[00:00:01]
I THINK, UM, OKAY, SHE'S THERE.
SHE JUST WENT TO, UH, THE CITY HALL.
UM, SHELBY IS ANYBODY FOR, UM, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO.
[CALL TO ORDER]
ALL RIGHT.UH, IT'S, UH, 6:38 PM MONDAY, JANUARY 8TH.
UH, WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO ORDER.
UM, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TODAY, SO WE WILL
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF MINUTES IF, UH, EVERYBODY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER MEETING.UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO QUICKLY MOTION PER REQUEST FOR, FROM, UM, STAFF AS WELL AS UNDERSTANDING FROM, UH, KIND UNDERSTANDING FROM MS. LING HAYS HERE TO SWAP ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND SIX.
UH, IF SOMEBODY COULD, SECOND.
UH, SO WE WILL SWAP ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND SIX.
[2. Live Music Fund collections update by Kim McCarson, Program Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, Economic Development Department. ]
FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ON THE STAFF BRIEFINGS LIVE MUSIC FUND COLLECTIONS.UPDATE BY KIM MC CARSON, PROGRAM MANAGER, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION EDD.
KIM MCC CARSON PROGRAM MANAGER, AND I'M GIVING THE HOT, UH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS UPDATE FOR YOU TODAY.
SO IF, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK ON THE FAR LEFT, THAT COLUMN IS LAST YEAR, LAST FISCAL YEAR.
THE COLUMN ON THE RIGHT, THE SHORT ONE IS THE ONE THAT WE JUST BEGAN IN OCTOBER AND YOU ALL SAW THAT FIRST BOX IN OCTOBER FOR THE COLLECTIONS.
AND THE, THE, THE CURRENT NUMBER FOR NOVEMBER COLLECTIONS IS 171,733.
SO TOTAL COLLECTIONS TO DATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 24.
SO THAT'S OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER IS 927,040.
SO OUR COLUMN IS LOOKING VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONE BEFORE IT SO FAR.
UH, COMMISSIONER AL, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? NO.
[3. Update on Live Music Fund Event Program by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division.]
NEXT ITEM IS UPDATE ON LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENT PROGRAM BY ERICA SHAMLEY, DIVISION MANAGER, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION EDD.HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? ERICA SHAMLEY, MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION MANAGER.
UH, WANTED TO GIVE YOU UPDATE ON OUR CURRENT FY 23 LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENT PROGRAM.
UH, THE LONG CENTER IS DOING A GREAT JOB STEADILY MAKING PAYMENTS TO AWARDEES AS THEY SUBMIT TO BOTH THEIR PROGRESS REPORTS AND FINAL REPORTS.
SO WE JUST ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO REACH OUT EITHER TO KIM, MC CARSON, OR MYSELF, UH, IF YOU'RE AN AWARDEE AND HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, PAYMENTS OR AGREEMENTS OR ANY ISSUES WHATSOEVER TO JUST PLEASE, UH, CONTACT US.
UH, OUR EMAILS ARE ON THE WEBSITE, ATX MUSIC.ORG.
UH, BUT LIKE I SAID, STEADILY MAKING PAYMENTS, WORKING WITH GRANTEES, LIKE JUST HELPING THEM TO ADVANCE THEIR PROJECTS.
UH, GREG'S BEEN MEETING ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOLKS JUST ABOUT THE HOW TO.
AND THEN KIM'S BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON THE ACTUAL PAYMENT REQUESTS, UH, PROCESSES WITH THE LONG CENTER.
UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, ERICA, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ERICA ON THIS TOPIC? COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL? YES.
UH, DO WE HAVE A LIST OF UPCOMING CONCERTS THAT WILL BE FUNDED BY THE LIVE MUSIC FUND? NOT THAT WE HAVE CENTRALLY.
PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLEASE GO TO VISIT AUSTIN AND TO SUBMIT THEIR EVENTS THROUGH THE LINK THAT WE PROVIDED THEM FOR CULTURAL CONTRACTORS.
UH, THERE'S A WAY THAT THEY CAN DESIGNATE WHAT FUND THEY ARE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S NOT QUITE PUBLIC FACING YET.
UH, SO THAT WOULD BE EASIER WAY JUST TO KIND OF SEARCH THE, ON THE CALENDAR THAT'S THERE.
SO YOU KIND OF HAVE TO LIKE, JUST GO THROUGH AND SEE.
[00:05:01]
I DON'T HAVE A WAY FOR YOU GUYS TO, TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SAVE, I MEAN TO SEARCH JUST FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENTS, BUT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS IT, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS NEXT FY 24, UH, TO MAKE THAT A MORE STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR THE GRANTEES.OBVIOUSLY, IT'S MUCH EASIER FOR YOU GUYS AND FOR US TO PROMOTE IF WE KNOW EXACTLY IF WE GET THOSE LINKS AS THEY COME IN.
SO IT, IT REALLY WOULD BE NICE.
I KNOW IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A SECRET BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN THE LIST OF WHO HAS RECEIVED THE, YOU KNOW, OF, OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE GRANTS.
IT WOULD BE NICE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SEE, UM, HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY OF EVENTS, HOW MUCH OF THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT, UH, AS WELL AS TO GET A FEEL FOR THE QUALITY OF MM-HMM.
JUST, UM, THAT I, I'LL, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.
'CAUSE FOR VISIT AUSTIN, THOSE ARE JUST LIVE EVENTS.
THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED WITH THE LIVE MUSIC FUND THAT AREN'T, UH, EVENTS, BUT THEY ARE STILL REQUIRED TO PROMOTE THAT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST OF THEIR, TO EXPAND THEIR AUDIENCE TO, WHETHER IT'S A RECORD OR NEW MERCHANDISE.
THERE ARE WAYS TO PROMOTE THAT.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO CAPTURE THAT WITH A, A LIKE A THIRD PARTY WEBSITE LIKE VISIT AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SEE AS OBVIOUSLY, UH, A NEED THAT WE NEED TO LOOK TO, TO PROVIDE A BETTER KIND OF SEARCH ENGINE FOR ALL OF THESE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED.
UH, COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL, UH, THANK YOU.
THERE'S, UM, WE ALSO HAVE AN, I THINK AN AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 12 ON THE SAME TOPIC.
SO, UM, WE CAN, IF NEEDED, WE CAN FURTHER DISCUSS THERE AS WELL.
UM, UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ERICA ON THE FUND ROLLOUT, UH, AT THIS POINT? UH, WHAT COMMISSIONER STICKLAND? YES.
UH, THIS MAY BE BLEEDING INTO, UH, AGENDA ITEM FOUR, BUT, UH, ROUND TWO OF, UH, OF, UM, LIVE MUSIC FUND.
ARE THERE ANY UPDATES THAT YOU CAN GIVE ABOUT THAT SO FAR? UH, WE'RE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO GET THAT TIMELINE IN PLACE, WORKING WITH, UH, THE LONG CENTER THIRD PARTY AND JUST WORKING THROUGH, UH, THE PROCESSES WE NEED TO, WE HAVE A BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT EARLIER TO GET TO JUST GET AS MUCH A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET.
SO THAT'S HAPPENING JANUARY 18TH.
UH, AND THEN AFTER THAT WE'LL JUST START MOVING QUICKLY TOWARDS THE NEXT STEPS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS HERE? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
[4. Update on consultant evaluation of the Live Music Fund program by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division.]
ON THE AGENDA IS ALSO, UH, AN UPDATE FROM ERICA CHARLY ON UPDATE ON CONSULT, CONSULTANT EVALUATION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND PROGRAM.UH, MEEK, OUR, UH, ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WANTED TO BE HERE TO KIND OF GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR CONSULTANTS.
UH, SHE'S LEADING THOSE CONTRACTS, BUT FIRST SHE JUST WANTED ME TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT, UH, THOSE CONSULTANTS ARE IN PLACE FOR ALL OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING PRO UH, PROGRAMS, NOT JUST THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE A SPECIFIC CONSULTANT FOCUSED ON MUSIC ALONE.
IT'S JUST GENERALLY OVER OUR PROCESSES, THE GUIDELINES, BETTER ALIGNMENT.
SO THAT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS THAT WE HAVE, I GUESS FOUR CONSULTANTS AND ALL, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW.
AND IT IS, IT'S FOR THOSE, THOSE HOPES OF HAVING THAT BETTER, UM, ACCESS, IT'S MORE USER FRIENDLY THAT WE JUST, IT JUST MAKE IT THE EASE OF USE A LOT BETTER.
SO WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THAT, THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM SOFTWARE TO GUIDELINES AND SUCH, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
UH, BUT THAT'S NOT PROHIBITING US OR SLOWING US DOWN WITH, YOU KNOW, PRESENTING YOU GUYS WITH THE NEXT ITERATION OF GUIDELINES, UH, FOR FY 24, WHICH WILL HAPPEN HOPEFULLY BY THIS NEXT MEETING, UH, VERY SOON.
WOULD YOU, UM, ERICA, WOULD YOU MIND QUALIFYING, UH, WHAT CONSULTANTS, UH, AND WHAT SPECIFICALLY EACH OF THEIR
ARE AT SOME DETAIL? WE HAVE ONE THAT IS DEALING SPECIFICALLY WITH OUR SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT.
SO OUR COMPUTER, CTM, OUR COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT IS WORKING WITH US ON THAT CONSULTANT.
AND THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH THEIR WORK AND HAVE PROVIDED SOME OPTIONS FOR US TO CONSIDER.
UH, ANOTHER ONE IS AROUND JUST PROCESSES AND GUIDELINE ENHANCEMENT.
AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER CONSULTANT WORKING ONE-ON-ONE WITH STAFF.
BEEN DOING THAT FOR A COUPLE MONTHS.
THESE SOME REALLY GREAT INTENSE MEETINGS BETWEEN EVERYONE SO WE CAN SEE WHERE THE ALIGNMENT IS AND WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE.
UH, A THIRD ONE IS MEASURE, WHICH WE'LL LOOK AT ACTUAL OUTPUT AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE GRANTS AS FAR AS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND GAUGING THE EFFECT THE OUTCOMES OF THE GRANTS AND THE GUIDELINES THEMSELVES.
AND THEN A FINAL ONE IS JUST, UH, CIVIC SOUL, WHICH IS OVER OVERALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT LOOKING AT OUR WHOLE BODY OF WORK.
SORRY, COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THE LAST ONE? CIVIC SOUL.
THEY'RE JUST, UH, HELPING WITH OUR WHOLE BODY OF
[00:10:01]
WORK AS A DEPARTMENT, NOT JUST ONE DIVISION OR ANOTHER.UH, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ERICA ON THIS TOPIC? COMMISSIONER PATERSON? YEAH, CAN, SO CAN YOU JUST SPEAK A LITTLE MORE OF LIKE THE SPECIFIC DELIVERABLES THAT EACH CONSULTANT GROUP WILL, THAT'S SOMETHING I'D FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH MORGAN DOING, OR ANOVIA RIGHT HERE.
NOT THE CONTACT MANAGER FOR THESE.
SOVIA HOLT RAV, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
WE CAN RESEND THE MEMO THAT WE SENT TO COUNCIL THAT DETAILS ALL OF THIS.
WE SENT IT OUT I THINK TWO MONTHS AGO, BUT GARTNER IS EXAMINING THE SOFTWARE.
WHICH ONE, WHICH GRANT SOFTWARE IS MORE USER FRIENDLY, MEETS OUR NEEDS.
SNAP MANAGEMENT IS EXPLORING, UM, THE USER EXPERIENCE, LANGUAGE ACCESS, EXACTLY HOW WE TALK TO EACH OTHER.
MEASURE AUSTIN IS LOOKING AT THE OUTCOMES, WHO WE FUNDED, DID WE BENEFIT? UM, THOSE MOST NEED, THE INDUSTRY CIVIC SOUL IS LOOKING AT OUR DEPARTMENT'S PROGRAM OF WORK.
BUT WE WILL RESEND THE MEMO 'CAUSE WE'VE SENT IT BEFORE.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, YEAH, MAYBE JUST ONE.
HOW, IS THERE LIKE A, IN WITH WHAT YOU ALL SENT OUT, IS THERE LIKE A, LIKE A, LIKE AN ESTIMATED COST FOR HOW MUCH THIS IS GONNA, ALL OF THAT IS PUBLIC FACING? SURE.
AND I DON'T HAVE THE TOTAL NUMBER, UH, AMOUNT, BUT WE CAN GET THAT TO YOU.
AND IT WAS ALL PROCURED VIA THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WAS A QUESTION.
SO WE DID FOLLOW PROPER PROCUREMENT TO ACQUIRE ALL THE CONTRACTS THAT I THINK THE BIGGER QUESTION WAS, UH, WHAT WOULD IT BE COMING OUT OF? LIKE LIVE MUSIC FUND? NO, THIS IS NOT COMING OUT OF HOT FUNDS.
THIS IS COMING OUT OF OUR OPERATING FUNDS.
WHICH IS A COST ALLOCATION MODEL.
WHAT, WHAT, UM, UM, DEADLINES ARE WE WORKING WITH HERE AND HOW DO THEY LINE UP WITH, UH, UH, THE TIMELINE FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND OR THE OTHER FUNDS? BUT IN THIS CONTEXT, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, WE WILL BE GETTING MORE INFORMATION OUT TO YOU IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO PREVENT US FROM DEPLOYING MORE FUNDS THIS YEAR.
UM, IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE LONGER FOR A LONG-TERM SOLUTION, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION.
SO THERE WILL BE NO HOLDUP OF FUNDS.
FUNDS WILL BE DEPLOYED IN THE CALENDAR YEAR.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE Y'ALL ARE DOING THAT.
AND, AND IS THERE, UH, IS THERE AN EFFORT TO UM, KIND OF APPLY SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, LESSONS LEARNED OR WHATEVER, UH, AT SOME LEVEL EVEN BEFORE THIS WHOLE, YOU KNOW, REVIEW IS COMPLETED, UM, AND STILL IMPLEMENT THOSE AS PART OF THE NEXT ROLLOUT? I WOULD IMAGINE THAT YOU WOULD BE DOING THAT.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE PREMISE OF AQUA, UM, CONTRACTING WITH THE THREE CONTRACTORS BECAUSE WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY OF THE CONCERNS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ACTIVELY PURSUED THE THREE CONTRACTS.
WE WILL BE INFORMING OUR MANAGEMENT, OUR, UH, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OF WHERE WE ARE.
AND ONCE WE HAVE BRIEFED THEM, THEN WE WILL ISSUE A MEMO TO ALL THE COMMISSIONS INVOLVED.
I JUST HAVE 1, 1, 1 MORE QUESTION.
UM, IS THERE ANY OF THE CONSULTANTS, IS THERE ANY, UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FROM THEIR END? WE ARE PLANNING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, BUT AGAIN, UM, ALL OF THAT WILL BE COMING OUT IN WRITTEN FORM.
AND THE REASON WE DON'T WANNA RUSH THE PROCESS, AND SO WE WILL BE VERY TRANSPARENT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT IS ALSO A CONCERN.
SO WE WILL, UM, ISSUE ANY MEMOS ON WHERE WE ARE AND THE NEXT STEPS OF THE PROCESS.
BUT JUST I ASK FOR YOUR PATIENCE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA RUSH IT.
WE WANNA GET IT RIGHT, SO I'M NOT BACK HERE EXPLAINING MYSELF AGAIN.
MM-HMM,
AND SO OF COURSE WE ARE MAKING TOUCH POINTS WITH EVERYONE.
SO WE WILL ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY.
WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND THE CONSULTANT HAS A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED.
AND SO WE ARE STRATEGIZING ON THE BEST WAY BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANNA KEEP GOING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY ASKING THE SAME QUESTION.
SO WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO HAVE TOUCH POINTS AGAIN? BUT WE HAVE CAPTURED ALL COMMENTS, UH, WRITTEN, VERBAL FROM STAFF THROUGH THE LONG CENTER, ET CETERA.
SO ALL OF THAT WILL BE HAPPENING IN THIS FIRST QUARTER TOUCHING BASE WITH
[00:15:01]
THE COMMUNITY AGAIN.I I THINK EVEN I I, IF IT'S THROUGH A SURVEY OR ANY FORM, UH, JUST, JUST OPENING IT UP BROADLY, UH, WHILE THE CONSULTANTS ARE DOING THEIR WORK, UM, WE WOULD, I THINK JUST GIVE THAT ONE, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER LAYER OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND A FORUM TO, YOU KNOW, AND THAT IS WHAT, OR NOT HAVE TAKEN INITIATIVE DIRECTLY, SEND AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING.
SO THINK THAT NO SNAP MANAGEMENT IS ADVISING US BECAUSE HE HAS, WE'VE RECEIVED SO MUCH FEEDBACK.
HE'S ADVISING ON THE BEST WAY TO DO ANOTHER TOUCH POINT WITH COMMUNITY.
NOT JUST BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY, BUT WHAT IS NOW THE BEST WAY TO REACH COMMUNITY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? ANY OF THE DISCUSSION ON THE TOPIC? ALL THANK YOU.
SO WE'LL SEND YOU THOSE LINKS TO THE CONTRACTS 'CAUSE THEY ARE PUBLIC FACING.
[6. Discussion following update on Community Navigators by Community Navigator representative.]
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION.FOLLOWING UPDATE ON COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS BY COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR.
COULD, UH, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF? GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I'M THE SMALL BUSINESS DIVISION MANAGER FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU FOR THE INVITE TODAY.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE UPDATE, I WANNA ACTUALLY START OFF WITH A QUICK RECAP OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS ARE.
UH, SO ON, UH, IN JUNE, 2021, UH, BASED ON THE ARPA FRAMEWORK, FUNDING WAS, UH, ALLOCATED FOR THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS PROGRAM.
IT'S OFFICIALLY DESCRIBED AS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS, UM, CONTRACT TO PROVIDE BUSINESS, UH, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IMPACTED BY COVID-19 ONE-ON-ONE COACHING VIRTUAL CLASSES TO HELP THEM AND ASSIST THEM TO SUP UH, APPLY FOR GOVERNMENT AND PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT.
THIS PROGRAM WAS APPROVED BY THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
UH, SO WITH RESPECT TO THAT, UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A CURRENT, UM, WE HAVE A CURRENT GROUP OF EIGHT COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS.
AND BETWEEN THOSE EIGHT COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, THEY SUPPORT AND, UH, ASSIST, UM, SMALL BUSINESSES, CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, AND THEN WITH RESPECT TO THAT, WE'VE GOT SIX THAT ARE DEDICATED TO SMALL BUSINESSES.
THREE, UH, DEDICATED TO CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS AND FOUR DEDICATED TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, THE OTHER UPDATE ON THAT, THAT WE WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU, ORIGINALLY THESE FUNDS WERE, UH, ALLOCATED AT $500,000 FOR THE ENTIRE GROUP.
UM, PER ARPA SPENDING GUIDELINES, THOSE FUNDS NEED TO BE FULLY EXPENDED BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2024.
SO IN THIS CALENDAR YEAR, I AM HERE TO REPORT, UH, SUCCESSFULLY WE ARE ON TRACK TO HAVE THOSE FUNDS FULLY EXPENDED BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR.
UM, WHICH WILL PUT US IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE, UH, USE OF FUNDS FOR THOSE PARTICULAR FEDERAL ALLOCATION.
