[00:00:03]
OKAY, IT IS 6:05 PM ON OCTOBER 16TH.
UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS
[CALL TO ORDER]
MEETING TO ORDER.I'M GONNA START ON THE DAIS HERE IN THE ROOM.
AND THEN LET'S GO TO OUR COMMISSIONER'S IN, UH, ON SCREEN.
AND WE'VE GOT OUR FINAL COMMISSIONER JOINING US.
THERE WAS SOME PRETTY BAD TRAFFIC.
IS THIS, DO WE HAVE A FULL D DO WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE HERE? 11.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ]
TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.UM, THOSE THAT ARE SIGNED UP, YOU'LL EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
THERE'S PEOPLE SIGNED UP, BUT JUST NOTICE THEY WROTE KNOW, SO I DUNNO IF THEY WANNA SPEAK A SPECIFIC ITEM.
SO, I DUNNO IF YOU JUST WANNA CALL THEIR NAMES AND SEE IF THEY PUBLIC.
SO, UM,
UH, FIRST UP IS MIRIAM CONNOR WITH CREATIVE POLICY.
UM, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT AN EVENT THAT WE ARE DOING THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21ST FROM THREE TO 8:00 PM AT THE ELIZABETH NAME MUSEUM.
IT'S A COMMUNITY ART BASH AND IT'S A ENGAGEMENT EVENT.
SO WE WILL HAVE THREE INSTALLATION ARTISTS AND THREE, UH, PERFORMANCE ARTISTS LEADING TOURS.
AND SO WE WANT EVERYBODY TO COME AND VI AND PARTICIPATE AND ALSO COME GIVE YOUR INPUT ON WHAT YOU THINK THE MUSEUM SHOULD BE, UH, LIKE, AND, AND TO BRING IT TO THE CONTEMPORARY TIME.
SO, THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY.
COME JOIN THE COMMUNITY EVENT, ANYBODY THAT'S LISTENING, THANK YOU.
AND IF YOU CAN SEND US INFORMATION, WE'LL BE SURE TO CIRCULATE IT.
I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE COMMISSIONER CHARLA IS NOW ON THE DAES.
UH, NEXT I HAVE AMANDA HEARN WITH AUSTIN SYMPHONIC BAND.
IS THERE AN ITEM LATER ON THE AGENDA YOU'RE WANTING TO SPEAK TO? UH, POTENTIALLY.
DO YOU KNOW, CAN I MAKE A NOTE OF THAT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT ITEM IT WOULD BE? 13.
AND TYPICALLY WE CALL SPEAKERS BEFORE THE ITEM IS PRESENTED.
DOES THAT WORK FOR YOU? I'M SURE STAFF.
IS THERE ANY RIGIDITY THERE? CAN WE BE FLEXIBLE WITH OUR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? I'M GETTING SOME HEAD NODS.
UH, RACHEL VIE, UH, RIVERA WITH S
I AM THE FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF S AND I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONTINUING AND GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUNDING PROCESS FOR CULTURAL PROGRAMMING THROUGH THE CITY.
UM, WE HAVE, OR I HAVE BEEN HERE, UM, IN OTHER MEETINGS TO TALK ABOUT KIND OF THE HELP THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVING TO OUR HISPANIC COMMUNITY.
AND AFTER GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THE RESULTS OF NOT RECEIVING ANY FUNDING.
UM, AND AFTER SEEING THE PANELIST REVIEWS FOR MY APPLICATION, AND HAVING MENTIONED THAT, UH, MY COMPANY OR THE ORGANIZATION WAS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT IS WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, YET STILL DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY FUNDING, UM, PART THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF MISCOMMUNICATIONS AND EMAILS GOING BACK AND FORTH THROUGH TECHNICAL SUPPORT THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE RESOLVED BEFORE THE PANELIST REVIEWS THAT WERE NOT, WHICH I BELIEVE REALLY AFFECTED, UM, MY SCORE AND THE PANELIST REVIEWING THAT DIDN'T HAVE MY BUDGET FORMS AND, AND WHATNOT.
UM, SO YEAH, I WANTED TO SHARE THOSE CONCERNS AND I WANTED TO GIVE THE REST OF MY MINUTES TO LUIS ORDAS, WHO WILL ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE ISSUES.
[00:05:02]
THANK YOU, RAQUEL.NEXT WE HAVE, UH, MARIA LUISA GUTIERREZ WITH PRO RO.
UM, I AM HERE JUST TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT INSIDE OUR, I GUESS, INFORMATION, UM, AND DISPLEASURE WITH, UH, THE CULTURE AND FUNDING PROGRAMS OF COURSE, UM, AS WELL.
UM, UH, I, I WANT TO JUST MENTION THAT IT WAS, IT WAS SAD TO SEE, I, I, I REVIEWED ALL OF THE, THE YOUTUBE SESSIONS AND IT WAS SAD TO SEE LIKE A PATTERN.
AND THE PATTERN WAS THAT THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
PART OF THE PANELISTS THAT WERE GRADING, UM, THAT WERE GRADING SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST PAPER.
YOU KNOW, IT'S OUR LIVELIHOODS AS ARTISTS AND MEMBERS OF, OF THE, OF THE COMMUNITY HERE IN AUSTIN.
SOME THAT HAVE BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, 20, 30, ET CETERA, YEARS.
UM, JUST TO MAKE ONE QUICK EXAMPLE, UM, DURING ONE OF THE, THE SESSIONS, ONE OF THE PANELISTS MENTIONED THAT THEY WOULD BE DOCKING POINTS TO A FELLOW ARTIST BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T MENTION OR DISCLOSE THAT THEY HAD A CONNECTION TO AN ESTABLISHED LATINO ARTIST ALREADY.
AND SO THAT JUST, IT WAS KIND OF BEWILDERING, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF COM, THOSE KINDS OF COMMENTS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS, THERE WAS, IN THE SESSION, THERE WAS A LIAISON FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, WHO WAS OVERSEEING AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY STAYED WITHIN, YOU KNOW, GUIDELINES AND, AND WHATNOT.
BUT THERE WAS NOTHING SET TO THAT EFFECT.
AND THAT WAS THE SAME SITUATION.
YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATED DIVERSITY.
THERE WAS FOLKS FROM EVEN I, UM, I THINK CANADA OR FOLKS OUTSIDE OF, OF, OF, OF TEXAS WHO WERE GRADING THAT.
BUT THEN OUR CULTURE FALLS ON THE HANDS OF FOREIGNERS WHO DON'T LIVE AND FEEL AND BREATHE AND PRODUCE THE ART THAT MAKES US, THAT OUR REFLECTION OF US.
YOU KNOW? SO THAT JUST, IT WAS DILUTED THROUGHOUT THOSE, THOSE SESSIONS.
AND IT, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT SAD TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO, UM, WHATEVER, HOWEVER THAT CAN BE RESOLVED OR GUIDED TOWARDS HAVING, YOU KNOW, MORE EXPERTS WITHIN THE FIELD, JUST CULTURE, BUT ALSO FOLKS THAT REPRESENT WHO WE ARE.
YOU KNOW, IT JUST KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW.
IT, IT, IT SHOULDN'T BE THE CASE WHERE IF YOU PRODUCE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY MICRO IN ITS ELEMENT THAT THEN YOU ARE DOCKED FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S A VITAL PART OF, OF THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I'LL ALSO, UH, CONCEDE THE REST OF MY TIME TO, TO LUIS ORES, WHO WILL FOR FURTHER ELABORATE SOME OF THESE, UH, CHALLENGES AND SITUATIONS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, IN SUMMATION, I'M HERE TO SHARE AND DISCUSS TWO QUICK ITEMS WHILE THEY'RE NOT REALLY QUICK, BUT I'LL, UH, SUMMARIZE THEM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
ONE, IT'S THE CRITICAL SITUATION THAT RO AND PREFACE,
[00:10:01]
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT, UM, IS SUFFERING THE SITUATION.SO MANY OF US CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW ARE IN THE SITUATION WHERE WE'RE TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AWAY FROM A CONTRACTED ACTIVITY, AND WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED FUNDING, UH, NOT EVEN AN AGREEMENT.
NOW, WE'RE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN AWARDED TWO GRANTS SINCE WE KNOW THAT THE PROCESS WAS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, THAT IT'S A NEW PILOT PROGRAM, UM, AND THAT THERE WAS A SURMOUNTABLE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS.
UH, BUT WE ARE VERY FRUSTRATED AT THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION FROM THE LONG CENTER, SPECIFICALLY WITH CONCRETE TIMEFRAMES AND TIMELINES SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT, SHIFT, PIVOT, AND SAVE OUR CONTRACTED ACTIVITIES.
AND AGAIN, I'VE BEEN IN, IN DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALSO HAVE CONTRACT ACTIVITIES IN THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER, AND WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM THE LONG CENTER.
UM, ALSO, I MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND WAS, UH, CONFIRMED BACK IN AUGUST AND WE'RE ALREADY LIKE IN LATE OCTOBER.
AND NOTHING, ANY TYPE OF REQUEST WITH A CONCRETE TIMEFRAME HAS BEEN AVOIDED BY THE LONG CENTER.
THEY JUST GIVE US JUST BLANKET COPY, PASTE ANSWERS.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S DISRESPECTFUL IN THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN.
AND THIS IS NOT, I MEAN, AS A CULTURAL CONTRACTOR FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, THIS IS AN ONGOING SITUATION WHICH OPENS THIS CONVERSATION AT A LARGER LENS OF WHY ARE ARTISTS HAVING TO GO THROUGH THESE VERY DIFFICULT BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES WITHIN THE CITY? BECAUSE THE CITY CAN PAY OUT CONTRACTS FAST, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN AWARDED RFPS GRANTS FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT CAN PRODUCE A CHECK AND AN AGREEMENT UNDER SIX WEEKS.
BUT THAT IS THROUGH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
THAT IS THROUGH A DIFFERENT SCOPE OF WORK FOR US AS TRANSLATORS, AS IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES.
SO WHY CAN THOSE DEPARTMENTS STILL PAY US OUT OUR CONTRACTS IN UNDER SIX WEEKS? BUT WHEN WE ARE WEARING OUR ARTIST HAT, WE HAVE TO WAIT OVER TWO MONTHS.
NOW, LAST MONTH, WE, UH, KICKED OFF OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH OUR FIRST, UH, STAGE PRODUCTION AT THE VORTEX.
SO WE'VE EXHAUSTED ALL OF OUR PERSONAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES, I E ALL OF MY SAVINGS, EVERY, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE WHOLE ARTIST PARADIGM.
WE'VE EXHAUSTED THAT PERSONAL LOANS, ORGANIZATIONAL LOANS, PROMISE TO PAY AGREEMENTS WITH SISTER ORGANIZATIONS THAT UNDERSTAND US.
AND THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, DON'T WORRY, WE'LL RENT YOU OUT SOME SPACE.
PAY US WHEN YOU GET FUNDED SISTER ORGANIZATIONS THAT GIVE US LOANS AND SAY, YES, WE'LL GIVE YOU A GRAND OR TWO TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
WE DON'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES ANYMORE BECAUSE WE'VE EXHAUSTED THEM LAST MONTH.
SO ONE, WHAT CAN WE DO TO RAISE A FLAG OVER AT THE LONG CENTER AND SAY, IS THERE A WAY? IS THERE A WAY? BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A, THIS IS AN ONGOING SITUATION FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
IS THERE A WAY THAT CULTURAL CONTRACTS GET PRIORITY IF THEY'RE BASED ON THE TIMELINE OF THEIR CONTRACTED ACTIVITIES? SO THESE ORGANIZATIONS DON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN THE PAPERWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE AN ACTIVITY IN APRIL OR MAY, OR WHAT CAN BE DONE.
SO I'M ASKING YOU ALL, HOW CAN YOU ALL SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE RO AND ALL OF THE OTHERS THAT HAVE ACTIVITIES IN TWO WEEKS? AND WE DON'T HAVE SPACE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY TYPE OF FUNDING.
AND TWO, WE REQUEST TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT AT NEXT MEETINGS AT, AT, UH, NEXT ART COMMISSION MEETING NEXT MONTH TO GO OVER OUR COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS OVER THIS PILOT YEAR BECAUSE WE HAVE ASSISTED OVER 10 ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FUNDING SYSTEMS OF THIS LAST YEAR.
AND NOTHING IS GETTING BETTER.
I'VE SENT OUT EMAILS, Y'ALL HAVE SEEN ME HERE BEFORE.
AND THE SAME THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
NOTHING IS BEING FIXED FOR OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE, BIPO, INDIGENOUS, ALL OF OUR NON-WHITE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SO I FEAR THAT AS WE MOVE INTO THE SECOND YEAR, THESE THINGS ARE NOT GONNA BE DONE BECAUSE EVEN A MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS NOT FIXED THE SITUATION.
SO I'M HERE TO ASK TO PLEASE GIVE US TIME NEXT MONTH TO PRESENT OUR OBSERVATIONS AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, LUIS, AND ABSOLUTELY WE'LL GET YOU ON THE AGENDA.
I KNOW WE'VE GOT SOME PRESENTATIONS TODAY, UM, THAT SHE BE ANSWERING.
UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, MAY I ASK, UH, LUIS, WHAT, WHAT GRANT IS IT THAT HASN'T PAID OUT? UM, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A BACK AND FORTH DIALOGUE OKAY.
BUT, UM, I BELIEVE, UM, LUIS WAS ADDRESSING A FEW GRANTS, AND THAT WOULD BE ELEVATE AS WELL AS THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
[00:15:03]
OKAY.AND NEXT WE HAVE JENNIFER SHERBURNE, UM, AN INDIVIDUAL ARTIST HERE IN AUSTIN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
I'M A CHOREOGRAPHER THAT'S BEEN PRESENTING WORK IN AUSTIN SINCE 2012.
UM, YOU MAY KNOW ME FROM MY BIGGEST PROJECT TO DATE, 1111, PRODUCING 11 SHOWS IN 11 MONTHS AND PAYING 114 ARTISTS AND TECHNICIANS.
I DID THAT WITH THE FOUNDATION OF, UM, CULTURAL FUNDING.
UH, I WANNA FOLLOW THAT BY THANKING MY COMRADES HERE WHO HAVE CLEARLY, UM, HAD A DECREASE IN FUNDING, HAD A LACK OF COMMUNICATION OR NO FUNDING AT ALL.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO ALSO, UM, FOLLOW THAT WITH, UH, APPLAUDING ANYONE WHO'S MAKING AN EFFORT TO DO BETTER.
I THINK WE ALL NEED TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT IT DOES FEEL LIKE I TOOK THE TEST AND FAILED AND YOU CUT SOMEONE OUT THAT, UM, HAD A PRETTY BIG REACH.
AND THE QUESTION COULD HAVE BEEN, UM, HOW CAN YOU DO BETTER? AND HOW CAN WE CONTINUE, UM, MAKING YOUR WORK, UM, REACH EVEN FURTHER? AND SO WE COULD HAVE WORKED TOGETHER ON THAT.
UM, BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT, UM, THERE'S NOT A PLACE FOR A CATEGORY OF ARTISTS ANY LONGER WITHIN THE FUNDING PROGRAM.
AND SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, IS THERE A PLAN IN FUTURE PILOT PROGRAMS OR FUTURE FUNDING PROGRAMS THAT WILL HAVE A CATEGORY FOR FOLKS SUCH AS MYSELF AND MY COMRADES WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING WORK HERE AND PAYING ARTISTS EVERY YEAR, UM, TO CONTINUE TO DO SO? UM, I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S MONEY THAT'S GONE UNUSED.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR THAT MONEY.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE COMPLICATIONS WITH THE GRANTS.
UH, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THERE WAS AN EXTENSION IN THE ELEVATE GRANT, THE DEADLINE EXTENSION DUE TO A GLITCH IN THE SPANISH VERSION.
AND I MAY BE WRONG, I I DIDN'T READ IT, BUT THAT IS THE WORD ON THE STREET.
SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE CLARITY ON THAT.
IT FELT VERY DISHEARTENING TO BE ASKED TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE, TO BE MORE CULTURALLY AWARE, AND TO DO BETTER WITH OUR OWN WORK, TO HAVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAN HAVE A GLITCH IN THE SPANISH VERSION OF OUR GRANT.
AND THEN NOT EXTEND DEADLINES IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE REALLY NEEDED, BECAUSE WE WERE ALL PULLING ALL-NIGHTERS TO UNDERSTAND THIS INTERROGATING SURVEY OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR WORK AND OUR, AND OUR SELF AS ARTISTS.
AND FINALLY, THE SCORING WAS APPALLING.
THERE WAS A 500 CHARACTER FIELD TO DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT, YOUR ARTISTIC VISION, AND THAT WAS NOT SCORED.
SO THIS WAS NOT A GRANT ABOUT ART, IS WHAT I WALKED AWAY WITH.
THIS WASN'T A GRANT FOR THE ARTS.
THIS WAS A GRANT FOR ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET WHO FELT LIKE DOING ART FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, AMANDA, DO, DO YOU WANNA COME UP AT THIS POINT? OKAY.
JUST CHECKING IN BEFORE WE MOVE ON.
UM, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE BEFORE WE MOVE ON.
IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE TO GET UP IN FRONT OF PEOPLE AND, UM, SAY THINGS THAT AREN'T, THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY TRUE AND, BUT THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO HEAR.
AND FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING THEIR BEST.
AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL HERE, UM, WORKING TO PRODUCE INCREDIBLE WORK AND, UM, THAT COMES FROM EVERY SIDE.
SO I JUST REALLY WANNA EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S SHOWN UP HERE TODAY TO SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH US.
UM, WITH THAT WE MOVE ON TO THE
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR OUR MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE MOTION COMMISSIONER SMBA MOTIONS TO APPROVE.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR OF APPRO MINUTES.
UM, AND WITH THAT WE MOVE ON TO
[2. Discussion of Chair’s Report on Community Input by Chair Zisman ]
THE CHAIR'S REPORT.I AM THE PERSON OF COLOR IN A KHAKI ISH SHIRT.
MY PRONOUNS ARE THEY, SHE, UM, THE TITLE OF MY CHAIR'S REPORT THIS MONTH IS COMMUNITY INPUT.
UM, WHICH I'M SO GLAD THAT PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN UP HERE TODAY.
AND I'VE BEEN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SHARE WITH ME THEIR FEEDBACK AND THEIR
[00:20:01]
EXPERIENCE AND WHAT THEY'RE HEARING FROM THEIR PEERS AND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.BECAUSE I THINK AS, AS EARLY AND AS CLOSE TO THESE EVENTS, WE CAN CAPTURE THE REAL TIME EMOTION AND EXPERIENCE OF WHAT HAS BEEN TO APPLY AND WITNESS THESE, THESE, THESE PROCESSES THAT ARE PILOT PROGRAMS, UM, THE BETTER.
AND TO ASSURE EVERYONE THAT THE INPUT THAT WE'RE RECEIVING THE FEEDBACK, THE INFORMATION IS BEING HELD AND HEARD CLOSELY.
UM, I'M COLLECTING INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE REACHING OUT TO ME.
AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE'LL HAVE ALL OF THIS AND TO HAND OFF TO STAFF TO BETTER THIS PROCESS, UH, ITERATIVELY EVERY TIME THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW PROGRAMMING AND WITH THE, THE RELEASE OF THESE PROGRAMS. LAST MONTH, UH, WE HAD, UM, OLIVIA ROB HERE, OUR, OUR FEARLESS LEADER OF E D D PRESENTING TO US, INFORMING US THAT THERE WILL BE, UM, AN AUDIT GOING, UH, GOING ON.
UH, WE HAVE A CONSULTANCY IN TOWN THAT WILL BE, UM, GETTING INTO THE COMMUNITY AND REACHING OUT, I'M SURE TO MANY OF YOU THAT ARE HERE TODAY AND LOOKING FOR THAT TACTILE FEEDBACK.
EVERYTHING FROM THE DASHBOARD AND FUNCTIONALITY ALL THROUGH THE PANELS AND HOW IT'S ROLLED OUT.
I KNOW WE'LL BE HEARING FROM STAFF TODAY ABOUT SOME CRUCIAL UPDATES REGARDING COMMUNICATION AND TIME.
SO, UM, AGAIN, I'M, UH, I'M GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE.
I'M GRATEFUL TO STAFF THAT IS TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF THESE QUESTIONS AND, AND PROVIDE CLARIFICATION WHERE POSSIBLE.
UM, AND BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I, I, I CAN'T NOT ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW.
AND JUST TO SAY THAT I AM AT A COMPLETE LOSS OF WORDS, UH, FOR THE ATROCITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR PLANET RIGHT NOW.
UM, BUT I KNOW THAT ARTISTS ARE HEALERS AND, YOU KNOW, TOGETHER, I THINK WE CAN DO WHAT WE CAN.
UM, WITH THAT, SORRY, COMMISSIONER GRAY, UH, WE'RE NEXT.
[3. Discussion of the Art in Public Places Liaison Report by Commissioner Gray]
ART AND PUBLIC PLACES WITH, UH, OUR REPORT WITH COMMISSIONER GRAY.OUR MONDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, A I P P PANEL, UH, MET AT SIX O'CLOCK ON THAT DAY.
AND DISCUSSION ITEMS REVOLVED AROUND THE A I P P PANEL WORK WORKING GROUP OR, OR PUTTING TOGETHER WORKING GROUP TO REVIEW THE A I P P PROGRAM POLICIES, INCLUDING ORDINANCE GUIDELINES, PUBLIC, UH, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS P THREES, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, OTHERWISE KNOWN, KNOWN AS PUD OR P U D, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PID, P I D AND EQUITY STATEMENT, UH, THAT IS STILL IN THE WORK.
SO IT IS, UH, I BELIEVE GOING TO BE SCHEDULED AT LEAST FOR DISCUSSION AND PLANNING SOON.
AND I GOT A THUMBS UP FROM
UM, SECOND, THERE WAS ALSO DISCUSSION REVIEW OF MIDS DESIGN FOR EMMA, PA, EMMA LONG PARK, AS WELL AS REVIEW OF MID DESIGN FOR THE EARTHLY PARK, UM, CHAIR, TAMMY RUBIN AND JACOB OF VILLANUEVA HAD THEIR LAST MEETING ON OCTOBER 2ND.
THEY'RE GONNA BE SORELY MISSED AND THERE WAS ALSO SPECIAL SESSIONS TO CHOOSE THREE NEW MEMBERS FOR THIS A I P P PANEL.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
THANK YOU FOR THAT SUCCINCT REPORT.
I WANNA EXTEND, UM, EXTREME GRATITUDE TO TAMMY RUBIN AND JACOB VINUEVA.
TAMMY I KNOW HAS PUT IN SIX YEARS ON ART IN PUBLIC, UH, PLACES PANEL, AND SHE WILL BE SORELY MISSED, BUT I AM VERY EXCITED FOR THE NEW MEMBERS OF THAT PANEL, UM, AS THEY ARE.
[4. Discussion of the Austin Economic Development Corporation/Cultural Trust Advisory Committee by Austin Economic Development Corporation Board Member Carl Settles ]
DISCUSSION OF THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE BY A E D C BOARD CHAIR.IS CARL'S IN OUR WAITING ROOM? NO.
UM, BUT IF NOT, WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO HIS REPORT IN NOVEMBER.
STAFF, CAN WE MAKE A NOTE TO REACH OUT TO CARL AND LET HIM KNOW THAT THE, IT'S LIKE A WEIRD DATE AS WELL.
NEXT MONTH WE'LL BE MEETING VERY EARLY IN THE MONTH TO ACCOMMODATE THE HOLIDAY.
[5. Discussion of the Downtown Commission by Commissioner Mok]
OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION BY COMMISSIONER MOCK.AND I KNOW LAST MONTH WE WERE JUST A BIT AHEAD OF THE MEETING.
UM, WELL, I HAVE SOMETHING TO REPORT
SO, UH, WE TALK ABOUT THE SCOOTER AROUND DOWNTOWN AND ALL THE, UM, INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS AND LOCKDOWN.
[00:25:01]
SO IT'S LESS PEOPLE GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, THANK GOD.AND THE SECOND ITEM I'M VERY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THEY ARE GOING TO, THERE'S A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLANT.
SO THEY'RE EXPANDING DOWNTOWN AREA.
SO THEN GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE DILO AGAIN.
I SAID, LOOK, DOWNTOWN IS GETTING TOO BIG FOR ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY UNDER THREE DIGIT HITS, AND ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GRAY HAIR TO WALK AROUND.
I MEAN, I REMEMBER I PARK HERE AND RUN TO PARAMOUNT, IT ALMOST GET A HEART ATTACK.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE, UM, A DILO, A CIRCULAR TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION GO AROUND DOWNTOWN.
AND I GOT SOME, I THINK, UH, A SUPPORT FROM SMALL BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, A MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS AROUND TOWN AREA, BECAUSE THAT WILL BE JUST GOOD FOR THEM.
SO, AND THERE WAS A MENTION ABOUT CHAPTER THREE 80.
SO I'M THINKING, COULD IT BE, UH, THAT IS THE UTILIZE OF THE PUBLIC PRIVATE MONEY.
SO COULD WE EXPLORE THE OPTION OF ESTABLISHING THIS DI CIRCULAR TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION AROUND DOWNTOWN AREA BY UTILIZING THIS CHAPTER THREE 80? SO YEAH, THAT WAS A LOT GOING ON, AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET IT GO UNTIL THE DI IS ESTABLISHED.
BUT AT LEAST I PROMOTED FIERCELY AT OUR LAST MEETING.
YOU'LL NEVER STOP ADVOCATING FOR THE DILLO.
THE DILLO COMMISSIONER, MARK, IS THERE A MAP OF, OF HOW DOWNTOWN WILL BE EXPANDING? JUST SO IT'S CLEAR I GET WELL IN THE, UH, PRESENTATION.
