAN, IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS IN YOUR YOUNGER YEARS, BY THE TIME YOU GET OLDER, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO.
[02:35:01]
YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU CAN NO LONGER GIG ANYMORE.AND THEN WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU CAN'T? I MEAN, LIKE IF YOU'VE, IF YOU'VE DEVOTED YOUR LIFE TO THE CITY AND PLAYING GIGS TO, TO CREATE, TO CALL THIS CITY, THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, IF WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE TO SUPPORT MUSICIANS, ONCE THEY CAN NO LONGER GIG, THEN, I MEAN, AUSTIN IS NOT GOING TO BE THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL.
THE ROAD IS GOING TO BE THE DEAD MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUICK QUESTIONS? UM, REAL QUICK IS NINE 15.
I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE DUSTY TO GO AHEAD AND EMAIL THAT PRESENTATION TO ALL THE MUSIC COMMISSION MEMBERS.
YOU CAN FIND US ON THE, ON THE MUSIC COMMISSION WEBSITE, AND THEN EVERYBODY CAN TAKE A LOOK AND, UM, FOLLOW UP DIRECTLY WITH YOU ON QUESTIONS, BUT THANK YOU.
[3d. Discussion and Possible Action on joint efforts between the Music and Arts Commissions to identify funding sources.]
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON JOINT EFFORTS BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND ARTS COMMISSION TO IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCES.I BELIEVE THAT'S COMMISSIONER GOULD.
UM, WE, UH, MET ACTUALLY, UH, COMMISSIONER
AND, UH, IT WAS A FRUITFUL CONVERSATION.
AND ONE THAT I THINK WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL TO CONTINUE, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY AND GOING FORWARD WITH TRYING TO BE CREATIVE WITH FIGURING OUT FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR OUR WHOLE CREATIVE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, I GUESS THE NEXT STEP IS JUST TO, TO, TO MOVE TO TOWARD CREATING THIS GROUP OFFICIALLY SO THAT WE CAN IT'S WORK.
IS THAT, IS THAT TRUE? YOU WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WITH THE GROUP WE'RE KIND OF VISIONING FOR THE GROUP? OH YEAH, SURE.
I'M FEELING I'M FEELING PRESSED FOR TIME.
UH, YEAH, I MEAN, WE WERE REALLY EXPLORING A LOT OF IDEAS ABOUT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THESE, THESE ARE ALL VOLUNTEER POSITIONS, SO, UH, AND NONE OF US ARE TRAINED TO DO THIS WORK.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE AMAZING TO FIND, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE FINDING, YOU KNOW, SOME NON-PROFITS WHO EITHER ALREADY HAVE A MISSION ALIGNED WITH, WITH THIS OR WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO, UM, CREATE A POSITION OR KIND OF LIKE UMBRELLA, UM, A PERSON OR A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO COULD, UH, BE ORGANIZING THE PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ASPECT OF THIS.
UH, SO THAT WAS ONE THING THAT WE DISCUSSED.
UM, AND YEAH, IT WAS THAT, THAT WAS KIND OF THE, THE MEAT OF THE DISCUSSION, I THINK, WAS ABOUT FIGURING OUT WAYS THAT WE CAN KIND OF DELEGATE THAT WORK TO, TO THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN THAT AREA.
UM, DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT TO YOU? YEAH, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, REAL QUICK, WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT GETS BROUGHT UP A LOT THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, WE SHOULD BE PURSUING, YOU KNOW, OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AS, AS COMMISSIONER GOULD SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE VOLUNTEERED HERE, UM, TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT ON OUR OWN, IT'S THIS TALL MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB, BUT, UM, POSSIBLY ORGANIZING OURSELVES AND FIGURING OUT IF THERE IS A NONPROFIT THAT IS INTERESTED IN, UM, BEING, UH, AN OUTLET FOR LIKE THIS TYPE OF DISCUSSION.
AND REALLY BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO INVOLVE SO MUCH ORGANIZING TO TALK WITH, UH, COMPANIES AND TALK WITH THE CITY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT CAN BE DONE IN THESE, IN THESE, IN THIS AREA, IN TERMS OF GETTING FUNDS FROM, LET'S SAY A GOOGLE, LET'S SAY, UH, UH, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
SO WHOEVER THESE PARTNERS ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, TO GO TOWARDS MUSIC AND ARTS DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S A FULL-TIME JOB IN AND OF ITSELF.
SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS SEEING IF, UH, WE CAN DEVELOP A GROUP TO REALLY PONDER THAT AND SEE WHAT ALIGNMENT THERE IS POSSIBLY IN A, IN A NONPROFIT THAT'S ALREADY OUT THERE.
UM, IN TERMS OF MAYBE THERE'S A POSITION THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE THAT MAYBE COULD BE A PART OF THIS, BUT JUST EXPLORING THAT AND OUR CONVERSATION REALLY SETTING OUR MINDS TO THAT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
[02:40:01]
THAT WOULD BE THE GOAL OF THAT, UM, JOINT WORKING GROUP IS TO THINK MORE DEEPLY ABOUT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.I KNOW EVERYBODY THAT KEEP PEOPLE IN THE DARK.
I KNOW, BUT THAT, THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE THOUGHT RIGHT THERE.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN, WE CAN VOTE ON THAT IF YOU GUYS THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH PURSUING.
SO WE'VE BEEN MAKING A MOTION TO FORM THAT WORKING GROUP, THAT JOINT WORKING GROUP.
UH, THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSIONS FORM A JOINT WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH, UH, BUT LIKE AN, OH, SORRY.
SO, I MEAN, REALLY, I MEAN, I GUESS THE HOPE IS TO FIND, UH, AN, A NONPROFIT TO AID IN THAT WORK.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT NEEDS TO BE PART OF THE MOTION OR NOT.
I MOVED AT THE, UH, THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSIONS, UH, FORM A JOINT WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE, UH, PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY FOR, TO FUND ARTS AND MUSIC.
I THINK WE'RE ALL IN THAT BOAT RIGHT NOW.
BARELY MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY.
WE JUST WANT TO HAVE THE IDEA.
SO THAT PASSES, UM, LAUREN, UM, DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THAT, TAKING THAT UP, AND LET'S GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION AND SEE HOW TO MOVE THAT FORWARD.
AND WE CAN REPORT BACK AT THE NEXT MEETING.
APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S A STAMINA.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
WE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE'D LIKE TO ADD? UH, SO PROBABLY WE JUST WOULD WANT TO CARRY SOME THINGS FORWARD.SO DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON AS SYSTEMIC RACISM, WORKING GROUP UPDATE, UM, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON A DOWNTOWN COMMISSION UPDATE FROM COMMISSIONER LIMONE AND, UH, FACILITIES TOUR.
AS WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FROM THE JOINT WORKING GROUP FOR MUSIC AND ARTS ON, UH, PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO, UM, INCLUDE A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON, UH, UH, UPDATE FROM THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
CAN WE, CAN WE DO THOSE ALL AS ONE FOR SHIT PREP IN THE INTEREST OF TIME? THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD TO THE FIRST ONE IS TO NOT ONLY INCLUDE LIVE MUSIC FUNDS SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RESCUE FUNDS AS WELL.
I THINK JUST TO BROADEN THAT ONE, TO LIVE MUSIC, FUN, AMERICAN RESCUE FUNDS AND OTHER FUNDING SOURCES IN CASE SOMETHING ELSE COMES ALONG.
AND WE WANT TO THROW INTO THAT.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT FOREVER, BUT I WOULD SECOND ALL OF THOSE SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS WE ALSO HAVE A JOINT ARTS, UH, MUSIC LAND USE, UH, WORKING GROUP AND WE'RE MEETING ON THURSDAY.
UH, SO AN UPDATE FROM THAT ONE BIG GOOD.
I, I COULDN'T REMEMBER WHO, IF ANYONE HAD VOLUNTEERED TO BE THE OTHER MUSIC COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE ON THAT WORKING GROUP, DOES ANYONE, IS IT YOU? AND I THINK, WELL, DOUG HAD VOLUNTEERED AT ONE POINT RIGHT BEFORE HE SAID, OKAY, GREAT, PERFECT.
I WILL EMAIL DOUG, BUT WE'LL MEET YOU EITHER WAY.
SO DOGS WOULD BE OUT ON THAT NOW.
SECOND ON ALL YOUR AGENDA ITEMS, UM, WITH THAT CHANGE TO BROAD.
DOES ANYBODY WANT A MOTION TO ADJOURN?
[02:45:01]
I MOTION TO ADJOURN.UM, WE APPRECIATE ALL THE, ALL THE HARD WORK AND UH, THANK YOU.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, APARTMENT THINKING CITY, AUSTIN, TAKING COMMISSIONERS.
WE'LL SEE EVERYBODY IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.