UM, BOTTOM, UH, LET'S SEE HERE, WITH RESPECT TO ITS, UH, HOW IT RELATES TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENTS PROGRAM, FIVE CONTRACTORS WERE ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH OUR CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ONE-ON-ONE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ALONG WITH GRANT APPLICATION AND AID OF THESE FIVE, THE AUSTIN REVITALIZATION AUTHORITY AND ALL THE MONEY FINANCE REMAIN CONTRACTORS.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT AS WELL.
UH, AND WITH THAT, THAT'S THE GENERAL UPDATE ON THESE PARTICULAR, UH, CONTRACTORS.
AND I'M A AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
UH, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION, AL AND I'LL GET
UH, WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR SKILL SETS THAT WERE NEEDED TO HELP FOR THE COMMUNI COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS TO HELP PEOPLE APPLY FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND THAT WERE DISTINCT FROM OTHER COMMUNITY NAVIGATION WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING? YOU KNOW, I'LL HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK ON THAT FOR YOU.
I, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE ANY NOTED SPECIAL SKILLS, UH, THAT WERE REQUIRED.
I CAN JUST TELL YOU, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE, UH, THE ASSISTANCE PROVIDED WAS ON APPLICATION SUPPORT, SO HELPING INDIVIDUALS APPLY FOR, UH, APPLICATIONS, UM, AND THEN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH NAVIGATING, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SYSTEMS BASICALLY.
UM, SO THAT WAS GENERALLY THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM, UH, OUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS ON THOSE, ON THOSE MATTERS.
UH, DID ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU HELP, DO THEY HAVE, UM, SPECIAL NEEDS DUE TO DISABILITIES, LIKE BEING VISION IMPAIRED OR HEARING IMPAIRED? UH, THAT MIGHT, UH, ARE, ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD SOME BARRIERS TO APPLY THAT YOUR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS ARE ABLE TO HELP THEM WITH? I CAN CERTAINLY DOUBLE CHECK ON THAT.
I AM NOT, UH, PERSONALLY AWARE OF ANY OF THOSE PARTICULAR, UM, ANY OF THOSE, UH, I, UM, COMMENTS THAT YOU'VE MADE WITH RESPECT TO THAT.
BUT I CAN DEFINITELY CHECK ON THAT AND REPORT BACK TO THE COMMISSION.
YOU DON'T NEED TO COME BACK HERE, BUT YES, THAT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW.
[00:20:01]
YOU.OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON? YEAH.
ARE YOU ABLE TO GIVE US SOME, UM, LIKE ANECDOTAL, UM, JUST DISCUSSION ABOUT LIKE WHO, WHO USED THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR AND WHAT THAT OUTCOME WAS? IF THERE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES YOU CAN SHARE WITH US? YEAH.
WITHOUT GOING INTO ANY SPECIFICS.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT, UM, SOME OF THE, THE VALUE OF THESE PARTICULAR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS IS THE ABILITY TO HAVE, UM, KIND OF PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS WITH THESE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS.
BUT ANECDOTALLY FROM THE NOTES, AS WE, AS WE HAVE THESE INDIVIDUALS COME BACK IN AND WE APPROVE FOR PAYMENT, RIGHT? UM, SOME OF THE STORIES THAT WE HEAR ON THESE IS JUST BECOMING AWARE OF GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND HAVING THOSE PARTICULAR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES APPLIED FOR HERE LOCALLY.
UM, AND SO A LOT OF TIMES WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THE DIFFICULTY IS JUST NOT BEING AWARE OR, UH, INFORMED ABOUT DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS RIGHT HERE ARE, ARE CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS OR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE JUST AS ELIGIBLE AS ANYBODY ELSE.
UH, WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE THESE COACHES, THESE, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS TO GAIN ACCESS TO PROGRAMS THAT THEY JUST WOULD NOT HAVE APPLIED FOR IN THE PAST.
SO PRIMARILY THE PEOPLE HAVE USED THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR JUST FOR, FOR ACCESS TO MORE FUNDING GRANT APPLICATIONS.
ARE THERE, ARE THERE OTHER AREAS THAT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS HAVE HELPED? YEAH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ADDITIONAL ANECDOTALLY, UH, STORY IS WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED, UM, SUPPORT IN OTHER, LIKE A SPANISH LANGUAGE TO HELP THEM KIND OF NAVIGATE, UH, CERTAIN TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF A APPLICATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, HELPING TO BRIDGE TO A DEGREE THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE, UM, AND HELPING FOLKS BEING ABLE TO JUST NAVIGATE AN APPLICATION SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME ELIGIBLE, UM, AND APPLY FOR THESE PROGRAMS. AND SO WERE ALL THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, DID THEY COME ON BOARD AT THE SAME TIME OR WERE SOME ONBOARDED LATER? UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS LIKE A PROCESS INITIALLY.
AND WAS THAT JUST A, LIKE A ONE AND DONE OR WERE THERE OTHER ENTITIES THAT JOINED LATER? BY AND LARGE? YES, MA'AM.
IT WAS, UH, A I BELIEVE A MAJORITY OF THEM WERE ONBOARDED ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
AND THEN THERE WERE A COUPLE OF COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS WHO WERE ONBOARDED LATER, UH, AT THEIR REQUEST.
UH, THEY WERE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD CAPACITY IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT PARTICULAR CONTRACT.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT, UH, AND THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING IT, BUT WHEN YOU SAY THAT THEY, SO THEY HAD APPLIED TO BE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS AND THEN THEY WEREN'T SURE IF THEY WANTED TO BE AND THEN CAME BACK LATER AND SAID THAT THEY DID, OR IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIMING, UM, WITH RESPECT TO DEPLOYMENT OF THE CONTRACT.
SO, AS I UNDERSTAND, AND YOU'LL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME, SO I'LL HAVE TO, I I MAY HAVE TO JOB DOUBLE CHECK ON THE DETAILS ON THIS.
SO THIS PARTICULAR DIVISION, UH, TOOK OVER ADMINISTRATION OF THESE PARTICULAR CONTRACTS AT A LATER POINT.
UM, BUT HISTORICALLY, AS I RECALL, A MAJORITY OF THE NAVIGATORS CAME ON BOARD AT THE SAME TIME.
AND THEN THERE WAS JUST STILL A PROCESS OF USHERING THE LAST COUPLE OF CONTRACTORS.
SO TO BE TECHNICALLY CORRECT, THEY ALL WERE, UH, ONBOARDED ON THE SAME COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS CONTRACT AT THE SAME TIME.
TIMING WISE THOUGH, AS I UNDERSTAND, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS JUST NEEDED TO GET SOME FINAL PAPERWORK IN, UH, BEFORE THEY COULD COMPLETE THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PARTISAN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? UH, COMMISSIONER GOLD.
UM, SO YOU SAID THIS, THIS FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS GONNA END AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.
AND SO IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A VERY SUCCESSFUL, USEFUL PROGRAM.
UM, AND, AND, UH, DIRECTLY ON THAT QUESTION, WE ARE LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL AVENUES, UH, TO CONTINUE FUNDING FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM AND HOW THAT MAY MATERIALIZE WITH RESPECT TO THE, THE BUDGET PROCESS.
SO YES, SO THE ANSWER IS I AGREE.
UM, WE AGREE THAT, THAT, UH, THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN, UH, WILDLY SUCCESSFUL WITH, UH, PROVIDING SUPPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING OUR NONPROFIT, SMALL BUSINESS AND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS.
UM, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO FUND THAT PROGRAM CONTINUING FORWARD.
SO TO FOLLOW UP, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE MUSIC COMMISSION CAN DO TO SUPPORT, UM, THAT WORK? LIKE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ASKING, YOU KNOW, SHOWING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAM OR, I DON'T KNOW, IS, IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN HELP? I THINK YOUR COMMENTS ARE, ARE APT IN, IN, IN, YOU KNOW, LEARNING FROM THIS PARTICULAR MEETING THAT IT WAS, IT IS SUCCESSFUL
[00:25:01]
AND IT CONTINUES TO BE SUCCESSFUL.UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING YOUR CONVERSATIONS AS, AS YOU NORMALLY WITH, WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, ABOUT SOMETHING, A PROGRAM YOU LEARNED THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN SHARING WHATEVER EXPERIENCES YOU'VE HAD.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, HERE? UH, YEAH, UH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS HERE AND, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN.
I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE, UH, UM, THIS, I GUESS THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.
SO THAT'S THE, UH, 2324 BUDGET.
THIS WAS POSTED, UH, JULY 25TH, 2023.
AND THE, UM, EXCUSE ME FOR A SECOND.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A TOTAL BUDGET FOR THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, 'CAUSE YOU ARE DEFINITELY THE EXPERT HERE.
UM, 188 MILLION, UM, SOME ODD DOLLARS HAS BEEN COMMITTED FOR, UM, THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU, YOU, YOU SAID THAT THERE'S, UM, LIKE ALL OF THE MONEY HAS BEEN PLANNED TO BE SPENT, WHICH IS BASICALLY MEANS THAT IT'S COMMITTED.
SO I GUESS ACCORDING WITH, WITH THIS, UM, SHEET, IT LOOKS LIKE THE, IN THE UN UNCOMMITTED COLUMN, IT'S ABOUT $50 MILLION THAT'S UN COMMITTED MONEY.
SO I'M, I'M ASSUMING THAT THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OUT OF DATE FROM WHAT YOU JUST, UM, FROM WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, IS IT YEAH, I, I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT FIGURE YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT WITH RESPECT TO THE AMOUNT APPROVED BY COUNCIL WAS FOR 500,000.
UM, AND THOSE PARTICULAR FUNDS, UH, BEGAN EXPENDITURES AS EARLY AS A LITTLE AFTER JUNE, 2021.
SO AS WE APPROACH DECEMBER 31ST, 2024, WE ARE ACTUALLY, UM, OVER 40% COMMITTED.
THEY ARE ON BASICALLY ON TRACK TO COMPLETE SPENDING.
SO THE OFFICIAL NUMBER THOUGH IS 500,000 WAS THE ALLOCATED AMOUNT.
SO I'M WAY OFF ONLY BY A HUNDRED MILLION.
ONLY, ONLY BY HUNDRED MILLION
SO I, SO I, THE, THE, THE NEXT QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS ONCE, BECAUSE THIS IS ACCORDING TO THE ARFA FUNDING AND, AND ALL THAT.
SO ONCE THIS FUNDING DRIES UP, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM? I, SIMILAR TO, UH, COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION ON THAT, WE ARE IDENTIFYING, UH, ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OKAY.
'CAUSE UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ALL KIND OF MUTUALLY AGREE THAT THERE IS BEEN SUCCESS IN THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM AND THERE'S DEFINITELY STILL NEED.
UM, SO THE NEXT, UH, OPPORTUNITY, THE NEXT QUESTION IS IDENTIFY AN ADDITIONAL SOURCE TO KEEP THAT FUNDING GOING.
WHAT, WHAT I'D SAY IS WE LOVE THAT THERE ARE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS THAT MADE THE BUREAUCRATIC ISSUE OF GETTING THE LIVE MUSIC FUND APPLICATIONS, UH, MANAGE MANAGEABLE.
AND WE WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT, UH, TO SUPPORT THIS, TO GO TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND SAY, YEAH, ANOTHER $500,000, IT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET AND IT GUARANTEES ACCESS TO THIS VERY HIGH PRIORITY FOR US.
UH, IT WOULD REALLY HELP IF WE KNEW THE SUCCESS STORIES, WHICH IS WHY I WAS ASKING BEFORE, HEY, WHAT ARE THE LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENTS THAT WE'RE HA THAT WE'RE HAVING? RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WHEN, UM, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR JOB AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, SUCCESS IS DOING THE WORK, BUT FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, AS THE MUSIC COMMISSION SUCCESS IS MAKING THE MUSIC.
SO IF WE COULD SEE THE DOTTED LINES BETWEEN THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I ADMIRE YOUR, YOUR SKILL AND THE BUREAU BUREAUCRATIC WORLD THAT YOU'RE IN OF MAKING SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH MONEY TO LAST YOU ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND IF YOU COULD HELP US DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THAT AND THE MUSIC THAT'S COMING OUT, THEN YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST CHAMPIONS.
[5. Discussion after presentation by Anne Gatling Haynes of Austin Economic Development Corporation on Cultural Trust next steps.]
THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION AFTER PRESENTATION BY ANNE GATLING HAYNES OF AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ON CULTURAL TRUST.AND NICE TO SEE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE I HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE THE NEW YEAR, SO THANKS FOR HAVING THIS NICE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE PEOPLE.
I'M THE CHIEF TRANSACTIONS OFFICER FROM THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, MANAGING THE CULTURAL TRUST PROGRAM.
I KNOW, UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME PRESENT BEFORE.
UH, THE FIRST FEW SLIDES HERE ARE ACTUALLY JUST A RECAP FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN AT THE TABLE BEFORE.
UM, AND THEN I WILL GET INTO SOME UPDATES, UM, IN GENERAL.
IN FACT, I JUST LOOKED BACK AND I WAS HERE I BELIEVE IN JULY LAST, IN FACT, DAYS BEFORE THE STORY LEAKED ABOUT THE HOLE IN THE WALL
SO I WASN'T ABLE TO MENTION AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO AT THE TIME.
SO ULTIMATELY, WE'VE GOT SOME UPDATES HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU.
UM, OUR BOARD, WE ARE NONPROFIT, BUT A LOCAL
[00:30:01]
GOVERNMENT CORPORATION SET UP BY THE CITY.WE HAVE 20 PEOPLE ON OUR BOARD.
IN FACT, OUR NEXT PUBLIC MEETING IS THIS WEDNESDAY.
WE'VE CHANGED THE TIME, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S AT ONE 30 AT THE PDC, BUT THEY'RE BIMONTHLY.
AND THEN OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM MEETS MONTHLY.
WE'VE GOT FOUR MEMBERS OF CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT OTHERS REPRESENT MANY OF THE DIFFERENT, UH, SEGMENTS OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE CITY AND THE REGION NEXT, UM, WE HAVE AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING.
IT'S CHANGED A LITTLE BIT YEAR TO YEAR.
UH, BUT WE HAVE A GROUP THAT MEETS WITH US TO KIND OF ADVISE US ON THE PROGRAM, BOTH THE ORIGINAL FORMATION AND SORT OF AS WE'VE NAVIGATED THROUGH SOME OF THE DECISIONS WE'VE MADE.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY THEY ARE REALLY MEMBERS OF AND, AND NETWORKS OF PEOPLE THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE TO GET THE WORD OUT TO THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
IN FACT, I'LL GIVE YOU THE, THE SCHEDULE UPDATE.
WE HAVE HAD LESS MEETINGS WITH THIS GROUP SIMPLY BECAUSE WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE INITIAL SET OF APPLICATIONS AND PROJECTS.
UM, AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO GEAR INTO WHAT'S THE NEXT PHASE LOOK LIKE.
UM, WE ARE REALLY LOOKING, UH, THIS PROGRAM WAS PUT TOGETHER IN KIND OF COMPLICATED WAY BECAUSE IT WAS MULTIPLE SOURCES OF MONEY AND REALLY MUL VERY BROAD OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, WHICH WAS REALLY, UM, PRESERVING EXISTING ARTS, MUSIC, AND CULTURE THAT WE'RE LOSING AT A TWO RAPID EC CLIP.
AND ALSO PROVIDING NEW SPACE, UM, BOTH OF WHICH INVOLVE PHYSICAL BUILDINGS AND REAL ESTATE.
WE CERTAINLY WANTED TO FACILITATE ACQUISITION AND PRESERVATION AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF NEW, UM, AT A RAPID CLIP.
BUT THOSE THINGS DON'T GO HAND IN HAND.
SOMETIMES THESE THINGS DO TAKE A LOT LONGER 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY COMPLICATED, UH, NEGOTIATIONS AMONG MULTIPLE PARTIES.
WE WANTED TO ACHIEVE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, UH, BY BOTH ADDRESSING PAST INEQUITIES, BUT ULTIMATELY PROVIDING SPACES THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO INCLUDE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF SPECIFICALLY, UH, BIPOC ARTS ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, PROVIDE PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY, UH, FOR CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PURPOSES.
SO NOT JUST MAKE SPACE HAPPEN, BUT MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT A LONGER TERM OF AFFORDABLE SPACE.
AND WE ALSO IN THE PROGRAM REALLY TRIED TO CREATE A, WHAT I WOULD SAY, A SUSTAINING PIPELINE OF CULTURAL TRUST INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE'RE SORT OF BUILDING ALL OF THESE AS PART OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE OF AFFORDABLE SPACE THROUGH THE CITY.
NEXT, UM, WE HAD THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MONEY THAT HAD BEEN ASSEMBLED, UH, THROUGH MUCH OF THE WORK WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THE CITY COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND OTHERS.
UH, LOTS OF ADVOCATES REALLY GOT THESE MONIES TO COME TO THE CULTURAL TRUST.
$12 MILLION WAS IN THE 2018 BOND ELECTION.
THAT NUMBER SHOULD BE UP THERE, BUT IT'S FROM THE 2018 BOND ELECTION.
UH, 2.4 MILLION FROM THE ICONIC VENUE FUND.
UM, THAT WAS THE HOT PRES PRESERVATION, ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION OR HERITAGE PRESERVATION DOLLARS.
AND THEN 5 MILLION FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND BUDGET OF ICONIC VENUE.
SO TWO DIFFERENT FOCUS POINTS FOR THE PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE ARTISTS ART, ART ARTS FROM THE CREATIVE SPACES BOND.
AND THEN TWO BUCKETS OF MONEY FOR THE, THE ICONIC VENUE, WHICH IS BASED ON A RESOLUTION BY COUNSEL.
UM, EACH OF THESE HAS STRINGS ATTACHED.
UH, IS THE, UH, HOT FUND MONEY, IS THAT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS? NO, THAT WAS A ONE TIME, UH, FOR, AND THAT WAS FISCAL YEAR 22, I BELIEVE.
UM, AND IT'S PART OF THE, UH, HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
UH, THE RESOLUTION ACTUALLY CALLS FOR UP TO $15 MILLION, INCLUDING THE INITIAL 4.9 MILLION, UH, OVER MULTIPLE YEARS, UM, WAS NOT SPECIFIC AS THE TYPE OF THE FUNDING.
AND SINCE THEN, UH, TRANCHES FOR, UM, THE ICONIC VENUE FUND OF IN GENERAL FUND.
AND THOSE ARE ACTUALLY OUR PREFERRED MODE BECAUSE THAT IS CERTAINLY MORE FLEXIBLE, MORE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
LOTS OF STRINGS ATTACHED AND I'LL HAVE THOSE ANSWERS
UM, JUST TO BE, TO RECAP, WE'RE STILL WORKING OFF OF THE INITIAL RFP THAT WAS SENT OUT IN 2021, CLOSED IN 2022.
UH, AT THAT TIME IN, UH, JUNE, WE HAD A 14 PROJECT LIST OUT OF 45 APPLICANTS THAT WERE RECEIVED.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FEASIBILITY AND DUE DILIGENCE.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN RUN.