I THINK YOU CAN GET IT ONLINE IN THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THEY GIVE, YOU KNOW HOW THE MAP, THERE'S DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY WANTED TO HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THEY WANTED TO UTILIZE THE MULTI-USE, YOU KNOW, FACILITIES.
AND CAN YOU IMAGINE WE TRY TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO DOWNTOWN PARKING IS TERRIBLE.
IT, IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO FULFILL ALL OF ALL THIS VISION IF WE DON'T HAVE A CIRCULAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
SO I MENTIONED IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION AROUND DOWNTOWN AREA, WHAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IT, HOW CAN IT BE EFFICIENT? MM-HMM.
I MEAN, HOW, HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO PARK MM-HMM.
SO I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE DISCUSSION AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE DISCUSSION, BUT I JUST, I JUST THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THE D I AGREE.
THIS IS, UH, MISS, UH, THIS IS GINA.
UM, I, I WANNA SAY, UH, COMMISSIONER MOCK THAT, I DON'T KNOW WHY THE DS WENT AWAY IN THE FIRST PLACE, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MOST INGENIOUS PLAN THAT I'VE SEEN IN THIS CITY.
AND I'VE BEEN IN THIS CITY MY WHOLE LIFE,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WERE GONE.
AND I DON'T REMEMBER THERE EVER BEING ANY COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY ABOUT WHY THEY WERE GONE.
SO I THINK, YES, A NOBLE EFFORT, WE NEED TO BRING THE THOSE BACK.
AND I SAID, WHEN I MOVED DOWN HERE IN 1983, I HAVE THE BENEFIT OF U U USING THE DI AND NOW I, I AVOID GOING TO DOWNTOWN BECAUSE THE DI WASN'T THERE.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT THERE, SO THEY NEED TO BRING IT BACK.
BUT WE HAVE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS.
SO THAT'S WHY I MENTIONED CHAPTER THREE 80.
IS THERE POSSIBILITY TO HAVE THE RETAILS IN DOWNTOWN AREA, A HOTEL AND ALL THAT? UH, TO HAVE A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO BRING IT BACK AND MAKE IT FREE.
AND I AM SURE YOU CAN MAKE THE MONEY BACK WITH THE PARKING OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN AREA AND JUST BRING THE, AND THEN JUST RIDE THE DEAL WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
SO AGAIN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE ARE GENIUS AND THEY, I'M SURE THEY WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
IS THERE, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN, WE CAN ASK STAFF TO TELL US WHY THE DILLAS WENT AWAY?
I MIGHT HAVE AN ANSWER, BUT, OKAY.
ANYWAY, UH, WHY WAS THE DILLO TAKEN OFF? THIS IS
[00:30:01]
REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.'CAUSE SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I'M STILL WORKING AT AUSTIN HIGH.
WHEN I WAS WORKING IN AUSTIN HIGH, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THERE, WE WOULD TAKE THE DOUGHS DOWNTOWN WITH OUR STUDENTS.
THESE ARE OUR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS TO TRAIN 'EM AND DO JOBS.
WE WENT TO MAXWELL LOCKTON, RITER, UH, THE UNION, PI PIZZA AND SEVERAL OTHER PLACES.
AND THEN WE GOT NOTICED THAT THE DILLA WAS GOING TO SHUT DOWN.
SOME OF 'EM EVEN CAME UP WITH A PETITION.
WE WENT TO A MEETING, UH, CAPITAL METRO ON CONGRESS.
AND FIFTH, I FORGET WHERE IT WAS.
BUT ANYWAY, AND WE WERE SITTING THERE, SITTING THERE.
AND THEN, UH, ONE OF THE STUDENTS COMES UP, WHAT ABOUT OUR PETITION AND PEOPLE? YEAH.
HOW COME WE DIDN'T TELL US? AND SO, LOOK, THE REASON WE'RE CUTTING THE DILLO OFF IS BECAUSE NOT ENOUGH TOURISTS ARE USING IT.
AND WHAT'S HAPPENING, HE DIDN'T SAY THIS, BUT REALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IS POOR PEOPLE ARE USING IT.
'CAUSE UH, THE KIDS WHO RELY ON THE BUSES OR CITY BUSES WERE RIGHT IN TO AND FROM AUSTIN HIGH ALL THE WAY FROM EAST AUSTIN ALL THE WAY TO WEST AUSTIN.
AND SO THEY WERE LOSING OUT WHAT THEY WERE THINKING WAS GONNA BE PROFITS.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THERE WERE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO REALLY, LIKE SHE WAS SAYING, RELIED ON THE DILLO.
WE HAD STUDENTS WHO WERE BEING TRAINED TO GET TO WORK ON TIME AND WHATNOT.
SO IT WAS, IT WAS SERVING MULTIPLE PURPOSES.
BUT THE PURPOSE OF THIS CREATIVE FOR WAS TO CREATE TOURISM BETWEEN, IT WOULD GO UP TO LIKE, UH, PLEASANT VALLEY DOWN TO AUSTIN HIGH AND KEEP MAKING A BIG CIRCLE.
BUT OF COURSE NOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS CHANGED SO MUCH SINCE THEY TOOK THE DILLO AWAY.
ALL OF YOU GO DOWN EAST AUSTIN, DOWN EAST, EAST SIXTH, YOU DON'T SEE POOR FAMILIES ANYMORE.
YOU JUST SEE A LOT OF BUSINESSES.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE BY BRINGING BACK THE DEAL ECONOMICALLY, ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM AND THEY CUT IT OUT BECAUSE OF PROFITS.
'CAUSE COMMISSIONER CHENEY WAS WRITING IT FROM THE EAST SIDE TO AS HIGH.
I WAS GONNA ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS A POOR BROWN GIRL FROM EAST AUSTIN.
AND I WOULD BUS TO AUSTIN HIGH.
'CAUSE MY MOM WANTED ME TO GO TO AUSTIN HIGH AND I WOULD ALSO TAKE IT TO SPIDER HOUSE ON CAMPUS AND GO STUDY.
I MEAN IT WAS, I HAD NO MONEY.
AND THE COOL THING ABOUT THE DILLA IS SINCE IT ROW IT, IT WOULD GO OUT IN CYCLES.
SO THOSE KIDS WHO DIDN'T HAVE CARS COULD GO AND PARTICIPATE IN SOCCER PRACTICE AND FOOTBALL PRACTICE MM-HMM.
AND SO WHAT'S HAPPENED IS WE'VE LOST A LOT OF KIDS WHO WANTED TO DO SOCCER BUT DIDN'T HAVE A RIDE.
AND THE CITY BUS, THE SCHOOL BUS WOULD GET THEM THERE LIKE 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE BELL RANG SO THEY COULDN'T PRACTICE.
AND SO THEY GOT CUT FROM THE TEAM.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'D HURT SOME PEOPLE WHEN THEY CUT THE DOUGH.
I REMEMBER WE HAD CAP METRO PRESENT TO US ON THEIR, THEIR BUS WRAP.
I WONDER IF WE COULDN'T TAP THAT CONTACT AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT HAPPEN, COMMISSIONER, WE'LL BRING IT BACK.
I JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING THAT THERE'S A STUDY THAT STUDENT WHO LIVE ON THE BUS ROUTE, A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, WELL HAVE HIGHER SUCCESSFUL RATE IN UPWARD MOBILITY.
SO I THINK THIS IS SO IMPORTANT THAT TO PUT IT IN THE STUDY ON BRINGING BACK THE DILO BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THIS IS ABOUT, UH, EQUITY.
THIS IS ABOUT THE FUTURE GENERATION, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT.
THIS IS ALL REALLY INSIGHTFUL INFORMATION.
I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE, AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONER GARZA.
'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
UM, IT, IT SUDDENLY JUST WENT AWAY WITHOUT ANY REAL IDEA AS TO WHY.
SO I WANT, I WONDER WHAT STRINGS WE COULD PULL.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE GET THE EVERYTHING.
UM, YEAH, LET'S, WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MARK FOR YOUR TIRELESS EFFORT TO CHAMPION THE UM, SO NEXT ITEM IS DISCUSSION OF THE TIMELINE DELAYS
[6. Discussion of Timeline & Delays with CAD Funding by Commissioner Kracheni]
WITH CAD FUNDING BY COMMISSIONER CHENEY.BUT I HAVE REQUESTED THAT WE PUSH THAT TO AFTER STAFF UPDATES BECAUSE I KNOW THAT STAFF WILL BE TALKING THROUGH A LOT OF THE PROCESSES AND TIMELINE AND BEFORE WE ASK QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT BE REDUNDANT, I WANNA ALLOW STAFF THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ON WHERE WE ARE TODAY IN THIS MOMENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA POSTPONE OR PUSH, UH, REORGANIZE ITEM SIX TO COME BEHIND ITEM EIGHT.
UM, 'CAUSE I THINK THAT'LL GIVE US A CHANCE TO DISCUSS BOTH SEVEN AND EIGHT AT THE SAME TIME.
DO WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION ON THAT? LET'S MAKE A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE NUMBER SIX TO STAFF.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I SECOND.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MALDONADO.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR OF MOVING ITEM SIX TO AFTER ITEM EIGHT A.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT WE'RE AT STAFF BRIEFINGS AND ITEM SEVEN IS STAFF
[7. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Laura Odegaard, Cultural Investment Program Manager ]
BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BY LAURA ORDER GUARD, CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER.AND I SEE LAURA IS ON SCREEN WITH US TODAY.
THANK YOU LAURA FOR BEING HERE.
[00:35:01]
HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU, UM, AT LEAST VIRTUALLY TODAY.AND THE PRESENTATION IS PULLED UP.
UH, MY NAME IS LAURA ODEGAARD, CULTURAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UH, MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE HER, UH, WITH THIS PRESENTATION I'LL BE SHARING OUR LATEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBERS.
SO THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBERS IN SEPTEMBER WERE $714,179.
SO THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR SEPTEMBER WERE $10,103.
UH, AS A REMINDER, UM, FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY NEW, THERE'S A DELAY IN HOW HOT REPORTING HAPPENS.
UH, THE OCTOBER REPORTS NIGHT SHOWS FUNDS COLLECTED IN SEPTEMBER FOR HOTEL STAYS IN AUGUST.
SO HERE, SEPTEMBER'S IS A VERY, VERY THIN LITTLE LINE THERE.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW FAR PAST THE ORIGINAL APPROVED CULTURAL ARTS FUND BUDGET NUMBER OF $10.3 MILLION, AS WELL AS HOW WE'VE EXCEEDED THE UPDATED YEAR END ESTIMATE THAT WAS SET AT $14 MILLION.
SO OF THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR, 2023 FROM OCTOBER TWO THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 23, WE COLLECTED $15,647,362.
AND AS, UM, A REMINDER THE FUNDS COLLECTED THIS FISCAL YEAR WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
THAT JUST STARTED A FEW WEEKS AGO.
AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT MY COMMISSIONER'S BACK ON SCREEN.
COMMISSIONER CHENEY? YEAH, I HAVE A QUESTION, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE ANSWER TO IT.
JUST PROMISING WITH THAT
UM, ARE WE CLOSE TO THOSE NUMBERS? ARE WE STILL FAR OFF FROM THEM? I'M JUST CURIOUS.
LIKE 2000 NINETEENS FISCAL YEAR VERSUS 2020 THREES FISCAL YEAR.
I CAN, IT MIGHT TAKE ME A SECOND TO PULL UP SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS, BUT, UM, I WANNA SAY LAST YEAR THIS TIME WE HAD $12.87 MILLION.
UH, SO WE HAVE FAR EXCEEDED, UM, LAST YEAR AND THE PAST TWO YEARS BEFORE THAT AS WELL DURING PANDEMIC TIMES.
UM, STAFF IN CITY HALL RIGHT NOW, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CORRECT ME.
UM, BUT I WANNA SAY THE LAST, UM, PRE PANDEMIC YEAR, IT WAS JUST OVER $12 MILLION.
SO WE HAVE, UM, MATCHED AND EXCEEDED PRE PANDEMIC TIMES WITH THESE COLLECTIONS.
I REMEMBER IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC BEFORE WE HAD ANY IDEA OF WHEN WE'D BE REOPENING THAT THE PROJECTIONS WERE 2025, THAT IT WOULD TAKE US THAT LONG TO RECOVER, UM, WHERE WE WERE WHEN THINGS, UM, CLOSED DOWN.
SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN A BEAUTIFUL THING TO WITNESS TOURISM KIND OF COME BACK, UM, WITH A VENGEANCE AND FOR, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR THE POP TO GROW, UM, AND EXCEED WHERE WE LEFT IT.
ANYBODY ELSE? ANY QUESTIONS FOR LAURA? OKAY, COMMISSIONER GRAY.
LAURA, CAN YOU REITERATE FOR OUR LISTENING AUDIENCE WHEN THOSE FUNDS, THE, AGAIN, WHAT, WHAT PROJECTS THAT TIMELINE OF WHERE THOSE FUNDS WILL BE ALLOCATED? SO THE COLLECTION FROM LAST FISCAL YEAR, SO LAST FISCAL YEAR WAS OCTOBER OF 22 THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 23.
SO THAT WAS OUR FISCAL YEAR, 2023.
AND SO WE COLLECTED $15.6 MILLION AND THAT IS THE BUCKET OF FUNDING THAT WE WILL BE USING THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 2024.
THAT STARTED OCTOBER ONE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024.
AND SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THIS NEXT YEAR FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER GRAY? I BELIEVE IT DOES.
HOWEVER, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY SOME CONFUSION STILL BECAUSE OF THE SHIFT OF THE APPLICATION DATES, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S A, UM, UH, THEY LAY OVER EACH OTHER.
[00:40:01]
SO THE CURRENT FUNDING THAT WE'RE ENDING NOW, UH, THAT FUNDING CYCLE GOES FROM WHEN TO WHEN.AND IF YOU COULD ALSO EXPLAIN AGAIN TO THE LISTENING AUDIENCES, THE NEXT ONE, WHICH WILL BE IN THE SPRING, GOES FROM WHEN TO WHEN.
JUST ONE SECOND CITY STAFF, DO YOU MIND PULLING UP LAURA'S PRESENTATION SO WE CAN HAVE THOSE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF US? I THINK THIS IS REALLY CRITICAL AND HELPFUL.
COMMISSIONER GRAY, THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
BUT YEAH, HAVING THIS LAID OUT FOR US SO WE KNOW YEAH, WE'RE JUST SEEING A LOT OF EXCITING DOLLAR SIGNS, RIGHT? BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT FUNDS ARE ALLOCATED FOR WHAT TIMELINE.
SO I THINK, I THINK NEXT MONTH I'LL DO, UM, I'LL DO ANOTHER SLIDE THAT KIND OF SHOWS WHAT, SO THIS IS BASICALLY JUST THE REPORT OUT OF OUR COLLECTION? CORRECT.
AND IT DOESN'T SHOW THE REPORT OUT OF THE COLLECTION COMPARED TO THE DOLLARS BEING ALLOCATED TO AWARDEES.
SO THIS IS SLIGHTLY REMOVED FROM WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THESE DOLLARS HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOCATED YET WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AWARDS THAT HAVE JUST HAPPENED.
SO FOR THRIVE, FOR ELEVATE, FOR NEXUS, THOSE ARE ALL FROM THIS PAST YEAR'S BUDGET.
SO F Y 23, BUT IT WAS COLLECTED IN F Y 22.
SO THE MONEY, THE 3.9 FOR THRIVE, THE 6.25 FOR ELEVATE, UM, THE 250,000 FOR NEXUS, ALL OF THOSE FUNDS CAME FROM FISCAL YEAR 2022.
SO THAT CAME FROM THE $12 MILLION THAT WE HAD RECEIVED IN THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR.
AND SO WE MADE ALL OF THE ALLOCATIONS FOR THOSE FOR THAT BUDGET, UM, BY THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY THAT AWARDS ARE HAPPENING.
NOW, THAT'S ALL FROM OLD MONEY, IF THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE WE MOVED TO ACTUALS INSTEAD OF PROJECTED FIGURES.
SO WE, DURING THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE OF UM, OUR ABILITY TO USE RELIEF DOLLARS, WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP COLLECTING INSTEAD OF DISTRIBUTING THAT YEAR BECAUSE WE HAD ARPA DOLLARS THAT WE COULD DISTRIBUTE.
AND SO THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR YEARS HAD WANTED TO MOVE TO ACTUAL INSTEAD OF PROJECTED NUMBERS.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE WERE ABLE TO GET ON, UM, THE CURRENT TRAIN THAT WE'RE ON WHERE WE HAVE A YEAR OF COLLECTION AND THEN WE DISTRIBUTE.
I'M HAPPY TO MAKE SOME VISUALS NEXT MONTH.
'CAUSE I KNOW THIS IS A VISUAL CROWD.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
ONCE AGAIN, IT'LL PROBABLY BE ANOTHER QUESTION DOWN THE ROAD AS WELL.
I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE FUNDS THAT WILL GET USED FOR NEXT YEAR'S, UH, GRANTS OR OR MONEY BEING AWARDED.
WHAT, WHEN, WHEN WILL, WILL YOU BE DECIDING OR WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR DECIDING HOW THAT, HOW MUCH OF THAT MONEY WILL BE DISPERSED FOR THE CERTAIN GRANTS THAT WE HAVE? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW, NOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, THOSE FINAL NUMBERS, WE BASICALLY LOOK AT WHAT OUR, UM, WE LOOK AT WHAT THE FUTURE BUDGET IS FOR THIS NEXT YEAR AS FAR AS WHAT WE WANT TO GRANT OUT FOR OUR PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS OTHER, UM, COSTS SUCH AS STAFFING, UM, AND, AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR THIRD PARTY, UM, PARTNER WITH THE LONG CENTER.
SO WE'RE HAPPY TO COME BACK, UM, MAYBE NEXT MONTH AND SHARE, SHARE SOME WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU ALL.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE WERE FIRST DE DEVELOPING THE PILOT PROGRAMS, WE SAID, OKAY, WE THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE MAYBE $10 MILLION THAT WE CAN DISTRIBUTE OUT.
AND SO THIS IS WHAT WE THINK THE AWARD LEVELS, THE AMOUNT OF AWARDS, THE FUNDING AMOUNTS AND ALL OF THAT, WHAT THAT CAN BE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID PREVIOUSLY.
AND SO NOW THAT WE HAVE MORE HOT FUNDS, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, OKAY, WE'VE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY, WE'VE HEARD FROM COMMISSIONERS, THIS IS WHERE WE THINK THE EXTRA DOLLARS SHOULD GO.
UM, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT DISCUSSION YET BECAUSE WE JUST, UM, WE, WE JUST KIND OF CLOSED OUT OUR FISCAL YEAR.
AND SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAPPEN IN THIS NEXT MONTH OR SO.
BUT HAPPY TO COME BACK TO YOU ALL AND SHARE, UM, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM STAFF COMMISSIONER.
SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS, ONCE YOU HAVE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON THIS, DO THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS GO TO COUNCIL DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL OR DO THEY COME TO THE ARTS COMMISSION FIRST FOR DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL? OR DO THEY GO DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL? SO COUNCIL ALREADY APPROVED A BUDGET FOR US AND SO THEY BASICALLY SAID, WE THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE, I FORGET WHAT IT IS NOW, MAYBE $14 MILLION THIS NEXT YEAR TO DISTRIBUTE OUT TO USE FOR STAFFING, ET CETERA.
[00:45:01]
WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN A CERTAIN, UM, THRESHOLD APPROVED BY COUNCIL.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS USUALLY WE LOOK AT, UM, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER NUMBERS AND THEN GO BACK TO COUNCIL IN DECEMBER OR JANUARY SAYING WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE THAN WHAT YOU BUDGETED.
SO THEN THAT WOULD, UM, WOULD GIVE US A, NOT A RE-ESTIMATE, BUT WE'D HAVE AN UPDATED BUDGET IN JANUARY.
BUT THE, THE 14 MILLION BASE, UM, BUDGET WILL NOT CHANGE, DOES NOT HAVE TO GO BACK TO COUNCIL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S JUST IF WE SEE THAT THERE'S MORE THAT THAT SHOULD BE ADDED, WE GO BACK TO COUNCIL.
AND USUALLY THAT'S A ONE-TIME THING FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO WE USUALLY COME BACK TO YOU ALL IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY SAYING, COUNCIL APPROVED THIS UPDATED BUDGET OF X MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, SO WE WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT WOULD, IT WOULD BE THE SAME THIS YEAR AS WELL.
OKAY, THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
AND ONE LAST QUESTION IS, UM, IF WE EXCEEDED THE BUDGET OF WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING TO COLLECT, DOES THAT MONEY, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE HEARD THIS BEFORE, DOES IT GO INTO A RESERVE FUND OR DOES IT ALL GET, UM, SPENT AWARDED OR, OR USED? WE DEFINITELY TRY TO USE, UH, I'M SORRY, I'M TRYING TO, TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION.
UM, IF WE, I KNOW WE SET, I KNOW WE SET, THERE'S A CERTAIN NUMBER THAT WE BUDGETED FOR AND WE EXCEEDED THAT NUMBER.
SO THAT MONEY, THAT EXTRA MONEY, DOES IT GO INTO RESERVE FUND OR IS THAT PART OF THE MONEY THAT Y'ALL WILL DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT GETS AWARDED OR PUT UP? SO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE 15 MILLION THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT? YES.
SO, SO THAT HASN'T BEEN BROKEN DOWN YET.
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF THRIVE, THE NEXT ROUND OF ELEVATE, WE KNOW OF THAT 15 MILLION, WE KNOW AT LEAST 3.9 IS GOING TO THRIVE BECAUSE THAT WAS A TWO YEAR CONTRACT.
SO WE KNOW AT LEAST ALMOST 4 MILLION IS GOING TO THOSE THRIVE RECIPIENTS.
THE REST, UM, IT'S USUALLY AN INTERNAL STAFF DISCUSSION ABOUT, OKAY, WE SEE THAT WE CAN PROBABLY DO, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE MORE AWARDS OR MAYBE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS YET.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD COME BACK TO YOU ALL WITH SAYING, THIS IS OUR, THIS IS OUR PLAN FOR F Y 24 WITH THESE $15 MILLION.
AND THAT BEING SAID, WE DO ALWAYS HOLD ONTO A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF RESERVE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR, UM, FINANCE TEAM AND I THINK JUST THE CITY IN GENERAL REQUIRES OF US.
UM, SO WE DO ALWAYS HAVE, I WANNA SAY A FIVE TO 10% RESERVE JUST IN CASE, UM, ANY PANDEMIC OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
COMMISSIONER MALDONADO AND COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I SEE YOUR HAND.
I DO HAVE STAFF IN FRONT OF ME GOING TO ADD JUST I'M SURE A POINT OF CLARIFICATION OR TWO.
NOVIA HOLT REV, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND I WANNA THANK LAURA FOR THAT THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
I ALSO WANT THE COMMISSIONERS TO KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN WE COME BACK WITH A RECOMMENDATION, WE ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND OF LOOKING FORWARD.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE KEEP LEVEL FUNDING VERSUS YOU SPIKE THE 15 ONE YEAR, THEN YOU COMING BACK THE 13TH.
SO I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, WE THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN WE BRING BACK A PROPOSED NUMBER BECAUSE WE COULD THEN HEAR, WELL YOU HAD 15 MILLION, WHAT HAPPENED? SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE KIND OF KEEP SOMETHING STEADY BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE RECONSTRUCTING A NEW CONVENTION CENTER AND ALL THAT STUFF.
SO JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT COMPONENT.
WAS THERE ANOTHER QUESTION? OH, ARE YOU JUST HANGING OUT? I'M JUST HANGING OUT.
UM, AND COMMISSIONER MAL IT IN THE PROJECTION TIMES THE RESERVE I THINK WAS A LOT MORE FRONT AND CENTER BECAUSE WE WERE MAKING AN EDUCATED ESTIMATE ON WHAT FUNDING WE WOULD HAVE ANNUALLY.
AND IF WE WERE BELOW THAT, THAT WOULD SORT OF SAVE OUR TAIL A LITTLE BIT.
UM, WHICH AGAIN WAS A BIG PART OF US MAKING THE TRANSITION TO ACTUALS AND NOT PUTTING OUT, YOU KNOW, PRESUMED NUMBERS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
THAT LED TO A LOT OF CONFUSION.
SO THE RESERVE IS STILL THERE, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE WE ARE IN UNSTABLE TIMES.
UM, AND TO, UM, SO SONOVA'S POINT, UM, THERE'S A LOT THAT WILL BE HAPPENING IN THE CITY.
SO THAT TO ME IS PRETTY FISCAL FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, UH, THING TO DO.
WHICH OF COURSE YOU GUYS ARE ON TOP OF.
UM, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? UH, YES.
I JUST HAVE A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
SO THE, THE 15 MILLION THAT'S IN THE BANK IS NOT, THE 15 PLUS MILLION THAT'S IN THE BANK DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 OR THE FISCAL
[00:50:01]
YEAR 2023 THRIVE ELEVATE NEXUS GRANT MONEY IS, IS THAT WHAT I'M HEARING? CORRECT.SO THAT, THAT MONEY GETS PULLED OUT SEPARATELY.
AND THEN YOU SAID THERE'S ABOUT 8 MILLION OF THE 15 MILLION THAT WILL GO FOR THRIVE IN 2023.
SO LET ME, LET ME JUST STEP BACK.
SO THE 15.6, THAT WAS WHAT WE COLLECTED AND DID NOT TOUCH IN, IN F Y 23.
SO IN F Y 23 WE SPENT MONEY THAT WE COLLECTED IN 22 AND ONE OF THOSE BUCKETS WAS FOR THRIVE.
AND SO IN THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, WE SPENT 3.9 MILLION FOR THRIVE.
SO THAT CAME OUT OF THE F Y 23 BUDGET, BUT IT WAS NOT THE F Y 23 COLLECTIONS.
SO, AND SO I THINK I NEED TO BE, I'LL HAVE MULTIPLE SLIDES NEXT MONTH BECAUSE THIS PRESENTATION IS JUST THE COLLECTIONS.