AND REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EACH, EVERY INDIVIDUAL CASE OF EACH PROJECT AND HOW THOSE DOLLARS WILL BEST SUPPORT THOSE PROJECTS HAS TAKEN.
I WILL ADMIT A LOT LONGER THAN I'D HOPED FOR.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY WE'LL DESCRIBE WHERE WE ARE WITH SOME OF THE PROJECTS AND THINGS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, WE DID SOME UPDATES AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE PROJECTS IN A SECOND, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME BOND PROJECTS ANNOUNCED AS WELL AS, UH, SOME ICONIC VENUE.
AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH PROJECTS ON THIS LONG LIST.
UH, WE BOTH FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY, UH, TAKE IN INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECTS
[00:35:01]
THAT ARE NOT ON THE 45 ORIGINAL APPLICANTS BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE THE CASE WHEN WE CAN FOR THE AMOUNT OF NEED OUT THERE.UH, WE'D ESTIMATED WITH 45 PROJECTS.
ACTUALLY, THE NEXT ONE I THINK IS FINE.
WE ESTIMATED OVER $300 MILLION IN NEEDS.
AND AT THE TIME WE STARTED THIS, IT WAS, UH, 17.4 MILLION WE HAD FOR MANY, MANY DOLLARS THAT WE NEED.
UM, THAT SAID, UH, WE'D ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT WANTING TO SUPPORT TWO TO SIX PROJECTS, UM, WITH THESE INITIAL INVESTMENTS, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY ON TRACK FOR THAT.
UM, SO WE ARE HOPING TO BE BACK AT COUNCIL FOR BOND PROJECTS AND MAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT FURTHER ICONIC VENUE INVESTMENTS IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS OR SO.
SO WE'LL KEEP GOING THROUGH THE PROJECTS, AND AGAIN, I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS EVEN OFFLINE.
NEXT, UM, EACH, THIS LONG LIST OF 14 PROJECTS DO REPRESENT A BROAD VARIETY OF PROJECT TYPES.
NEXT, UM, SO THE FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT LAST DECEMBER WAS THE $2 MILLION TO FIT OUT THE, IT'S A RETAIL SPACE ACROSS FROM THE HIGHLAND MALL THAT IS LIKE, OR ACROSS FROM THE LINK THAT USED TO BE THE HIGHLAND MALL.
I'M NEWER TO AUSTIN, SO I DON'T KNOW MY GEOGRAPHY.
BUT ON, UH, MIDDLE FISCAL ROAD, UH, IN THE PARKING GARAGE OF THE CITY BUILDING, IT'S ABOUT 7,000 SQUARE FEET.
UM, AND WE HAVE ANNOUNCED IN MAY THAT THE RUDE MAX WOULD BE THE FACILITY MANAGER IN AUSTIN BAT CAVE, THE PROGRAM MANAGER, UH, PROGRAM PARTNER FOR THAT SPACE.
UH, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF EARLY DESIGN WORK ON THAT PROJECT.
AND IN FACT, I'M ANNOUNCING HERE TONIGHT THAT ON JANUARY 30TH, I BELIEVE AT FIVE O'CLOCK IS GONNA BE OUR THIRD PUBLIC EVENT IN THE PDC SPACE TO LOOK AT THE INITIAL DESIGNS FOR THAT SPACE.
THIS WAS ANNOUNCED IN JULY, UH, 1.6 MILLION OF THE ICONIC VENUE FUND, UH, HAS GONE TO SUPPORT THIS, UH, 49-YEAR-OLD, ABOUT TO BE 50-YEAR-OLD ORGANIZATION THAT WAS REALLY FACING SIGNIFICANT REAL ESTATE PRESSURE.
AND ON LEAPING THROUGH THE YEAR TO YEAR EXTENSIONS ON THEIR LEASE WAS VERY HARD TO INVEST IN THAT SPACE.
UH, SO THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS WAS BOTH OPERATIONAL SUPPORT, SPECIFICALLY ACROSS A 20 YEAR NEGOTIATED LEASE THAT WE HELPED FACILITATE THAT NEGOTIATION WITH THE LANDLORD, UH, TO HELP THEM SORT OF SURVIVE THROUGH KIND OF THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS TO BUILD BACK THEIR, THEIR OPERATION.
UM, AND THEN SPECIFICALLY CAPITAL INVESTMENTS.
UH, I THINK THE BATHROOMS ARE DONE NOW IN THE BACK, WHICH IS GOOD.
JUST THINGS THAT ARE GONNA MAKE THAT BACK SIDE OF THE SPACE, THE FRONT SIDE OF THE SPACE CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS ITS ICONIC VENUE, THE BACKSIDE OF THE SPACE TO BE BETTER UTILIZED AND BRING ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND THAT IS A FUNDING AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
I KNOW WE'VE GOT MUSICIANS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVE PLAYED ON THAT STAGE.
UH, AND SO THAT HAS BEEN MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN JUST THIS LAST DECEMBER, IT WAS ANNOUNCED AT COUNCIL, AND WE DID ANNOUNCE THIS AT THE ARTS COMMISSION, THE AUSTIN PLAYHOUSE FACILITY.
UM, THIS IS A NEW FACILITY ON LAND THAT THEY HAD PURCHASED MANY YEARS AGO.
THEY'VE GONE THROUGH A VERY LONG PROCESS, UM, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR A NEW HOME.
THEY HAVE RAISED SOME MONEY ASIDE IN ADDITION TO WHAT THEY HAD PURCHASED THE LAND FOR THIS WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A NEW FACILITY.
AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WE'RE CONTRIBUTING 4.5 MILLION TOWARDS THE $7.5 MILLION PROJECT BUDGET.
UM, THEY HAVE DONE THE DESIGN WORK FOR THIS.
THEY HAVE THE PERMITS IN PLACE AND ABSENT A, A MECHANISM TO GET THEM MOVING ON IT.
UM, THIS HAD BEEN ON ON HOLD SINCE, WELL BEFORE, SINCE SINCE THE COVID, UM, PANDEMIC.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IS CONTINUE THESE CONVERSATIONS.
THEY'D STARTED PRE PANDEMIC TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS FACILITY SUITS, UH, THE BROADER PUBLIC PURPOSE AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY WILL BE AN ANCHOR TO THE USE OF THE SPACE.
BUT BY NO MEANS THE ONLY USERS OF THIS SPACE.
SO THIS WILL BE AN OPEN AND PUBLIC FACILITY, UH, FOR ARTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE.
UH, IT IS ON 180 3 EAST ANDERSON LANE.
SO IT'S SORT OF, I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'D ALL CALL THAT NORTHEAST, BUT SLIGHTLY NORTHEAST.
UM, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ACTIVELY RAISING MONEY OVER THE NEXT YEAR AS WE DO FINAL AGREEMENTS.
UM, THEY, THEY UPDATE AND FINALIZE THEIR PLANS AND PUT THE PROJECT OUT FOR BID.
UH, WE'VE GOT LOTS OF LEGAL WRANGLING STILL TO GO TO GET EVERYTHING UP TO SPEED.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE AS A EDC WILL BE MANAGING THEIR FACILITY MANAGEMENT CONTRACT.
AND EVERYONE THAT WE HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH, THEY HAVE, UH, WE HAVE EXPECTATIONS ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF THE SPACE THAT WE WILL THEN BE MANAGING AS A PART OF THE CULTURAL TRUST.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S ALL FOR THE SLIDES.
UM, AND AGAIN, HOPEFULLY WE'RE BACK HERE WITH MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR IT'S AN EXCITING LEAK OF INFORMATION.
UH, THIS IS, UH, VERY EXCITING TO SEE
[00:40:01]
THESE EXAMPLES, UH, OF, UH, ENTITIES THAT ARE BEING FUNDED.UH, ESPECIALLY, UH, WHEN WE THINK OF VENUES AND HOW WE ARE LOSING VENUES IN THIS TOWN DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
UM, IT, IT REALLY KIND OF SETS AN EXAMPLE OR SHOWS US AN EXAMPLE OF HOW SOME OF THESE, MAYBE WE CAN'T SAVE EVERY VENUE, BUT IT'S, IT'S HOW SOME OF THESE ICONIC SPACES, UH, CAN BE MM-HMM.
AND I'M SURE WHEN, UM, AND I KNOW I SPOKE WITH YOU ON THIS, SO THAT'S WHY I FEEL SURE IS AS YOU, UM, ARE SUPPORTING OR CREATING THESE RENTAL AGREEMENTS, ET CETERA, FOR THE SPACE, UH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S SOME AMOUNT OF ANALYSIS THAT IS ALSO GOING ON TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSINESS ITSELF IS SUSTAINABLE YES.
IN HOW WE ARE SUPPORTING, UH, YEAH.
UM, WE DO A LOT OF FINANCIAL MODELING PRIOR TO MAKING SORT OF AN AGREEMENT OR A TERM SHEET WITH AN ORGANIZATION.
BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THAT BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THE MONEY IS GONNA BE USEFUL.
BUT WE'RE ALSO SETTING UP THESE ORGANIZATIONS FOR SUCCESS, UNFORTUNATELY, WITH WHAT ISN'T.
PART OF THESE BUCKETS OF MONEY THAT WE HAVE ARE ANY SUPPORT FOR SIGNIFICANT LONG-TERM OPERATIONS OR KIND OF AN ENDOWMENT THAT HELPS FACILITATE EVEN ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANNA USE THAT SPACE AND WOULD STILL STILL PAY AN AFFORDABLE RENT.
BUT STILL, THAT'S A BURDEN TO SOME ORGANIZATIONS.
SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS OF THE MANY THINGS I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO SOLVE IS HOW DO WE NOT JUST LOOK AT THE BRICKS AND MORTAR OF THE PROJECT, BUT ULTIMATELY PASS THAT TO ASSURE, UM, SURVIVAL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS.
ALMOST EVERY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AS AN ARCHITECT, I USED TO DESIGN PERFORMING ARTS CENTERS.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU PLAN UP TO THE POINT THAT YOU BUILD A BUILDING, EVERYTHING CHANGES IMMEDIATELY.
AND THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT ORGANIZATIONS KIND OF FIND THEMSELVES IN POSITIONS THAT ARE REALLY DIFFICULT.
UM, SO WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE, DO THE MODELING AS BEST AS WE CAN AND THEN LOOK FORWARD.
UM, WE WILL NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDING, THOUGH, NOT JUST US, BUT US COLLECTIVELY.
SO WHAT COULD BE THE POTENTIAL SOURCES FOR THAT LONG-TERM FUNDING? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I THINK, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO START LOOKING AT IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, SPECIFICALLY WITH THAT CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE, IS SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS SOME OF OUR, UM, I WOULD CALL THEM SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE US AROUND THE COUNTRY AND AND WORLD HAVE BEEN SOLVING FOR THESE TYPES OF CREATIVE SPACES AND BUILDING A TOOLBOX OF DIFFERENT WAYS OF HELPING, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS I KNEW, BUT REALLY KNOW NOW EACH ONE OF THESE PROJECTS IS SO UNIQUE AND THAT THE SPECIFICS OF HOW THAT DEAL IS STRUCTURED, YOU THINK SOMETHING, AND THEN YOU GO INTO THE NEGOTIATION WITH EITHER THE ORGANIZATION OR THE ACTUAL PROPERTY OWNER, AND IT COMES OUT ON THE OTHER END DIFFERENTLY.
SO WHAT WE NEED IS A TOOLBOX TO FIT MULTIPLE SCENARIOS.
UM, WE, WE PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AT PHILANTHROPY, BUT PHILANTHROPY, WE NOW HAVE, WE NOW HAVE THE BEGINNINGS OF LIKE A LIST OF PROJECT TYPES THAT WE CAN GET INTO A ROOM AND TALK ABOUT THE, WHAT THE, THE CONCRETE NEEDS ARE.
BUT PHILANTHROPY ITSELF ISN'T GOING TO SOLVE IT.
UM, I THINK CREATING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, AND AGAIN, SPEAKING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES IN CDFIS, UM, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ABOUT CREATING LOAN POOLS, IF PUBLIC MONEY CAN KIND OF SEE A SEED, A LOAN LOSS RESERVE, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A, A REAL REVOLVING LOAN FUND TO BE ABLE TO DO THE ACQUISITIONS TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS WHEN THEY COME UP.
UH, THAT'S THE OTHER THING IS ACQUISITIONS.
YOU MAY WANNA ACQUIRE A BUILDING, BUT YOU CAN'T ALWAYS ACQUIRE THE BUILDING WHEN YOU WANT TO ACQUIRE THE BUILDING.
SO WE REALLY NEED A FLEXIBLE SET OF TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
IT NEEDS TO COME FROM BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BLENDED.
UM, AND SO IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS WE'LL BE LOOKING AT A FEW OF THOSE, UM, AND PROBABLY WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK AND GET IDEAS FROM THIS GROUP AS WELL.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER SADE.
I LOVE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
UM, SO I, SO FROM THE, THERE'S 14 PROJECTS AND WE, UM, SAW PHOTOS FROM TWO, THE ONE NEAR HIGHLAND MALL AND THIS ONE, OH, I FORGOT MILLENNIUM.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO, BUT I THINK MILLENNIUM.
THERE WAS A PHOTO IN THERE IN THE CORNER AND I JUST DIDN'T MENTION IT.
MILLENNIUM IS ALSO A PROJECT THAT WE ANNOUNCED THERE.
SO WE'VE GOT, I THINK FIVE ANNOUNCED, WELL, FIVE ORGANIZATIONS.
SO THERE'S, OF THE 14 ORGANIZATIONS ON THE LONG LIST, SO PDC IS TWO MILLENNIUM HOLE IN THE WALL AND PLAYHOUSE.
SO THAT'S FIVE ORGANIZATIONS FROM THAT LIST.
UM, AND WE BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE A FEW MORE.
ARE THERE ANY BUILDINGS THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT IN SOUTH AUSTIN? THAT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT QUESTION.
ONE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH OFFICIALLY STARTS, BUT IF WE TALK ABOUT THE LAKE, LIKE SOUTH OF THE, OF THE WATER.
THERE'S AT LEAST ONE IN RYAN ALTER'S DISTRICT TWO FROM THE LONG LIST THERE, THERE WERE TWO SOUTH OF THE, IT'S ALL, IT WAS DEPENDENT ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
WE WERE LOOKING FOR A DIVERSITY OF GEOGRAPHY IN THE LIST, BUT BASED ON THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSION, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS
[00:45:01]
EARLY ON, WE WERE KIND OF TRYING TO ALIGN THE PROJECTS WITH WHERE THAT WAS.IT WAS BASICALLY NON-CENTRAL, BUT MM-HMM.
UM, I THINK THERE ARE TWO, BUT I DON'T WANNA BE QUOTED ON THAT 'CAUSE I HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH MY MENTAL LIST.
UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE, THERE'S CERTAINLY PEOPLE THAT I KNOW DOWN IN SOUTH AUSTIN THAT NEED HELP.
IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF SPACE DOWN THERE IN INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND WAREHOUSES.
AND I KNOW SOUTH CONGRESS, WAY SOUTH CONGRESS IS MM-HMM.
AND THERE'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, DOWN ALMOST BY LIKE MANCHACA AND THINGS LIKE THAT, OR MENCHACA.
SO JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS ANYTHING IN THE PIPELINES? NOT, NOT, WELL A COUPLE ARE ON THE LIST, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE WILL BE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
UM, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS WE DID THIS PROCESS WHERE WE ASKED ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR VISION AND THEIR GOALS AND INCLUDED, IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SPACE, COULD WE CONSIDER HELPING YOU FIND SPACE? MM-HMM.
UM, SO ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE REALLY NEED IS WE NEED THE ABILITY TO BE FAST WHEN SOMETHING COMES ON THE MARKET AND THERE'S SOME AVAILABILITY WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR AN ORGANIZATION TO PROPOSE IT TO US IN AN RFP PROCESS.
SO WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR PROCESS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC FROM THE COMMISSION? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
[7. Discussion after presentation on Musician Treatment Foundation’s (MTF) work in the music community by Irene Chang-Cimino, Executive Director, MTF.]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS, UH, DISCUSSION AFTER PRESENTATION ON MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION'S WORK IN THE MUSIC COMMUNITY BY I IRENE CHANG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MTF.I ACTUALLY REQUESTED, UH, IRENE TO COME IN PRESENT.
I MET HER, UM, WELL QUITE A WHILE BACK.
AND I REALLY THINK, UH, THE FIRST TIME I MET HER WAS, UH, AT, UH, AT THE A DC, THE, THE CULTURAL TRUST EVENT.
AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ON AND OFF, I SAID THAT THE COMMISSION WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT MTF DOES.
AND, UM, MY NAME IS IRENE CHANG SAMINO.
UH, I'M HONORED TO ACTUALLY BE A MEMBER OF THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, UH, SORRY, UH, CORPORATIONS CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
AND SO I THINK I'VE MET SOME OF YOU AS WELL AS NAVAL AT SOME OF THE EVENTS.
UM, I HAD A SLIDE PRESENTATION, BUT IT'S, IT'S OKAY.
I THINK I CAN TALK YOU THROUGH 'CAUSE IT WAS JUST MY OWN FORMALITY.
SO, UH, MTF AS WE CALL OURSELVES, MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION, UH, IS BASED HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE WERE FOUNDED IN THE FALL OF 2017 IN RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT MUSICIANS, AS I THINK ALL OF YOU KNOW, ARE OFTEN UNDERSERVED.
AND IN HEALTHCARE, I THINK THAT'S PARTICULARLY TRUE.
UM, WHILE THINGS HAVE CHANGED WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND OTHER THINGS, OUR FOUNDER IS AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON WHO SPECIALIZES IN UPPER LIMBS.
SO WE MEAN FROM FINGERTIPS TO THE SHOULDER.
AND HE KNEW THAT THERE WERE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS WHO EITHER DIDN'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE OR WHO HAD VERY LIMITED HEALTH INSURANCE, AND THAT MIGHT MEAN MEDICAID OR MEDICARE, WHO EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD INSURANCE, COULD NOT REALLY GET THE KIND OF CARE THEY NEEDED TO ADDRESS THEIR PROBLEMS. RIGHT.
WHICH ARE OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR ANY MUSICIAN WHO PLAYS AN INSTRUMENT.
AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, BEING ABLE TO USE YOUR HANDS AND YOUR ARMS IS VITAL RIGHT.
AND SO WE SET THIS UP TO PROVIDE FREE UPPER LIMB ORTHOPEDIC CARE TO ELIGIBLE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS.
AND WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT IS LOW AND MODERATE INCOME.
YOU HAVE TO BE A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN.
OUR CRITERIA ARE NOT AS RIGID, PERHAPS AS SOME OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A NUMBER OF YEARS.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A PARTICULAR AMOUNT, UM, BECAUSE IT MAY BE THAT THE INJURY IS THE CAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO PURSUE MUSIC MORE SERIOUSLY.
AND SO ONCE THEY MEET THESE CRITERIA, UH, THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR TO HAM'S CRITERIA, BUT THEY'RE NOT IDENTICAL IN PART BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A RESIDENT OF TEXAS OR ANY OTHER PLACE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO GET TO WHERE WE SERVE FOLKS.
AND SO THE WAY THAT WE WORK IS WE HAVE A NETWORK OF, UM, VERY COMMITTED AND CHARITABLE, UH, OTHER ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS WHO ARE FOUNDER, UH, ENLISTED TO JOIN US.
SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY AGREE TO EITHER WAIVE THEIR FEES OR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THEM, AND THEN WE NEGOTIATE WITH THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS LIKE SURGICAL CENTERS TO TRY TO REDUCE THE COST TO US.
AND SO IF THEY HAVE INSURANCE, WE COVER THE DIFFERENCE.
IF THEY DON'T HAVE INSURANCE, THEN WE
[00:50:01]
NEGOTIATE AND COVER THE COST OF BOTH SURGICAL AND NON-SURGICAL CARE.SO BASICALLY PEOPLE CAN, YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO US, UM, THROUGH CARE AT M-T-F-U-S-A OR ON OUR WEBSITE, WE RUN A SCREENING.
AND, UH, IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE, WE MAKE A REFERRAL TO ONE OF OUR DOCTORS.
WE HAVE, UH, 60 ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
UH, SORRY, I FORGOT TO NAME THE NETWORK.
IT'S PHYSICIANS FOR MUSICIANS,
RIGHT NOW, WE ONLY DO UPPER LIMB.
I KNOW PEOPLE ARE DREAMING OF, WE CAN DO OTHER THINGS, BUT THAT'S A LOT.
UM, SO THIS KEEPS US VERY BUSY.
WE'VE SERVED HUNDREDS OF, UH, PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
I WOULD SAY ABOUT A HUNDRED OF THEM HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO WE HAVE TWO DOCTORS HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE HAVE, UH, DOCTORS IN ABOUT THREE DOZEN OTHER CITIES, ALL THE MAJOR ONES.
NASHVILLE, LOS ANGELES, UH, NOT DETROIT, SORRY, MINNEAPOLIS, CHICAGO AND DID I SAY NEW YORK? OKAY.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING HAS BEEN, I THINK, VERY IMPACTFUL.
BOTH, UH, WHETHER YOU NEED SURGICAL CARE OR NON-SURGICAL CARE IS BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER HOW HARD THE SOLUTION IS, IS WHAT IS THE OUTCOME, RIGHT? SO IF A CORTISONE SHOT HELPS ADDRESS SOMEONE'S, YOU KNOW, UH, CARPAL TUNNEL, THAT'S ONE WAY.
IF THAT PERSON NEEDS SURGERY, THAT'S ANOTHER WAY.
BUT FOR US, IT'S ABOUT THE OUTCOME, RIGHT? IS THE PERSON ABLE TO GET BACK TO PLAYING.
UM, SO WE ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THINGS FROM INJURIES AS WELL AS ORGANIC CONDITIONS.
SO PEOPLE DEVELOP GANGLION CYSTS IN THEIR HANDS AND THEY JUST NEED IT REMOVED.
IT'S A SORT OF A ONE TIME THING.
USUALLY IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE ARTHRITIS, WE SEE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME, THEY MAY COME ONCE A YEAR.
UM, SO OUR DOCTORS ARE VERY CHARITABLE, AS I MENTIONED, AND, UH, I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MEDICAL BILLING AND NEGOTIATING, YOU KNOW, COSTS.
UH, AND SO OVER THE LAST, UH, SIX YEARS, UH, THE VALUE OF THE CARE THAT WE'VE HELPED PROVIDE FOR FREE, UH, IS ABOUT 2.5 MILLION.
AND OUR GOAL IN THE NEXT, UH, THREE YEARS IS TO SUBSTANTIALLY RAISE OUR FUNDS SO THAT WE CAN SERVE MORE PEOPLE, BOTH HERE IN AUSTIN AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
BECAUSE OUR REAL VISION IS THAT WE CAN SERVE THE MUSICIANS BOTH AT HOME AND ON THE ROAD, RIGHT? SO IF YOU'RE TOURING AND YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW YOU, YOU HURT YOURSELF IN A CITY YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO, PEOPLE CAN REACH OUT TO US AND HOPEFULLY WE HAVE SOMEONE NEARBY.
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE NOT IN ALL 50 STATES.
AND SO THAT'S SORT OF WHERE WE HOPE TO GET, PERHAPS BY YEAR 10.
UH, AND THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE AMAZING SERVICE THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING, UH, TO THE MUSICIAN COMMUNITY.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS, UH, COMMENTS HERE ON THIS TOPIC? I, I, I WILL SAY THAT THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
I'VE NEVER HEARD OF YOU ALL BEFORE.
SO, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU, UH, CHAIRMAN OF CHARLA FOR, UM, PUTTING THIS ON THE AGENDA.
I WILL ALSO JUST ADD THAT MY ELBOW IS
WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO, UH, COME AND PRESENT BECAUSE WE, WE DO FEEL SOMETIMES THAT NOT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT US.
THERE'S A TREMENDOUS WORD OF MOUTH NETWORK.
AND OF COURSE, THE, ALL THE OTHER MUSIC FOCUSED NON-PROFITS ARE OUR PARTNERS AND WE GET A LOT OF REFERRALS, BUT WE, WE ALWAYS WANT TO TELL MORE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING.
IS THERE ANY, UM, UM, ENGAGEMENT WITH HAM, UH, COLLABORATION? UH, I THINK I VAGUELY REMEMBER YOU HAD MENTIONED SOMETHING.
SO WHEN, WHEN OUR FOUNDER WAS FIRST EXPLORING THE IDEA OF WHERE TO SET IT UP, UH, SET UP THE FOUNDATION, HE SPOKE WITH RENA COLLINS AT THE TIME, THIS WAS MUST BE 2015 OR 16, AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT THERE WAS A NEED AND IN FACT THERE WAS A BACKLOG.
BARON, OUR FOUNDER, IS ACTUALLY THE TOP SPECIALTY PROVIDER.
AND, AND I GUESS TECHNICALLY IT'S MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION AS THE SPECIALTY PROVIDER BECAUSE WE'RE COVERING THE COSTS THAT HE MIGHT OTHERWISE INCUR PRIMARILY FOR SURGERY, RIGHT? SO HE, HE'LL WORK FOR FREE, BUT NO ONE ELSE CAN WORK FOR FREE.
AND SO, UM, SO IN THE BEGINNING, UH, I WOULD SAY THE BULK OF OUR REFERRALS CAME FROM HAM.
AND OVER TIME, BOTH BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE NOW, WE SEEM TO HAVE A LITTLE DROP FROM HAM, BUT I THINK THERE'S STILL PROBABLY ONE A MONTH, UH, COMES FROM HAM AND THEN OTHERS COME FROM WORD OF MOUTH.
UM, I'LL INTRODUCE NICK ADAMO, WHO'S OUR OUTREACH AND
[00:55:01]
DATABASE MANAGER.UH, AND SO I THINK HE'S, HE'S SPREAD THE WORD TO ALL HIS MUSICIAN FRIENDS.
AND AS I SAY, I HOPE PEOPLE DON'T NEED US, BUT IF YOU DO, WE'RE HERE.
AND SO WHEREVER YOU ARE, UH, I HOPE PEOPLE WILL REACH OUT.
THERE WAS JUST A REQUEST TO REPEAT YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS.
UM, WE WOULD, IF THE COMMISSION IS OKAY WITH IT, UH, COULD WE, UH, MOVE THE TWO DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS UP? UM, AND UH, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE OUR GUESTS HERE, UH, PRESENT AND, UH, BE ABLE TO GO HOME.
UH, THEN WE'LL MOVE ITEM NUMBER 13 AND 14 UP AT THIS POINT, AND THEN PICK UP FROM ITEM NUMBER EIGHT AFTERWARDS.
[13. Discussion and possible action on recommendation regarding economic impact of and funding for Red River Cultural District following update by Nicole Klepadlo, RRCD Interim Executive Director.]
UNDER DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS, WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON RECOMMENDATION REGARDING ECONOMIC IMPACT OF AND FUNDING FOR RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.FOLLOWING UPDATE BY NICOLE BLO.
I, I, I NEVER ASKED YOU HOW TO SAY YOUR LAST NAME.
RRCD, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
UM, I'M JUST THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK THIS EVENING.
WE ARE HERE BEFORE THE COMMISSION TO SEEK COMMISSION SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TOWARDS SECURING FUNDING FOR THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE FUNDING ALLOCATION TO THE OTHER CULTURAL AND HERITAGE DISTRICTS IN AUSTIN.
THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT IS, UM, A CREATIVE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE REALLY PROVIDE, UH, ARRAY OF DIVERSE LOCAL MUSIC AND ART.
UM, AT THIS POINT I FEEL LIKE IT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO SHARE THAT OUR ORGANIZATION IS REALLY HERE, UM, TO REALLY PRESERVE THE GROWTH, UM, OF RED RIVER'S CREATIVE BUSINESS AND MUSIC SCENE.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN MUSICIAN'S PERFORMERS, VENUES, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, AND SMALL BUSINESS.
AND WE REALLY BELIEVE, UM, AND HAVE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE CITY THAT THIS DISTRICT REALLY DOES EMBODY THE SOUL AND HEART OF AUSTIN.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, OUR BOUNDARIES STRETCH FROM FOURTH STREET TO 15TH STREET.
UM, AT THE NORTH WE HAVE THE NEW MOODY CENTER AND TO THE SOUTH, UM, OUR, OUR FURTHEST SOUTH, UM, VENUE IS FLAMINGO CANTINA.
I JUST WANNA NOTE ALSO, I'M JOINED IN AUDIENCE TODAY BY TWO OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES, ANGELA FROM FLAMINGO CANTINA, AND ZACH FROM THE MOHAWK.
SO THANKS FOR THEM FOR JOINING US.
THE DISTRICT IS MANAGED BY THE RED RIVER MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS A COALITION OF 50 PLUS BUSINESSES.
UM, THESE ARE LIVE MUSIC VENUES, UM, FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS, UM, ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESSES, BUT ALSO SOME STAPLES LIKE THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, THE GERMAN TEXAN HERITAGE SOCIETY, AND WATERLOO GREENWAY.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE CITY DID DESIGNATE THIS AREA IN 2013 AS THE FIRST CITY'S CULTURAL DISTRICT, AND THEN WE TOOK ON A STATE CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATION IN 2020, WHICH DOES HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT REQUIREMENTS TO GETTING THAT DESIGNATION.
OUR IMPACT IS, UM, AS AN ORGANIZATION AND AS A DESTINATION IN AUSTIN, UM, HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE FOUNDATIONAL, SIGNIFICANT AND VERY MULTIFACETED.
I CAN HONESTLY SAY THERE'S NO SINGLE DAY OF MINE THAT IS THE SAME.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO CONSER, UM, PRESERVE AUSTIN'S ONLY WALKABLE LIVE MUSIC HUB WITH OVER A DOZEN LIVE MUSIC VENUES.
UM, ANNUALLY WE SUPPORT LOCAL MUSICIANS AND PERFORMERS, UM, THOUSANDS THROUGH DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
WE FOSTER THOUSANDS OF, UM, MUSIC AND SERVICE INDUSTRY JOBS THAT ARE WORKING IN THESE VENUES.
AND ONE WOULD BE, UM, UH, HARD TO SAY THAT WE DO NOT SERVE AS A BACKBONE TO MAJOR TOURISM AND ECONOMIC GENERATORS, INCLUDING SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, ACL LEVITATION, OBLIVION ACCESS, THE, UM, GERMAN TECHS AND HERITAGE SOCIETY, OCTOBER FEST AND MORE.
UM, DAILY, WE ARE LOOKING AT LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL POLICY ADVOCACY FOR THE LIVE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM AND ALSO SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORT.
UM, WE ARE A CREATIVE ECONOMY HUB THAT ALSO SUPPORTS OUR, UM, PHOTOGRAPHERS, VIDEO PRODUCTION DESIGNERS, FASHION, UM, ARTISTS AND MORE, UM, THAT CANNOT BE DISMISSED.
[01:00:01]
HAVE JOBS BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING AND SUPPORTING, UM, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.AS PART OF THIS, WE ARE A DESTINATION FOR LOCAL AND TEXAS MUSIC HERITAGE, AND WE ARE AN INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT INCUBATOR.
MANY ARTISTS WILL START OUT IN SMALLER STAGES IN THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT AND WORK THEIR WAY UP TO LARGER STAGES, LARGER AUDIENCES, AND SPECIFICALLY WE'LL GO MOVE ON TO NATIONAL TOURING ACTS, OR PLAY POTENTIALLY ACL OR SOME OF THE LARGER VENUES.
OVER THE TIME, WE'VE PROVIDED OVER 200,000 IN DIRECT PANDEMIC RELIEF TO OVER 3000 INDIVIDUALS.
UM, WE'VE WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON SOME REALLY, UM, TRANSFORMATIONAL CURB APPEAL DISTRICT IDENTITY AND SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS.
AND AGAIN, UM, THAT EDUCATION COMPONENT OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO AT A LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL POLICY LEVEL.
WE ACTUALLY, UM, THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND I WANNA THANK MANY OF THE FAMILIAR FACES THAT I SAW OUT THIS WEEKEND THAT ARE IN THIS ROOM.
UM, WE'LL HAVE SOME, UM, DATA COMING UP IN THE COMING WEEKS ABOUT WHO PLAYED OUR FEST, WHAT OUR AUDIENCE WAS LIKE, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE SOME ANECDOTAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND TO REALLY HONOR THE SUCCESS OF WHAT FREE WEEK WAS.
UM, MANY FOLKS HAVE SHARED, UM, FROM A VENUE PERSPECTIVE THAT THIS NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WERE ABSOLUTELY GRUELING IN TERMS OF REVENUE DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND BUSINESS WAS AT AN ALL-TIME LOW.
UM, SO WHILE STANDING IN A HOTEL THIS WEEKEND, UM, I HEARD A WOMAN SAY, WE DROVE ALL THE WAY FROM GALVESTON TO SEE OUR SON PLAY IN THIS BAND.
UM, I HEARD ANOTHER WOMAN SAY, WE HEARD ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A SOUTHWEST AIRLINES MAGAZINE, AND WE WERE DYING TO COME FROM COLORADO.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD FROM VENUES THAT SAID THIS WEEKEND WAS SO BADLY NEEDED, IT WAS A WIN FOR US.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING SAVE OUR VENUE.
WE HIT RECORD REVENUE THIS WEEKEND.
AND CONCERT GOERS, UM, HAVE BEEN ENDLESS TO SAY, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR, AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE CROWDS.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED ONE OF OUR SIGNATURE FESTIVALS, UM, IT IS A WAY FOR US THROUGH DONORS AND SPONSORSHIPS AND GRANTS TO SUPPORT WITH DIRECT PAYMENT, OVER 300 MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS THAT PLAY THESE FESTIVALS OVER THREE DAYS, WE AVERAGE ABOUT 15,000 ATTENDEES AT EACH FESTIVAL, WHICH ARE LOCALS AND VISITORS.
UM, WE ALSO LEVERAGE INDUSTRY SUPPORT AND CAUSES, PARTICULARLY WITH SIMS FOUNDATION, UM, WHERE WE REALLY ARE TALKING ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION THROUGH MUSICAL SHOWCASES.
AND ONE OF THE KEY THINGS IS THAT ON AVERAGE, WE ARE ATTRACTING 15 TO 25% FIRST TIME PERFORMERS THAT HAVE NEVER PLAYED IN THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT THAT ARE ON OUR STAGES DURING THESE FESTIVALS.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR OUR HOT SUMMER NIGHTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN JULY.
WE'LL DO A SIMILAR RECAP OF THIS, UM, IN FOR FREE WEEK, BUT HOT SUMMER NIGHTS THIS PAST YEAR, WHICH WAS UNBELIEVABLY HOT, WE HAD A, OUR LARGEST, UM, TOTAL MUSIC MUSIC ACTS AT 130.
WE HAD 14 PARTICIPATING VENUES, WHICH WAS ALSO OUR LARGEST PARTICIPATION YET.
AND JUST IN THE MONTH OF JULY ALONE, 30 PLUS MILLION MEDIA IMPRESSIONS, WHICH EXPAND PAST LOCAL TO NATIONAL AS WELL.
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE VAST AND THEY ARE DIVERSE, UM, REALLY SUPPORTING ALL ENDS OF PROMOTION, UM, TO COMMERCE AS WELL AS, UM, UH, PROMOTERS AND SPECIFICALLY FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY AS PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WITH CAUSES SUCH AS SIMS FOUNDATION AND THE D WOOD FOUNDATION.
SO, I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AS WE'RE MAKING THIS REQUEST IS THAT THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, UM, WAS REALLY FORMED OUT OF A CALL TO ACTION AND KIND OF A, A CALL FOR NEED.
UM, IN 2015, SEVERAL VENUES HAD CLOSED ON RED RIVER, UM, AND PEOPLE WERE SITTING AROUND SAYING LIKE, IT'S NOW OR NEVER.
UM, AND WITH THE CITY'S ASSISTANCE AND SOME SUPPORT, THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT WAS BORN.
AND THROUGHOUT THAT, EVERY YEAR WE ALWAYS HAVE THIS LAUNDRY LIST OF HORIZON ISSUES.
AND EVERY YEAR THIS LAUNDRY LIST OF HORIZON ISSUES EITHER GETS MORE COMPLICATED OR IT JUST GETS LONGER.
UM, AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA BRING UP AS PART OF THIS REQUEST TO THE MUSIC COMMISSION IS THAT, UM, AND TO REALLY ENSURE THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY AND SUCCESS OF NOT ONLY OUR ORGANIZATION AS A STEWARD OF RED RIVER, BUT ALSO AS A PARTNER OF THE, OF THE MUSIC, UM, ECONOMY HERE IN AUSTIN AT A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCALE.
UM, BUT ALSO THIS FUNDING IS CRITICAL, UM, AS WE THINK ABOUT RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT AS A PLACE.
UM, THIS PLACE IS A MAJOR ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL GENERATOR FOR THE CITY AND A KEY TOURISM DRIVER FROM THE PLACE OF FOUNDATION OF MUSIC.
UM, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT REALLY IS THE MUSIC
[01:05:01]
ECOSYSTEM.IT'S THE SPORTING A WHOLE INDUSTRY.
AND AS, UM, WE'VE GOT FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE REALLY A LIVELIHOOD OF SO MANY PEOPLE.
UM, I WANTED TO JUST TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO GO OVER SOME OF THESE HORIZON ISSUES TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT AS TO WHAT WE ARE FACING.
UM, I DON'T WANNA GO TOO FAR INTO DETAIL, BUT I WILL MAKE SOME NOTES ON SOME THAT I THINK THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO BRING TO, UM, THE COMMISSION'S ATTENTION.
UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, HOT FUNDING HOT FUNDED PROGRAMS WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO HEAR THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRO, UH, DEPARTMENT HAS SET HIRED SEVERAL CONSULTANT FIRMS TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAMS AND PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PROGRAMS. UM, THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT DID APPLY FOR THE ELEVATE GRANT PROGRAM AND WAS DECLINED AND WAS DECLINED IN APPEAL.
UM, I'LL TOUCH ON A FEW ITEMS HERE, BUT ALSO WANNA KEEP THIS PRETTY BROAD BASED AS IT RELATES TO THE GRANT FUNDING TO MAKE SURE WE GET THROUGH THE REST OF THESE HORIZON ISSUES.
UM, SOME OF THE ELEVATE PANEL ORIENTATION DOCUMENTATION STATED THAT THE SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THIS WAS THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, UM, AND THAT THERE ARE TWO ORGANIZATIONS, THE TEXAN TEXANS FOR ARTS, AND THE TEXAS HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION, WHICH ARE HERE TO ADVOCATE AND PROTECT FOR HOT TAX.
UM, THEY SHARE THE GOAL OF GROWING AND ADVANCING TOURISM AND THE CONVENTION AND HOTEL INDUSTRY THROUGH A COLLECTIVE PROMOTION OF ARTS, UM, AND CERTAINLY TOURIST CONVENTION AND HOTEL GUESTS.
I JUST WANNA SAY ON RECORD THAT THE DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT OUR ORGANIZATION DID THIS PAST WEEKEND DIRECTLY ALIGNS WITH THE PURPOSE OF WHAT A HOT TAX SHOULD GO TOWARDS.
NOT ONLY IS THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT CONTRIBUTING AND GENERATING THIS HOT TAX FOR THIS GRANT PROGRAM TO EXIST OUR PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY AND ALIGN AND DELIVER ON THE GOALS OF THOSE TWO STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS.
SO WHILE WE WERE DENIED AN APPEAL, THE REASON WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY IS TO ASK FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT SO THAT WE CONTIN CONTINUE DOING THE WORK THAT WE DO.
WE'RE ALSO VERY SURPRISED TO HEAR SOME OF THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE BY THE PANELISTS THAT REVIEWED OUR APPLICATION.
AND SOME OF THOSE STATEMENTS WERE THAT THE APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY RED RIVER, UM, IDENTIFIED THE KEY CONSTITUENCIES AS THE MUSIC COMMUNITY, AND THAT THESE WERE NOT KEY CONSTITUENCIES THAT THE GRANT WAS TRYING TO ADDRESS OTHER STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE WHERE THAT OUR APPLICATION LACKED SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
UM, THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC QUESTION IN THE GRANT, UH, OR IN THE APPLICATION THAT ASKED FOR DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
AND LASTLY, I THINK THE ONE THAT STRUCK THE HARDEST WAS A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE THAT THE ONLY CULTURAL REFERENCE THAT WE MADE ABOUT OUR DISTRICT WAS SPECIFIC TO THE GERMAN TEXAN HERITAGE SOCIETY, WHICH I KIND OF LAUGHED AT BECAUSE THE CITY DESIGNATED IN 2013 OUR DISTRICT TO BE THE FIRST CULTURAL DISTRICT IN AUSTIN.
SO WE REALLY ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME PROCESS IMPROVEMENT.
UM, I THINK OUR ORGANIZATION BRINGS GREAT VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY, UM, EVEN IF WE DID NOT SCORE WELL, UM, ACCORDING TO THESE GUIDELINES.
AND WE REALLY WOULD LOOK FOR US AS WE THINK ABOUT HORIZON ISSUES FOR THE CONSULTANTS TO LOOK AT EVALUATING, UM, THE DEFINED KEY CONSTITUENCIES, UM, LOOKING AT PRESENTING MORE CLEAR APPLICATION QUESTIONS SO THAT WE CAN RESPOND WITH THE DATA THAT WE DO HAVE, UM, AND FURTHER EVALUATING THE INTENT OF THE GUIDELINES WITH THE HOT FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND JUST WHO AND WHAT IS NOT BEING FUNDED.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK WE REALLY COULD BENEFIT FROM LOOKING AT GAPS AS WE LOOK AT OTHER HORIZON ISSUES.
UM, POST PANDEMIC, THERE'S BEEN A HUGE SPIKE IN GENERAL AND LIQUOR LIABILITY INSURANCE INCREASES.
WE'RE LOOKING AT 400 TO 500% INCREASE FOR VENUES TO ACQUIRE THIS INSURANCE.
UM, WE HAVE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CI IN THE CITY THAT ARE ADVOCATING AT A, AT A STATE LEVEL FOR HOW WE CAN REALLY, UM, UH, TACKLE THIS.
BUT THIS IS GOING TO ADD TO OPERATIONAL COSTS FOR VENUES LIVE MUSIC FUND.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE ROUND THAT'S COMING UP.
IT WILL INCLUDE, UM, VENUES AND WE REALLY HOPE THAT THIS CAN FIND SOME WAYS TO TRULY FIND, UM, SOME IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND ADDRESS SOME MEDIA NEEDS OF THE, THE MUSIC.
UM, COMMUNITY STREAM REALTY HAS PURCHASED THE WHOLE BLOCK OF SIXTH TO SEVENTH ON RED RIVER.
AND WHILE WE ARE MAKING GOOD FRIENDS WITH STREAM REALTY AND TRYING TO FIND THE BEST WAYS TO WORK WITH THEM, UM, REQUESTED RENT INCREASES HAVE GONE FROM 60 TO 80% IS WHAT THEY ARE REQUESTING.
UM, SO THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING AS AN ORGANIZATION AND CERTAINLY THINKING ABOUT, UM, HOW THIS IS BEING MANAGED.
[01:10:01]
UM, WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY, WE'LL START PLANNING IN THE REFUGE AREA.UM, WE ADDRESSED THIS AS PART OF THE PALM DISTRICT, BUT THERE ARE POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO LIVE MUSIC VENUES AS THE ENCROACHMENT.
UM, AGREEMENTS ARE IN PLACE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THOSE VENUES AS THE CREEK GETS BUILT OUT.
AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE.
UM, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST PRESENT IN FUTURE, LAST MARCH WAS A TOUGH MARCH FOR RED RIVER, AND WE KNOW THAT, UM, WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSING, UM, THEY WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE TO HOST THIS.
AND SO WE REALLY ARE BRACING OURSELVES FOR WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
UM, EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION OF THE MEDICAL DISTRICT CAMPUS PROJECT CONNECT IS TWO BLOCKS AWAY, IS THE SLATED LINE, UM, I 35 CAP AND STITCH.
AND LASTLY, AFFORDABLE PARKING PROGRAM.
SO OUR HORIZON ISSUES OF IMPACTS TO THIS DISTRICT ARE VAST, THEY ARE RICH, AND THEY ARE COMPLICATED.
SO WE'RE HERE TODAY TO REQUEST FINANCIAL SUPPORT, UM, AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION, UM, TO THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT MANAGEMENT ENTITY, UM, WHICH IS THE RED RIVER MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION.
UM, THAT IS FINANCIALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE FUNDING ALLOCATION GIVEN TO THE OTHER CITY DESIGNATED CULTURAL AND HERITAGE DISTRICTS.
OUR UNDERSTANDING IS IN DECEMBER, THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT RECEIVED AN ALLOCATION OF $120,000, AND THAT HISTORICALLY, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT SIX SQUARED HAS RECEIVED AN ALLOCATION OF, I BELIEVE, $300,000 ANNUALLY.
WE DO KNOW THAT THE CITY, SPECIFICALLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON A DISTRICT POLICY FRAMEWORK.
SO WE WOULD ASK THAT THE COMMISSION HELP SUPPORT A REQUEST FOR GAP FUNDING FOR RRCD UNTIL FURTHER WORK IS PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL ON THAT COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS TO SUPPORT THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I JUST WANTED TO SAY WAS, AS WE GO INTO 2024, NO ONE SHOULD BE REALLY SURPRISED BY ANOTHER AUSTIN MUSIC VENUE CLOSING.
SO FOR OVER A DECADE, THE COMMUNITY AND MANY PARTNERS HAVE RELENTLESSLY ADVOCATED, EDUCATED, ENCOURAGED, AND WORKED TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE NEEDS AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THIS INDUSTRY.
MANY OF THESE BULLETS UP HERE REPRESENT THINGS THAT ARE IN MOTION, BUT AS ANNE HAD MENTIONED, THERE IS A NEED FOR VERY BIG TOOLBOX.
AND SO SOME OF THESE ITEMS, UM, SUCH AS RETENTION OF THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, PRIORITIZATION OF SOME OF THESE CITY RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PENDING FOR SOME TIME, UM, PRIORITIZATION AND ANNUAL COMMITMENT TO THE ICONIC VENUE FUND, REVISITING OUR CHAPTER THREE 80 POLICY.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WOULD GREATLY HELP, UM, SUPPORT THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM.
AND I THINK THE OTHER THING HERE IS JUST THAT, UM, WE DON'T NEED TO REINVENT THINGS.
THIS LIST IS PART OF THAT PATH FORWARD.
SO I THINK JUST IN ADDITION TO OUR FUNDING REQUEST, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MUSIC COMMISSION WAS AWARE THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS OUT THERE THAT COULD GREATLY HELP THE INDUSTRY.
AND JUST WANTED TO ADD A FEW AWARENESS AND PR QUOTES THAT WE'VE HEARD, KIND OF A CELEBRATION OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE CULTURAL DISTRICT THAT ARE ALL REALLY POSITIVE.
UM, AS WE JUMP INTO 2024, OUR ORGANIZATION AND OUR WORK REMAINS CRITICAL.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS FUNDING REQUEST REALLY, UM, ENABLES US TO DO THE WORK NEEDED AS A PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FOR THE GREATER GOOD OR GREATER CULTURAL GOOD OF AUSTIN.
AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.
UM, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW, UM, SO IF FUN, IF THE, THE RED RIVER OF THE MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION OF THE NONPROFIT RECEIVED, UM, A LARGE GRANT, LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU WERE REQUESTING FOR, I THINK YOU, THE GRANT, THE GRANT YOU REQUESTED FROM CULTURAL ARTS? IT WAS AROUND A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR 150 FOR THE ELEVATE PROGRAM.
YEAH, I BELIEVE WE REQUESTED 75,000.
UM, AND YOU MENTIONED SOME OTHER GRANT AMOUNTS THAT OTHER ENTITY, OTHER CULTURAL DISTRICTS, UH, RECEIVE.
SO I, I MEAN, IF YOU DID RECEIVE A, A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $150,000 AND THAT WENT DIRECTLY TO THE NON-PROFIT, LIKE HOW WOULD THAT, HOW WOULD THAT BE DISTRIBUTED IN AMONGST VENUES AND PROGRAMMING AND, UM, HOW WOULD THOSE DECISIONS BE MADE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, WE WOULD CERTAINLY TAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMISSION OR COUNCIL ON THAT, BUT I THINK OUR IMMEDIATE NEEDS RIGHT NOW,
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UM, ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS SO THAT WE CAN WORK ON THOSE HORIZON ISSUES.WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS THAT WILL GREATLY INFORM SOME OF THE TOOLS.
UM, AND THEN CERTAINLY HAVING EFFORTS TO CONTINUE PROMOTIONS AND MARKETING OF THE DISTRICT, NOT ONLY ON A LOCAL LEVEL, BUT UH, UH, UH, UH, FROM A MUSIC HERITAGE TOURISM LEVEL,
AND SO THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, THE CSAP PROGRAM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE VENUES WOULD APPLY TO, UM, INDIVIDUALLY OR WOULD, WOULD RCD APPLY TO THAT FOR THE VENUES? LIKE HOW, HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VENUES? YEAH.
AND IF THE, SOME OF OUR GUESTS FROM THE VENUES HAVE, UH, Y'ALL CAN COME UP IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE LIKE, THIS IS, THIS IS HOW WE WOULD LIKE IT TO WORK.
UM, I THINK, UM, THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS CRITICAL.
IT'S ONE OF THE ONLY, UM, FUNDS RIGHT NOW THAT HELPS VENUES WITH RENT ASSISTANCE.
UM, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I CONTINUE TO HEAR IS MOST NEEDED.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE'RE RETAINING THAT AND ALSO CONSIDERING CAN THAT FUND ALSO SUPPORT SOME OF THE INCREASED INSURANCE COSTS THAT WE'RE BEING MM-HMM,
UM, THE VENUES WOULD APPLY INDEPENDENTLY, BUT CERTAINLY THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT IS HERE TO SUPPORT PUTTING THAT APPLICATION TOGETHER AS WE HAVE FOR, FOR OTHER GRANT APPLICATIONS AS WELL.
ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS PER ROSETO? YEAH.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE ALSO ON THIS AGENDA IS, UM, A DISCUSSION ON ALL AGES SHOWS AND HOW WE SUPPORT YOUTH IN AUSTIN.
AND GIVEN THAT WE HAVE MR. MOODY RIGHT HERE IN THE
WHAT, WHO ARE YOU? GENERAL, GENERAL MANAGER.
IN ANY CASE, THE MOHAWK IS FANTASTIC, HAVING SHOWS OPEN TO PEOPLE, UH, UNDER 21.
I ALSO KNOW THAT, UH, STUBBS AS WELL.
SO WE, ANYTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU ARE, THIS, THIS DISTRICT SUPPORTS YOUTH AND SHOWS FOR PEOPLE UNDER 21.
MM-HMM,
THIS, YEAH, THIS, UM, FREE WEEK.
WE DID HIGHLIGHT THOSE VENUES THAT DO OFFER ALL AGES SHOWS.
UM, THERE'S OFTEN SOME, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING IN THE DETAILS.
THERE ARE SOME SPONSORS THAT WE BRING ON THAT DO PREFER THAT WE DON'T DO ALL AGES SHOWS, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF LIABILITIES.
BUT I KNOW EACH VENUE HAS THEIR OWN PROTOCOLS, UM, AND ALSO CONTRACTS WITH THOSE MUSICIANS.
SO I DO BELIEVE IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT WORKS HARD TO DO IN PROVIDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, WE RECENTLY ENGAGED WITH A LOT OF, UM, FOLKS AT UT, UM, SPECIFICALLY TO GET THOSE FOLKS OUT TO FREE WEEK, AND THERE WAS A GOOD APPETITE FOR THAT BASED ON BEING LIKE, ABLE TO COME AT BETWEEN 18 AND 20.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, UH, I, I HAVE ONE, ONE, UH, COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, BUT ONE REMARK HERE.
I BELIEVE IF MY, IF MY HISTORY SERVES ME CORRECTLY, I BELIEVE THAT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL DISTRICT, WHAT'S THE FIRST, UH, CULTURAL DISTRICT IN, IN AUSTIN? I THINK IT WAS IN 2007.
I MEAN, I'M LIKE 98% SURE ON THAT.
UM, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT, UM, THAT NOTE.
I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I WANNA MAKE THAT NOTE.
UM, THE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I DO HAVE THOUGH IS WITH THE, I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT THE, THE INCREASE IN, IN, IN LIQUOR TAX, UM, OR, OR THE LIQUOR LIABILITY INSURANCE IS HOW HAS, I GUESS THE HONKY TALK BILL HELPED THAT IS IS, IS THERE, HAVE THE VENUES SEEN ANY RELIEF FROM THAT GUY? I KNOW THAT WENT INTO EFFECT, I BELIEVE IN 2022.
I DON'T, UM, WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO? THE, THE, THE HONING TALK BILL, THE LIQUOR TAX, THE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS REBATE, THE INCUBATOR PROGRAM.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE, UM, TEXAS MUSIC OFFICE, WHICH, WHO IS MANAGING THAT FUND? MM-HMM.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEIR HOPE TO HAVE SOME, UM, UPDATES ON DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTER OF, OF THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
UM, COULD YOU, UH, LIKE TALK TO HOW, HOW THAT MIGHT, WOULD, WOULD THAT HELP ALLEVIATE SOME PRESSURE ALSO? I MEAN, OR, OR HOW MUCH PRESSURE WOULD THAT HELP ALLEVIATE, IF ANY? SURE.
I THINK, UM, IT'S DIFFERENT FOR EACH VENUE.
WE HAVE VENUES THAT ARE CERTAINLY, UM, STRONGER POSITIONED BECAUSE THEY OWN THEIR PROPERTY AND THEY DON'T RENT THEIR PROPERTY.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, VENUES THAT HAVE LARGER
[01:20:01]
CAPACITY THAT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN MORE REVENUE THAN OTHERS.SO I THINK IT'S A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
I THINK ANY ASSISTANCE AT THIS POINT CERTAINLY WILL BE, UM, HELPFUL.
BUT I THINK TYING THE HELP THAT WE GET FROM THE, THE INCUBATOR REBATE INCUBATOR PROGRAM AND THE INCREASE IN THE INSURANCE RIGHT.
CAN'T EXACTLY KIND OF MATCH EACH OTHER.
UM, AND THE, I I, I DO ALSO, UH, IN, IN TERMS OF BEING DENIED, I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF A MIND BOG BOGGLING TO ME THAT THE RIGHT GROUP FOR A CULTURAL DISTRICT WOULD, WOULD BE DENIED FOR, UH, A GRANT LIKE, LIKE THAT.
AND I, I KIND OF FEEL YOUR PAIN AS A MUSICIAN.
I WAS ALSO DENIED, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, UH, THE SAME GRANT BASICALLY.
UH, I THINK THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT SO FAR.
UM, COMMISSIONER CASADA? NO, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
UM, WELL, CELESTE CASADA HERE.
UM, I THINK THAT THE ISSUES THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT UP HAVE, UM, I ECHO THE SENTIMENTS THAT IT'S, UM, THAT COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL BROUGHT UP THAT IT, IT, UM, CHECKS A LOT OF THE BOXES FOR GOALS THAT WE HAVE AS A COMMISSION.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE ALL HERE TO HELP.
AND THIS IS NEAR AND DEAR TO, UM, MY HEART, THE RED RIVER, UM, DISTRICT AS A NATIVE AUSTINITE, I REMEMBER GOING TO CHANCES, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, UM, YOU KNOW, MY BROTHER IS GRAHAM WILLIAMS AND HE STARTED FREE WEEK, AND I'M, I'M VERY AWARE OF GROUP OF FSMA GETTING THEIR START AT EMPANADA PARLOR WAY BACK IN THE DAY.
SO I THINK, UM, MEMORIALIZING MORE OF THE, THE HISTORY THAT'S IN THE RED RIVER DISTRICT, UM, SINCE, YOU KNOW, THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES IS IMPERATIVE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT, UM, THE VALUE, THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF THAT, UH, GEOGRAPHY, UM, IS TO THE MUSIC COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK IT IS INCREDIBLY DIVERSE DOWN THERE WITH AGES AND DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND SO IT SOUNDS LIKE FUNDING WILL HELP, UM, ARTICULATE THAT DATA.
UM, SO I APPLAUD THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FORGING NEW WAYS OF HOW WE CAN, UM, ASSIST.
UH, SO, UM, THE HORIZONTAL ISSUES THAT YOU MENTIONED, THERE'S, UH, THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL OF THESE, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH A SIGN OF, YOU KNOW, VERY FAST GROWING CITY.
UM, SOME OF THESE SEEM LIKE ARE SURMOUNTABLE, YOU KNOW, BY GAINING SOME ALIGNMENT.
UM, SOME MIGHT BE JUST CAUGHT UP IN, IN HOW THE CITY IS GROWING.