WHAT WENT OUT THIS PAST YEAR WAS CLOSE TO, I WANNA SAY JUST OVER $10 MILLION.
AND SO WHAT WENT OUT INCLUDED THE 3.9 FOR THRIVE, THE 6.25 FOR ELEVATE AND THE 250,000 FOR NEXUS AMONG OTHER EXPENSES.
SO WE KNOW THAT OF THE 15.6 MILLION THAT WE COLLECTED THIS PAST YEAR, WE HAVE TO HONOR THE YEAR TWO OF THRIVE.
AND SO THAT IS DEFINITELY 3.9 MILLION THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE COMING OUT FOR THE SECOND YEAR PAYMENTS FOR THRIVE RECIPIENTS.
AND THEN THE, THE BALANCE OF THAT, WE WILL THEN SAY, OKAY, THIS IS, WE WILL HAVE AT LEAST 6.25 GOING TO ELEVATE ROUND TWO, WE WILL HAVE AT LEAST 500,000 FOR NEXUS ROUND TWO AND THREE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I'M SORRY, YOU GAVE ME, YOU GAVE ME WAY MORE INFORMATION THAN I THAN I ASKED FOR.
SO I GUESS, LET ME, LET ME SEE IF I CAN STREAMLINE THAT QUESTION AGAIN.
SO OF THE, OF THE 15.6 MILLION IN THE BANK THAT'S COLLECTED AND UNTOUCHED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023, BUT OF THAT 15.6, WE STILL HAVE TO HONOR THE SECOND YEAR OF THRIVE.
AND THEN WE GO FORWARD WITH ELEVATE NEXUS 4 24.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE INFOGRAPHICS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE NEXT TIME, BUT WE'RE A YEAR BEHIND, SO WE COLLECT IN ONE YEAR AND IT'S ALLOCATED IN THE NEXT, UH, COMMISSIONER SCHOCK.
I JUST HAD ANOTHER CLARIFYING QUESTION BECAUSE UH, THERE WERE SO MANY NUMBERS TALKED ABOUT AND YOU SAID, UM, YOU MENTIONED OTHER EXPENDITURES.
I JUST WANNA CLAR INCLUDING STAFF COSTS AND I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT STAFF CITY STAFF COSTS ARE NOT COMING FROM HOT.
NO, THEY'RE SOME CITY STAFF COSTS COME FROM HOT.
SO THE CULTURAL FUNDING TEAM IN PARTICULAR, THEIR SALARIES COME OUT OF HOT.
AS WELL AS THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR FEES.
UH, ONE MORE QUICK, UH, CLARIFYING QUESTION LAURA.
UM, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU WERE COMING BACK AND PRESENTING SOME OF THE FINDINGS THAT YOU GOT FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THE FEEDBACK, UM, TO US MAYBE NEXT MONTH OR IN DECEMBER AT ONE POINT, DOES THE COMMISSION GET TO INFLUENCE HOW THESE PROGRAMS, HOW THE MONEY IS ALLOCATED? UM, OR IS THAT PART OF THE PROCESS? UM, SORRY, I'M LIKE, HOW AM I ANSWERING THIS? UM, AND MEGAN, IF YOU WANNA CHIME IN, YOU MAY, BUT YEAH.
BUT BASICALLY THE WAY THAT THAT THINGS TYPICALLY WORK IS THAT WHEN YOU ALL APPROVE THE PROGRAMS, THE PILOT PROGRAMS, UM, THAT ARE BEING EVALUATED NOW, UM, THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE DO.
UM, SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO CREATE THREE NEW PROGRAMS WITHOUT COMING BACK TO YOU OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND MEGAN, DO YOU WANNA ADD I LIKE SEE THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD FROM YEAH, I'M FROM THE SCREEN.
SO
CAN Y'ALL HEAR YOUR APOLOGIES? UM, HI COMMISSIONERS, MEGAN WELLS, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER.
[00:55:01]
UM, YES.SO IN THE PAST TYPICALLY, UM, WE'VE DONE THIS A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, THERE'S BEEN UM, A VARIETY OF INPUT THAT WE GET.
WE JUST COLLECT ROUTINELY FROM COMMISSION, FROM THE PUBLIC, FROM UM, YOU KNOW, FROM STAFF.
WE WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT OUR PROGRAMS AS WELL.
SO THERE'S AN ONGOING ITERATIVE PROCESS OF LOOKING AT WHAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE DOING.
IF THERE ARE IMPROVEMENT, IMPROVEMENTS OR CHANGES, THEN WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW TO MAKE THOSE.
TYPICALLY ONCE A YEAR, WE WILL BRING THOSE BACK BEFORE WE COME TO Y'ALL FOR ANY DISCUSSION AND ACTION AND SAY, HERE ARE OUR PROPOSED PROGRAMS. WHILE WE HAD A THREE YEAR PROCESS THAT HAPPENED MORE OFTEN THAN IT DID IN THE PAST WHERE WE HAD A WORKING GROUP THAT TYPICALLY GAVE US FEEDBACK.
SO AT THIS NEXT ITERATION OF, YOU KNOW, PRE-LAUNCH OF THESE PROGRAMS, LIKE LAURA SAID, WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA DO ANY WHOLESALE REDESIGN, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S LOTS OF FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY GETTING FROM Y'ALL, FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, THAT WE ARE BUILDING IN.
AND PROBABLY YOU'LL SEE SOME CHANGES IN OUR CURRENT PROGRAM.
SO THOSE WILL COME TO YOU BEFORE LAUNCH OF ANY NEW PROGRAMS SO THAT YOU CAN GIVE US, YOU KNOW, YOUR AN ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK, HAVE DISCUSSION.
UM, TYPICALLY IT'S ON YOUR AGENDA FOR ACTION AT SOME POINT.
I DON'T, WE'LL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT TIMING OF THAT, BUT SINCE WE'RE IN THIS NEW CYCLE, UM, SO HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THAT WITH THE CHAIR AND PUT IT ON AN AGENDA THAT WORKS FOR Y'ALL TO, TO HAVE A ROBUST DISCUSSION WITH US.
'CAUSE THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY NEXT QUESTION, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS COMMISSIONERS TO DISCUSS WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY AND STAFF.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE QUESTIONS BEING ASKED AND, UH, LAURA AND STAFF BEING THOROUGH IN YOUR ANSWERS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, WE'VE GOT SOME FRESH FACES UP HERE AND THE STUFF IS NOT SECOND NATURE.
I REMEMBER MY FIRST YEAR ON THE COMMISSION AND IT'S A LOT OF LEARNING NEW VOCABULARY AND SYSTEMS AND PROTOCOLS.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO SILLY QUESTION, THERE'S NO DUMB QUESTION.
IF YOU HAVE IT, IT'S PROBABLY A QUESTION THAT EXISTS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT.
SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY FOR, UM, FOR ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS.
I, SO ARE WE DONE WITH THE HOT DISCUSSION? CAN WE MOVE ON? OKAY, WONDERFUL.
WE HAVE OUR STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING
[8. Staff briefing regarding the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor, and Anne-Marie McKaskle-Davis, Cultural Funding Specialist Senior]
THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS, UM, BY JESUS PATEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR, ANNE MARIE MCASKILL DAVIS, AND, UH, CULTURAL FUNDING SPECIAL SENIOR AND MEGAN WELLS, OUR MANAGER.UM, I'M GONNA STEP IN FOR JESUS, ALTHOUGH I MAY BRING HIM UP IF THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT I CAN'T ANSWER.
UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS MEGAN WELLS, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I'M A WHITE WOMAN WITH SHOULDER LENGTH, BROWN HAIR, GLASSES, A FLORAL SHIRT AND YELLOW SWEATER, AND MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE HER.
I JUST WANTED TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO SHARE THE LATEST INFORMATION WITH YOU ON OUR PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE STATUS OF THRIVE, ELEVATE, AND NEXUS GOING FORWARD.
WE WILL PROVIDE STATUS REPORTS LIKE THIS ONE TO YOU AT EACH EACH ARTS COMMISSION MEETING.
PLEASE KNOW AND REMEMBER THAT WE ARE IMPLEMENTING WIDE SWEEPING CHANGES, NOT ONLY IN PROGRAM DESIGN, OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION, BUT WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH A THIRD PARTY PARTNER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CITY HISTORY FOR THESE PROGRAMS. WE KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN GAPS IN COMMUNICATION AND WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND WE APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
WE'RE ALWAYS STRIVING TO IMPROVE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT.
THAT SAID, LET ME FIRST SHARE THE CURRENT STATUS OF THRIVE.
ALL 36 CONTRACTS WITH OUR AWARDEES HAVE BEEN EXECUTED PAYMENTS IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,447,500 HAVE BEEN ISSUED, AND THAT IS OF A TOTAL OF 3.9 FOR THE PROGRAM.
ACTIVITIES ARE UNDERWAY AND IN FUTURE MEETINGS I WILL SHARE A MORE DETAILED SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THRIVE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE PROGRAM ARE CURRENTLY GOING ON WITH YOU.
NEXT ELEVATE THE LONG CENTER IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF ENTERING INTO CONTRACTS AND EXECUTING FIRST PAYMENTS TO 200 ELEVATE AWARDEES.
AT THIS POINT, 85 PAYMENTS HAVE GONE OUT SO FAR TOTALING ONE POINT $116,250 OF THE 6.25 MILLION.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S 1,000,116 $250 OF THE $606,250,000 POT FOR ELEVATE.
WE WILL BE SENDING AN EMAIL TOMORROW TO ALL ELEVATE GRANTEES, WE MEANING THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION.
UH, AS A REMINDER TO ENSURE THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS KNOW HOW AND WHEN CONTRACTS, PAYMENTS AND REPORTING HAPPENS FOR THAT PROGRAM, I DO WANNA TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO SAY THAT THE LONG CENTER IS WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH US.
THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DELAYS AT THIS POINT.
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ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE HAVE ASKED FOR THEM IN THEIR CONTRACT.PAYMENTS FROM THE LONG CENTER ARE NOT ISSUED UNTIL ALL CONTRACTING MATERIALS ARE RECEIVED.
FINALLY, NEXUS, THERE ARE 52, THERE WILL BE 52 AWARDED GRANTS DUE TO TIES IN SCORE.
WE ARE FUNDING MORE THAN THE 50 WE ANTICIPATED.
THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR NEXUS ROUND ONE WILL BE $260,000 CONTRACTS THAT WOULD BE MANAGED IN-HOUSE BY THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION ARE GETTING SENT OUT THIS WEEK.
AND THE LONG CENTER IS PREPARING TO MAKE FIRST PAYMENTS IN EARLY NOVEMBER.
ACTIVITIES FOR NEXUS WILL BE TAKING PLACE NOW THROUGH MARCH OF 2024.
AGAIN, OUR PARTNER AT THE LONG CENTER IS COMMITTED TO THE SAME LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ASSISTING WITH THESE PROGRAMS. AND WE MEET, MEET WE MEET WEEKLY WITH THEM AND ALSO SHARE DIGITAL PLATFORMS TO ENSURE CLOSE COORDINATION.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A THIRD PARTY IN THIS WAY AND OUR PILOT YEAR HAS BEEN CHALLENGING, BUT IT'S BECOMING SMOOTHER EVERY DAY.
PLEASE KNOW THAT WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE THAT OF THE COMMISSION AND THE COMMUNITY.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN CONSTANTLY EVALUATING ALL PILOT INITIATIVES, INCLUDING ADMINISTRATION, USER PROCESSES AND PROGRAMS. FINALLY, TO ROUND OUT OR REMIND MY MY REPORT, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE ARTS EDUCATION GRANT FUNDED THROUGH FEDERAL APA FUNDS.
WE RECEIVE FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
WE ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE FANTASTIC WORK OF 19 ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING ARTS EDUCATION TO AUSTIN THROUGH THIS GRANT AWARDEES WERE NOTIFIED ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, AND THEY'RE LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE@AUSTINCREATES.COM AND THEN CLICK ON CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. THESE AWARDS WILL BE MANAGED IN-HOUSE BY THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION AND PAYMENTS ARE ANTICIPATED TO GO OUT FROM THE CITY BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR.
ANNE-MARIE MCCASKILL DAVIS IS DOING A DEEPER DIVE IN HER PART OF THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
BUT I'M SORRY I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T HEAR ANY, AT LEAST IN MY MIND, I DIDN'T HEAR WHAT THE EXPLANATION IS FOR THE FUNDING TO NOT HAVE GONE OUT BECAUSE THE BACKUP FROM SEPTEMBER SAID THAT THE PAYMENTS WOULD BE MADE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
UM, AS WE WORKED THROUGH THE MECHANICS OF A THIRD PARTY CONTRACT, WE REALIZED THAT THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE AN AMENDMENT TO THAT CONTRACT, WHICH DID TAKE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME FOR US TO NEGOTIATE AND SIGN WITH THE LONG CENTER.
AFTER THAT CONTRACT HAPPENED, WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THE INNER APPROVAL PROCESS OF PROCESSES OF OUR ACCOUNTS PAYABLE FINANCE TEAM AND OUR TREASURY TO ISSUE THE PAYMENT TO THE LONG CENTER.
THEN THE LONG CENTER HAD TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENT AND THEN ISSUE, UH, TEST PAYMENTS AFTER THEY RECEIVED OUR FUNDING TO THOSE RECIPIENTS WHO HAD RECEIVED, WHO HAD SUBMITTED ALL OF THEIR CONTRACT MATERIALS.
THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING ALL THOSE CONTRACT MATERIALS FROM RECIPIENTS AND ISSUING TEST PAYMENTS AND THEN THE FULL PAYMENT.
SO ALL OF THAT KIND OF HAD TO TAKE PLACE FIRST.
SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS THERE WAS, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A FLUB WITH THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACT, WHICH CAUSED AN INITIAL DELAY.
THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT MM-HMM.
BUT THE AMENDMENT HAD TO BE DONE BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS MISSED, CORRECT? WELL, AMENDMENTS HAPPENED BECAUSE EITHER PARTY OR BOTH AGREED TO A CHANGE.
SO DOES THAT MEAN THE CONTRACT WITH THE LONG CENTER WASN'T FINALIZED BEFORE? WE TOLD RECIPIENTS THAT THEIR MONEY WOULD BE AWARDED BY A CERTAIN TIME IT WAS SIGNED AND THEN WE REALIZED AN AMENDMENT NEEDED TO HAPPEN, WHICH CAUSED THE DELAY BEYOND THE SEPTEMBER TIMEFRAME.
SO THE INITIAL DELAY WAS BECAUSE OF THE CONTRACT.
SO NOW AT THIS POINT IT'S, UH, IT'S A DELAY BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING TO RECEIVE CONTRACT MATERIALS FROM THE RECIPIENTS AND WE, THEY WON'T SEND OUT THE CONTRACTS UNTIL EVERYONE HAS, HAS SUBMITTED THEIR CONTRACT MATERIALS.
SO ONCE THE CONTRACT TOGETHER MATERIALS ARE SUBMITTED, THEN THE PAYMENTS CAN BE ISSUED.
AND THAT DEPENDS, YOU KNOW, ON WHETHER THE LONG CENTER HAS GOTTEN THEM FROM RECIPIENTS OR NOT.
MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN COMPLYING AND SENDING IN THINGS, BUT IT HAS TO BE CHECKED FOR, YOU KNOW, IS IT THE RIGHT INFORMATION? IS THIS THE RIGHT BANKING INFORMATION? DO I HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR CONTRACT EXECUTION? HAS YOUR TEST PAYMENT GONE THROUGH? SO THERE'S KIND OF SEVERAL STEPS INVOLVED.
BUT ARE, DID I, DID I ALSO HEAR YOU SAY THAT NO ONE'S GETTING PAID UNTIL EVERYONE'S INFORMATION IS THERE? NO, THEY'RE GETTING
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PAID, UH, AS THEY TURN IN THEIR CONTRACT DELIVERABLES.SO AS THEY COMPLETE THEIR CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING PAID IMMEDIATELY.
JESUS, JESUS PANTEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE A SPREADSHEET WHERE WE'RE KEEPING TRACK OF INFORMATION WITH THE LONG CENTER.
AND SO WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THAT EARLIER TODAY, IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE PAYMENTS ARE PRETTY MUCH INSTANTANEOUS.
SO AS SOON AS THEY RECEIVE THE, UH, SIGNED AGREEMENT BACK FROM THE, UH, RECIPIENT, UH, THEN THEY INSTITUTE, UH, THE FIRST PAYMENT.
UM, AND IT MAY BE AS, UM, IT MAY, IT MAY BE THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY WOULD BE DEPEND, YOU KNOW, WHEN IN THE DAY THEY RECEIVE THEM.
BUT THEY'VE BEEN TURNING THEM AROUND, UH, PRETTY QUICKLY FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN SEEING.
AND THEN JUST TO TOUCH ON, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LUIS, UH, THE PUBLIC, ONE OF THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS MENTIONED IS, SINCE THE MONEY'S TIED TO A TIMELINE, AND SINCE NOW THERE'S BEEN A DELAY ON WHEN, YOU KNOW HOW FAST THE MONEY'S BEING DISPERSED, IS THERE AN EXTENSION ON NOW, LIKE WHEN THE MONEY NEEDS TO BE USED BY? UH, SO THE CONTRACT PERIOD GOES UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024.
SO THERE'S, UH, STILL, UH, PLENTY OF TIME TO DO THAT.
IF SOMEONE, UM, I GUESS THE SHORT ANSWER IS, UM, IT WOULD DEPEND ON, UH, THE DETAILS OF THAT SPECIFIC CONTRACTOR.
SO EITHER WE OR THE LONG CENTER, UM, IN CONSULTATION, UH, CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF ANY KIND OF EXTENSION WOULD NEED TO BE GRANTED.
UM, BUT THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE FOR SOMETHING THAT'S IN A MORE IMMEDIATE TIMEFRAME SINCE THEY HAVE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024, UM, TO COMPLETE THEIR FINAL ACTIVITY.
UM, EVERYTHING SHOULD BE DONE, UH, BY THEN.
I'M GONNA GIVE, UM, OPPORTUNITY HERE IN THE ROOM.
COMMISSIONER NEY, SORRY IN ADVANCE.
UM, SO MY FIRST QUESTION FOR YOU IS, WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONTRACT? WHEN WAS THAT? WAS THAT IN SEPTEMBER? I'M NOT, I, I DON'T KNOW.
IT WAS OUT WHILE I WAS ON MEDICAL LEAVE, SO I'M NOT TOTALLY SURE HOW THAT HAPPENED.
I MEAN, THE TIMELINE OF THAT HAPPENING, BUT, UM, JUST MAYBE SOME, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THAT AMENDMENT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN? THE REASON I'M ASKING THIS IS IF THERE WAS TIME TO NOTIFY THE 200 APPLICANTS THAT THEIR PAYMENT WAS GONNA BE DELAYED, THAT WOULD'VE ALLEVIATED A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE HEARING IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THE CONTRACT STARTS ON OCTOBER 1ST, RIGHT? AND SO I'VE SEEN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRYING TO FUND THEIR PROJECTS LAST MINUTE BECAUSE THEY WERE UNDER THE GUISE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO RECEIVE FUNDING BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
I'VE HEARD FROM LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT IT PUT THEM IN AT FINANCIAL RISK.
AND THE REASON WHY I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE THE CITY OF AUSTIN CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION HAS PUT AN EXPLICIT FOCUS ON RACIAL EQUITY.
SO GROUPS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED AND HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED, DON'T HAVE BOARD MEMBERS THAT CAN GIVE THEM A $25,000 BRIDGE LOAN.
THEY DON'T HAVE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, THEY DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PIVOT THESE PROJECTS THAT QUICKLY.
SO BEING TRANSPARENT WITH THAT INFORMATION IS AN EQUITY ISSUE.
IT'S A RACIAL EQUITY ISSUE WHEN YOU'RE CHOOSING TO PRIORITIZE HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.
THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE RESERVES.
THEY, THEY'RE DEPENDING ON THIS MONEY.
UM, AND SO IT HAS A DOMINO EFFECT.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A FESTIVAL THAT, UH, PREDOMINANTLY SERVES, UM, THE LATINO COMMUNITY, AND YOU HAVE VENDORS FOR THAT EVENT THAT ARE OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE MUSICIANS, YOU HAVE ARTISTS, AND YOU CAN'T PAY THEM, AND THEN THAT MESSES WITH THEIR ECOSYSTEM, YOU'VE KIND OF DISMANTLED AN ECONOMIC DRIVER FOR THE ARTS IN AUSTIN.
SO, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FEEL AS PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT WE ARE BEING PRIORITIZED WHEN JUST BASIC COMMUNICATION IS NOT BEING PRIORITIZED? UM, SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS, AFTER I GET OFF MY SOAPBOX, WHEN DID Y'ALL FIND OUT THAT INFORMATION AND WHY WEREN'T APPLICANTS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED SOMETHING, SOMETHING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO GREAT DETAIL ON YOUR CONTRACT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GETTING INTO THE MINUTIAE,
[01:10:01]
RIGHT? BUT JUST GIVING THEM A HEADS UP, HEY, JUST A HEADS UP, THIS IS GONNA BE DELAYED.WE DIDN'T HEAR UNTIL THE FINAL DAY OF SEPTEMBER THAT WE WOULDN'T RECEIVE THAT FUNDING.
AND THEN TO THIS POINT IN TIME, I THINK ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED ARE VERY VALID, BECAUSE TO THIS TIME, YOU KNOW, THE LONG CENTER IN THE ORIGINAL EMAIL THAT WENT OUT AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, IT SAID THAT THE LONG CENTER WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH A TIMELINE.
THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOW UP OF TIMELINE.
SO THESE GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTING TODAY ARE IN THE DARK.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GETTING THEIR FUNDING, WHEN ARE THEY GETTING THEIR CONTRACT? OH, IT'S BEING TURNED OVER.
YOU CAN'T FINANCIALLY PLAN, ESPECIALLY AS A PERSON FROM A HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.
YOU CANNOT FINANCIALLY PLAN YOUR ORGANIZATION IF YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION.
SO PEOPLE ARE MAKING CHOICES BASED ON LIKE, HYPOTHESIS.
MAYBE IT'S THIS, MAYBE IT'S THAT.
MAYBE IT'LL COME TOMORROW, MAYBE IT'LL COME NEXT WEEK.
AND THEY HAVE NO CONCRETE ANSWERS.
UM, SO THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION IS WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
AND I THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
UM, MY SECOND IS THE DEPOSITS FOR THE, FOR THE PROCESS.
SO, YOU KNOW, FULL DISCLOSURE, I'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND I'VE ALSO GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR OVER 10 YEARS, BEING A NONPROFIT LEADER, I WAS PINGED EVERY SINGLE EMAIL FOR EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF INFORMATION AS IF IT WAS BEING MADE UP AS AS THEY WENT ALONG.
SO IT'S LIKE, WE NEED THIS, OKAY, COUPLE DAYS GO BY, WE NEED THIS, OKAY, THE, WE NEED THIS.
AND MY FEEDBACK IS, FIGURE OUT ALL OF THE THINGS YOUR APPLICANT NEEDS BEFORE YOU SEND THE EMAIL, BECAUSE IT CREATES THIS BACK AND FORTH, AND IT CREATES THIS HUGE CONGESTION IN THEIR INBOX.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE LONG CENTER IS TRYING THEIR BEST, BUT THEY'RE BEING BOMBARDED RIGHT NOW BY PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHO TO TALK TO.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PROBABLY FOLLOWING UP WITH KAD AND NOT HEARING BACK.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT I'M NOT GRATEFUL, BUT IT PUTS US IN THIS FIGHT OR FLIGHT MENTALITY THAT IS INGRAINED IN, YOU KNOW, THE P O C COMMUNITY.
WE'RE, WE'RE CONSTANTLY IN A FIGHT OR FLIGHT FOR MONEY, FOR HOUSING, FOR RESOURCES.
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AT RISK FOR CULTURE ERASURE.
SO HAVING THAT IN YOUR GRANT AND HAVING THAT VERBIAGE AND NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING THE GRAVITY OF HOW IT AFFECTS COMMUNITIES IS IRRESPONSIBLE AT, AT, AT THE LEAST.
UM, SO MY THIRD QUESTION IS, DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS, IT WASN'T STATED HOW PEOPLE WOULD BE PAID OUT.
AND SO WITH THRIVE, IT WAS VERY TRANSPARENT VIA SLIDES THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE PAID OUT.
THAT'S PRETTY STANDARD WITH GRANTS.
TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS DOES IT ALL UP FRONT.
N E A HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT PROCESS, UM, BUT THIS ONE IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
YOU GET 50% UP FRONT, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU GET 40% OUT OF A PROGRESS REPORT.
WHERE'S THE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRESS REPORT? WHERE IS THE PROGRESS REPORT? WHEN IS IT DUE? WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU NEED? AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF IT NOT BEING TRANSPARENT UPFRONT, WHAT'S EXPECTED OF THE APPLICANTS BEFORE THEY APPLY.
SO MY THIRD QUESTION FOR YOU IS, WHEN IS THAT PROGRESS REPORT DUE? IS IT GONNA BE DUE DIFFERENTLY FOR EVERY PERSON? BECAUSE EVERY GROUP OF ACTIVITIES IS DIFFERENT.
WHEN IS THAT INFORMATION GONNA BE AVAILABLE? BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY IS DOING A FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER, RIGHT? AND THEY WERE UNDER THE GUISE THAT THEY WOULD GET 90% OR A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE MONEY UP FRONT, AND THAT WASN'T MADE TRANSPARENT, THAT PERSON THEN HAS TO GO FIND 40% OF THEIR FUNDING TO DO THEIR PROJECT.
LIKE HOW DOES THAT WORK? I'M GONNA STOP TALKING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO ANSWER.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT FEEDBACK.
I DON'T HAVE GOOD ANSWERS FOR YOU.
ALL I CAN SAY IS WE'RE TRYING TO DO BETTER.
WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CORRAL.
WE WILL MAKE IT A POINT TO BRING YOU MORE INFORMATION IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER.
WE ARE WORKING ON MAKING PORTAL A BETTER SYSTEM THROUGH AN EVALUATION PROCESS.
WE HAVE A SHARED DIGITAL PLATFORM FOR ALL COMMUNICATIONS THAT GOES FROM THE LONG CENTER AND THE CITY.
WE ARE WORKING ON ALL OF THESE THINGS.
THE INTERIM REPORT REPORT, I'M NOT SURE IF JESUS HAS INFORMATION ON THAT.
UM, HEAR YOU, HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
UM, WE CAME BACK, YOU KNOW, FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS OUT AND REALIZING THAT THERE WERE ADDITIONAL STEPS NEEDED.
SO IT'S A LEARNING PROCESS FOR US.
AND, UM, WE ARE JUST TRYING TO DO OUR BEST.
IF SOMEONE HAS A QUESTION, OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN.
I SUGGEST THAT PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN, CONTINUE TO REACH OUT, THEY CAN REACH OUT TO ME AS WELL
[01:15:01]
AS THE STAFF.UM, I, I UNFORTUNATELY WAS OUT FOR A LONG TIME.
THAT WAS NOT, THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE, BUT I JUST, UM, I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, SO I HEAR YOU.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US, UH, WHILE WE GET THIS, YOU KNOW, FIGURED OUT.
AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY IS, YOU KNOW, EXPECTING THERE NOT TO BE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
BUT I THINK THE ISSUE IS THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION SO THAT THESE AT RISK GROUPS CAN FINANCIALLY PLAN, YOU KNOW, YOUR HICCUPS ARE TO THEIR DETRIMENT.
YOU UNDERSTAND? LIKE, UNDERSTOOD.
LIKE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S JUST, IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
IF IT WAS JUST THE MOMENT THAT YOU KNEW THERE WAS GONNA BE A DELAY, YOU LET PEOPLE KNOW.
AND MAYBE IT, I, I, I HIGHLY DOUBT IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE, BUT MAYBE IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE THAT EMAIL WENT OUT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TIME EQUALS MONEY.
AND IF PEOPLE ARE UNDER THE GUISE THAT THEY'RE GETTING SOMETHING AT A SPECIFIC TIMEFRAME OR EVEN A COUPLE DAYS AFTER, EVEN, IT'S JUST A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, AFTER THAT.
BUT TO HAVE IT SO DELAYED WITH NO REAL COMMUNICATION IS JUST, I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
I'VE NEVER HAD THIS EXPERIENCE APPLYING FOR GRANTS IN, IN 10 PLUS YEARS, EVER.
SO YEAH, COMMISSIONER MOCK AND THEN COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, I, I LIKE TO OFFER A SOLUTION.
WE HAVE THIS COLLECTED $50 MILLION IN THE BANK.
I AM LIVID THAT WE CAUSE SUCH HARDSHIP TO THIS UNDERSERVED POPULATION.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THE STAFF TO PUT YOUR EXPERTISE TOGETHER TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION THAT WE CAN RESOLVE THIS RELU, UH, THIS FINANCIAL HARDSHIP.
CAN YOU GET A LOAN SO THAT YOU CAN RESOLVE IT LATER BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE HAS ALREADY PROMISED, YOU KNOW, OF THE AWARD.
HOW CAN WE UTILIZE THAT MONEY IN THE BANK TO PUSH OUT THE CHECK A S A P SO THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER TWO, THREE WEEKS DELAY BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD.
IS THERE SOMEWHERE YOU CAN DO SILVY HOPERA, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? I WANTED TO COME AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR REMARKS AND YOUR CONCERN AND TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND TO LET YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORKING ON AN ENTIRE SYSTEM REVIEW.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO B C L OF TEXAS IN THE PAST.
THEY HAVE PROVIDED BRIDGE LOANS, UH, FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE GUARANTEED CONTRACTS WITH US.
AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PUSH OUT.
IN ADDITION, WE ARE FAST AND FURIOUS WORKING ON THE NEXT PAYMENTS.
I HAVE BEEN HEARING, AND AS I STATED LAST MONTH, WE ARE DOING AN ENTIRE SYSTEM EVALUATION.
AND MY GOAL IS TO GET OUT A TIMELINE BY NEXT FRIDAY ON THE ENTIRE, WHETHER IT'S PORTAL, THE ENTIRE USER EXPERIENCE, LANGUAGE ACCESS, BUT WE WANNA BE COMPREHENSIVE IN THE MEMO ON HOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD.
WE HAVE ALREADY CONTRACTED WITH TWO CONSULTANTS, ONE ON THE SYSTEM.
AND WHEN I SAY SYSTEM, THE PORTAL SIDE, AS WELL AS THE USER EXPERIENCE THAT WILL, HE'S HEARD A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND, UM, HOW WE WRAP ALL OF THAT TOGETHER AND MOVE FORWARD.
UH, AGAIN, I WILL, UH, AS THE DIRECTOR, I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO MOVE THIS PROCESS FORWARD AND CORRECT ANY MISTAKES THAT HAVE HAPPENED.
BUT I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE HEARD, WE, WE KNOW THAT'S WHY WE WERE EXPEDITIOUS IN GETTING THESE CONSULTANTS ON BOARD, BECAUSE I'VE NOT ONLY COME TO THIS COMMISSION, BUT MANY COMMISSION.
I HAVE RECEIVED MY OWN EMAILS, MET WITH SEVERAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND SO IT IS MY WORD TO TRY TO MAKE THIS USER EXPERIENCE BETTER.
BUT WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GAP FI, WHAT WE TYPICALLY CALL GAP FINANCING THROUGH B C L OF TEXAS.
AS SOON AS I HEARD, I TEXT HER ON A SATURDAY, I NEED TO TALK, SHE CALLED ME RIGHT BACK.
YES, WE CAN DO THAT BRIDGE LOAN, UM, AFTER MEGAN.
SO, UH, ROSA RIOS VALDEZ HAS WORKED WITH US IN THE PAST, AND SO THERE IS THAT OPPORTUNITY.
BUT AGAIN, EMAIL ME, CALL ME, CALL STAFF, BUT WE HEAR YOU AND WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A FULL, UH, PROGRAM MOVING, UM, HOW WE WILL MOVE FORWARD BY NEXT, UM, FRIDAY.
BUT WE ARE MEETING WITH THE TWO CONSULTANTS ON WEDNESDAY, HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW.
AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING TODAY.
[01:20:01]
YEAH.BUT AT LEAST IN THE FUTURE, HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A SMOOTHER PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, THAT GAP FINANCING IS AVAILABLE.
WE WILL WORK ON THE REPORTS, ET CETERA.
I REALLY APPRECIATE TO HEAR THIS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE AN ACTION PLAN.
BECAUSE IT MAKE US FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, YOU KNOW, SO I, THE FOLKS IN THE, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU DO HAVE A PLAN.
SO I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH AND WE'RE GONNA DOCUMENT IT, BUT I WANTED TO SEND IT TO THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSION AT THE SAME TIME SO THEY'RE NOT PRESENTING ONE OVER THE OTHER.
AND WE WILL UPLOAD IT TO OUR WEBSITE SO THE COMMUNITY CAN SEE WHAT ARE OUR STEPS.
I HAD COMMISSIONER MALDONADO NEXT, THEN COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, THEN CNI, THEN NAALI.
SORRY, I'M KEEPING TRACK OF YOU GUYS.
GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO.
UH, I THINK MY QUESTION WAS PARTIALLY ANSWERED, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE.
SO MY QUESTION ORIGINALLY IS, UM, THE TIMELINE FROM THE LAWN CENTER, WHEN WILL THAT BE PROVIDED TO THE, TO THE ORGANIZATIONS? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT FRIDAY, WHICH MEANS THE 27TH? OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT NO, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA COORDINATE WITH THEM THIS WEEK AT OUR WEEKLY CHECK-IN.
THAT'S WHEN THEY GIVE US A STATUS UPDATE ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH AND THEIR PAYMENTS AND WHAT STATUS.
SO THAT'LL BE PART OF WHAT WE'LL GET FROM THEM, IS THAT WHEN THEY ADMINISTER THE CONTRACTS, WHAT ARE BASICALLY KIND OF, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR NOTIFYING THOSE GRANTEES OF THE TIMELINE, INCLUDING PA WHEN PAYMENTS GO OUT, IF THERE'S ANYTHING MISSING FROM THEIR DELIVERABLES.
'CAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING THAT, WE JUST DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT PORTION OF THEIR CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION.
SO EVERY WEEK WHEN WE TALK TO THEM, WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION AND ASK, BUT THERE IS
SO THAT DATA IS THAT DATA THAT CAN BE SHARED, IS THAT, IS THAT INFORMATION THAT CAN BE SHARED JUST SO THAT WE KNOW LIKE, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF ORGS, THIS IS HOW MANY HAVEN'T BEEN PROCESSED, IS THERE SOMEWHERE WHERE THAT DATA IS HOUSED OR CAN BE DISTRIBUTED? UM, AND I GET, AGAIN, I GO, I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO THIS DISCUSSION WE'VE BEEN HAVING NOW FOR A WHILE WITH THESE APPLICA, WITH THESE BEING PILOT PROGRAMS, IS WHERE'S THE TRANSPARENCY REPORTING ASPECT OF IT.
AND, UM, I DON'T WANNA TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT WILL WE, WILL WE BE GETTING SOMETHING FROM THE LONG CENTER ONCE ALL THIS IS WRAPPED UP AND FINISHED KIND OF GETTING JUST DATA ON, UM, EVERYTHING AS FAR AS JUST LIKE NUMBERS TURNAROUND TIME AND WHAT JUST THE ENTIRE PROCESS WAS LIKE, SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER TOO, UH, FOR WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING TO CONSTITUENTS? YES, YOU WILL BE GETTING THAT INFORMATION.
AND I, I JUST GAVE IT TO YOU IN MY REPORT TONIGHT, BUT WE CAN THINK ABOUT MAKING A DASHBOARD OF SOME SORT SO THAT IT'S ONLINE AND WE CAN TRACK IT THAT WAY.
UM, I DON'T, I, I'M HAPPY TO LOOK INTO THAT.
COMMISSIONER HOUSTON AND THEN COMMISSIONER CHENEY FOLLOWED BY CHARLA.
UM, IF, IF THERE'S BRIDGE FUNDING AVAILABLE, THEN THE LONG CENTER OR, UH, CULTURAL FUNDING NEEDS TO SEND AN EMAIL OUT TO THE RECIPIENTS THAT HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEIR MONEY YET AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO SAY, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO FILL THE GAP UNTIL WE CAN GET YOU YOUR FUNDING.
SO, I MEAN, THAT, THAT NEEDS, THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN YESTERDAY.
WELL, ALL OF THE FOLKS NOW ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE LONG CENTER TO SEND THEM BACK SIGNED CONTRACTS.
THAT'S THE STEP THAT NECESSITATES, YOU KNOW, THE INK BEING DRY, THEN THEY CAN START THE PAYMENT PROCESS.
SO I, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IT'S NOW, SO THE GAP FUNDING IS NOT GONNA HELP, IT WON'T BE FASTER THAN THE LONG CENTER.
AT THIS POINT, I, I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT'LL BE FASTER.
I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THIS, IT, IT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT'S AVAILABLE.
WE NEED TO MAKE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEIR FUNDING A A AWARE THAT THIS IS AVAILABLE.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE KNEW BEFORE.
OTHERWISE, HOPEFULLY ON SEPTEMBER 15TH WHEN WE KNEW WE HAD TO AMEND THE CONTRACT AND WAS GONNA BE DELAYED, WE WOULD'VE SENT THAT OUT THEN AND SAID, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THE MONEY TO YOU.
BUT SINCE WE NOW KNOW THAT THIS IS A RESOURCE, WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE PARTICIPANTS SO THAT THEY KNOW IN THE FUTURE THAT THIS IS A RESOURCE.
BECAUSE THEN THAT ALLEVIATES SOME OF THE, UM, ANXIETY THAT YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU HAVE A SHOW THAT'S GOING UP, YOU KNOW, IN TWO WEEKS AND YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR FUNDING YET.
UH, NUMBER TWO, UM, DO WE KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT WAS CHANGED IN THE CONTRACT? YES.
WE'LL HAVE TO GET THAT FROM PURCHASING ANOVIA RAD.
WE CAN GET THAT, UM, DETAIL FROM PURCHASING, PURCHASING NEGOTIATED
[01:25:01]
THE CONTRACT.AND SO THEY HAVE DETAILS OF WHAT WAS AMENDED.
AND WE CAN GET THAT AND SEND IT OUT TO YOU.
'CAUSE IT WASN'T JUST FOR, IT WAS FOR THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
SO WE CAN GET THAT OUT TO YOU.
BECAUSE IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW THAT WE, WE HAD A CONTRACT PROCESS IN A CONTRACT IN PLACE, AND THEN RIGHT BEFORE THE FUNDING IS SUPPOSED TO GO OUT, WE NEED TO AMEND THE CONTRACT.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT'S ABOUT, BECAUSE THAT'S STRANGE OR IT'S, IT'S DETRIMENTAL TO THE PROCESS I GET, I'LL PUT IT THAT WAY.
COMMISSIONER CHENEY AND THEN COMMISSIONER MERLA.
SO I DIDN'T ASK ALL MY QUESTIONS BECAUSE IT GOT HEATED.
AND I WANNA JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS DOES COME FROM A PLACE OF PASSION.
UM, I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE CAN FEEL THE SENTIMENT IN THE ROOM.
UM, WHEN YOU'RE SO EXCITED OF A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, YOU FINALLY FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE FOR YOU AND YOU FEEL SEEN AND THEN YOU KNOW, THE BALL IS DROPPED AND IT'S JUST HEARTBREAKING, UM, TO NOT KNOW WHEN YOUR MONEY IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE FOR THE COMMUNITY AND OUR MOST AT RISK COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT TO GET BACK, BACK ON TRACK, UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION IS KIND OF JUST UNDERSTANDING WHY ARE WE WORKING WITH A THIRD PARTY? WHY IS THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION WORKING WITH A THIRD PARTY TO ADMINISTER CONTRACTS, UM, MONEY, UM, REPORTING, I'M ASSUMING, UM, THE CONTRACT CAME FROM THE LONG CENTER FOR THE GRANT, UM, WHICH I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS, SO, SO WHY, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? SO PART OF OUR THREE YEAR PROCESS WAS TO EXAMINE WHAT SYSTEMS WE'RE WORKING, HOW MUCH TIME, STAFF TIME WAS BEING DEDICATED TO ADMINISTRATION VERSUS ACTUAL ASSISTANCE AND BEING PRESENT IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE SAW THAT THE VAST AMOUNT OF TIME WAS ACTUALLY JUST CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION, THE BUREAUCRACY OF AD ADMINISTERING HUNDREDS OF CONTRACTS.
UM, SO WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD LOOK FOR A THIRD PARTY PARTNER WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THE EFFICIENCIES THAT WE, THAT WERE, WE WERE SPENDING EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF TIME GONE, WHICH IS CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION, MONITORING, UH, INVOICING, PAYMENT, UH, PROCESSING, UM, FINAL REPORTING, UM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE PART OF CONTRACTS, BUT WOULD, BUT KEPT THE STAFF KIND OF AT THEIR DESKS INSTEAD OF OUT IN COMMUNITY HELPING WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, BUILDING A BETTER AWARENESS OF WHAT ACTIVITIES AND NEEDS ARE HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S WHY WE DECIDED TO SWITCH TO A THIRD PARTY TO HELP US WITH THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS.
I GUESS JUST IN MY OPINION, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M ALLOWED TO SAY THAT, BUT IN MY OPINION, I, I JUST, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION HANDLE THESE THINGS INTERNALLY BECAUSE NO ONE, YOU KNOW, NO ONE IN HERE KNOWS THE LONG CENTER.
WE DON'T HAVE A CONNECTION TO THE LONG CENTER WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS APPLICATION PROCESS.
IT'S YOU ALL WE'RE SEEING, YOU WE'RE TALKING TO, YOU, WE'RE ASKING YOU QUESTIONS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN IT GETS TO THE MONEY PART, THE RUG IS PULLED OUT FROM UNDER US, AND NOW WE JUST HAVE A BLANKET EMAIL THAT WE'RE NOT, THAT WE'RE GETTING GENERIC RESPONSE FROM.
AND WE HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE THERE.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RESPONDING TO THE EMAILS BECAUSE IT'S JUST A GENERIC EMAIL THAT'S MADE, AT LEAST IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE JESUSES, UM,
WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO THEM, THEY'VE BEEN WALKING THEM US THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
SO YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S JARRING FOR AN APPLICANT.
UM, WHAT I'M HEARING IS YOU WANT IT TO BE A MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS.
AND WHAT I'M REALLY HEARING IS YOU WANT THE PAYMENT AND THE CONTRACT PART OF IT TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED DURING THIS PROCESS, UM, BUT WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
BUT I DO THINK THAT IF THIS IS REALLY ABOUT COMMUNITY AND UPLIFTING, UM, COMMUNITIES THAT ARE AT RISK, HAVING A PERSONAL TOUCH AND BEING ABLE TO CALL SOMEBODY AT THE LONG CENTER AND ASK A QUESTION, UM, IS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FEEDBACK WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU KNOW COVID STUFF WAS GOING ON AND, AND FOLKS HAD TO CALL THE SS B A FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING.
IT WAS REALLY DISHEARTENING BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP ON THE PHONE THAT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT FEELS RIGHT NOW.
I'M HAVING THAT LIKE, UM, DEJA VU OF, OF THAT SITUATION.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
MY SECOND QUESTION, UM, IS REGARDING KIND OF THE CHANGES IN THE CONTRACT, UM, WHICH IS THE, THE REPORT THAT'S HAPPENING, RIGHT? THAT, UM, Y'ALL ARE SENDING AN EMAIL OUT TOMORROW.
SO WHY IS IT THAT THRIVE IS 90% UPFRONT WITH A 10% FINAL REPORT, BUT ELEVATE REQUIRES
[01:30:01]
AN INTERIM REPORT, AND I ONLY ASK THIS BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY DELAYS, SO IT'S CREATING MORE PAPERWORK, WHICH IN TURN WILL CREATE MORE DELAYS.AND SO I KIND OF WANNA UNDERSTAND THE THOUGHT PROCESS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW BEFORE MY TIME, UM, IN THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, THIS ACTUALLY WAS SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL DID 15 YEARS AGO, MAYBE EVEN MORE, AND TONS OF APPLICANTS COMPLAINED ABOUT THAT PROCESS.
SO IT WAS CHANGED TO THE 90 10 FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, THE PAST DECADE OR WHATEVER.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT.
HE PENTEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.
SO, UM, IN THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMS AND EVEN IN THRIVE, THE PAYMENT SCHEDULE, UH, WAS THE SAME AS FOR ELEVATE 50% UPFRONT, 40% ON THE SECOND MILESTONE, UH, IS WHAT WE CALL IT.
AND THEN THE FINAL 10%, UH, WITH, UH, THE PAYMENT, UM, BOTH IN ELEVATE, UM, AND IN THRIVE.
THE SECOND MILESTONE WAS VERY, UH, NEAR TO THE, UM, FIRST PAYMENT.
AND SINCE IN THRIVE, THE FIRST PAYMENTS WERE A BIT DELAYED, UH, GOING OUT, UM, IT BECAME A DEFACTO 90% PAYMENT, UH, FOR ELEVATE THOSE, UH, SECOND MILESTONES.
AND YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THAT, UM, EARLIER.
UM, SO TO GET THE SECOND 40% OF YOUR PAYMENT IN ELEVATE, YOU EITHER NEED TO POST YOUR, UM, ONE OF YOUR ACTIVITIES TO VISIT AUSTIN.COM, UM, OR YOU NEED TO TAKE ONE OF THE MILES PARTNERSHIP CLASSES.
AND IF YOU DO THE MILES PARTNERSHIP CLASS, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, SIGNED UP THROUGH THE, THE SYSTEM THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY LET US KNOW, UM, THROUGH THE PORTAL SYSTEM.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU POST A VISIT AUSTIN, UH, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT.
SO WHAT OUR PLAN IS, IS TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, UM, UM, WE'LL BE NOTIFIED, YOU KNOW, AUTOMATICALLY IF YOU, UH, TAKE THE, UH, UH, MILES PARTNERSHIP CLASS, UM, AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT VISIT AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT'S WHY IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS A 90% PAYMENT.
UH, SAME WITH THE CORE FUNDING.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN EITHER 50, 40, 10 OR 30 30, 30 10.
UM, AND SO JUST KIND OF DEPENDING SOMETIME.
AND, AND THEN FOR SOME PEOPLE, UM, FOR SPECIAL CASES, IF THEY DO HAVE EVENTS LIKE THEY'RE ONLY DOING AN EVENT IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER, THERE WERE SPECIAL CASES WHERE SOMEONE LIKE THAT WOULD GET THE MAJORITY THAT 90% OF THEIR FUNDS UPFRONT.
BUT HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS, UM, A LITTLE BIT.
SO JUST TO UNDERSTAND, SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT IN 2017 WHEN WE HAD CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING, THAT IT WAS 50%, 'CAUSE I REMEMBER IT BEING 90% AND THEN YOU DID A FINAL REPORT.
I DON'T EVER REMEMBER DOING AN INTERIM REPORT.
SO ONE OF THE OTHER REASONS WE HAD, UH, LOOKED INTO A THIRD, UH, PARTY, UH, MEGAN HAD KIND OF TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENCIES, UM, WITH THE CITY BUREAUCRACY ON HOW, UH, PAYMENTS, UM, GO OUT.
SO WITH SOME OF THOSE, IT BECAME A DEFACTO 90% PAYMENT, UM, BECAUSE PAYMENTS WERE GOING OUT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE FISCAL YEAR STARTS OCTOBER 1ST, AS LAURA WAS MENTIONING EARLIER, UM, PAYMENTS WERE GOING OUT, UH, IN DECEMBER OR JANUARY, UH, WHEN THE THOUGHT AT THE TIME WAS AT 50% WOULD, UM, GO OUT OR 30% DEPENDING ON WHICH PROGRAM YOU WERE IN.
BUT YOU KNOW, THE FIRST PAYMENT WOULD GO OUT UPON PROCESSING CONTRACTS IN, UH, OCTOBER.
AND THEN THE SECOND, UH, PAYMENT WOULD GO OUT IN JANUARY.
BUT SINCE A LOT OF THOSE FIRST PAYMENTS WEREN'T GOING OUT UNTIL CLOSE TO JANUARY, IT BECAME A DEFACTO, YOU KNOW, EITHER 90% OR 60% PAYMENT.
AND SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUT ALL OF THIS, AGAIN, JUST REITERATING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR APPLICANTS, ALL THIS INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE SAYING, I LITERALLY DID NOT KNOW.
AND I'VE BEEN IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD FOR 10 YEARS, I'VE APPLIED FOR FEDERAL GRANTS, I'VE APPLIED FOR CITY GRANTS, AND I LITERALLY, THIS IS ALL NEW INFORMATION FOR ME.
SO I DON'T SEE ANYWHERE ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN WEBSITE.
I DON'T SEE THIS INFORMATION ANYWHERE.
SO, UM, ANNMARIE, I DO WANNA GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT BECAUSE ANNE-MARIE DID MAKE AN ENTIRE SLIDE DECK FOR ANOTHER GRANT PROGRAM THAT I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO PRESENT.
SO ANYWAY, UM, AND SO LIKE EVEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I THINK WHERE THE ANGER AND FRUSTRATION IS COMING FROM IS THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE NOT GRATEFUL FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES.
WE VERY MUCH ARE LIKE, WE FEEL SEEN, BUT WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION, WE LITERALLY GO INTO SCARCITY MODE.
AND IT'S JUST LIKE, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GONNA COME.
UM, WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY LAST QUESTION, UM, WHICH IS A LOADED QUESTION, WHICH IS WHY WAS THE PLATFORM CHANGED? I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
AND THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM SO MANY APPLICANTS FROM THRIVE TO ELEVATE TO NEXUS.
[01:35:01]
IF YOU'RE NOT AWARE, ZOOM GRANTS WAS A PLATFORM THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN USED PRIOR.I UNDERSTAND THAT ZOOM GRANTS MAY HAVE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME HICCUPS, BUT OVERALL IT'S A, IT'S A PLATFORM THAT LOTS OF NONPROFITS USE.
I'M NOT NONPROFITS GRANTORS USE.
THERE'S ALSO FLUXX, WHICH TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS USES, WHICH IS A REALLY GREAT PLATFORM WITH BUILT IN THINGS.
SO YOU DON'T NEED A UX OR A DEVELOPER TO BE FINE TUNING THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD'VE ALLEVIATED, I WOULD SAY, 99% OF THE APPLICANT PROCESS PROBLEMS. SO I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE SPENDING MONEY ON REINVENTING THE WHEEL WHEN THERE ARE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT WORK, LIKE, WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.
SO I, I JUST KIND OF WANNA KNOW THE PROCESS OF THAT AND, AND WHY WE'RE DOING IT.
SO AGAIN, SO NOVIA HOPE RAB, THE PLATFORM THAT WE ARE USING IS NOT JUST FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS SIDE, IT'S FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO IT WAS A DECISION THAT I MADE TO SWITCH OVER TO WHAT WE CALL NOW, UH, POWER PAGES AND, UH, FEEDBACK WELL TAKEN.
I'VE HEARD THAT WE'VE GIVEN THAT TO OUR, UH, CONSULTANT TO DETERMINE WHICH WILL BE THE BEST PLATFORM TO SERVICE THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE GIVEN THAT FEEDBACK TO, UM, UH, GARDNER, AND THEY ARE EVALUATING WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SOLUTION FOR THE DEPARTMENT GIVEN THE VARIOUS 15 TYPE APPLICATIONS WE TAKE.
AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW LIKE AS NEW TECHNOLOGY ROLLS OUT, SOME PEOPLE CAN BE RESISTANT TO CHANGE, AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT WHERE THIS IS COMING FROM.
LIKE, I'M ALL ABOUT USING TECH EFFICIENTLY.
I THINK IT'S REALLY GREAT, BUT THAT PLATFORM DOES NOT WORK.
I, IF YOUR APPLICATION CANNOT BE SAVED, LIKE THAT IS A HU THAT IS BOTTOM OF THE BARREL BASIC FUNCTIONALITY.
YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO ENTER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND THEN, OOPS, WHAT IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE RESTROOM, ALL YOUR WORKS ERASED.
LIKE, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S A, I DON'T HAVE WORDS FOR THAT, BUT, UM, I DO, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATE THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING INTO THIS FEEDBACK.
AND I, I DO THINK THAT THE TECH COULD GET THERE FOR THE E E D PORTAL, BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE RESOURCES ARE BEING USED FOR THAT.
LIKE, I REALLY DON'T, AND I DON'T WORK FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, MY FEEDBACK IS JUST FEEDBACK, BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE EMPLOYEES AND THE CONSULTANTS COULD BE USED FOR SOMETHING THAT HAS WAY MORE IMPACT FOR THE COMMUNITY THAN JUST INVENTING A PROCESS THAT DOESN'T WORK.
SO THAT'S JUST MY FEEDBACK, AND I'M SORRY IF I'M BEING NEGATIVE, BUT I HAVE HAD ALL OF THIS FEEDBACK FOR A WHILE, THAT'S WHY I ADDED THIS AS AN AGENDA ITEM.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT IF YOU'RE ROLLING OUT A PILOT PROGRAM, YOU SHOULD CHANGE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE BECAUSE IT'S ALL GONNA GO WRONG.
ANYTIME YOU'RE DOING A PILOT PROGRAM, THERE'S GONNA BE HICCUPS, BUT YOU HAD HICCUPS IN UX, YOU HAD HICCUPS IN THE APPLICATION, YOU HAD HICCUPS IN THE PROCESS WITH THE THIRD PARTY, YOU, I MEAN, ANY, EVERYWHERE THAT SOMETHING COULD GO WRONG, IT DID.
UM, AND SO HOPEFULLY WE LEARN FROM THESE MISTAKES.
I THINK, UM, I THINK, UH, A LOT HAS ALREADY GOTTEN COVERED OF THIS TOPIC.
UM, UM, I, I THINK, UM, WE, WE, ACROSS THE BOARD BETWEEN THE L M F AND THESE THREE, UH, NEW ROLLOUTS, UH, FOR PILOT PROGRAMS HAVE HAD A PRETTY HEAVY LIFT, UH, UH, THIS YEAR.
UH, SO ISSUES WERE EXPECTED, AND, UH, UM, WHAT I WOULD, UM, LOVE TO SEE IS SOME KIND OF A, UH, I KNOW THAT THIS FORUM IS AVAILABLE AND A LOT OF US COMMISSIONERS ARE EXPECTING CONCERNS, ET CETERA, BUT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE, THAT IT WAS A COMPLEX, UH, ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE, UH, THAT ARE, UH, ISSUES, UH, THAT HAVE SHOWN UP.
UM, WHAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, UH, IS, UH, UM, UH, PERHAPS A MORE FORMAL CHANNEL.
I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS IS IT, BUT NOT JUST FOR THE COMMISSION, BUT ALSO HOW DO WE GET MORE BROAD COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, UM, AND, UH, ALSO CREATE SOME AWARENESS FOR THE COMMUNITY FURTHER TO BE ABLE TO COME TO THIS FORUM AND BE ABLE TO, UH, UH, SPEAK TO THEIR CONCERNS.
UH, MAYBE, MAYBE IN IN A MORE BROADER SENSE, UM, THIS, UH, WITH THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE ARE AROUND, UH, ESPECIALLY CONCERNING DIVERSITY INCLUSION, UM, IT IS VERY COMMENDABLE.
UH, WHAT HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED HERE IN MY MIND AND WHAT, UH, WHAT WE HAVE TRIED TO DO AS A CITY, UH, IN, IN, IN PUTTING, UH, THESE TRANSPORT.
[01:40:01]
CONSULTANT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, DOING THEIR OWN ANALYSIS AND THIS FEEDBACK, UH, I THINK I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN OPPORTUNITY OR TWO WHERE, UM, IT'S JUST, JUST FORMAL FEEDBACK, NOT JUST FROM THE COMMISSION, BUT FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD.COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER MARK, AND THEN COMMISSIONER GRAY AND SCHACH.
WELL, I LIKE TO OFFER OBSERVATION THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
THE NEW ONE IS SO CUSTOMER UN FRIENDLY.
I, SO I HOPE IN THE FUTURE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO SWITCH A CHANGE, CHANGE TO SOME NEW SYSTEM, YOU MIGHT WANT TO INVOLVE THE CUSTOMERS, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE USING THE SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, TO TEST OUT THE NEW SYSTEM YOU'RE TRYING TO CHANGE.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE INSTEAD OF DRAWING FROM THE AIR, YOU KNOW, TO CREATE SUCH HARDSHIP TO THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY.
WE ARE NOT LEFT BRAIN PEOPLE, WE ARE RIGHT BRAIN PEOPLE,
SO I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A SUGGESTION NEXT TIME WHEN THE NEW SYSTEM IN PLACE, ASK THE CUSTOMER TO BE PART OF YOUR CONSULTANT.
HOPEFULLY THIS WON'T TAKE LONG, BUT I'VE HEARD NOT, I'VE JUST HEARD THIS A FEW TIMES REGARDING REVISIONS TO CONTRACT WITH REGARD TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT DID NOT RECEIVE FUNDING FOR PERHAPS A FULL SLATE OF THINGS THEY WANNA DO IN THE CITY.
WASN'T REALLY CLEAR TO THEM, OR WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH IT TO ME OF HOW TO PUT IN THOSE REVISED SHOWS, PROJECTS, WHATEVER THEY'RE GOING TO DO, IT WAS VERY OPEN, LIKE IT WOULD KIND OF GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE.
UM, SO IF YOU COULD KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT FOR THOSE LISTENING AS WELL.
YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
UH, WITH THE LONG CENTER, IT WOULD BE A REVISION TO THE CONTRACT, SO HAPPY TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT KIND OF TEMPLATE THEY'RE USING.
WE PROVIDED OURS AS A GUIDE, BUT, UM, WE'LL GET THAT INFORMATION.
UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE, THE CONTRACTS DID GO OUT, LISA, THE SOURCE I HEARD AS WELL IS SEEING MYSELF, UH, WENT OUT TO SIGN CONTRACTS, NOT TO REVISE PROJECTS, SEND BACK IN, GET APPROVED AND THEN SIGN.
SO IT'S DUPLICATED SOME EFFORTS.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SCH MULVA.
UM, I DON'T WANNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME REITERATING, BUT WE'VE HEARD A TON OF FEEDBACK ON HOW TO BE BETTER.
I DO WANNA GO OVER THE NOW BECAUSE WE'RE HEARING FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THIS POINT DESPERATE BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING ON FUNDS.
THE CONTRACTS ARE IN THE HANDS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AT THIS POINT FOR ELEVATE, RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL OUT AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THEM TO BE.
THE LONG CENTER IS WAITING FOR THEM TO BE RETURNED.
THEY HAVE ISSUED 85 PAYMENTS, SO THEY'RE WORKING ON PROCESSING THE OTHERS, MEANING THEY EITHER DON'T HAVE A SIGNED CONTRACT OR THEY HAVE A SIGNED CONTRACT AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PAYING.
I DON'T HAVE EXACT, SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT SURE IF THEY'RE ALL IN THE HANDS OF, IS IT IN THE HANDS OF THE CULTURAL CONTRACTEES CONTRACTORS TO GET IT? I FEEL LIKE WE'RE THE CONTRACTOR YES.
TO GET IT OUT, TO GET THEM BACK TO US, BECAUSE THAT, THAT JUST NEEDS TO BE VERY CLEAR BECAUSE JESUS, YOU SAID THAT WHEN THEY ARE RECEIVED BACK, THAT MONEY CAN GET INTO THEIR HANDS REALLY QUICKLY.
SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S BEEN SHOWING.
AND SO, SO HYPOTHETICALLY, IF EVERYONE LISTENING WHO IS A, A CULTURAL CONTRACTOR GETS THEIR CONTRACTS BACK IN TOMORROW, THEY MIGHT HAVE MONEY IN THE BANK BY FRIDAY? YES.
AND THE, THE LONG CENTER OR, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY IT DEPENDS ON HOW MANY COME IN AT A TIME, OBVIOUSLY.
BUT, UH, THE LONG SENDER DID SAY THAT THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTORS THEY HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE CONTRACTORS TO LOOK IN THEIR SPAM FOLDER IF THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.
IF THEY HAVE AN INITIAL EMAIL FROM THE LONG SENDER, REACH OUT TO THEM.
IF THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING, UH, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO, UH, CULTURAL FUNDING, UH, TEAM MEMBER.
UM, BECAUSE THE LONG CENTER SHOULD HAVE SENT, UM, CONTRACTS OUT TO EVERYBODY, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY WERE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM A FEW FOLKS.
AND PART TWO OF THAT IS IF, UM, IS IT
[01:45:01]
POSSIBLE THAT WHAT WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER, LIKE I, THIS IS NOT IDEAL BECAUSE WE SHOULDN'T BE IN THIS POSITION, BUT IS TRIAGE POSSIBLE? LIKE, CAN IF, 'CAUSE YOU JUST SAID, YEAH, WE KNOW THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE WORKING ON THIS, THEY'RE OPENING STUFF.IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRIORITIZE THE FOLKS WHO HAVE PROGRAMMING THAT THEY NEED TO PAY FOR IN LIKE TWO WEEKS? BECAUSE IT'S REALLY, THAT PUTS THEIR CREDIBILITY ON THE LINE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST SO, I CAN'T SAY IT BETTER THAN YOU SAID IT, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY DIRE THAT WE GET THIS RIGHT IN WHATEVER WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT.
IS THAT POSSIBLE WITH THE LONG CENTER? WE CAN MAKE A CALL FIRST THING IN THE MORNING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN FOR ALL THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE BACK IN FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S BACK IN TO PRIORITIZE THOSE.
BUT THEY HAVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN.
UH, COMMISSIONER LIN, GIMME ONE SECOND.
UM, I WOULD GO SO FAR AS TO SAY LIKE IF THERE'S, I'M IN THIS ROOM AND I'M, I'M SEEING CONFLICTING INFORMATION, UM, FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE AND FROM WHAT I'M BEING TOLD.
SO IS CAN THERE BE A SENSE OF URGENCY CONVEYED TO THE STAFF MEMBERS AT THE LONG CENTER THAT I'M SURE THEY'RE SENDING THESE EMAILS, BUT CHECKING A SPAM FOLDER LIKE THAT, THAT THAT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING.
AND IF THERE, YOU KNOW, IF IT IS HAPPENING, THEN THERE NEEDS TO BE AN UNDERSTANDING THAT LIKE, OKAY, MAYBE YOU'RE NOT HEARING BACK THE NEXT DAY OR THE SAME DAY, BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE ON, YOU KNOW, WAITING FOR THIS TO COME THROUGH.
WHAT IS THE FOLLOW UP? LIKE, HOW QUICKLY, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, I SENT THAT EMAIL LAST WEEK.
IF THEY WANT THEIR MONEY, THEY'LL COME GET IT.
IT'S LIKE, NO, THERE NEEDS TO BE LIKE, I KNOW YOU NEED THIS MONEY
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE STAFF NUMBER IS AT THE LONG CENTER, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEARING FROM COMMUNITY DIRECTLY THAT THIS IS DIRE AND THIS IS HAPPENING.
AND SO THERE NEEDS TO BE LIKE A SENSE OF URGENCY ON BEHALF OF THE LONG CENTER TO GET THIS MONEY IN THE HANDS OF THE CONTRACTORS.
AND THEN COMMISSIONER GRAY, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO SHADE THE LONG CENTER HERE, BUT IF THEY CAN'T DO THAT, THEN IT CALLS INTO QUESTION WHY WE ARE USING A THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR.
BECAUSE IF THEY HAVE THE SAME LIMITED CAPACITY THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH IN THE CITY, THEN WHAT IS THE POINT? I JUST ONE MORE ADD TO THE REVISION OF CONTRACTS.
MOST LIKELY MANY CONTRACTS HAVE COME BACK TO THE CITY BEING SIGNED AND NOT PERHAPS LOOKED AT WHAT THEY MAY HAVE TO CUT OUT WITH THEIR SEASON OR SHOWS OR PRODUCTIONS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING.
THE CITY MAY WANNA THINK ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GONNA DEAL WITH THAT WITH MANY CONTRACTORS THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE WHAT THEY WERE PLANNING ON PRODUCING.
CAN I ADD ONE MORE THING? OKAY.
I THINK, IS THIS ON? I CAN'T TELL.
I THINK THE REASON TO KIND OF ECHO, YOU KNOW, WHY WE HAVE THE LONG CENTER AND WHY I WANTED TO ADD THIS AGENDA ITEM THAT WE WILL GET TO EVENTUALLY IS BECAUSE THE PROCESS WITH AUSTIN FINANCE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO DIVE INTO, IS NOT AN EASY PROCESS.
UM, AND I THINK IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE LONG CENTER THAT THESE CONTRACTORS WOULD BE BA WAITING OVER A MONTH FOR THEIR MONEY.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE BIGGER ISSUE THAT I WANT TO GET INTO AND WHY I ADDED IT TO AN AGENDA ITEM, UM, TO TODAY IS THAT WHY DOES IT TAKE 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS, EIGHT MONTHS, SIX MONTHS TO FILL AN INVOICE? AND WHY DOES IT HAPPEN WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, UM, OR E D D IN GENERAL, BUT IT'S NOT HAPPENING WITH THESE OTHER DIVISIONS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
LIKE THAT IS WHAT I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING AND I'M LIKE A PROBLEM SOLVER BRAIN, RIGHT? LIKE I ACTUALLY HAVE THE LEFT BRAIN AND UH, AND I LOOK AT SOMETHING AND I LOOK AT IT LIKE A PUZZLE AND I WANT TO PUT IT TOGETHER AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT.
AND I LITERALLY CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT.
I CANNOT UNDERSTAND IF SOMEBODY INVOICES WHY IT TAKES MORE THAN 30 DAYS IF THE MONEY IS ALREADY THERE.
LO LAURA, YOU KNOW, PRESENTED TO US SAYING THIS MONEY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FUNDING FOR 2024, WE ACTUALLY CAPTURE IN 2023.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THE MONEY ISN'T THERE, THE MONEY IS THERE.
SO IT'S LIKE, WHY IS THIS PROCESS SO DELAYED? AND, AND THAT'S WHY THIS AGENDA ITEM IS CALLED DELAYED.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M SUPPOSED TO BE SAYING ALL THIS, BUT THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED DELAYS BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THIS, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC PILOT PROGRAM.
OKAY? WE ALL UNDERSTAND IT'S A PILOT PROGRAM AND MANY THINGS CAN GO WRONG.
IT IS HISTORICALLY AN ISSUE WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION.
BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ARTISTS IN THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION THAT ARE GETTING CONTRACTED FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT EVEN GRANTS FOR WORK AND IT'S TAKING THEM SIX MONTHS, FOUR MONTHS, YOU KNOW, OOPS, THERE WAS A LITTLE ISSUE ON YOUR INVOICE.
[01:50:01]
ALL OVER AGAIN.IT'S LIKE IF THE, IF THE GOAL IS TO SUPPORT ARTISTS AND THE GOAL IS TRULY TO SUPPORT UNDERREPRESENTED ARTISTS, HOW IS THIS EQUITABLE AT ALL? LIKE, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME AND I WANT TO MAKE SENSE OF IT AND I WANT TO COME TO A SOLUTION.
AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS GETTING AT THIS WHOLE TIME, EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN SUPER P****D WHEN I'VE BEEN TALKING, IS BECAUSE I WANT TO UNDERSTAND AND I WANT TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE HERE THAT HAS BEEN SHARING TODAY WANTS.
UM, SO THAT IS YOUR, THAT IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.
IT'S BECAUSE AUSTIN FINANCE DOES NOT PAY INVOICES TIMELY.
DETECTIVE WORK ABOUT JUST PUTTING IT SAYING ON RECORD
OUR DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN IN THE TOP FIVE TURNAROUND DEPARTMENTS FOR LIKE THE LAST THREE YEARS.
SO THERE MAY BE EXCEPTIONS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN THE, THE TOP FIVE IN TERMS OF INVOICE TURNAROUND.
BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS, IF AN INVOICE IS WRONG, THERE ARE CERTAIN PROCUREMENT RULES AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW.
AND SO I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE AN EXCUSE, BUT I DO WANT, 'CAUSE MY STAFF MAY BE LISTENING, UM, AND TAKING THIS TO HEART, BUT WE ARE IN THE TOP FIVE.
THERE'S SOME GLITCHES, BUT IT IS A SYSTEM.
AND SO WE WILL WORK WITH OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS, BUT IT'S IT'S A LOT.
I HAVE A GOOD THING TO SAY, OH, IT'S ALL GOOD.
AND I'M NOT, IT'S ALL, AGAIN, I HAVE PEOPLE TAKING NOTES.
I HAVE MEETINGS WEDNESDAY AND I HAVE MEETINGS THURSDAY,
SO, UH, AS FAR AS GETTING, UH, CASH IN THE HANDS OF ARTISTS, UH, NOW AS COMPARED TO PRE ARPA FUNDS, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE, UH, UM, IMPROVEMENT, UH, IMPROVEMENT.
SO I THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH OF HOW FAST THAT HAS TURNED AROUND THE DIFFERENCE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? THIS WAS A LOT.
IT WAS TWO ITEMS KIND OF IN ONE.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO MY COMMISSION FOR ASKING VERY POINTED AND SPECIFIC AND INTENTIONAL QUESTIONS.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO STAFF FOR HAVING RESPONSES AND, AND JUST HONESTY IN THIS SPACE.
AND THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
UM, AND IT'S GONNA GET BETTER FROM HERE.
IT HAS TO PLEASE ARGUE IT'S GONNA GET BETTER FROM HERE, BUT EVERY FACET OF THIS CONVERSATION IS ESSENTIAL.
AND SO I NEED MY COMMUNITY TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY TO KEEP SHOWING UP AND TO KEEP, UM, SENDING IN THAT FEEDBACK AND PARTICIPATING IN THIS WAY.
'CAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA MAKE THESE VAST IMPROVEMENTS OVER TIME.
EXCUSE ME, I HAVE TO COMMENT ON THIS.
UM, THERE WAS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW ABOUT, ABOUT AGREEMENTS ALREADY.
I'VE BEEN TEXTING, NOT TODAY, BUT IN LIKE OVER THE WEEKEND BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'VE EXHAUSTED, WHEN I SAY WE'VE EXHAUSTED ALL OF OUR RESOURCES, WE HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL OF OUR RESOURCES.
SO WE TEXT, I BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH B C L AND THEY CANNOT DO BRIDGE LOANS.
SO IF THERE'S ANY COMMUNICATION ABOUT THAT RESOURCE COULD GET CLARIFICATION BEFORE IT GETS SENT OUT THAT IN FACT WE CAN GET ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE FROM THAT ORGANIZATION.
AND TWO, WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO WEEKS AND WE DON'T EVEN HAVE AGREEMENTS FROM THE LONG CENTER.
[01:55:22]
AND THAT COMMENT JUST COMES FROM THE FRUSTRATION THAT THIS WHOLE ENTIRE PROCESS WAS GONNA BE EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS.THERE HAVE BEEN HEBREW COMMUNICATION FROM THE LONG CENTER IN SPANISH SINCE THIS ENTIRE PROCESS STARTED.
WHERE IS THE EQUITY FOR THE, IN DANGER OF BEING EMBRACED FROM OUR COMMUNITY? THE EMAIL THAT I HAVE FROM RAQUEL IS THAT THEY ARE DOING IT.
I WILL REACH OUT TO HER FIRST B C L IN THE MORNING ALONG WITH BOBBY IN THE, THE LONG CENTER IN THE MORNING.
BUT THAT'S THE EMAIL THAT WE ALL HAVE IN OUR INBOX THAT THEY WILL DO THIS.
UM, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO, I JUST WANNA CONFIRM IS, UM, CAN WE GET CONFIRMATION THAT THERE IS A BILINGUAL AND INTERPRETER AT THE LONG CENTER TO ASSIST ANY, UH, THE SPANISH SPEAKER, UH, AWARDEES? CAN THAT BE CONFIRMED? AND ALSO, UM, THROUGH EVERYTHING I WAS LISTENING AND I KNOW WE'RE MOVING ON, IS I DO WANNA MAKE SURE, IS THERE A POINT OF CONTACT WHEN WE'RE SAYING CALL THE LONG CENTER? IS THERE A DIRECT POINT OF CONTACT, UH, AN ACTUAL NAME, A PERSON THAT CAN BE ASKED, UH, THAT THEY CAN ASK FOR AGAIN, FOR THAT HUMAN CONNECTION? I THINK THERE'S BEEN, I'VE BEEN HEARING THAT THROUGH THIS, THAT THE DISCONNECTION, UH, THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE LONG CENTER AND THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE AWARDED.
UM, SO IS THERE ACTUAL POINT OF CONTACT FOR THE LONG CENTER THAT CAN BE ISSUED IN THAT EMAIL THAT'S GOING OUT TOMORROW? YES.
THERE IS A SPANISH SPEAKER AT THE LONG CENTER.
WE CAN PROVIDE HER INFORMATION.
AND THE REASON THAT THERE ISN'T ONE PERSON NAMED AT THE LONG CENTER IS THAT THEY HAVE A TEAM OF FIVE OR SIX PEOPLE WHO TRADE OFF AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HANDLE THINGS AS A GROUP, BUT I'M HAPPY TO GET SOME MORE INDIVIDUAL CONTACT INFORMATION SO THAT THERE IS AT LEAST ONE PERSON WHO THE COMMUNITY CAN GO TO IF THEY DON'T HEAR BACK IN A TIMELY MANNER.
I THINK THAT WOULD, I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UH, THE, THE LEAST THAT WE CAN DO IS CREATE THAT ONE POINT OF CONTACT.
AND ALSO I THINK IT WILL HELP WITH JUST CONTAINING ALL THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION.
YEAH, AND I WOULD SAY ECHOING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MAKING AN EFFORT TO BE AVAILABLE TO OUR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS AND THAT THAT'S NOT HAPPENING SPECIFICALLY WITH THE FOUR CONTRACTS THAT WERE FUNDED THAT WERE IN SPANISH.
UM, OR THAT MAYBE THERE WERE FOUR THAT APPLIED, BUT FOR THOSE THAT WERE AWARDED, UM, THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OVERSIGHT THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED.
UM, THE CITY DOESN'T ISSUE CONTRACTS IN SPANISH, SO THE NEXT STEP IS TO GET, UM, SOMEONE WHO CAN BE SORT OF THAT LIAISON BETWEEN A SPANISH SPEAKER AND THE CITY'S CONTRACT.
AND WE JUST ACTUALLY HAD THAT CONVERSATION LAST WEEK, SO WE WILL GET ON THAT.
YOU OKAY? COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.
AGAIN, VERY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND IT'S A MATTER OF, YOU KNOW, SURVIVAL.
SO IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT ENERGIES ARE HIGH AND WHERE WE'RE AT, WHERE WE'RE AT IN THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT WE DO NEED TO MOVE ON.
UM, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. NUMBER NINE, APPROVE THE 2024 ARTS COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE.
ACTUALLY, DO YOU WANNA HAVE ANNEMARIE DO HER? OH, I'M SORRY, ANNEMARIE.
WE KIND OF JUMPED AHEAD TO THE MOVED TO ITEM, BUT LET'S GO AHEAD AND BACKTRACK AND FINISH ITEM EIGHT.
UM, IF, UH, CITY HALL CAN BRING UP THE, UH, I THINK IT'S A P DS PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M ANNE-MARIE MCCASKILL, DAVIS CULTURAL FUNDING SPECIALIST SENIOR WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION WITHIN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
SO I'M GONNA DO TWO QUICK UPDATES, THE NEXUS GRANT UPDATE TO KIND OF GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT, UM, OF OUR DRAFT DASHBOARD FOR NEXUS, AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE ARTS EDUCATION RELIEF GRANT.
[02:00:02]
UM, SO WE HAD 193 FOLKS.UM, ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS APPLY, THERE WERE A LOT MORE THAN THAT WHO APPLIED.
THERE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT, UM, ANOTHER 50 TO 70 APPLICATIONS THAT WERE DEEMED INELIGIBLE BECAUSE THOSE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE AWARDED AN ELEVATE, UM, OR JUST DIDN'T MEET OTHER VARIOUS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
SO WE HAD REALLY HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE APPLYING FOR THIS PROGRAM.
UM, 193 OF THEM WERE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.
UM, WE HAD, UM, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPE OF, UM, APPLICANT TYPES, SO LOTS OF INDIVIDUALS AND, UM, EMERGING BUSINESSES.
AND, UM, A FEW, UM, ARTS NONPROFITS, UM, REPRESENTATION FROM ALL THE DISTRICTS.
UM, OUR, WE HAD ONE APPLICATION IN SPANISH.
UM, WHAT ELSE? UM, FAIRLY DIVERSE APPLICATION POOL.
UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WE, UM, SO THIS, AGAIN, SO THIS HASN'T BEEN UPDATED WITH THE 52 APPLICANTS WHO WERE ENDED UP BEING AWARDED, UM, BECAUSE OF A TIE, UM, IN THE SCORING.