UM, HOW ARE, UH, HOW IS RR CITY LIKE TRYING TO TRIAGE THESE AT THIS POINT? UH, IS, IS IT, IS IT THE NONPROFIT THAT IS MORE ENGAGED ON THAT? ARE THE BUSINESSES ENGAGED DIRECTLY? HOW DOES THAT WORK? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UM, THAT IS KIND OF GUIDING THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND WITH EACH OF THESE INITIATIVES, MY ROLE WITH BOARD SUPPORT IS TO NAVIGATE AND BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH EACH OF THESE ENTITIES AND TRY TO THINK THROUGH, UM, WHAT ARE BEST CASE SCENARIOS, WHAT ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER? UM, STREAM REALTY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT, OF LIKE, HOW DO WE WORK ON A CASE BY CASE WITH EACH PROPERTY? ARE THEY OPEN TO DOING THAT? ARE THEY OPEN TO IDEAS? ARE THEY OPEN TO BUSINESS PIVOTING THEIR MODELS? UM, FOR SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS LIKE THE MEDICAL DISTRICT EXPANSION, UM, WE ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SOME OF THOSE FOLKS TO SEE HOW THAT DEVELOPMENT WILL IMPACT RED RIVER.
SO A LOT OF IT IS DAY-TO-DAY COMMUNICATION AND BUILDING THOSE PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE THE BENEFIT OF BEING NEIGHBORS, BUT ALSO THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A MORE DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF USES ALONG THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
UM, AND CERTAINLY JUST TRYING TO BE A PARTNER AND AN ADVOCATE AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT WE TOO AS A DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, UM, FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.
THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR BECAUSE THE, I THINK SOME EVOLVE EVOLUTION AND GROWTH IS GONNA BE INEVITABLE, AND IT, IT, IT, IT'S GREAT THAT THE IDEA OF PARTNERSHIP AND HOW DO WE SUSTAIN SPACES THAT ARE MEANINGFUL, UH, TO THE, TO THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY, TO THE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM, AND TO AUSTIN'S CHARACTER REALLY AS A CITY.
UH, HOW DO WE KIND OF SUSTAIN THAT WHILE WE ALSO EVOLVE WITH HOW THE CITY'S GROWING? UH, I WAS THERE FOR FREE WEEK, AT LEAST FOR ONE OF THE EVENINGS, AND IT'S THAT THAT AREA HAS
[01:25:01]
14,000 PLUS, UH, HOTEL ROOMS, PROBABLY, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GETTING THE RIGHT NUMBER, BUT IT'S AROUND THAT JUST AMENITY FILLED HOTEL ROOMS THAT, AND THEN VISIT AUSTIN, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UH, PUTS THESE SHOWS, UH, AND, AND PROMOTES THEM TOWARDS TOURISM.UH, AND SO IT IS, IT, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT AT SOME LEVEL WE MAINTAIN THE LOCAL CHARACTER OF OUR CITY AND OUR MUSIC VENUES AND THESE SPACES THAT, ALONG WITH BRINGING NATIONAL TOURING ACTS ALSO ARE KIND OF INCUBATOR SPACES FOR, FOR NEW EMERGING ARTISTS TO, TO LEARN AND GROW.
AND WE CAN'T JUST LEFT AND RIGHT, JUST LOSE ALL THESE SPACES TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, GROWING CITY.
AND, AND I MEAN, IF YOU ALL HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE STANCES THAT I TAKE, I TEND TO BE VERY PRAGMATIC, BUT IT'S ALSO PART OF THE PRAGMATICISM THAT WE SUSTAIN AND EVOLVE LIKE SOME OF, AND REALLY SUSTAIN SOME OF THE CHARACTER, KEEP SOME OF THE CHARACTER OF OUR CITY AS IT GROWS.
THAT KEEPS US UNIQUE IN OUR OWN WAY.
AND THERE IS, THERE IS VALUE THAT, UH, A DISTRICT LIKE OUR CITY IS BRINGING TO OUR CITY FROM YEARS AND YEARS.
AND, AND IT, IT, I THINK IN THAT CONTEXT, AND ALSO, UH, LIKE I SAID, LIKE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEING MARKETED TO ALL THESE TOURISTS THAT COME IN TODAY.
SO THERE IS, UH, THERE IS GOOD REASON, UH, FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, A MULTITUDE OF REASONS TO WHY WE SHOULD BE SUPPORTING THESE SPACES.
AND, AND I, IT, I I REFER TO THE HORIZONTAL ISSUES ALSO TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING HOW WE ARE DEALING WITH THESE, BUT ALSO THAT THESE ARE NOT GONNA BE SOLVED OVERNIGHT.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE ASK OF THE GAP FUNDING, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF THINGS NEED TO BE RESOLVED, UH, OR, OR WILL EVOLVE OVER TIME.
BUT THE GAP FUNDING IS WHAT WILL HELP US, YOU KNOW, KEEP THESE SPACES ALIVE WHILE THE OTHER THINGS ARE GETTING SORTED OUT.
SO, UM, I WOULD LEAVE IT AT THAT.
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR SOME, UM, UH, FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, BEYOND THAT, I WOULD REALLY, UH, BE THRILLED IF THE COMMISSION CAN, UH, DO A MOTION TODAY TO SUPPORT THIS IDEA OF GAP FUNDING FOR RRCD, UM, TILL, TILL THE, UH, THE LARGER DISTRICT POLICY FRAMEWORK, THE COMPREHENSIVE DISTRICT POLICY FRAMEWORK, UM, YOU KNOW, GETS INTO PLACE FROM THE, FROM THE CITY.
UM, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON? UM, I THINK, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT SIX SQUARE AND THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL, UH, DISTRICT, THAT SETS AN IMPORTANT PRECEDENT IN FUNDING.
AND, UM, THE POINT OF SUPPORTING THOSE DISTRICTS IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING CITY IS TO, IS PRESERVATION AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND, AND, AND THAT CULTURAL HISTORY IS NOT ERASED.
AND SO, UM, WHEN I LOOK AT NICOLE'S, YOU KNOW, EXCELLENT LIST HERE OF ALL THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS COMING, AND, UH, RED RIVER IS JUST LIKE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT BETWEEN THE MEDICAL CENTER AND, AND, UM, PARCELS THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY STREAM ROYALTY AND, UH, AND THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION.
LIKE, I DO THINK THAT WE, THIS SAME ISSUE OF ERASURE IS, IS VERY MUCH POSSIBLE FOR RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
AND IF WE WANT TO THINK OF OURSELVES AND MARKET OURSELVES AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, AND, UM, THEN WE HAVE TO HELP SUSTAIN THIS SPECIFIC AREA, UH, AS A LIVE MUSIC HUB.
AND I FEEL LIKE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT IS DOING A GREAT JOB OF BEING FORWARD THINKING AND, AND LOOKING AT WHAT THE PARTNERSHIPS ARE GONNA BE AND WHAT THOSE, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY WHAT THE BUILDINGS COULD LOOK LIKE AND HOW NEW CLUBS COULD BE ACCOMMODATED AMONGST ALL THIS DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, AS THE CITY CHANGES AND WE BECOME NEW AUSTIN, LIKE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT SHOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE AND BE PART OF THAT TOO.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA LOSE IT.
AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT FUNDING POSSIBILITIES BETWEEN LIVE MUSIC FUND AND WHICH WAS REALLY INTENDED, UM, NOT, NOT FOR A NON-PROFIT LIKE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, BUT PRIMARILY FOR COMMERCIAL, UM, BUSINESSES, AND CERTAINLY WOULD E WOULD ENCOURAGE VENUES AND RED RIVER
[01:30:01]
PROMOTERS TO APPLY THIS YEAR.BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CSAP, WE HAVE A CULTURAL GRANT, BUT THIS ALL FEELS A LITTLE BIT PIECEMEAL TO ME.
AND I FEEL LIKE THIS ORGANIZATION AND THIS DISTRICT, UM, COULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM A CHUNK OF FUNDING THAT IS EQUAL TO WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE RECEIVING ANNUALLY.
AND TO VAL'S POINT ABOUT THE GAP FUNDING, LIKE, YES, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S THINGS CHANGES AND CHANGING AND POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIPS, BUT JUST TO GIVE THIS VERY, YOU KNOW, SUSTAINABLE BIT OF FUNDING TO THIS AREA OF TOWN, I THINK IS, IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, 200,000, 300,000, LIKE, IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE BUILDING, WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING A BILLION DOLLAR, YOU KNOW, CONVENTION CENTER.
UM, THE COUNTY SUPPORTS CENTRAL HEALTH, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY UT'S MEDICAL SCHOOL.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PAYING WITH THAT FOR THAT WITH PUBLIC FUNDS PROJECT CONNECT, $7 BILLION.
SO REALLY LIKE AN ASK OF, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND IN, IN THOSE TERMS IS NOT THAT MUCH.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IS A, IS A HUGE PLATFORM OF SUPPORT FOR THIS DISTRICT.
AND, UM, I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THE WILLINGNESS TO LOOK AT HOW TO BE FORWARD THINKING, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE NICOLE'S NOT HERE TO SAY LIKE, OH, WE HAVE TO KEEP IT JUST AS IT IS.
AND NOTHING'S EVER, EVER, EVER GONNA CHANGE.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY PRAGMATIC APPROACH.
AND, UM, SO YES, I WOULD DEFINITELY SUPPORT GAP FUNDING AND I THINK WE HAVE THEIR MID-YEAR BUDGET AMENDMENTS THAT ARE POSSIBLE WITH CITY COUNCIL.
THAT PART, I DON'T EXACTLY UNDERSTAND HOW ALL THAT WORKS OR WHAT THE TIMING IS, BUT YES, SO I THINK IT IS TIMELY AND REASONABLE FOR US TO MAKE THIS RECOMMENDATION.
UM, I WOULD, UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OTHERWISE I WOULD, UH, STATE MY MOTION AND THEN WE CAN, UH, FURTHER DISCUSS MOTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION, UH, FOR THE CITY TO SUPPORT RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT WITH GAP FUNDING UNTIL FURTHER WORK.
I'M USING THE STATEMENT HERE FROM NICOLE UNTIL FURTHER WORK IS, UH, MIGHT I ADD, UM, I WOULD REQUEST, UH, I WOULD MOTION TO, FOR THE CITY TO FUND, UH, FOR THE CITY TO PROVIDE RRCD WITH GAP FUNDING, UM, ON PAR WITH OTHER LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, CITY DESIGNATED CULTURAL AND HERITAGE DISTRICTS UNTIL FURTHER WORK IS PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL ON A COMPREHENSIVE DISTRICT POLICY FRAMEWORK.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND.
UM, ANY COMMENTS, DISCUSSIONS BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE THOUGH? THE, THE ONE THING THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF STANDING, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S STANDING OUT TO ME AB ABOUT THIS, AND I'M, AND I, AND I'M, I'M FOR ABSOLUTELY FOR, FOR DOING THIS IN THE RED RIVER CULTURE DISTRICT DOES, UM, GREAT, INCREDIBLE, AND AMAZING WORK.
UM, AND THESE, YOU KNOW, THE VENUES THAT, THAT ARE ENCOMPASSED WITHIN THE RIVER, RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT ARE THE, SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC VENUES.
AND THEY ARE, THEY ALSO REPRESENT SOME OF THE MOST, UM, DIVERSE ACTS THAT WE HAVE, UM, COMING THROUGH.
I WOULD, UM, UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, OF, OF TALK ON, ON THIS COMMISSION, BOTH ON THE LINE AND OFFLINE.
I KNOW THAT, THAT, IF THAT IN THE SPIRIT OF LEONARD D ELI, IF HE WOULD HEAR, UM, THAT THE GENRE OF MUSIC THAT THAT IS, THAT IS REPRESENTED, UM, WITHIN AUSTIN AS A WHOLE, WOULD, WOULD BE, UM, UM, I, I, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T NOTE THAT AS WE'RE MAKING THIS RECOMMENDATION, I WOULD JUST ALSO, I, UH, LIKE TO, TO TO, TO SEE A CONTINUED REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSITY, UM, OF, OF, OF MUSIC, OF ALL GENRES AND, UM, OF BACKGROUNDS AS WE MAKE THIS RECOMMENDATION, UM, FOR THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND.
AND I THINK, UH, UH, KIND OF THIS IDEA OF, UH, REALLY OUR VENUE ECOSYSTEM SUPPORTING, UH, GENRE DIVERSITY HAS BEEN, UH, A TOPIC, TOPIC OF GREAT INTEREST AT THE, AT THE COMMISSION.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ACTUALLY DO SEE, UM, IN THIS DISTRICT.
UM, SO IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE, UH, WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY, UH, IN THE CITY MORE AND MORE IN THE FUTURE IS ALSO A REALLY, A DIVERSE AUDIENCE COMING IN, PARTICIPATING IN THIS
[01:35:01]
MAINSTREAM MUSIC ECONOMY.UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER CASA? UM, JUST ANOTHER THING THAT KIND OF COMES, UM, TO MIND IS, I MEAN, THROUGHOUT THE DECADES, UM, THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH, UM, DIVERSITY ON, YOU KNOW, IN THE RED RIVER DISTRICT.
I MEAN, I THINK OF FLAMINGO CANTINA IN THE EIGHTIES, YOU KNOW, AND THE GROUPS THAT WERE PLAYING THERE FROM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE LIKE BLACK RU AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WAY BACK WHEN AND WHEN JOHNNY CASH PLAYED IT, EMOS.
AND, UM, ASIDE FROM, AGAIN, KIND OF ARCHIVING AND MEMORIALIZING THE, UH, IMPACT THAT HAS BEEN AT RED RIVER, I DON'T GO DOWN THERE.
MY DAUGHTERS DO NOW, YOU KNOW, BUT I DON'T GO DOWN THERE AS MUCH.
BUT, UM, UH, BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE MANY, UM, PEOPLE IN THEIR SEVENTIES, SIXTIES, AND FIFTIES AND FORTIES THAT, UM, ARE, YOU KNOW, NOTEWORTHY PEOPLE THAT Y'ALL COULD GET IN TOUCH WITH AND GET THEIR TAKE FROM.
LIKE, I THINK OF LIKE JESSE SUBLET AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
LIKE JUST A LOT OF MUSIC FOLKS THAT TO, UM, HELP ARTICULATE THE MEANING OF THIS.
AND, AND THAT WOULD, THEY WOULD, I FEEL CONFIDENT THEY WOULD HAPPILY, YOU KNOW, SIGN IN.
AND EVEN WITH THE DEATH OF, UM, FRANK OZICK AND ALL HIS ARTWORK THAT WAS IN EMOS BACK IN THE DAY, UM, I MEAN, HE JUST DIED THE END OF THE YEAR, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
I KNOW IT WAS A BIG ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, UM, AND TIM KERR'S MURALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK THAT IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT MUSIC.
I MEAN, IT REALLY IS A LOT OF LIKE VISUAL ARTS AND, UM, MURALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT ARE IN THAT AREA.
SO I THINK MAKING, UH, EVERYONE ONE JUST REALLY ARTICULATING AND DIGGING DEEP OF THE DECADES AND DECADES AND DECADES OF HISTORY THERE, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT THEIR START THERE AND, UH, 'CAUSE IT, IT'S, THAT'S DEEP CUT STUFF THAT PROBABLY A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP.
THAT IS, UM, A FOCAL POINT OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO START ADVANCING THAT FORWARD.
UM, OUR THOUGHT IS THAT WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE EVERYONE, BUT THAT HISTORY IS DEFINITELY PART OF, UM, THE TOURISM EFFORT, THE HONORING THE EFFORTS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH THEM ON, ON SUCH A PROJECT, BUT YES, UH, IT'S DEFINITELY ON OUR MINDS TO, TO START, UM, DOCUMENTING THAT AND SHARING THAT.
UH, ANYONE ELSE? UH, COMMISSIONER GOULD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION, UM, AND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO ASK, YOU KNOW, FOR SO THAT WE ALL KNOW AND ALL OF OUR PEOPLE IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY KNOW, UM, WHEN YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING MUSICIANS, UH, WITH, WITH DIRECT PAYMENTS MM-HMM,
SO FOR EACH, BOTH OF OUR SIGNATURE FESTIVALS, WE SET MINIMUM PAYMENTS TO, UM, VANS OR PERFORMERS.
UM, IT IS NOT CURRENTLY IN LINE WITH WHAT THE CITY JUST PASSED, WHICH IS THE $200 PER MUSICIAN, UM, PER HOUR.
UM, IT IS GREATLY DEPENDENT ON, UM, OUR SPONSORSHIP FUNDING, OUR GRANT FUNDING AND OUR DONOR FUNDING.
BUT WE HAVE A BASELINE, UM, OF WHICH THAT WE DO NOT GO UNDER.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SUGGEST AT THIS POINT THAT WE DID DO FREE WEEK THIS YEAR.
WE NORMALLY PARTICIPATE THREE DAYS, AND WE PARTICIPATED TWO DAYS.
UM, OUR FUNDING WAS NOT UP TO WHAT IT WAS IN THE PAST, BUT WE FELT LIKE IT WAS IN IMPORTANT TO RETAIN THE INTEGRITY OF MUSICIAN PAY.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE MADE THAT DECISION.
UM, AND WE WORK WITH THE VENUES TO REALLY FIGURE OUT THE, THE PAY RELATED AND EVERYBODY'S PAID EQUALLY ACROSS THE VENUES WHEN WE DO OUR FESTIVALS.
AND WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THAT MINIMUM, UH, GUARANTEE IT CHANGES PER FAST, BUT WE'RE AT $350 USUALLY PER BAND, OR, YES.
AND THEN IS THERE POSSIBILITY OF, LIKE, IS THAT JUST LIKE THE MINIMUM GUARANTEE? AND THEN IF THE SHOW IS REALLY SUCCESSFUL, IS THERE A PERCENTAGE OR ANYTHING ELSE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO CURRENTLY NOT A GUARANTEE FOR, FOR ADDITIONAL, WELL, NOT A GUARANTEE FOR LIKE, THERE'S THE GUARANTEE AND THEN IS IT, IS IT PLUS TIPS? IS IT PLUS PERCENTAGE? IS IT PLUS PLUS ANYTHING? IT'S, IT'S NOT PLUS TIPS OR PERCENTAGES.
[01:40:01]
NOTE ABOUT OUR TWO FESTIVALS, UM, AND I THINK ZACH CAN, AND ANGELA CAN SPEAK TO THIS, JANUARY AND JULY ARE TWO OF THE ROUGHEST MONTHS FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.UM, A LOT OF THE PRODUCTION, MAJORITY OF THE PRODUCTION IS DONATED SPACE FROM THE VENUES, SO THERE'S NO TICKET PRICES.
SO THE MONEY THAT IS COMING IN THAT NIGHT IS COMPLETELY BAR SALES TO DO THE PRODUCTION.
SO THE FUNDING THAT WE RAISE AS AN ORGANIZATION IS USED TO PAY THE MUSICIANS.
UH, LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, WOULD, WOULD THESE FESTIVALS BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE, UM, THAT, HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND? THEY WEREN'T ELIGIBLE.
NEXT YEAR, I, NOW THAT VENUES ARE ALLOWED, I HOPE YOU DO.
I I SAID THEY WEREN'T, THEY WERE MISCOMMUNICATION.
OH, THAT WAS A, SORRY, ERICA, WHAT WAS THAT? WE, HELLO? UH, ERICA SHAMLEY MUSIC, UH, ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION MANAGER, UH, NONPROFITS.