SO, UM, THIS WILL ACTUALLY BE, UM, INSTEAD OF 49 APPLICANTS, IT'LL BE 52, UM, ONCE WE GET THIS DASHBOARD REVISED AND IT'LL BE 260,000 WHO ARE AWARDED.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE ALL COMING FROM DIFFERENT AREAS.
YOU SEE SOME FOLKS WHO, UM, UM, APPLICANT ZIP CODES.
YOU SEE SOME IN THE OUTLYING AREAS LIKE IN SMITH FROM SMITHVILLE AND SAN MARCUS AND, UM, ROUND ROCK AND CEDAR PARK.
THAT IS BECAUSE WE EXPANDED THE ELIGIBILITY WHERE THE PERSON, UM, OR THE BUSINESS COULD BE, UM, WITHIN THE, UM, ROUND ROCK AUSTIN M S A.
UM, SO THAT JUST MEANT THAT THEY COULD BE RESIDENTS IN THOSE AREAS, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THEIR WORK IS OCCURRING WITHIN AUSTIN.
SO, UM, THOUGH THE, THERE MAY BE SOME FROM OUTLYING AREAS THERE, MAJORITY OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IS BEING PRESENTED IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND THIS IS SORT OF LIKE A DIS UH, A BREAKDOWN OF THE AWARDEES AND WHO WAS DECLINED.
UM, SO WE HAD 73% OF OUR APPLICANTS, UM, WHO ARE THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS IS MAJORITY DIVERSE, UM, RACE OR ETHNICITY, WHICH IS GREAT.
UM, DEFINITELY, UM, REFLECTING SOME OF OUR GOALS OF OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS. UM, WHAT ELSE? UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO TO ARTS EDUCATION RELIEF GRANT.
UH, WE'LL DO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH THIS KIND OF QUICKLY.
SO WE HAD $475,000 FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
WAS THAT SOMETHING ASKING ME A QUESTION? NO, GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE.
MIND POP SERVED AS OUR COMMUNITY AMPLIFIER.
SO THEY HELPED US MARKET SPECIFICALLY TO ARTS EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH THEY KIND OF HAVE A LOCK ON IN THIS CITY.
UM, SO THEY'VE BEEN AN IMMENSE SUPPORTER.
UM, AND SO THEY WERE FANTASTIC IN HELPING US, UM, GO ABOVE OUR GOAL OF GETTING 50 APPLICANTS FOR THIS PROGRAM.
UM, THEY OFFERED SOME ADDITIONAL OPEN OFFICE HOURS FOR APPLICATIONS AND THEY, UM, REALLY DID A GREAT JOB OF BRINGING IN, UM, APPLICANTS AS WELL AS HELPED US SELECT OUR, UM, PANELISTS FOR THE REVIEW PANEL.
WE HAD A TOTAL OF 59 ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS APPLY, AND 19% OF THEM WERE FIRST TIME APPLICANTS, WHICH IS AMAZING, UM, BECAUSE, UM, WE DON'T TYPICALLY FUND ARTS EDUCATION DIRECTLY THROUGH, UM, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
AND SO SEEING THAT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT AREN'T ALREADY RECEIVING OR HAVE RECEIVED IN THE PAST FUNDS FROM, UM, THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM, IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT THERE ARE, UM, A GOOD NUMBER OF FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ARE TRYING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, WE AWARDED 1920 $5,000 GRANTS.
UH, WE HOSTED TWO REVIEW PANELS.
UM, THERE WERE FOUR PANELISTS ON EACH PANEL INCLUDING US, UH, IN ADDITION TO A SINGLE STAFF FACILITATOR WHO WAS THE SORT OF, UM, GUIDELINES EXPERT FOR THE PROGRAM, AND THEN AN EQUITY EQUITY FACILITATOR AS WELL FOR EACH OF THE PANELS.
UM, WE HAD, UM, ENDED UP AWARDING FOUR FIRST TIME CULTURAL FUNDING GRANTEES OUT OF THAT 19, SO THAT WAS, UM, REALLY EXCITING, AT LEAST FOR ME.
[02:05:01]
THE GRANTEES, UM, IN THAT GROUP HAD BUDGETS UNDER $250,000.SO, UM, PRIMARILY FUNDING, UM, SMALL AND SORT OF MIDSIZE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, JUST A SORT OF BREAKDOWN OF APPLICANTS VERSUS AWARDED IN TERMS OF DISTRICT.
SO LOTS OF FOLKS, UM, FROM THE, THE TYPICAL DISTRICTS, UM, APPLYING, UM, WITH, UM, REPRESENTATION IN DISTRICT ONE AND FOUR AND OUR AWARDEES.
UM, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO THIS IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE, UM,
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, IT WAS PRETTY FAIRLY EVEN IN TERMS OF THE APPLICANT POOL.
UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO AWARD, UM, UH, 74% OF OUR AWARDEES WERE, ARE LED BY MAJORITY DIVERSE RACE OR ETHNICITY LEADERS.
UM, THE LED ORGANIZATION LED BY GENDER, UM, SORT OF AVERAGED OUT PRETTY EVENLY BETWEEN, UM, BOTH GENDERS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE PERCENT OF THE PARTICIPANTS FROM AN ORGANIZATION FROM ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, UM, COMMUNITIES, UM, ARE, ARE ENTIRE AWARDED POOL ARE SERVING, UM, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS.
UM, AT LEAST 50% PICK UP AT LEAST 50% OF, OF THE PARTICIPANTS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH, AND MANY ARE 75 TO A HUNDRED PERCENT ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.
AND THEN HERE'S A LIST OF OUR AWARDEES.
UM, LOTS OF MUSIC ORGANIZATIONS, UM, ARE AWARDED, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME LITERARY, UM, AWARDS OR LITERARY GROUPS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE SOME, UH, DANCE AND, UM, VISUAL ART, UM, OR ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL.
AND THEN I THINK, I THINK THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE.
SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE, UM, AS OF TODAY.
SO WE'VE STARTED THE CONTRACTING PROCESS.
THEY, ALTHOUGH, UM, AWARDEES RECEIVED AN EMAIL LAST WEEK WITH VERY DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AS TO WHAT THEY NEED TO PROVIDE, THEY ALSO RECEIVED, UM, A VIDEO GOING OVER ALL THE CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, UM, AND SORT OF OUTLINING THE, OUTLINING THE NEXT STEPS, UM, WHERE THEY THEN HAVE TO COMPLETE A QUIZ TO MAKE, MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE KEY PIECES OF WHAT'S IN THE CONTRACT, UM, BEFORE, UM, WE CAN SEND THE CONTRACTS OVER TO THEM.
I HAVEN'T SENT ANY CONTRACTS OUT YET, BUT I DO HAVE PROBABLY TWO OR THREE THAT ARE READY TO GO.
UM, THEIR CONTRACT PERIOD IS FROM NOW UNTIL JUNE OF 2024.
AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CON TRUNCATED CONTRACT PERIOD, BUT I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO THE N E A BY OUR, BY THEIR DEADLINE.
UM, AND THEN JUST AS A REMINDER, THEY HAVE TO USE 50% OF THEIR, UM, AWARD AMOUNT.
SO $12,500 HAS TO GO, UH, TO PAY TEACHING ARTISTS.
SO WE ARE PUTTING POCKETS, UH, IT'S PUTTING MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF TEACHING ARTISTS.
UM, AND THAT'S MY DIRTY PRESENTATION ON THESE TWO PROGRAMS. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER, NEY? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR KIND OF OUTLINING THAT ALL.
VERY EASY TO DIGEST INFORMATION.
UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE IF SOMETHING SIMILAR WAS MADE FOR ELEVATE AND THRIVE, UM, ON THAT PROCESS, I THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE A LOT LESS QUESTIONS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
AND JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING VERY COMMUNICATIVE, UM, ABOUT THE PROCESS AS WELL.
ANYONE ELSE? COMMISSIONER HOUSTON? UM, JUST A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, IS THE LONG CENTER HANDLING THE HANDLING THE PAYOUTS FOR THIS, OR IT'S DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CITY? OH, YEAH, GREAT QUESTION.
SO THEY ARE HANDLING THE, SO FOR NEXUS, THEY ARE HANDLING JUST THE PAYMENT PROCESS.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO THE AGREEMENTS IN-HOUSE, WE'LL VERIFY THAT THE NEXUS AGREEMENT ARE READY TO GO IN PLACE, UM, AND THEN WE'LL NOTIFY THE LONG CENTER.
IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO START PAYING THOSE FOLKS OUT.
IT'S A 90%, 10%, SO 90%, ONCE WE SAY, UM, ISSUE THE PAYMENT, UM, AND 10% ONCE THEIR FINAL REPORT IS COMPLETED AND APPROVED.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SENT, UM, THERE, SO THERE'S A, A PRE AGREEMENT QUIZ THAT THEY HAVE TO COMPLETE.
ESSENTIALLY, THAT'S THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE TO
[02:10:01]
DO.UM, ABOUT 75% OF THE NEXUS APPLICANTS HAVE COMPLETED THAT.
UM, AND I'M JUST WAITING FOR AN INTERNAL DOCUMENT TO BE ABLE TO START SENDING OUT THE CONTRACT.
SO HOPEFULLY I CAN GET THOSE OUT THIS WEEK.
AND THEN THE LONG CENTER CAN START PAYING THOSE PAYMENTS, UM, OKAY.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S NO POSSIBILITY THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A KERFLUFFLE AND EXTEND THE PANTS? UM, I MEAN, I HOPE NOT.
I CAN'T SAY THAT THERE'S NOT A POSSIBILITY, BUT YES, I DON'T THINK THERE, I DON'T THINK THERE WILL.
I'M SAYING NOT ON THE PARTS OF THE AWARDEES.
IF THE AWARDEES DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, THEN THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY KERFUFFLES IN TERMS OF GETTING THEIR PAYMENTS.
UM, SECOND QUESTION IS, CAN WE GET, CAN WE GET AN IDEA OF ON UH, PAGE, UH, THERE WAS A SLIDE THAT STARTS WITH, UH, THE 245, THE, THE DECK THAT'S GONNA BE CORRECTED FOR THE 52 AWARDEES.
IT SHOWS THE ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES.
IF YOU COULD BREAK DOWN WHAT PERCENTAGE IN EACH DISCIPLINE.
SO I THINK, SO THAT'S, SO WHAT THAT IS, IS A DRAFT OF OUR DASHBOARD.
AND SO OUR DASHBOARD SHOULD BE INTERACTIVE, SO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLICK ON IT AND IT WILL SHOW YOU OF THE AWARDEES OR OF THE APPLICANTS, THE, THIS IS HOW MANY, UM, WERE, YOU KNOW, DANCE ORGANIZATIONS, RIGHT.
SO LET ME, UM, WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THAT REVISED BECAUSE WE JUST UPDATED OUR AWARD NUMBER OF AWARDEES, RIGHT.
SO, UM, THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE SOON, BUT I'LL DOUBLE CHECK THAT THAT IS A FOR SURE.
'CAUSE JUST FROM THE NAMES OF THE AWARDEES, YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY TELL WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEIR, UM, FOCUS IS.
AND THE, THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS THAT IT APPEARS THAT OF THE DISTRICTS THAT HAD APPLICANTS, WE HAVE TWO DISTRICTS THAT HAD APPLICANTS AND DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY AWARDEE, ANY AWARDS.
DO WE HAVE, UH, JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT? UM, WELL, THERE'S NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT WE FUND AN ARTIST OR ORGANIZATION FROM EVERY OR EVERY DISTRICT.
SO IT'S NOT A SCORING MECHANISM THERE.
SO IT'S JUST POSSIBLE THAT THOSE PARTICULAR DISTRICT APPLICANTS JUST DIDN'T POUR HIGH ENOUGH TO RECEIVE FUNDING THIS TIME.
BUT WE'LL CERTAINLY INVITE THEM TO COME BACK AND APPLY AGAIN AND RIGHT.
I JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SOME KIND OF CONCRETE JUSTIFICATION IN AS TO WHY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN, BECAUSE IT, IT, IT LOOKS WEIRD WHEN YOU SAY WE HAD ONE APPLICANT FROM DISTRICT TWO AND WE DIDN'T AWARD THAT APPLICANT.
WE NEED TO, IT NEEDS TO BE REALLY SOLID WHY THAT APPLICANT DIDN'T RECEIVE FUNDING.
J JUST SPEAKING ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND SURE.
AND ALL THE APPLICANTS, UM, ARE, I WON'T SAY ALL OF THEM, BUT MANY OF THEM HAVE REACHED OUT TO GET THEIR SCORES MM-HMM.
UH, QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.
THANK YOU ANNE-MARIE FOR THAT THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
VERY, UM, EXCITED FOR THE AWARDEES AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SINCE I WAS QUICK TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS, I WANNA CONFIRM WITH COMMISSIONER CHENEY THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ASK ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AT THE LAST, WELL, WELL, I DON'T WANNA MOVE ON IF YOU DON'T FEEL THAT WE COVERED YOUR ITEM THOROUGHLY.
NO, I, I DO HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS, UM, REGARDING JUST THE, THE GRANT PROCESS IN GENERAL, THAT WAS, UM, NOT NECESSARILY THE DELAYS, BUT THE TRANSPARENCY PART OF IT, UM, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK.
DO YOU WANNA JUST THROW THEM OUT THERE AND THEN IF POTENTIALLY THEY, I MEAN, YOU ARE ONE OF OUR MOST RECENT ADDITIONS, SO IF MAYBE THE COMMISSION COULD HELP TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS TOO.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK, UM, SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS REGARDING THE APPEALS PROCESS.
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE, UM, WE GOT A REPORT THAT THERE, I THINK THERE WERE 16 PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO DO APPEALS OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANTED TO DO APPEALS, BUT ONLY TWO WERE APPROVED.
AND I REALLY WANNA UNDERSTAND THE CRITERIA FOR APPEALS.
UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY CLEAR, AND I KNOW THAT IT WAS MODELED AFTER, UM, OLD APPEAL PROCESSES, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS A BRAND NEW GRANT, I WOULD HAVE FIGURED THAT THEY WOULD BE NEW APPEAL PROCESSES BASED ON EQUITY AND BASED ON RACIAL EQUITY.
MY SECOND QUESTION IS REGARDING THE PANELISTS.
[02:15:01]
OF ECHO ONE OF THE FOLKS THAT SHARED TONIGHT, UM, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF THE PANELISTS.UM, BUT I KIND OF WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE TRANSPARENTLY, UM, WHY IT WAS CHOSEN TO, SO, AND IF THOSE THAT ARE NOT AWARE, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THIS CHANGE, THEY WOULD HAVE PANELISTS THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO THAT DISCIPLINE.
SO IF YOU WERE A FILMMAKER, YOU WOULD BE REVIEWING, YOU KNOW, THE FILM AND MEDIA.
IF YOU WERE A DANCER, YOU WOULD BE REVIEWING DANCE THEATER.
AND THE REASON WHY I ASKED THAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, IF I WAS A PANELIST AND I WAS MEANT TO REVIEW DANCE, I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO REVIEW THAT APPLICATION AND THE ACTIVITIES BECAUSE I'M NOT A DANCER AND I'M NOT WELL VERSED IN THAT SPECIFIC DISCIPLINE.
BUT IF I WAS TO REVIEW SOMETHING IN MEDIA ARTS OR FILM, I WOULD KNOW IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE THAT'S MY BACKGROUND.
AND I FEEL LIKE AS A HUMAN BEING, YOU CAN BE UNBIASED, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU HAVE PRE-EXISTING KNOWLEDGE OF A SPECIFIC ART DISCIPLINE, YOU'RE GONNA BE MORE EXCITED TO READ ABOUT THAT.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHY, UM, I FELT THAT IT WASN'T TRANSPARENT IN THAT PROCESS.
AND I'VE HEARD FEEDBACK FROM FOLKS ON, LIKE, PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY DID BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
LIKE, UM, I REMEMBER SEEING THE REVIEWS AND SOMEBODY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HISTORICALLY WHAT FOLK ART WAS.
AND SO ONE OF THE PANELISTS ACTUALLY HAD TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THE HISTORY OF FOLK ART.
AND IT'S LIKE, I, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND LIKE WHY THAT PROCESS WAS CHANGED.
SO THAT'S MY SECOND TRANSPARENCY QUESTION.
UM, AND THEN MY THIRD WAS, UM, IT IS ABSOLUTELY GRUELING TO WATCH PANEL REVIEWS AND TO NOT BE ABLE TO, UM, INTERACT.
AND SO I THINK I WANNA UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
IF YOU'RE GETTING JUST PICKED APART, WHICH SOME GROUPS GOT PICKED APART, I WATCH THOSE PANELS AND YOU CAN'T PROVIDE ANY CONTEXT OR ANY INFORMATION, WHICH AGAIN, 2019 AND BEFORE YOU WOULD COME IN, YOU WOULD HAVE A PANEL REVIEW, AND THEN YOU COULD CLARIFY A, A PART OF YOUR, UM, APPLICATION ON THE SPOT.
YOU COULDN'T RE, AND I REMEMBER, JESUS, YOU ALWAYS SAY YOU CAN'T INTRODUCE NEW INFORMATION.
AND SO IT GOT TO THIS PROCESS WHERE LIKE MAYBE SOMEBODY JUST REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND A PART OF THEIR APPLICATION SO THEY COULD KIND OF ELABORATE ON WHAT THAT MEANT, BUT THAT WAS TAKEN AWAY.
AND SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND THE TRANSPARENCY OF THESE CHANGES BEYOND THE ACTUAL ISSUES THAT THE GRANT HAD.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO INCORPORATE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THE NEXT TIME.
AND MAYBE THIS ISN'T LIKE INFORMATION THAT Y'ALL KNOW, BUT REITERATING THOSE PANELS WERE ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL.
BUT ESPECIALLY BECAUSE NONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS COULD SAY ANYTHING.
AND THEN THE ONLY THING THAT THEY CAN DO NOW, WHICH I'M AWARE OF IS APPEAL, BUT THEY CAN'T APPEAL ON ANYTHING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, REGARDING THEIR CONTRACT OR THEIR ACTIVITIES.
IT HAS TO BE VERY, VERY SPECIFIC PARAMETERS, WHICH I'M NOT VERY CLEAR ON.
SO IF Y'ALL COULD EXPLAIN THAT AS WELL.
AND SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTIONS, BUT YOU KNOW, I GOTTA ASK THEM.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE AN ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP, AND JESUS WAS GOING TO PREFACE THAT, UH, ITEM WITH A PRESENTATION ON THE APPEALS PROCESS, HOW IT WORKED, UM, WHY CERTAIN STEPS WERE IN PLACE.
AND SO WE CAN DO THAT AT THE TIME.
WE CAN ALSO TALK ABOUT THE PANEL PROCESS ITSELF, HOW THE PEER PANELISTS WERE ASSIGNED TO CERTAIN REVIEW, UM, PANELS.
AND YOUR THIRD QUESTION WAS, UH, THE PANEL INTERACTION.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THAT NOW, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO IT AT THE ITEM? LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS THE QUESTIONS IN REAL TIME.
'CAUSE I THINK IT'LL KEEP IT MORE VIABLE FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE IN CONTEXT.
AND, AND THEN WHEN WE GET TO THAT ITEM, IT'S, IT'S ASSIGNING THE WORKING GROUP.
SO WE'LL BE THAT MUCH MORE PRE OKAY.
UM, SO I KNOW WE'RE GONNA DO IT IN REAL TIME NOW.
I REALLY THINK THE FIRST QUESTION, I THINK THE PRESENTATION WILL ANSWER A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS.
SO I WOULD, UH, RESPECTFULLY, UM, REQUEST THAT WE, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THE APPEALS AND MORE PROCESS ONCE WE GET TO, TO THAT ITEM.
UH, UM, OH, DO YOU, YOU WANNA DO THE APPEALS, UH, PRESENTATION NOW? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH.
COMMISSIONER, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU FEEL, I MEAN, I'M HAPPY TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED.
UH, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT IS ADDRESSING A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
MAYBE WE RESERVE THE APPEALS PORTION FOR THAT ITEM AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE SECOND AND THIRD QUESTIONS IN THIS TIME.
SO, WELL, LET'S PUT A HOLD ON THE APPEALS UNTIL WE GET TO THAT POINT IN THE AGENDA.
BUT, UM, THE OTHER TWO QUESTIONS, LET'S GO AHEAD AND ANSWER NOW.
AND I REMEMBER THE THIRD QUESTION, BUT WHAT WAS THE SECOND QUESTION AGAIN? THE SECOND QUESTION WAS KIND OF THE THOUGHT PROCESS
[02:20:01]
BEHIND JUST HAVING, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU HAD MULTIPLE GROUPS THAT WERE DOING, UM, PANEL PANELISTS THAT WERE DOING REVIEWS LIKE THIS THROUGH GROUP, THROUGH THIS GROUP FOR THAT ONE, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND HAVING PANELISTS THAT MAYBE AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THOSE SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES REVIEWING APPLICATIONS FOR THOSE DISCIPLINES, BECAUSE THAT DIFFERS KIND OF FROM THE PROCESS BEFORE.SO I THINK THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THAT WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL.
THE PANELISTS, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE, UM, DISCIPLINE OR, YOU KNOW, KNOWLEDGE IN ALL DIFFERENT, UM, ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES.
SO, UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS.
I THINK THE OTHER REASON WAS TO KIND OF KEEP, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE ARE CAN BE SO MANY PANELS IF THE FILM PANEL WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, REALLY STRICT IN THEIR SCORING, WHEREAS THE DANCE PANEL WAS, YOU KNOW, SCORING HIGHER, WE WANTED TO TRY, UM, AND, AND AVOID THAT.
SO THAT WAS, UM, PART OF THE, THE RATIONALE FOR, UH, FOR DOING THE, THE PANEL PROCESS THAT WAY.
UM, BUT AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING, UM, YOU KNOW, GATHERING FEEDBACK AND, AND LOOKING AT WHAT CAN CHANGE FOR THE FUTURE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD, UM, UH, WE CAN TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT.
BUT I THINK THAT WAS THE, THE REASONING FOR, FOR THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD QUESTION WAS ABOUT THE, UM, UM, APPLICANTS BEING ABLE TO, UM, UH, GIVE FEEDBACK.
UM, WE WERE LOOKING AT THAT ACTUALLY FROM AN EQUITY, UM, POINT OF VIEW, OR AT LEAST THAT WAS THE INTENT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE MAYBE MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, NOT AS GOOD SPEAKING IN PUBLIC OR, YOU KNOW, THINKING ON THEIR FEET VERY QUICKLY WHILE THE PANEL IS DOING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVE, GIVING THEIR ITEMS. SO THAT WAS THE RATIONALE, UH, BEHIND NOT ALLOWING, UM, UM, APPLICANTS TO, UH, SPEAK BACK AT THE PANEL.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT WHAT BEST PRACTICES WERE AMONGST, UM, OTHER FUNDERS.
UM, AND, UH, WE DID NOT FIND OTHERS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAD A SPECIFIC TALK BACK THAT, UM, LIKE, UH, WE HAVE HAD, UH, PREVIOUSLY IN THE PAST, A LOT OF THEM HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EITHER WATCH, UM, UM, IN, IN THE ROOM WE DID IT, UH, VIRTUALLY, SO YOU CAN, UH, WATCH, UH, VIRTUALLY THAT WAY, UH, BUT NOT INTERACTING WITH THE PANEL.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TO REVIEWS FOR OTHER TYPES OF GRANTS.
IT'S JUST THE FEED, THE, THE, THE, THE REVIEWS ITSELF FOR SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS WERE JUST SO HEARTBREAKING AND NEGATIVE THAT IT WAS EMBARRASSING FOR THEM.
AND SO I, IT THERE, THE LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM AND SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE, UM, WERE, I, I JUST KIND OF DON'T HAVE WORDS FOR THEM.
AND THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE THAT GOT REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK DURING THAT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T IGNORE THAT IT WAS PUT ON DISPLAY, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M USED TO AS A PERSON THAT HAS APPLIED FOR GRANTS FOR 10 PLUS YEARS IS I APPLY FOR THE GRANT AND THEN I GET NOTES BACK.
AND MAYBE I DON'T LIKE THOSE NOTES, BUT IT'S VERY CLEAR WHAT MY FEEDBACK IS, AND IT'S NOT A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH.
UM, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SEEING THE DISCUSSION THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT IT WAS A MESS.
I MEAN, THE, THE, THE FOLKS THAT WERE BEING PANELISTS, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR TIME AND I THINK THAT THEY DID THEIR BEST, BUT NOT GOING THROUGH EACH QUESTION LIKE IT WAS BEFORE AND, AND, AND STATING THE QUESTION, STATING THEIR SCORE, UM, AND STATING, YOU KNOW, THEIR REASONING FOR THAT SCORE JUST DID NOT HAPPEN.
IT WAS JUST LIKE A FREE FOR ALL DISCUSSION.
IT WOULD GET OFF TRACKS, PEOPLE SAID SOME KIND OF HURTFUL THINGS.
UM, SO I HOPE THAT MAYBE THAT IS KIND OF LOOKED AT.
UM, AND YOU EITHER CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT'S INTERACTIVE WHERE FOLKS CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT WERE TO HAPPEN AGAIN, OR IT JUST HAPPENED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND YOU PROVIDE NOTES TO PEOPLE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS THE STANDARD PRACTICE, YOU KNOW, UM, SO I JUST, I REALLY WANTED TO JUST UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
COMMISSIONER CHARLA, AND THEN COMMISSIONER HOUSTON.
YEAH, I, I THINK, YEAH, I'VE HAD A LOT OF FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITY REACH OUT AS WELL ON, ON MULTIPLE FRONTS.
UM, IF, IF THERE'S NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE APPLICANT TO INTERACT WITH THE PANEL, UM, THEN IT DOES, DOES MAKE ME, I MEAN, EVEN MORE SO QUESTION, EVEN THE NEED TO HAVE THE LIVE PANEL.
UM, IT ALMOST, ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH THE CHANGED APPLICATIONS AND EVEN FOLKS THAT HAVE APPLIED FOR THIS IN THE PAST, BUT BECAUSE THE APPLICATION, UH, PROCESS CRITERIA HAS CHANGED, I THOUGHT,
[02:25:01]
UM, IT'S, I THINK THERE HAS TO BE AN LAYER WHERE IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO IMPACT SOMEBODY'S CORE, THEN AN OPPORTUNITY HAS TO BE PROVIDED TO THE APPLICANT TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THOSE QUERIES.BECAUSE IF YOUR SCORE IS GONNA DROP FROM 80 TO 40, BECAUSE ONE OF THE PANELISTS OUT OF THREE, EVEN THAT SOMETHING, UH, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MEET SOME CRITERIA, THEN AFTER THE APPLICANT NEEDS TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS.
AND I FEEL LIKE ALMOST THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, UNLESS THERE'S SOME KIND OF A LIVE VIDEO INTERAC AND OFFLINE, UH, WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO DO THE ZOOM SESSIONS, EVEN I DON'T, UH, BECAUSE, UH, IF, IF WE CAN JUST OPEN UP THAT THE FAMILIES ARE LOOKING, THEY HAVE A QUESTION, A, UH, BASICALLY REQUEST A RESPONSE WITHIN A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME AND THAT RESPONSE IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHILE DOING THE FINAL SCORING, I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
BECAUSE I DID GET, UM, VERY MUCH, OH, WE WERE SURPRISED TO GET, THEY WERE
RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT OPPORTUNITY ACTUALLY HAS TO BE PROVIDED TO KEEP IT FAIR.
UH, AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, IT, LIKE, THE FIELD MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOO STRINGENT, BUT THE KIND OF THE AVENUES GET SHUT DOWN, UH, RIGHT.
SO I, I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY, UH, ROOM FOR US TO, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST EVOLVE, UH, NEXT TIME.
AND THE ONE THING THAT I HEARD QUITE WAS, UM, ABOUT, IT'S, IT'S THING, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A COMPLETE, WHEN YOU HAVE EXTERNAL COMMISSIONER, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CUTTING IN AND OUT, AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO HEAR YOUR LAST COMMENT.
CAN YOU JUST REPEAT THAT LAST QUESTION? SO THE LAST, THE LAST THING, THE ONE, ONE OTHER FEEDBACK THAT I'VE CONSISTENTLY HEARD, YOU KNOW, IS, IS, UH, THAT, I MEAN, IT'S A, IT'S A COMPLEX ISSUE BECAUSE HAVING EXTERNAL, UH, PANELISTS INTRODUCES A LEVEL OF NEUTRALITY THAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
BUT IN THE, IN SAME BREADTH, IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, THERE IS A SENTIMENT THAT THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE GROUND AND WHICH ORGANIZATION IS WRITTEN IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, SO THEY DON'T HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE.
IT'S A
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE SIGNAL OR THE MIC, BUT IT MIGHT BE BEST TO, IT'S, WE'RE GETTING LIKE EVERY THIRD WORD, BUT MAYBE YOU COULD PUT THIS IN WRITING.
I THINK WE WERE ALL HOLDING IT.
HOPEFULLY IT WOULD GET CLEAR, BUT IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S NOT, UM, AND, BUT LET'S, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND PUTTING WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO CONVEY IN WRITING SO THAT IT CAN GO DOWN AND, AND BE COLLECTED WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE FEEDBACK AS IT RELATES TO THIS.
DID WE MISS THE WHOLE THING? IT'S EVERY THIRD WORD OR SO, IT'S, I'M SO SORRY.
I MEAN, WE WERE ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG FOR THE MOST PART, BUT I THINK TO PROVIDE A, A, A DETAILED ANSWER WITH THE NUANCE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, IT WOULD BE CLEARER TO HAVE IT SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY SEE IT IN FULL.
I'M GETTING A NOTE FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT THERE'S A WEIRD ECHO, UM, THAT THE MIC C CITY HALL, AV ONE IS SHOWING UP AS ACTIVE.
IS THAT THE PODIUM? JUST TRYING TO SEE IF THERE'S A MIC ON SOMEWHERE THAT'S ALSO CAUSING AN ECHO.
COMMISSIONER CHARLA, WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK EVEN IF YOU CAN COMMUNICATE IT TO ME, UH, DIRECTLY NOW, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO READ IT IF, IF YOU WANNA PROVIDE A SYNTHESIZED, UM, VERSION.
UH, WERE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT? COMMISSIONER HOUSTON? UM, I WANTED TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMMISSIONER KINI, UH, SAID, UH, THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE PROFESSIONALISM OF THE PANEL.
AND THE PANEL IS THERE TO EVALUATE, NOT TO, UM, CRITIQUE.
AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO THINGS.
AND, UM, I'M SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO A PANEL THAT I HEARD ABOUT WHERE ONE OF THE PANELISTS WAS BASICALLY AIRING A GRIEVANCE THAT THEY HAD WITH THE ENTITY FROM A PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, RATHER THAN EVALUATING THE APPLICATION THAT WAS IN FRONT OF THEM.
AND I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING
[02:30:01]
IN THE PANEL OR SOMEONE ON THE PANEL WHO IS AUTHORIZED TO SET PROTOCOL AND IS ABLE TO SAY TO A PANELIST, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN, HOWEVER, THAT THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR THAT.BECAUSE REVIEWING AN APPLICATION FOR FUNDING SHOULD NOT BE THE PLACE WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS AN, A GRIEVANCE THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE ENTITY FROM A PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH THE ENTITY SEPARATELY.
AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PANELIST FOR, FOR FUNDING, THEN YOU EVALUATE THE APPLICATION THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO HOW, HOW, HOW CAN WE SET THAT STANDARD? AND THEN, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER POINTS THAT COMMISSIONER, UH, CINE MADE ABOUT HAVING PEOPLE FROM THE SPECIFIC DISCIPLINE GRADING THE PANEL.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOP GRADING THE APPLICATIONS, I, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ON THE PANEL SHOULD BE FROM THE DISCIPLINE.
BUT I DO ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE PEOPLE FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES GRADING THE APPLICATIONS BECAUSE YOU DANCERS AREN'T ONLY DANCING FOR DANCERS, DANCERS ARE DANCING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
SO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD ALSO HAVE SOME INPUT INTO WHAT, WHAT IS HAPPENING.
BUT I DO AGREE THAT IT, IT SHOULD BE PRIMARILY OF THE DISCIPLINE THAT THEY'RE, UM, REVIEWING.
HELLO, UM, ON THIS, I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON IT REALLY QUICKLY SO IT'S ON THE RECORD.
SO JUAN, I DO FEEL FIRMLY THAT THE EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATIONS SHOULD NOT BE MADE PUBLICIZED.
UH, I THINK THAT THAT, UNTIL WE GET THAT RIGHT
I THINK THERE'S AN ASPECT OF IT THAT COMES ACROSS ALREADY DEMORALIZING, UH, TO ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE REALLY DEVOTED, YOU KNOW, THEIR LIFE AND THEIR TALENT TO, YOU KNOW, TO, TO PROVIDING, UH, THE ARTS TO OUR CITY.
THE OTHER, I WOULD SAY AS FAR AS, UH, MY OPINION ON WHETHER OR NOT THE APPLICANT SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, I HAVE FOUND, UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE THAT THAT PUBLIC SPEAKING OR BEING PUT ON THE SPOT TO ANSWER AND DEFEND YOURSELF, THAT THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE OR EVERYONE IS COMFORTABLE WITH.
SO I THINK IT'S ALSO ANOTHER ASPECT THAT, UM, THAT MAY HURT SOMEONE ACTUALLY IF THEY, IF THEY'RE NOT, UM, DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT IN, IN SPEAKING AND DEFENDING THEMSELVES OR THEIR APPLICATION.
SO I HAVE REALLY MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THE, UH, THE JURORS SHOULD BE MIXED, UH, SHOULD BE OF DISCIPLINE.
AND THEN, UH, NOT SPECIFIC DISCIPLINE, BUT OF COURSE FAMILIAR WITH, WITH ARTS AND CULTURAL ARTS I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
AND FOR THE SAME REASON THAT WAS JUST SHARED, WHICH I DO FEEL THAT YOU HAVE THAT PERSON THAT KNOWS THAT DISCIPLINE AND THEN SOMEONE THAT'S SEEN IT FROM A BROADER EYE, UH, WHERE IT'S GONNA BE BENEFITING THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
I WANNA GIVE, UH, COMMISSIONER MELA, THEY'VE TRIED A DIFFERENT MECHANISM, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE, BUT I ALSO WANNA DO A TIME CHECK FOR THE COMMISSION.
IT IS 8 38, I BELIEVE WE HAVE THIS ROOM UNTIL NINE O'CLOCK.
AND WE HAVE A, UM, I, FOR ME, THE MOST PRESSING THING WOULD BE THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP.
SO I DO WANNA, WE NEED TO CONTINUE ON, UH, THROUGH THE AGENDA.
SO GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER CHARLA.
YEAH, YEAH, I'LL TRY TO KEEP THIS BRIEF.
UH, I, I'M, UH, I, I THINK I, OF COURSE, I'VE HAD FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITY REACH OUT AS WELL, UM, DIRECTLY TO JUST, YOU KNOW, WITH CONCERNS AND WHATNOT.
BUT, UM, I, I THINK MAINLY, UM, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE PANELIST, UH, PROCESS, RIGHT? IT, IT, IT IS, I THINK VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE UPDATED, UH, APPLICATION PROCESS, UPDATED CRITERIA, ET CETERA, FOR THE APPLICANTS TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND.
AND IF THAT IS NOT, UM, BEING DONE IN A LIVE FORMAT, UH, AND IF THERE ARE CONCERNS AROUND DOING IT AROUND THE LIVE FORMAT, I THINK IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY MAYBE TO RESPOND, UH, UH, OR JUST OVER, UH, EMAIL ON THE OR FOR THE QUESTIONS, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF, IF A PANELIST HAS A QUESTION THAT'S GONNA DROP SOMEBODY'S SCORE UNANSWERED FROM 80 TO 40, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IS REALLY UNFAIR FOR THE APPLICANT, RIGHT? SO I THINK THE BEST THING WOULD BE IF, IF YOU WANT TO NOT, YOU KNOW, PUT PEOPLE ON THE SPOT AND ON LIVE VIDEO, ET CETERA, WOULD BE TO HAVE A PROCESS WHERE IF THE PANELISTS HAVE A QUESTION, SOME QUESTIONS, THEY GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE APPLICANT TO RESPOND WITHIN A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, AND THEN BASED ON THE RESPONSES, FURTHER EVALUATE THE APPLICATION.
[02:35:01]
IT ADDS ANOTHER LAYER.BUT THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF, UH, BECAUSE I DEFINITELY HEARD FROM FOLKS WHERE IT WAS, UM, WELL SAY FOR EXAMPLE, SOME, SOME IDEA AROUND PARAMETER AROUND DIVERSITY, OR WE DO THAT, BUT, UH, BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SPEAK ABOUT IT IN OUR APPLICATION, RIGHT? SO, UH, I THINK THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS TO BE A ACCORDED TO THE APPLICANTS.
UM, THE, THE OTHER QUICK POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WAS, OF COURSE, UH, THE, UM, IT'S, IT, IT'S A COMPLEX PROBLEM BECAUSE HAVING EXTERNAL, UH, PANELISTS, UH, AS BRINGS A CERTAIN LEVEL OF NEUTRALITY, UH, WHICH IS GREAT.
UH, BUT ONE OF THE FEEDBACKS THAT I DID HEAR A BIT CONSISTENTLY WAS THAT THE, SOME OF THE PANELISTS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE EXTERNAL, THEY DON'T HAVE CONTEXT ON HOW AN ORGANIZATION, WHAT AN ORGANIZATION IS DOING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ON THE GROUND IN AUSTIN, RIGHT? SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE.
THEIR JUDGMENT WAS PURELY BASED ON WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON PAPER, UH, AND THERE WAS NO FURTHER, UH, EVALUATION OR INVESTIGATION OF WHAT, UH, THE ORGANIZATION DOES IN THE COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY'RE DELIVERING.
SO, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE SOLUTION FOR THAT IS, HOW ONE CAN GET BETTER PERSPECTIVE, UH, ON AS A PANELIST.
UH, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN THAT CAME UP, THAT'S ALL.
UM, WITH THAT, I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE ON TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING THROUGH THE REST OF THE ITEMS. THANK YOU STAFF.
UM, AND JESUS, WE WILL SEE YOU VERY SHORTLY.
UM, THE NEXT ITEM, AND I'M GONNA TRY AND MOVE QUICKLY HERE.
[9. Approve 2024 Arts Commission Meeting Schedule]
THE APPROVE, THE 2224 ARTS COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE.I DO SEE TWO ISSUES I WANNA BRING UP.
UM, I HAVE A FEELING THAT MONDAY WILL BE WHEN JUNETEENTH IS, UH, RECOGNIZED BY THE CITY, OR IS IT GONNA BE THE FOLLOWING WEEK? WE'VE HAD THIS ISSUE BEFORE WHERE WE WERE FORCED TO USE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING DUE TO JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AS A CITY HOLIDAY, STATE HOLIDAY.
SO WE'RE LOOKING REAL QUICK AT THE CALENDAR.
BUT I THINK WE LOOKED AT THAT.
AND THE JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY ITSELF IS ON JUNE 19TH, WHEREAS BEFORE, UM, IF A CITY HOLIDAY FALLS ON THE WEEKEND, IF IT'S A SATURDAY, THEN THE FRIDAY, YOU KNOW, SO, SO IT WON'T BE RECOGNIZED ON THAT.
AND THEN I THINK THE NOVEMBER MEETING, WE HAVE IT FOR THE FOURTH WEEK.
OH NO, I GUESS IT'S THE THIRD WEEK.
THE 18TH ISN'T THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING.
THAT'S THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, SO WE SHOULD BE GOOD.
DID ANYBODY ELSE SPOT ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE FUNKY? THE MARCH DATE ACTUALLY FALL FALLS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF SOUTH BY.
SO THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I CHECKED.
SO WHAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET DOWNTOWN.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE GOOD.
SO, UM, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE? I'LL VOTE TO APPROVE.
ALL IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED 2024 SCHEDULE.
UM, I'VE BEEN REQUESTED BY STAFF TO POSTPONE ITEM 10 UNTIL NOVEMBER, SO WE'LL DO THAT.
[11. Appointment of a new AIPP Liaison ]
IS APPOINTMENT OF A NEW A I P P LIAISON.COMMISSIONER GRAY HAS BEEN OUR A I P P LIAISON FOR OVER A YEAR, I THINK AT THIS 0.2 YEARS, AND IS READY, UH, TO PASS THE TORCH.
AND THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN CONVERSATION WITH WHO WILL BE THEIR SUCCESSOR.
COMMISSIONER GRAY, DO YOU WANNA TAKE OVER OR SHALL I JUST KEEP ON GOING? KEEP GOING.
UM, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO HAS EXPRESSED A LOT OF INTEREST IN E I P P AND HAS BEEN PRESENT FOR MANY OF THE PAST MEETINGS, UM, AND I THINK WOULD BE A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO THAT PANEL.
SO, UM, DO WE NEED TO MAKE AN AMO A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT APPOINTMENT? OR IT'S JUST CONSENT 'CAUSE SHE'S VOLUNTEERING.
LET'S MAKE A MOTION JUST TO BE, UH, COMMISSIONER MOCK.
SO, MOTIONS SECONDED BY SCHWABA.
ALL IN FAVOR OF COMMISSIONER MALDONADO BEING THE A I P P LIAISON.
YOU GOTTA RAISE YOUR HAND AND VOTE FOR YOURSELF.
I JUST WANNA ADD THAT IT'S NOT THAT I HAVE NOT ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT OF BEING ON THE A I P P PANEL, BUT I FEEL AS A PERFORMING ARTIST, I CANNOT GIVE TO THAT PANEL AS MUCH AS A VISUAL ARTIST.
SO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE, AND I WILL BE A FREQUENT FLYER ON A KYLE, BE THERE,
TRULY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S OUT OF YOUR WHEELHOUSE, YOU'VE LEARNED VERY QUICKLY AND, UM, MADE IT YOUR BABY AS WELL.
BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, REPORTS COMING FROM A FRESH VOICE.
[12. Establish a Community Engagement Working Group]
[02:40:01]
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKING GROUP.UM, THERE WERE A FEW THAT WEREN'T HERE LAST MONTH, BUT WE DECIDED TO SUNSET TWO SORT OF STAGNANT WORKING GROUPS AND ESTABLISH ONE NEW WORKING GROUP THAT COULD DO IT ALL.
UM, HAVE ULTIMATE FLEXIBILITY AND BE THAT FACE OF TO THE COMMUNITY, WHICH I THINK NOW IN THIS TIME, UM, AS WE'RE, UM, IN THIS PART OF THE PROCESS WITH THE FUNDING IS, IS VERY CRITICAL.
UM, AND SO WHAT I NEED FROM MY COMMISSION ARE VOLUNTEERS FOR THAT, UH, BODY.
AGAIN, WE CAN'T HAVE MORE THAN SIX, UM, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE, OR SIX, OR WE NEED FIVE AND NO MORE, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A QUORUM.
COMMISSIONER CHENEY, I SAW YOUR HAND GO UP ALREADY OUTTA THE PERIPHERY,
CAN I, CAN I DOUBLE UP FOR YOU ON THAT? OKAY, WONDERFUL.
WE HAVE A CHAIR OF THIS WORKING GROUP.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE PRESENT FOR MAYBE THE FIRST OR SECOND JUST TO HELP GET THE WHEELS ON THE CART, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS BE SOMEONE ELSE'S BABY.
UM, UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SPECIFIC WORKING GROUP? KEEP IN MIND WE DO HAVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP THAT'S COMING UP NEXT.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S TEMPORAL AND, AND NOT GONNA BE LONGSTANDING.
COMMISSIONER SMBA IS OUR SECOND AND I'M THE THIRD.
AND AH, I SEE COMMISSIONER HOUSTON AND COMMISSIONER MALANO.
SO WE'VE GOT CEI, WE'VE GOT CHILA.
I WANT THE, SEE YEAH, MY, MY FRESH AND ME TEMPORARY.
SO LET'S GET A FIFTH AND THEN WHEN I STEP BACK, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO JOIN, IF THERE'S A BIT.
MONICA, DID YOU WANNA JUMP IN THERE? I THINK I'M GOOD IN STEPPING IN ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR TEMPORARY TERM
BECAUSE YOU'RE ALSO ON THE, YOU'RE ALSO ON THE LAND USE WORKING GROUP.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS A SMALL BODY.
SO LET'S START, LET'S KEEP IT WITH THAT FOUR FOR NOW.
UM, DID YOU GET THAT? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S GOOD.
UM, AND THIS IS GONNA BE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, RIGHT? YEAH.
LIKE THIS, YOU GUYS WILL NOT BE OPERATING IN A VACUUM.
IT'S WEIRD TO SEE MYSELF AS A VETERAN AT THIS POINT.
OH, DO WE HAVE FIVE YOU, WITH YOU? WITH ME? IT'S FIVE.
AND THEN IT'LL BE, AND THEN POTENTIALLY OPEN UP THE NEXT ONE.
UM, WE'VE HOSTED THINGS LIKE THIS BEFORE AND THAT'S WHY I KIND OF WANNA BE PRESENT JUST TO KIND OF HELP GET IT STARTED.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANNA SEE LIKE WHAT YOU GUYS DO WITH THIS TOO, AND THAT SORT OF, THIS INNOVATION THAT YOU'RE BRINGING AND WITH YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY, HAVING BEEN A HOST OF, OF ONE OF OUR, UH, COMMUNITY CHAT, OR NOT THE COMMUNITY, THE, UM, QUARTERLY WORKING GROUP.
BEFORE YOU MOVE ON, JUST TO CONFIRM, YES, WE HAVE ZIMAN, SMALL HOUSTON AND ULA.
SO IT'S CEI IS THE CHAIR, HOUSTON CHILA.
AND THEN, AND DON'T NEED TO, I THINK SMALL STEP BACK.
SO LET'S JUST START WITH THE, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
AND THEN WHEN I STEP BACK, MALDONADO WILL JUMP IN, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
AND THEN THAT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY THERE.
[13. Establish an Appeals Working Group ]
AND AMANDA, YOU'RE STILL HERE.ARE YOU WANTING TO COME UP? ALL RIGHT.
AND THIS IS AMANDA HEARN FROM AUSTIN SYMPHONIC BAND.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK SHORTLY.
I'M GONNA KEEP THIS SUPER BRIEF BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE ADDRESSED SO MANY OF OUR CONCERNS.
WE CAME TO THIS MEETING TONIGHT TO JUST LEARN FROM THIS PROCESS, AND I'M BOTH HAPPY AND SAD TO SEE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE SAME CONFUSION AS US.
SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REALLY, REALLY ADDRESS A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT A LOT OF THE PUBLIC HAVE WITH THE GRANT PROCESS.
AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHERE IT GOES FROM HERE.
WE'VE GOT ESTABLISHED AN APPEALS WORKING GROUP WITH JESUS PANTEL.
WE GOT THESE, THE UPDATES FOR A WORKING GROUP ARE GONNA BE SUPER FAST.
GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONER JESUS PANTEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.
UM, BEFORE YOU FORM THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP, I WANTED TO GIVE A BIT OF AN UPDATE, UM, ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE WORKING GROUP'S CHARGE IS AND BACKGROUND ON THE APPEALS PROCESS.
UM, AND CAN I DO THIS SLIDE HERE? OOPS.
SO THE, UM, APPEALS PROCESS WAS APPROVED AT THE JUNE 29TH, 2022 ARTS COMMISSION MEETING.
UM, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS ADOPTED AN APPEALS
[02:45:01]
PROCESS FOR DECLINED APPLICATIONS.APPLICANTS WHO REQUESTED FUNDS IN ELEVATE OR THRIVE MAY APPEAL, UM, ONLY FOR, UH, REVIEW PANELISTS OR STAFF ERROR, WHICH IS INCORRECT INFORMATION BY THE CULTURAL FUNDING STAFF OR REVIEWERS AT THE TIME OF SCORING, DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF THE CORRECT INFORMATION, UM, AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION, OR THEY MAY APPEAL FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST, WHICH WE DESCRIBE AS INFLUENCE OF EVALUATION PANEL OR ARTS COMMISSIONERS WHO WILLFULLY FAIL TO DISCLOSE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.
THE APPLICANT MUST BE ABLE TO SHOW A LINK BETWEEN ONE OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES AND A LOW SCORE OR NEGATIVE REVIEWER COMMENT, DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DENIAL OF AN AWARD OR WITH THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD, IS AN INSUFFICIENT REASON FOR APPEAL.
UH, SO WHAT IS NOT APPEALABLE, UM, IS THE SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS OF THE REVIEWERS.
UH, THE SCORES ASSIGNED TO THE APPLICANT BASED ON HOW THE REVIEWER SCORED THE APPLICATION, THE AWARD AMOUNT IS NOT APPEALABLE, AND ANY ISSUES OF ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES OR POLICY ARE ALSO NOT APPEALABLE.
UM, THERE ARE FOUR STEPS IN THE APPEALS PROCESS.
AN APPEALS REQUEST FORM MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN 10 BUSINESS DAYS OF RECEIVING AN AWARD NOTIFICATION LETTER.
UM, STAFF WILL THEN REVIEW THE APPEALS REQUEST FORM FOR ELIGIBILITY AND NOT HOW LIKELY THE APPEAL IS TO OVERTURN THE REVIEW PANEL'S DECISION.
SO, UM, WE'RE NOT LOOKING, YOU KNOW, TO SAY WHETHER IT WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL OR NOT.
JUST DOES IT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE PROCESS.
UH, IF AN APPEAL IS FOUND TO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY, THE ARTS COMMISSION THEN FORMS AN APPEALS WORKING GROUP, AND THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP THEN PRESENTS THEIR FINDINGS TO THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION AT THE NEXT MEETING MEETING.
SO RIGHT NOW, TONIGHT WE ARE BETWEEN STEPS TWO AND THREE, UM, WHERE WE WILL DETERMINE THE APPEAL OR, UH, UH, CREATE THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP, UM, WHICH, UH, THE APPEALS HEARING WILL BE, THEN THE NEXT STEP AFTER THAT.
SO, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE APPEALS.
UM, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, WE REVIEWED, UH, 16 APPEALS OUT OF 448 APPLICATIONS, UM, IN THE ELEVATE PROGRAM.
UM, WE REVIEWED THE APPEALS REQUEST FORM SUBMITTED BY THE APPELLANT, UH, AND WE LOOKED AT THE SCORES AND WRITTEN COMMENTS OF THE REVIEWERS AS WELL AS THE VIDEO RECORDING, UH, WHERE APPROPRIATE.
UH, SO, UM, THAT'S PART OF THE STAFF REVIEW ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN THERE.
UM, JUST AGAIN, MORE INFO, 16 APPEALS, UH, TWO WERE FROM A ROUND ONE.
SO WE HAD, UM, UH, WHAT WE CALLED READERS WHERE THEY LOOKED AT, UH, THEY SCORED THE FULL APPLICATION, UH, SO KIND OF LIKE THE CLOSED, UH, KIND OF PANEL SESSION THAT Y'ALL WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, AND THEN IF THEY SCORED HIGH ENOUGH, THEY ADVANCED ONTO ROUND TWO.
SO THEN WE HAD 14, UM, APPEALS IN ROUND TWO.
UM, AND THE TWO TWO WERE FOUND TO BE ELIGIBLE OUT OF THE 16, UH, THAT APPEALED.
AND BOTH OF THE ONES THAT WERE FOUND TO BE ELIGIBLE WERE FROM A ROUND TWO FROM THE FULL REVIEW PANEL.
UM, AGAIN, WE REVIEWED THE APPEALS REQUEST FORM SUBMITTED BY THE APPELLANT.