IT WAS JUST A, I THINK A RUMOR THAT GOT AROUND THAT NONPROFITS WERE INELIGIBLE BECAUSE OF JUST ADVOCACY WORK FROM A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT THE CASE IF YOU'RE PROMOTER THAT, UH, RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT WOULD'VE, UH, BEEN ELIGIBLE AS A PROMOTER.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, NICOLE FOUND THAT OUT AFTER THE FACT AND WHICH WAS A BUMMER.
AND SO THAT JUST SHOWS THAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER WITH OUR COMMUNICATION TO THE ELIGIBILITY GROUPS.
AND, AND AS WE COME BACK AND PRESENT, YOU KNOW, FUTURE GUIDELINES TO YOU, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF THOSE LESSONS LEARNED AND HOW WE ORGANIZE THE NEW GUIDELINES.
SO YES, UH, YOU WOULD APPLY AS A PROMOTER, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN USE THAT TO PAY MUSICIANS THE STANDARD RATE FOR THE CITY, BUT IT WAS SMALL, INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS.
THEY DON'T HAVE MORE THAN THREE STAFF.
SHE HAS ONE, IT'S ONE STAFFER.
SO YOU DON'T, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE A FOR-PROFIT OR NON-PROFIT, YOU'RE A PROMOTER.
OH, IT'S SURPRISING THAT THAT DIDN'T COME UP IN, UH, OUR MANY, MANY CONVERSATIONS MEETING UP.
I THINK THERE WAS UP SOME ASSUMPTIONS.
WE JUST ASSUMED THAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY, IF YOU'RE A PROMOTER, YOU'RE A PROMOTER.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THE GUIDELINES THAT EVER SAID NON-PROFITS WERE PROHIBITED.
AND SO PEOPLE JUST MADE ASSUMPTIONS.
AND SO THAT'S, UH, A LESSON LEARNED AS WE GO AND COMMUNICATE GOING FORWARD.
SO NONPROFITS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE ON THIS SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
SO DEFINITELY ERICA, TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, UH, IT'LL, IT'LL BE VERY WORTHWHILE TO CLARIFY THAT VERY CLEARLY MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE, UH, EVEN MY UNDERSTANDING, AND I'VE BEEN SITTING IN YEAH.
SO YOU'RE NOT THINKING THAT IT APPLIES TO NONPROFITS LIKE IT WOULD ON THE COUNTRY ARTS SIDE.
UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, PATON, GO AHEAD AND I'LL, I'LL YOU, YEAH, I MEAN, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THOSE ARE REALLY, I MEAN, THOSE ARE FIVE AND $10,000 GRANTS, SO THAT'S A SMALL FRACTION OF REALLY, OF WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, SO I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE GREAT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAD APPLIED AND THEY'D GOTTEN A $10,000 GRANT, BUT $10,000 IS NOT $150,000, SO.
AND WE ALSO DON'T WANNA NECESSARILY, IT'S NOT, OVERALL, IT'S NOT THAT MUCH MONEY IN THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
BUT I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS FUNDING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT, THIS GAP FUNDING SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD NOT WANNA SEE THAT PULLED OUT OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND FOR THIS.
YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD LIKE US TO ASK FOR MORE GENERAL FUND.
I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER, I THINK COMMISSIONER ROSE TOLD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP, RIGHT? SO I THINK YOU WERE TALKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THE FESTIVAL.
WELL, WELL, IT'S, IT'S 50 MUS MUSIC MUSICIAN HOURS, RIGHT? AT $200 AN HOUR, THAT'S 50, 50 HOURS THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT NOTHING.
UH, GIVEN THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU'RE PAYING, UM, BANDS THREE 50, THAT'S, UH, IT, IT, IT COVERS A LOT OF 'EM.
ALTHOUGH THE THING IS TO GET THE MONEY, DON'T YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO PAYING ALL MUSICIANS AT THE CITY RATE? YEAH.
BUT I THINK YOUR QUESTION AGAIN YEAH.
WAS SPECIFIC TO THE FESTIVALS, I THINK WHAT WE ARE, THE MOTION IS A SEPARATE ONE.
IT'S MORE ABOUT SUSTAINING THE DISTRICT, RIGHT? SO, YEAH.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST REPEAT THE MOTION.
UM, THE MUSIC COMMISSION MOTIONS FOR THE
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CITY TO, UM, PROVIDE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT WITH GAP FUNDING ON PAR WITH OTHER CITY DESIGNATED CULTURAL AND HERITAGE DISTRICTS UNTIL FURTHER WORK IS PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON A COMPREHENSIVE DISTRICT POLICY FRAMEWORK.I HAD A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER BLEVINS.
THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
THANK YOU NICOLE, UH, FOR, UH, COMING AND UH, UH, TAKING THE TIME WITH US HERE, CAN I JUST, CAN I JUST ADD ONE THING THAT I WOULD JUST LOVE TO SEE MORE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MUSICIAN PAY BE BEYOND THAT LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO, TO FUND.
YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN COMMISSIONER PATTERSON WAS ASKING ABOUT WHERE THAT MONEY WOULD GO, IT WOULD BE NICE TO HEAR, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S CERTAINLY ON THE LIST, MORE MUSICIAN PAY.
IT'S CERTAINLY ON PART OF IT LIST.
WE JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ONCE WE ACCEPT CITY OF AUSTIN MONEY, THAT WE THEN HAVE TO PAY ALL MUSICIANS, WHICH IS GENERALLY 300 PLUS PER FESTIVAL.
THAT'S ACTUALLY THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT.
WELL, SO CAN WE HAVE THE CLARIFICATION FROM, FROM ERICA? IT TOLD THE GRANTS? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
AND I'M NOT SAYING IT NEEDS TO BE THERE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S A HUGE LEAP, BUT LIKE, WE NEED TO START STEPPING IN THAT DIRECTION JUST TO SPEAK STRICTLY TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
IF YOU'RE PAYING MUSICIANS WITH THE GRANT, THAT'S THE STANDARD RATE.
THAT DOESN'T DICTATE THE REST OF YOUR EVENT.
THAT'S NOT OUR BUSINESS TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO YOUR BUSINESS.
IT'S TO TELL YOU HOW WE WOULD PREFER THE GRANT TO BE, HOW THE, WELL, HOW THE GRANT HAS TO BE SPENT IF A MUSICIAN PAY IS INVOLVED.
AND HOPEFULLY THAT'S, SO THE GAP FUNDING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, IF IT'S COMING FROM A DIFFERENT FUND, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THOSE GUIDELINES NECESSARILY.
IF IT'S CITY OF AUSTIN FUNDING, UH, THAT'S WHAT THAT RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED IN JULY OF UH, 2023 IS NOW ALL CITY FUNDING, UH, THAT WILL FUND ANY KIND OF MUSICIAN PAY HAS TO BE THE STANDARD RATE.
SO IF IT IS, UH, CITY FUNDING, THAT'S A LITTLE CONTRADICTORY, BUT YEAH.
BUT JUST USING THE CITY MONEY, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE REST OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL OR OPERATING BUDGET HAS TO BE YEAH.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, THE GRANT FUNDS THAT I THINK, UM, THE GAP FUNDING.
AND I THINK COMMISSIONER GOLD, I THINK REALLY WHAT YOU ARE ALSO REALLY, I MEAN, SUGGESTING IS, IS ALONG WITH THE, YOU KNOW, MEETING THE OTHER EXPENSES WITH THESE GRANTS.
YOU KNOW, UH, THERE'S AN ASK THERE TO MAKE, MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO CONSIDER IMPROVING MUSICIAN PAY AS WELL, ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REALLY ALLUDING TO.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY A MISSION OF OURS TO CONTINUE TOWARDS, TOWARDS THAT.
UH, WE'LL BE DOING WITH TIME HERE.
UH, WE HAVE TO BE OUT OF HERE.
[14. Discussion and possible action on recommendation for Austin Record Convention subsidies from the City of Austin.]
ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR AUSTIN RECORD CONVENTION SUBSIDIES FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.DO WE HAVE ION FOR, UH, IS NA NATHAN'S NOT HERE? IS HE DID, DID HE, UH, WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS LAST MONTH, HE SAID THAT HE HAD FOLLOWED, HE HAD FOLLOWED UP WITH YOU.
UM, I, I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM NATHAN.
SO LET'S, UH, TABLE THAT FOR THE, WELL, JUST REAL QUICK, AS A QUICK UPDATE, UM, HE, I REACHED BACK OUT TO HIM AND I HAVEN'T HEARD BACK.
AND THAT WAS IN DECEMBER AND I'M SURE THE HOLIDAYS JUST GOT AWAY FROM EVERYBODY.
UM, AGAIN, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE CULTURAL FUNDING OF SOME SORT, BUT CURRENTLY, UH, IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AS A, AS A BODY.
YEAH, BECAUSE THANK YOU ERICA.
SO, BECAUSE I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WAS EVEN SUBSIDIES, LIKE, YOU KNOW, PARKING CONCESSIONS AND STUFF, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, SO IT'S, UH, WE JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE KIND OF DIFFERENT AVENUES THAT COULD BE AVAILED OF TO, TO HELP THEM OUT BASICALLY.
[8. Discussion on musical performances for Music Commission meetings following update by Shelbi Mitchell, Program Coordinator, Music & Entertainment, Economic Development Department.]
TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WE HAVE A DISCUSSION ON MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FOR MUSIC COMMISSION MEETINGS FOLLOWING UPDATE BY SHELBY HEL PROGRAM COORDINATOR, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT, EDD THANK YOU SHELBY FOR, UH, HOLDING OFF ON YOUR AGENDA ITEM FOR US FOR THE REST OF THE ITEM.SHELBY MITCHELL, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM COORDINATOR.
UM, JUST FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, WE WANT TO CREATE CONTENT THAT WE CAN SHOW HERE THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE SHOULD FIX OUR DESIRES ON.
UM, BUT TO MOVE IN THAT I HAVE A, UH, TOURIST SET UP AT AUSTIN PUBLIC IS BASICALLY LIKE THE PUBLIC ACCESS, UM, PROGRAMMING THAT THEY HAVE.
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STUDIO THERE THAT WE CAN USE AND WE CAN FILM.AND SO BURTON WITH A TXN, WE'LL BE COLLABORATING WITH HIM.
ONCE WE GET ALL THAT ORGANIZED AND FIGURED OUT BASED ON AVAILABILITY AND CAPACITY, WE CAN CONTINUE, WE CAN START, EXCUSE ME, PLANNING AND ACTUALLY HAVE ARTISTS THAT WE CAN FEATURE.
I THINK THAT WILL BE MORE SEAMLESS AND MORE EASY TO WORK WITH.
NOW IN PERSON
SO ONE, WE CAN DO SPECIAL MEETINGS IN WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THIS ORDER OF SERVICE, BUT WE CAN DEDICATE A TIME WHERE WE CAN JUST HAVE A FULL OUT CONCERT SOUNDING LIKE THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA DO.
AND SO I'LL OFFER YOU THIS SPACE HERE.
I'VE TALKED WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HERE AT, UH, THE LIBRARY AND THEY ARE MORE THAN EXCITED TO HOST US.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING I'M THINKING WE'LL DO LONG DOWN THE LINE, MAYBE A SUMMERTIME THING OR A FALL SPACE OR EVENT THAT WE CAN DEDICATE TIME TO.
'CAUSE WE'LL NEED TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU ALL TO HELP US CURATE AND FACILITATE THIS.
UM, ALONG WITH THE HELP OF EVERYBODY ELSE WE ARE IS HERE TO SUPPORT AND ALSO HELP THINGS STAY IN LINE.
BUT THIS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA GIVE TO Y'ALL, BUT HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE TO HAVE IT.
UM, PEOPLE HERE AT THE LIBRARY HAVE OFFERED THIS SPACE THAT WE'RE IN AND ALSO THE ROOFTOP.
SO FOR SUMMERTIME OR SOMETHING IN THE FALL, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER'S GONNA BE LIKE EVER IN TEXAS, BUT I OFFER YOU THESE TWO SPACES.
AS I CONTINUE TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT VENUES, MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER COLLABORATION WE CAN HAVE DOWN THE LINE.
AND I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS.
UM, BUT KEEPING IN MIND THAT IT'S ALL BASED ON Y'ALL'S, UM, ENGAGEMENT IN HOW YOU BRING THIS THING TO LIFE ALONG WITH OUR CAPACITY AND OUR AVAILABILITY.
WE WANNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN, BUT WE WANNA COLLABORATE WITH Y'ALL ON THIS.
QUESTIONS, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION IS, IS THERE A FIRST MONDAY NIGHT IN ANY, UH, IN A NIGHT WHERE WE HAVE OUR MUSIC COMMISSION SCHEDULED WHERE THAT LIBRARY ROOFTOP IS AVAILABLE? I THINK THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT 'CAUSE WE CAN TURN IT INTO A SPECIAL MEET, SPECIAL MEETING AT THIS POINT.
AND SO ONCE WE CAN DECIDE WHERE WE WANT TO HAVE IT, I THINK WE SHOULD START THERE FIRST.
UM, THEN WE CAN LOOK INTO BEING MORE SPECIFIC AND REALLY BE AGGRESSIVE FOR LIKE, OKAY, LET'S BOOK THIS AND LET'S SAY WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A MEETING 'CAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE THAT DECIDED MONTHS IN ADVANCE.
SO IF WE DECIDE WHERE WE WANNA HAVE IT, IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN COLLABORATIONS OR PEOPLE IN NETWORK THAT YOU WANNA, YOU WANT ME TO LOOK INTO, THAT'S, I CAN DO THAT.
THAT'S THE LEAST THAT I CAN DO.
AND THEN WE CAN COORDINATE FROM THERE AND JUST REALLY ACTUALLY START PLANNING.
THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME.
HAS, HAVE PEOPLE HERE BEEN TO THE ROOFTOP OF THE LIBRARY.
UM, THIS MIGHT BE ETMI, BUT, UM, OUR, UM, HOST HERE, THEY'VE SAID WE CAN DO A CO-SPONSORSHIP IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT MED OR THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION, EXCUSE ME, IS INVOLVED WITH.
WE CAN LOOK INTO CO-SPONSORSHIP FOR EASE.
BUT IF YOU WANNA BE SOMEWHERE ELSE, WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT TOO.
BUT KEEP IN MIND FEES MAY COME WITH THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO I DEFINITELY WOULD PRIORITIZE THIS BEAUTIFUL SPACE HERE OR UPSTAIRS ON THE ROOFTOP.
UM, MY COLLEAGUE GREG HAS HOSTED EVENTS THERE UNDER, UH, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT AND THEY'VE JUST BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SPACE AND WE'VE DONE, SO WE HAVE HISTORY OF WORKING WITH THEM AND PUTTING ON MUSIC.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE THE FIRST STEP IS, IS ORRIN SAID LIKE, LET'S SECURE A DATE.
AND, AND THEN I MEAN, THE ROOFTOP, THAT SOUNDS AMAZING.
YEAH, I THINK WE ALL THAT IDEA, I GUESS IT'S UP TO Y'ALL TO SAY WHICH MONDAY, APRIL AT THIS POINT, SINCE IT'S JUST THE FIRST MONDAY, APRIL APRIL'S CUTE.
THAT WOULD BE RIGHT AWAY THE TIME IN APRIL.
LET'S DO, LET'S THINK ABOUT IT.
LIKE, AND THEN ONCE WE FIND THAT THE DATE, THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE SPECIFICS OF, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAMMING AND HOW THAT DOVETAILS WITH MUSIC COMMISSION.
I MEAN, WE COULD, IT COULD BE A SPECIAL CALLED MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING.
IT COULD BE THE ACTUAL MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING, AND THEN WE CAN SET THE AGENDA ACCORDINGLY.
AND, YOU KNOW, BUT I, I LOVE THAT.
SO YEAH, I THINK IF THAT COULD GET NAILED DOWN AND SCHEDULED, I, YEAH, IT'D BE SUPER, WE CAN START WITH APRIL AND CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, COORDINATE BETWEEN US OFFLINE, UM, SO WE CAN REALLY START PLANNING.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BLEVINS.
WE CAN, WE CAN START WITH APRIL BEFORE THE WEATHER GETS HATEFUL.
IT WAS A HARD SUMMER AND I ANTICIPATE IT WILL HAVE MANY MORE.
LIKE THIS ONE IS, UH, IS LIVE STREAMING, UM, UH, AN EXISTING CHALLENGE HERE OR IS THIS, WAS THIS A ONE OFF TODAY? UH, THERE'S POTENTIAL AND I THINK WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT.
UH, A TXN IS ALWAYS A GREAT PARTNER OF OURS, SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN PUT ON THE LIST AND I CAN HELP COORDINATE THAT IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANNA DO.
WE'VE DONE STREAMING IN HERE AND WE'VE, WE'VE HAD
[01:55:01]
THE CAPACITY FOR STREAMING IN HERE, BUT WE'VE DEFINITELY DONE IT ON THE ROOFTOP, SO.DETECTIVE BLEVINS, WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF THE ROOFTOP? OH, GIRL ISH.
I WILL GET THAT, I WILL GET THAT INFORMATION.
WE, WE WILL BE TIGHT, BUT IT'S, IT'S, YEAH, I'LL LOOK INTO SPECIFICS AND GET BACK WITH Y'ALL ON CAPACITY HERE AND UPSTAIRS.
IS ALCOHOL ALLOWED OR, OR NOT? I CAN LOOK INTO THAT AS WELL.
WELL, SO, SO IS THAT OKAY? UM, SHOULD WE START A WORKING GROUP ABOUT THIS AND START ADVANCING THE LOGISTICS FOR THIS COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND, AFTER YOUR FORMAL A WORKING GROUP FOR THE REST OF THE ITEMS HERE.
I'M JUST KIDDING YOU GO AHEAD.
UH, WE DON'T, IT'S, IT'S A SUGGESTION, UH, TO CONSIDER.
I MEAN, WELL I THINK, I THINK ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND HAVE TO, ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND, COMMISSIONER, IS THAT Y'ALL WILL HAVE TO PLAN THIS WITH US, RIGHT? SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
IF IT'S A WORKING GROUP, IT'S A WORKING GROUP.
IF IT'S NOT DEDICATED FOLKS, WELL, SO HERE'S, SO HERE'S THE, HERE ARE THE OPTIONS THEN THAT, IT SOUNDS LIKE OPTION A IS THAT WE COME BACK NEXT MONTH AND WE HAVE VIRTUALLY THE SAME CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING NOW WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN UPDATE.
OPTION TWO WOULD BE ONE PERSON.
AND I'M WILLING TO, TO KIND OF SPEARHEAD IT.
'CAUSE IT WOULDN'T, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD TAKE A TOO LONG OF A TIME.
I'D BE WILLING TO JUST WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOU AND GET STUFF DONE.
BUT THEN IF I'M TALKING TO ALL OF YOU ALL, IT'S VIOLATING ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.
SO THAT'S, THAT MIGHT, WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME ROOM.
RIGHT? BUT IF WE'RE ALL IT, IT, SO IF, IF, IF ALL OF US, IF I, SO IF I EMAIL YOU AND THEN WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT OFFLINE, IT'S CALLED A ROLLING QUORUM.
AND SO IT STILL TECHNICALLY VIOLATES ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.
SO I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND WILL WE'LL FIGURE OUT A MECHANISM, UH, IF YOU WANT TO TAKE POINT ON THIS, UH, WE'LL FIGURE OUT A MECHANISM FROM THERE.