WE LOOKED AT THE SCORES AND WRITTEN COMMENTS OF THE REVIEWERS, UM, AND WATCHED THE VIDEO RECORDING WERE APPROPRIATE.
UH, STAFF WAS LOOKING FOR BLACK AND WHITE DETERMINATION OF MISINFORMATION OR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
AGAIN, THE SCORES AND SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS OF THE REVIEWERS WERE NOT FACTORED IN, LET'S SAY SPECIFICALLY WERE MISINFORMATION OR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, AND A REMINDER THAT, UH, STAFF ONLY LOOKED TO SEE IF THE APPEALS REQUEST ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WERE MET, NOT WHETHER THERE WAS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO OVERTURN THE PANEL DECISION.
THAT WILL BE UP TO THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP AND THEIR RECOMMENDATION MADE TO THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION.
SO, UM, THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP, UM, THE APPEAL, UH, HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE FORMATION OF THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP.
AND THE WORKING GROUP MAY BE COMPOSED OF, IT'S NOT REQUIRED TO BE MADE, UH, UP OF ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, BUT IT MAY BE COMPOSED OF ARTS COMMISSIONERS WHO WILL SERVE AS THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP.
IT MAY BE COMPOSED OF MEMBERS OF THE REVIEW PANEL THAT REVIEWED THE APPLICATION.
UM, IT MAY BE COMPOSED OF THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER OR DESIGNEE, AND IF APPROPRIATE, IT MAY BE COMPOSED OF ANY OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE ARTS COMMISSION.
A MAXIMUM OF THREE APPELLANT REPRESENTATIVES MAY ATTEND THE MEETING.
SO THOSE WHO ARE APPEALING, UM, THEY CAN SEND UP TO THREE REPRESENTATIVES.
AND THEN AFTER REVIEW OF THE ORIGINALLY SUBMITTED APPEAL FORM, THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP WILL PREPARE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR CONSIDERATION AT ITS NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING.
UM, AND LET ME JUST SAY, UM, I, YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS PRESENTATION HERE, A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION IS COMING STRAIGHT OUT OF, UH, THE GUIDELINES AND THE, UM, APPEALS REQUEST.
[02:50:01]
UM, IS ON OUR WEBSITE AND IN THE GUIDELINES, UM, THE ADDITIONAL, UH, DOCUMENTS, UM, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, INFORMATION DOCUMENT, UM, A COPY OF THE WORKING GROUP REPORT WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE APPELLANT IN THE ARTS COMMISSION.ALL ARTS OR ALL APPEALS RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION.
AGAIN, AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING, UH, THE APPELLANT IS WELCOMED TO ATTEND THE, UM, NOVEMBER ARTS COMMISSION MEETING WHERE THE RECOMMENDATION WILL BE VOTED ON, AND THEN THE APPELLANT WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING OF THE ARTS COMMISSION'S FINAL DECISION.
UH, THE DECISION TRANSMITTED TO THE APPELLANT IS FINAL AND ONLY ONE APPEAL CONSIDERATION PER APPLICATION IS ALLOWED.
SO THAT BRINGS US TO NEXT STEPS AGAIN, UH, TONIGHT YOU'LL BE FORMING THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP.
UM, AGAIN, THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP WILL REVIEW THE ELIGIBLE APPEALS REQUESTS SCHEDULE AND HOLD APPEALS HEARINGS, PRESENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION IN NOVEMBER.
AND THEN THE ARTS COMMISSION WILL VOTE AT THE NOVEMBER, 2023 MEETING, UH, WHETHER THE, UM, UM, A, THE APP APPEALS SHOULD MOVE FORWARD AND BE FUNDED OR NOT.
AND I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
BRIEF QUESTIONS BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT WHO MIGHT SERVE COMMISSIONER
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF AN APPEAL, UM, THAT FOLLOWS THESE GUIDELINES? BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE CONFUSION FOR FOLKS IS STILL COMING FROM THAT WANT TO APPEAL OR HAVE APPEALED AND HAVEN'T BEEN APPROVED.
UM, CAN YOU GIVE LIKE A FIRM EXAMPLE OF AN APPEAL THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN APPEAL THAT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED? UM, SURE.
SO I THINK IT'D BE EASIER TO GIVE, UH, ONE THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED.
UM, AND SO WE HAD, UH, SO THE TWO THAT ARE ADVANCING, UH, THEY WERE BOTH FOR MISINFORMATION.
SO, UM, IN ONE OF THE APPLICATIONS, UH, A REVIEWER COMMENTED THAT, UM, THERE WAS NO, UH, LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN OR, YOU KNOW, I'M FORGETTING THE SPECIFICS, BUT BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, IT BOILS DOWN TO THERE WAS NO LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN WHILE IN THE QUESTION THE APPLICANT TALKED ABOUT THEIR LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN.
SO THAT'S CLEAR MISINFORMATION, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THE PANELISTS MISREAD THAT, SKIPPED OVER THAT WAS LOOKING, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT THE INFORMATION WAS THERE IN THE APPLICATION.
THEY MADE A COMMENT THAT IT WAS NOT THERE.
SO THAT ONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR APPEAL, UM, SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR APPEAL.
YOU KNOW, JUST SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE PANELISTS SAID THERE, UM, LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN WAS, WAS NOT STRONG.
THEY GAVE SOME KIND OF SUBJECTIVE OPINION.
THEY WEREN'T DENYING THAT IT WAS NOT THERE, THEY WERE JUST SAYING THAT THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT.
BASICALLY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN STRONGER IN THEIR OPINION IN THIS WAY.
AND SO THAT'S A SUBJECTIVE OPINION OF THE REVIEW PANELISTS.
SO ESSENTIALLY, OPINIONS CANNOT GO THROUGH THE APPEAL PROCESS IF SOMEBODY DIDN'T FIND, I GUESS, MERIT IN ONE OF YOUR RESPONSES, UM, AND WROTE THEIR FEEDBACK AS AS THAT, UM, YOU CAN'T APPEAL THAT, RIGHT.
BUT YOU CAN APPEAL, AND I'M JUST REPEATING IT BACK TO YOU, UM, YOU CAN APPEAL, LET'S SAY IF SOMEBODY SAID, HEY, THIS WAS MISSING THE BUDGET, I'M, I'M DOCKING SCORES, BUT THE BUDGET WAS THERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I SAID CORRECT AT THE SAME TIME AS YOU, UM,
UM, SO I HAVE A, A SECOND QUESTION.
I THINK THAT SOME FOLKS THAT HAVE APPEALED THAT I'VE AT LEAST TALKED TO WERE NOT CLEAR THAT THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION THAT WAS CAPTURED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE GRANT WHEN IT SAYS LIKE YOUR BOARD MAKEUP, YOUR STAFF MAKEUP, THEY THOUGHT THAT THAT WOULD BE FACTORED INTO LIKE THE DIVERSITY OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND SO THEIR RESPONSES, UM, DIDN'T REALLY INCLUDE, UM, SPECIFICS BECAUSE THEY FELT THAT THEY SHOULDN'T, BECAUSE THERE WAS CONFUSION ON HOW THE QUESTION WAS WRITTEN.
UM, IT, SO THAT'S A VERY SPECIFIC EXAMPLE THAT I'M GIVING YOU.
WOULD THAT BE CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE REVIEWED AGAIN UNDER THE APPEAL OR, OR NO.
'CAUSE IT'S KIND OF A GRAY AREA, RIGHT? SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE THERE WERE A NUMBER OF, UM, APPEALS, UM, OF THE 16 THAT WE RECEIVED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A NUMBER THAT HAD SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, PRETTY SIMILAR.
UM, THEY DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT CLAIM NECESSARILY, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMED TO BE THAT THE, UM, REVIEW PANELIST WAS, YOU KNOW, TALKING SOMETHING
[02:55:01]
ABOUT, UH, DIVERSITY WAS, WAS WHAT THE COMMENT WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DIDN'T SERVE AS DIVERSE A GROUP OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.AND SO WHAT WE DID IS WE LOOKED AT, AND I WANTED TO BRING UP THE, THE QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, BUT YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION DOES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS WHERE, SO EVEN THOUGH THERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION THAT WE CAPTURE AS DATA BUT IS NOT SCORED ON, UM, JUST SO WE HAVE THAT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND CAN PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE, UM, THE GRAPHICS THAT WE PROVIDED EARLIER, UM, IN THE QUESTION ITSELF, IT DOES SAY, IT ASKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE YOUR MISSION AND KEY CONSTITUENCIES, HOW ARE THEY AT RISK OF CULTURAL ERASURE AND DISPLACEMENT? SO IT DOES ASK THEM TO DEFINE WHO THEIR KEY CONSTITUENCIES ARE, AND THEN OTHER QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE APPLICATION MAKE REFERENCE TO THOSE KEY CONSTITUENCIES.
UH, SO LOOKING AT THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, UM, THEY DO PROVIDE INFORMATION OR THERE IS ROOM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION THERE IN THAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, UM, SO BECAUSE OF THAT, THOSE APPEALS WERE NOT ELIGIBLE.
YEAH, I THINK THE CONFUSION STEMMED FROM, THEY FELT, AT LEAST A FEW GROUPS THAT I'VE TALKED TO, THEY FELT THAT THE QUESTION SHOULD BE ANSWERED IN A MORE NARRATIVE WAY.
AND IT SHOULDN'T INCLUDE HARD DATA BECAUSE THEY FELT THAT HARD DATA WAS ALREADY CAPTURED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE APPLICATION, BUT THEN IT WASN'T APPARENT TO THEM THAT THAT APPLICATION WASN'T EVEN REVIEWED, UM, AS PART OF THE GRANT PROCESS.
AND SO I GUESS THAT'S WHERE THE MAJOR CONFUSION WENT TO.
SO LET ME, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THIS.
AND THIS IS NOT A REAL APPLICANT.
SO LET'S SAY I RUN A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH FIVE OTHER ARTISTS, AND WE'RE ALL ARTISTS OF COLOR, AND WE SERVE ARTISTS OF COLOR, AND WE PUT THAT DATA IN, AND OUR BOARD IS ARTISTS OF COLOR, AND WE PUT ALL THAT DATA IN AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW ARTISTS, YOU KNOW, ARE AT RISK FOR CULTURAL ERASURE, BUT WE'RE UNDER THE IMPRESSION YOU GET THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARTISTS OF COLOR BECAUSE WE ARE ARTISTS OF COLOR, THOSE ARE OUR CONSTITUENTS.
SO YOU SEE HOW THE CONFUSION COULD HAPPEN BECAUSE IT'S NOT, IT ACTUALLY WASN'T MADE CLEAR IN THE ELEVATE GRANT THAT, THAT, UH, PROJECT DESCRIPTION, UM, THE LIKE LOG LINE, OOPS, THE LOG LINE, UM, I'M CALLING IT A LOG LINE 'CAUSE OF FILM.
AND THEN THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION WAS NOT REVIEWED BY PANELISTS AND HOW THAT KIND OF, I GUESS SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THEY DIDN'T NEED TO PUT THAT INFORMATION INTO THE QUESTION.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I FEEL LIKE I'M NOT MAKING SENSE.
NO, THAT, THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, UM, BUT AGAIN, UM, THE WAY THE QUESTIONS ARE WORDED, WHO HOLDS POWER IN YOUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW DO THEY REPRESENT YOUR COMMUNITY? UM, IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU MAINTAINED A RESPONSIVE APPROACH TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR KEY CONSTITUENCIES? SO, UM, I CAN, I CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM.
UM, BUT I THINK, UM, AGAIN, WE WERE LOOKING AT BLACK AND WHITE, NOT SHADES OF GRAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A BIT OF A SHADES OF GRAY.
BUT SINCE THE SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS OF THE PANELISTS THEMSELVES, IF THEY ARE SAYING SOMETHING AND THERE'S INFORMATION THERE AND THE APPLICATION IS ASKING, UH, FOR THAT INFORMATION, THAT IS THE REASON, UH, WHY, SO I JUST HAVE ONE JUST FOLLOW UP TO THAT.
AND I KNOW WE'RE PRESSED FOR TIME, BUT WHY ISN'T THAT INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE PANEL? IF IT, IF IT'S ABOUT RACIAL EQUITY, WHY ISN'T IT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE HARD DATA? BECAUSE I'M A DATA PERSON, I'M DRIVEN BY DATA.
SO YOU CAN SAY IN YOUR QUESTION, WE SERVE PEOPLE OF COLOR, RIGHT? OR I'M USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE, BUT IF YOUR STAFF IS PREDOMINANTLY WHITE, LIKE YOU HAVE THIS WEIRD THING GOING ON THAT I'M NOT GONNA GO TOO INTO DETAIL RIGHT NOW ABOUT, BUT LIKE, THAT CREATES AN EQUITY ISSUE TO ME, SPECIFICALLY RACIAL EQUITY, BECAUSE WHO IS CREATING THE PROGRAMS AND WHO ARE THEY FOR? UM, AND DO THEY LOOK LIKE ME? AND THAT, THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE OBVIOUSLY SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME RACISM.
RIGHT? UM, SO I, WHY ISN'T THAT INFORMATION REVIEWED? WHY ISN'T THE MAKEUP OF THE ORGANIZATION THE DATA REVIEWED? WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SCORE ON IMMUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS, IS WHAT, UH, THE LAW DEPARTMENT CALLS IT.
SO, UM, ON RACE AND ETHNICITY SPECIFICALLY, THAT'S WHY WE ASK ABOUT, UM, COMMUNITIES AT RISK OF CULTURAL ERASURE AND DISPLACEMENT.
SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY IT'S NOT A SCORING QUESTION.
AGAIN, WE WANT TO CAPTURE THAT INFORMATION FOR DEMOGRAPHIC PURPOSES SO WE CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WHO WE ARE FUNDING, WHO IS APPLYING.
UM, BUT, UM, WE WERE ADVISED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT THAT WE CANNOT, UH, SCORE BASED ON IMMUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS.
FAA THERE'S A MEETING, THERE'S A, THERE'S A MEETING I CAN SEND YOU WHERE WE GOT THAT PRESENTATION, AND IT WAS MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF BUILDING THESE PROGRAMS, AND IT WAS PRETTY DEVASTATING FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS TO HEAR.
AND THAT POOR PRESENTER HAD TO GO TO EVERY SINGLE COMMISSION AND TELL US THAT THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING THAT WAS APPOINTED BY THE CITY WAS ILLEGAL.
SO THAT'S A SAD MEETING THAT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU LATER.
UM, I DO WANT TO KEEP US ON TRACK.
WE NEED TO APPOINT THE, UM, WE NEED TO GET OUR WORKING GROUP TOGETHER.
[03:00:01]
LOOKING AT THE SLIDE.WE, UH, THERE'S POTENTIAL FOR ART COMMISSIONERS, REVIEW PANELISTS, UM, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER OR DESIGNEE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND THEN, AM I READING THIS RIGHT FOR THE WORKING GROUP? THREE OF THE APPEALING CONTRACTS POTENTIAL? NO, THAT'S IN THE APPEALS PROCESS OR THE APPEALS HEARING.
SO UP TO THREE REPRESENTATIVES CAN ATTEND THE HEARING.
THAT SLIDE RIGHT, THAT, THAT READS WEIRD.
SO ARTS COMMISSIONERS, I KNOW THAT THE VICE CHAIR AND I ARE VERY INTERESTED IN INVESTED IN BEING ON THAT.
UM, DO WE HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER? LIKE WHAT'S THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TOTAL THAT SHOULD SERVE THIS? I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE FIVE, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER WORKING GROUP.
SO YOU DON'T REACH A QUORUM, BUT THAT INCLUDES OUR, OUR NO, FIVE, FIVE COMMISSIONERS.
I'M, THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION.
UM, I THINK THE, THE VETERANS OF THIS BODY, UM, AND OF THE COMMUNITY, I MEAN, WE'RE, WE ALL REPRESENT, AND I DON'T WANNA DISCOURAGE ANYBODY FROM THROWING THEIR NAME IN THE HAT.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE'S A BIT OF NUANCE TO THIS, AND HAVING CONTEXT FOR THAT IS HELPFUL.
UM, I'M, I'M INTERESTED, I KNOW COMMISSIONER SCHACH IS INTERESTED, I'M ASSUMING COMMISSIONER GRAY WOULD BE INTERESTED.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES? COMMISSIONER GARZA? I AM JUST AFRAID I MIGHT HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING.
SO I, I THINK, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CONTRACT WITH THE CITY FUNDING, SO I THINK THAT WILL BE, WOULD THAT BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST IF, IF THAT IS NOT, NOT ORGANIZATION APPEALING? NO, THAT I, I WOULDN'T THINK THAT YOU'D HAVE A CONTRACT THEN I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SERVE.
COMMISSIONER HOUSTON? COMMISSIONER HOUSTON.
I WAS, I WAS SAYING THAT I WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE.
IF THERE'S NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
I, I WAS JUST SPEAKING WITH SONOVA AND, UM, IT'S MORE AN APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND AN ACTUAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST, WHICH IS HOW WE DO IT WITH THE REVIEW PANELS AS WELL.
I WAS, UM, DO YOU WANNA STEP DOWN ON THIS? I THINK I'LL STEP OUT.
I DON'T WANT THAT TO, OKAY, SO, SO I, OKAY, SO WE'VE GOT GARZA, ALBACH, ZISMAN AND HOUSTON, THEN I, I THINK THAT DOES IT.
CAN WE, CAN WE KNOW WHO THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE APPEALING ARE SO THAT WE KNOW WHETHER WE HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR AN APPEARANCE OF, UH, MAYBE THROUGH EMAIL OR, SO IT'S NOT ON THE DA? IS THAT AN ISSUE? OKAY.
YES, WE CAN, YEAH, LET'S DO IT THAT WAY.
SO IF WE CAN JUST DOCUMENT WHO'S THROWING THEIR NAME IN THE HAT.
LET'S GET AN, A THREAD STARTED WITH THAT GROUP, AND THEN IF WE NEED TO SHIFT, WE CAN, UM, 'CAUSE I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE OTHER PHENOMENAL PEOPLE THAT COULD BE ON THAT BODY.
UM, SO DO WE NEED TO REPEAT? SO IT'S SCHACH, ZIMAN, MOCK GARZA, HOUSTON.
SO NOT MOCK GARZA AND HOUSTON.
IS THAT GOOD? JUST PRETTY QUICKLY.
UH, JUST VERY QUICKLY, THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS PUBLIC INFORMATION, RIGHT? NO MATTER WHETHER IT GETS SHARED OVER EMAIL OR NOT, OR IS IT NOT THE APPEALS PROCESS? DO WE KNOW? IS IT PUBLIC INFORMATION IS APPEAL? NO.
WHICH, WHICH GROUPS WHICH GROUPS ARE HAVE APPEALED? I MEAN, YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON IT AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING, SO EVENTUALLY IT WILL BE PUBLIC.
BUT IN THIS MOMENT, IS IT PUBLIC INFORMATION? WE HAVE NOT PROVIDED ANY BACKUP, UH, UH, STATING THEIR NAMES PUBLICLY.
SO I, I ERR ON THE SIDE OF PRIVACY.
AND NEXT MONTH IT'LL ALL BE PUBLIC.
BUT I THINK FOR THE TIME BEING, I WOULD RATHER RESPECT THE APPLICANT'S AND, AND THOSE THAT ARE APPEALING.
SO, UM, LET'S MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE.
SO MOCK CAN RETIRE, MAKE MOTION.
ALL IN FAVOR, JOSE? UH, UNANIMOUS.
IS THAT ALL YOU NEED FROM US? JESUS, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S STILL HERE, INCLUDING COMMISSIONER MONK.
YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE UNTIL WE CLOSE.
OH, WHO'S, WHO'S THE CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP? I'LL BE THE CHAIR.
I WISH WE'D HAVE BOTH DONE THAT THE SAME AT THE TIME.
[14. Update from Emergency Funding and Proactive Strategies for Future Funding Working Group with Commissioners Schmalbach and Zisman (chair) ]
FROM THE EMERGENCY FUNDING PRACTICE STRATEGIES FOR FUTURE FUNDING WORKING GROUP WITH COMMISSIONER SCH THIS.SO WE HAVE SOME UPDATES WE PRESENTED IN MAY, UM, THAT, UH, WE HAD DECIDED ON THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR THIS PROGRAM.
THIS IS FOR THE FUNDS REGARDING THE AC C C, WHICH IS THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS.
I JUST ALWAYS FORGET THAT FIRST C I KNOW THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS OUT
[03:05:01]
THERE.WE'RE GONNA SPEND IT, UM, UH, IN AUGUST.
E D D MET WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY.
THEY'RE A VERY ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNER FOR THIS.
THESE WILL PROVIDE, UM, SAME DAY PAYMENT FOR OUR UNSHELTERED NEIGHBORS WORKING WITHIN THE ART SPACE.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED OUR THIRD PARTY NONPROFIT PARTNER, WHICH IS RAISIN IN THE SUN, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEXT ACTION ITEM WILL BE IN NOVEMBER AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
SO WE'LL KEEP YOU ABREAST OF THOSE, UH, THOSE UPDATES.
NEXT IS THE UPDATE FROM THE JOINT
[15. Update from joint Arts/Music Commission Working Group on Urban Core Issues with Commissioners Gray, Maldonado, and Schmalbach (chair). ]
ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSION WORKING GROUPS ON URBAN CORE ISSUES WITH COMMISSIONER GRAY MALINDO AND SCHWABA CHAIR.UNFORTUNATELY, WE ALSO HAVE UPDATES,
UH, WE JUST NOTIFIED, UM, JESUS OF THIS EARLIER TODAY, THAT THE JOINT WORKING GROUP HAS ISSUED, UM, A LETTER, A STATEMENT TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING SOME REQUESTS SURROUNDING THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION SINCE THAT IS ON THE AGENDA ON THURSDAY.
THAT INCLUDES THE CREATION OF AN ADVISORY BOARD, UM, TO ADVISE ON ISSUES, UM, CORE TO MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS, UM, IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UPDATED FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS, PARTICULARLY A CLEAR ASSESSMENT OF HOW HOT COLLECTIONS WILL BE IMPACTED DURING AND AFTER CONSTRUCTION.
UM, AND THEN IN THE LONGER TERM, AN EXPECTATION OF A CLEAR PLAN OF HOW THE CON, AN EXPANDED CONVENTION CENTER WILL PRIORITIZE AND SUPPORT AUSTIN'S MUSIC AND CULTURAL ARTS ECONOMIES.
AND THE OTHER THING IS WE HAVE SOME UPDATES FROM DON JACKSON IN THE LAND USE SPACE.
UM, I DON'T THINK WE UPDATED LAST MONTH THAT THE PHASE ONE OF THE LAND USE CHANGES PASS A COUNCIL ON SEPTEMBER 14TH.
UM, YOU CAN READ ABOUT WHAT ALL WAS IN THERE.
WE'RE FINISHING ON A NICE NOTE.
UM, AND THAT, THAT STAFF HAS RECEIVED STRONG DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION TO PRIORITIZE ZONING, OVERLAYS AND A NUMBER OF CULTURAL SPACE INCENTIVES AND BONUS PROGRAMS. SO THEY'RE WORKING ON IT.
THAT'S AFFECTING A LOT OF LOTS.
AND WE MIGHT HAVE CULTURAL SPACE INCENTIVES AND BONUSES SOMETIME SOON.
QUICKLY, ITEMS FOR INFORMATION.
[ITEMS FOR INFORMATION ]
WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S THE HALFS? WHAT'S THE PEEPS? ANYBODY GOT SOMETHING GOING ON? OH MY GOD.UH, JUST ANYBODY THAT'S INTERESTED IN THEATER, THE BE I AND PAINT AWARDS ARE, UH, OCTOBER 23RD, NEXT MONDAY AT THE SCOTTISH RIGHT THEATER.
CONSTANCE WHITE'S COMING UP FOR SOMETHING.
YOU BETTER SCURRY IN THEM SHOES, GIRL.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE, OH, EXCUSE ME.
CONSTANCE WHITE MANAGER, ART IN PUBLIC PLACES WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, I WANTED TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW COLLECTIONS MANAGER TO EVERYONE.
UM, I DON'T THINK HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE INTRODUCED AT THE LAST MEETING, SO, UM, WELCOME.
CULTURAL, UH, NOT CULTURAL COLLECTIONS MANAGER.
TIRED, SLEEPY COLLECTIONS MANAGER WITH ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, UH, IDENTIFIES HE, HIM.
VERY NICE TO MEET YOU ALL AND TO WORK WITH YOU ON THE, UH, ARTS PROGRAMS HERE IN AUSTIN.
WELCOME, WELCOME TO THE FUN HOUSE,
ONE MORE THING TO SHARE IS THAT UT AUSTIN IS HOSTING A THEATER OF THE OPPRESSED SYMPOSIUM FROM OCTOBER 21ST OF THE 29TH.
ART-BASED POLITICAL ACTIVISM FROM BRAZIL TO AUSTIN.
IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND IS GOING TO BE AWESOME.
UM, AND YOU CAN FIND THAT ON THE THEATER AND DANCE WEBSITE AT UT.
AND I JUST ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO LIKE, PLUG IN, LOOK AROUND.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
I HAVE, UM, BRI FRANCO ON THERE.I, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY SHE'LL COME CHAT WITH US, BUT, UM, BEYOND THAT, I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
THE APPEAL STUFF WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.
I'M ENCOURAGING OF COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE.
COME TALKING TO US, REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY.
I'LL TRY AND PUBLICIZE THAT AND LET THE PEOPLE THAT FORMALLY HOSTED COMMUNITY CHATS AND QUARTERLY WORKING GROUPS THAT WE ARE READY FOR BUSINESS ONCE AGAIN.
WITH THAT, I MOVED FOR ADJOURN.
[03:10:02]
WELL, HOW CAN IT AMAZE ME DO MUCH PRESSURE? TOO MUCH? I IT WITH TOO MUCH PRESSURE TOO.