AND WE CAN WE CAN COMMUNICATE THROUGH STAFF AND UH, BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT.
THEN I WILL TAKE POINT ON IT FOR NOW.
WE GOOD? UM, ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS TOPIC BEFORE WE MOVE ON? LINED UP.
DIDN'T, DIDN'T LEONARD HAVE BANDS LINED UP FOR, UH, LAST MONTH? I, I KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAD SUGGESTIONS, BUT THERE WAS NO LINEUP.
AND THAT'S ONE THING WE WILL NEED TO DECIDE IS HOW MANY BANDS WILL BE PERFORMING AND WHO WILL BE CHOOSING.
SO YEAH, I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER AVILA HAS SUGGESTED MAHO AND ONE, UH, WHO WAS THE OTHER COMMISSIONER AT THAT TIME? OKAY.
THERE WAS ANOTHER COMMISSIONER THAT HAD SOMEBODY LINED UP, SO YEAH.
COMMISSIONER BARTEL, I, UM, OKAY.
I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE COMMISSIONERS AND SEE WHERE WE GO FROM THERE.
UH, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND'S IN CHARGE.
UM, ARE WE GONNA BE DOING THESE LIKE ONCE A YEAR, DO YOU THINK? DO THIS ONCE, SEE HOW IT GOES TWICE A YEAR, BECAUSE WE COULD JUST DO LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WAY WE WERE ORGANIZING IT BY DISTRICT, BUT JUST GROUP THOSE PEOPLE TOGETHER AND LIKE THOSE PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THE CONCERT AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS THE NEXT ROUND OF, SO IT'S KIND OF, IT'S NOT OF AN OFFICIAL WORKING GROUP, BUT IT'S LIKE, THERE'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S AN, AN AUTOMATIC, LIKE, I'M SORRY, I'M SO TIRED, MY WORDS ARE NOT WORKING.
THERE'S A GROUPING THAT'S HAPPENING WITHOUT FORMALIZING IT.
THAT DOESN'T VIOLATES ROBERT'S RULES.
SO MAY I MAKE ONE RECOMMENDATION THAT COULD WORK, UH, BASED ON OUR SPEAKERS TONIGHT IS WE COULD, UH, SCHEDULE AROUND FREE WEEK AND, UM, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS AROUND THOSE AREAS AS AN ADDED PROMOTIONAL THING FOR THIS PAID OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTS.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, BUT I WOULD SAY NO MORE THAN TWICE A YEAR, WE WILL GIVE YOU, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT A BUDGET IS FROM THE MUSIC DIVISION.
SO LET'S SAY IT'S A $4,000 BUDGET OR THREE, THEN YOU'LL KNOW HOW MANY MUSICIANS YOU CAN PAY INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, DEFINITELY, UH, THANK YOU TO SHELBY FOR TALKING TO THE LIBRARY UPSTAIRS IS BEAUTIFUL.
AND THIS IS COOL TOO 'CAUSE IT'S LIKE REALLY COLD AND WINDY OUT THERE AND IT FEELS NICE AND WARM IN HERE.
UH, BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU THINK ABOUT AS YOU'RE THINKING AS A COMMITTEE ABOUT WHERE DO YOU THINK FROM AN EVENT PERSPECTIVE COULD THAT ADDED PROMO REALLY HELP OUT, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK
[02:00:01]
ABOUT.I JUST WANT TO TAG ON TO COMMISSIONER BLEVINS, LIKE THE WEATHER, IF WE DO IT UPSTAIRS, I THINK UPSTAIRS IS GREAT.
DO IT WHEN THERE'S NICE WEATHER.
NOT NECESSARILY, THAT DOESN'T COORDINATE NECESSARILY WITH THOSE TWO EVENTS.
'CAUSE THEY'RE LIKE INTENTIONALLY WHEN THE WEATHER'S TERRIBLE.
BUT I THINK NICE WEATHER ROOFTOP.
UM, WHY DON'T WE DO THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND, IF YOU COULD JUST GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED WITH, UH, SHELBY, UM, FEEL FREE TO LOOP, UH, ME AND, UH, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON, VICE CHAIR PATTERSON IN THE MIX.
NEXT TIME WE WILL PUT THIS, UH, UNDER DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS AND MAKE A CALL AND MOVE FORWARD.
[9. Discussion on all ages shows and how we support youth in Austin.]
ON THE AGENDA IS, UM, DISCUSSION ON ALL AGES SHOWS AND HOW WE SUPPORT YOUTH IN AUSTIN WORKING GROUPUH, I THINK, I THINK WE'RE AT, I THINK WE'RE AT WORKING GROUP.
UM, I THINK, YEAH, I THINK WE'RE THERE.
PARDON ME? UH, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND SAY THAT ALL AGE, ALL AGES.
UM, THING, I, I THINK THE, THE, THE, UH, I THINK THE OUTCOMES ARE WHAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO LIKE FURTHER ASSESS OR JUST KIND OF NAIL DOWN AND, AND GET IT IMPLEMENTED.
AND THEN I THINK THAT WILL BE GOOD.
ALSO, UH, THE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT I WAS TALKING TO, I HAVE NOT FOLLOWED UP WITH THEM BECAUSE OF CHRISTMAS AND ALL THAT STUFF, SO I APOLOGIZE ABOUT THAT.
BUT NEXT MONTH WE WILL HAVE A LOT TO REPORT, I'M SURE.
ESPECIALLY IF WE HAVE A WORKING GROUP.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC? COMMISSIONER, UH, PATTERSON, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? I WAS JUST SUGGESTING THAT COMMISSIONER CASADA OR CIRCLING GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO, FOR THE FORMATION OF THE WORKING GROUP? YEAH, YEAH.
I'D LIKE TO, TO TO, UM, MOTION THAT WE MOVE THE DISCUSSION ON ALL AGES SHOWS AND HOW WE SUPPORT YOUTH IN AUSTIN TO A FORMAL WORKING GROUP.
I SECOND ALL IN FAVOR? THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
UM, SO ARE, ARE, DO WE HAVE, UH, DO WE HAVE PARTICIPANTS, UH, COMMISSIONER ADA, YOU'RE PART OF THAT, AND COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND.
WE ALREADY KNOW ANY OTHER, UH, VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS WORKING GROUP FROM THE COMMISSION? COMMISSIONER DAVILA, UM, AND ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED OR SHOULD WE LEAVE IT AT THAT? ALRIGHT, SO COMMISSIONER DHA, COMMISSIONER CASADA AND, UH, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND ON THE, UH, ALL AGES SHOWS AND HOW WE SUPPORT YOUTH IN AUSTIN.
THE ALL AGES SHOWS WORKING GROUP.
[10. Discussion on music journalism and access to media coverage in Austin.]
UH, DISCUSSION ON MUSIC JOURNALISM.THIS IS A NEW TOPIC THAT GOT ADDED IN THIS, UH, MEETING DISCUSSION ON MUSIC JOURNALISM AND ACCESS TO MEDIA COVERAGE IN AUSTIN.
UH, I THINK, UH, THIS KIND OF SPAWNED OUT OF, UM, UH, SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER DILLA HAD BROUGHT UP.
UM, AND, UM, SO, UM, ANY, ANY COMMENTS, ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC TODAY? UM, I THINK THAT IN THIS AGE OF, YOU KNOW, DIGITAL REALITIES AND CHANGING MEDIA, UM, THAT, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PEOPLE ON THE AGE CONTINUUM, UM, IT'S INTERESTING TO EXPLORE WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEDIA.
I MEAN, I CANNOT EVEN KEEP UP WITH, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S SNAPCHAT OR, YOU KNOW, TWITTER OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS? IT'S, BUT I DO THINK THAT MUSIC JOURNALISM AND ACCESS TO MEDIA, WHETHER IT'S, UM, HOW MUSICIANS ARE NEED TO MARKET THEMSELVES AND, AND THOSE CLASSES, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS WE NEED TO HEAR FROM SOME MUSIC JOURNALISTS AND HEAR WHAT STRUGGLES THAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW.
UM, BECAUSE I HAVE FRIENDS AT THE STATESMEN, LIKE DEBORAH SING GUPTA, AND, YOU KNOW, FRIENDS AT THE CHRONICLE, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE MUSIC WRITERS AND THE, THE WHOLE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM IS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A, A TRICKY WATERS TO NAVIGATE RIGHT NOW.
SO MAYBE THEY COULD, UM, UH, RACHEL ROSCOE AT THE CHRONICLE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN, UM, COME TO SPEAK TO SOME OF WHAT THEIR ISSUES ARE
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AND, UM, LISTEN, UM, WHEN, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER DAVILA'S IN ATTENDANCE.UM, BUT I, I WOULD ALSO JUST SAY THAT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT, UM, THE, THE, THE WORD MEDIA HAS CHANGED SO MUCH FROM, I MEAN, THERE'S NEW, LIKE, ACADEMIC CLASSES ON MEDIA AND WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, CRACK THE CODE OF THAT.
SO I THINK THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, MUSICIANS THAT MAY NOT HAVE GROWN IN THAT MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, HAD THEIR HEYDAY WITH LIKE POSTERS AND RESTAURANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND NOW WE'RE, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, THERE'S A LOT TO LEARN AND COVER, AND WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR AUSTIN MUSICIANS FEEL SUPPORTED AND HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND SOME TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF, UM, JOURNALISM AND, AND MEDIA AND WHERE THEY'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
COMMISSIONER UD, UM, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON? YEAH, I, I AGREE.
I THINK THIS, UM, THIS ITEM IS ALMOST TWO SEPARATE ISSUES AND I, I WOULD LOVE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF, UM, YOU KNOW, CULTURAL ARTS AND MUSIC JOURNALISM AND JUST JOURNALISM IN GENERAL IN AUSTIN.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE, HAVE RACHEL OR SOMEONE COME AND TALK TO US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR PROCESS IS LIKE.
AND, UM, SOMEBODY CONTACTED ME AFTER THE LAST MEETING, UM, CHAD SWI TECHIE, A JOURNALIST IN TOWN.
HE DOES A LOT OF CULTURAL ARTS AND MUSIC JOURNALISM, BUT IT'S MORE BASED ON CITY POLICY.
BUT HE SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT JOURNALISM'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S TOUGH HERE.
IT'S A TOUGH, EXPENSIVE PLACE TO LIVE.
UM, AND THERE AREN'T AS MANY MUSIC JOURNALISTS HERE AS THERE USED TO BE.
SO YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I DO THINK JOURNALISM IN GENERAL IN AUSTIN IS AN INTERESTING TOPIC IN TERMS OF HOW, HOW THE PUBLIC IS INFORMED AND HOW ARE NOT INFORMED
SO YEAH, I, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT AS A SEPARATE ITEM.
UH, BUT I THINK ALSO, UH, WHAT COMMISSIONER DAVILA WAS REFERRING TO IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME GROUPS AND ARTISTS AND GENRES DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE AS MUCH PROMOTIONAL REPRESENTATION.
AND AS YOU WERE SAYING, THAT HAS CHANGED A LOT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT NOT SAY LIKE, DO 5 1 2 IS A JOURNALISTIC ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE MORE PROMOTIONAL.
SO THEY, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT, LIKE THERE MAY BE GAPS IN THE TYPES OF GENRES THAT THEY COVER.
AND I FEEL LIKE THE, THE, THE QUESTION OF MARKETING WITHIN AUSTIN, UM, WE DO HAVE VISIT AUSTIN THAT MARKETS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, BUT WITHIN AUSTIN, LIKE EDUCATING AUDIENCES, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT NEW ARTISTS AND JUST, I MEAN, REALLY MAKING, HELPING PEOPLE IN AUSTIN UNDERSTAND LIKE, THERE'S STILL TONS OF LIVE MUSIC.
IT'S JUST, IT'S SUPER DOPE TO GO SEE LIVE MUSIC.
IT MAKES YOU A COOL PERSON, IT MAKES YOUR LIFE BETTER.
LIKE, THERE'S SO MUCH PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY WITHIN THE CITY.
AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT BUDGET IN A MOMENT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVING MORE BUDGET TO VISIT AUSTIN.
BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHICH CITY DEPARTMENT THIS IS, I DON'T KNOW IF IT FALLS UNDER EDD OR UM, A DC OR I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UM, I WOULD JUST LOVE TO SEE LIKE A CHUNK OF MONEY THAT IS DEVOTED TO GENERAL MARKETING OF MUSIC IN AUSTIN.
AND THAT CAN LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW, PROMOTING BANDS THAT HAVE, UH, THAT ARE LIVE MUSIC FUND AWARDEES AND EMERGING ARTISTS AND LONGTIME ARTISTS.
LIKE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A REALLY ROBUST MARKETING CAMPAIGN, UM, THAT I THINK CAN ACHIEVE ALL, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT.
UM, SO THAT MIGHT BE, WE CAN SEGUE THAT A LITTLE MORE INTO THE NEXT, NEXT, NEXT ONE.
YEAH, I THINK, UM, UM, EDD ALSO PROVIDES MARKETING, UH, TRAINING CLASSES, UH, YOU KNOW, ONGOING RIGHT NOW THAT, THAT ARE AVAILED OF, UH, BY SEVERAL FOLKS.
UM, UH, SO REALLY, LIKE, AGAIN, ON A TOPIC LIKE THIS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S US ABOUT US, LIKE YOU GUYS ARE SAYING, THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN WE USE CITY RESOURCES ESSENTIALLY TO, UM, DO ANYTHING THAT'S USEFUL TOWARDS THIS END.
AND THAT COULD COME IN TERMS OF MARKETING SUPPORT OR, UH, EVEN EDUCATION AND MARKETING.
UM, IS THERE, IS THERE A EASY LINK AVAILABLE WHERE ANY ARTIST, LIKE WHEN I WAS STARTING OUT, I DIDN'T QUITE EVEN KNOW, LIKE, OH, HOW DO I EVEN KNOW WHO SHOULD I SEND AN EMAIL TO FOR PUBLICIZING SOMETHING, RIGHT? I MEAN, IS THERE LIKE A DATABASE, EASY DATABASE THAT CAN BE BE, YOU KNOW, MANAGED SOMEWHERE OR PROVIDED SOMEWHERE ON A CITY WEBSITE FOR ARTISTS, UM,
[02:10:01]
THAT'S EASILY ACCESSIBLE, YOU CAN SEE BY CATEGORIES.DOES IT AUSTIN HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I'M NOT SO SURE.
OR IT WAS THE TEXAS MUSIC OFFICE, MAYBE.
UM, NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE, BUT OH YEAH, JUST HOW DO WE USE, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, AS, AS TIMES ARE CHANGING, IF WE CAN KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THAT ALSO UPDATED AND CURRENT, UM, I THINK THOSE ARE SOME USEFUL WAYS TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, HELP ON THIS ISSUE.
SO I DO THINK SOME OF THE TOOLS ARE PRESENT.
UM, I, I GUESS WHAT I WOULD WONDER IS IF THE AVERAGE PERSON, IF I WAS TO JUMP OUT HERE INTO THE LIBRARY LOBBY AND GRAB SOMEBODY AND SAY LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT NEW BANDS? LIKE, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? WHAT'S, WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S HOT? LIKE I, WE MIGHT GET A VARIETY OF ANSWERS, BUT UM, MIGHT NOT BE LIKE, OH YES, I, I SAW A BILLBOARD TELLING ME TO GO TO THE VISIT AUSTIN WEBSITE, AND SO I DID.
AND THAT'S HOW I LEARNED THINGS.
LIKE, I, EVEN JUST PROMOTING THE, THE EXISTING TOOLS, I THINK WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, REALLY IMPORTANT AND REALLY MAKE THOSE, THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND THOSE TOOLS THAT MUCH GREATER TO DESCRIBE CHRONICLES
UH, COMMISSIONER, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK WE ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT WE'RE SO OVERSATURATED BY, WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT WAYS TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT WHAT ARTISTS ARE OUT THERE OR WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY THAT I CAN SPEAK FOR MYSELF THAT SOMETIMES I JUST GO DEAF AND BLIND TO IT BECAUSE IT BECOMES TOO MUCH.
I HAVE A 20-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, SHE, YOU KNOW, SIGNS ONTO A COUPLE OF DISCORD, WHICH I KNOW IS COOL NOW I STILL HAVEN'T DONE IT, BUT THAT'S HOW SHE FINDS OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEN BEYOND THAT, IT'S ALL SEEMS TO BE SOME CATCHY MARKETING PROMOTIONAL THING THAT MAKES THEM STOP FLIPPING TO THE LEFT, RIGHT, OR UP AND DOWN.
THAT JUST MAKES THEM STOP FOR A MINUTE.
SO JUST THINKING ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, MOST FOLKS, IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY GOING TO VISIT AUSTIN, HAVING THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE'S NO WAY TO TELL YOU THAT THOSE RESOURCES ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO GO THERE TO FIND IT, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY KIND OF CHANGING THE WAY THAT WE ARE COMMUNICATING SO WE DON'T, UM, FEEL OVERSATURATED WITH SO MUCH INFORMATION.
AND GOING BACK TO, TO JOURNALISM AND MEDIA, YOU KNOW, JOURNALISM IS STRUGGLING NO MATTER WHAT THE SUBJECT IS.
WITH EVERYTHING, EVEN WITH OUR NEWS DAY TO DAY POLITICS, EVERYTHING, IT'S, THEY'RE STRUGGLING.
SO MYSELF, I GO TO A LOT OF PODCASTS AND PODCAST SHOWS, AND THAT'S HOW I TEND TO KIND OF FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW, I THINK IT'S JUST MAYBE CHANGING THE WAY THAT WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE, UM, RECEIVING INFORMATION AND THEN DISSEMINATING THAT INFORMATION AND BEING MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT THAT.
UM, IT, IT MAY ALSO BE HELPFUL JUST LIKE FOR THE, THE RECORD, UM, OF TONIGHT, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK ON BEHALF OF COMMISSIONER AVILA, BUT, UM, THERE WAS A, YOU KNOW, BIG CHAPTER OF AUSTIN WHEN THERE WAS THEIR ARIBA NEWSPAPER THAT WAS FREE AND PRINTED, AND THERE WAS
SO I THINK MAYBE AS A COMMISSION, EVEN FOR US TO DO FURTHER DOT CONNECTING OF LIKE, THERE WAS A HANNO SHOW AT AUSTIN PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, UM, THAT PROMOTED HANNO MUSIC.
UM, I THINK THAT THEY'RE STILL AROUND, BUT MAYBE IF ANYTHING UNDER THIS UMBRELLA OR ACTION, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 10, WE, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW KLRU IS DOING A BIG PUSH FOR LATINO ISSUES RIGHT NOW.
I MEAN, MAYBE WE JUST DO SOME DOT CONNECTING AND JUST BRING THESE ISSUES TO THE TOP WHERE THERE CAN BE FURTHER EXPLORATION AND, UM, AND SEEING WHAT COMES OUT OF THAT.
I MEAN, I THINK, UM, COMMISSIONER GUDA, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UH, IT'S, IT'S ALSO A MATTER OF HOW, HOW INFORMATION AROUND SHOWS OR NEW CDS RECORDS AND STUFF, UH, HOW IS IT GETTING DISPERSED INTO THE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THAT DI DIVERSE DIASPORAS THAT ARE IN AUSTIN.
AND, AND WE, WE KIND OF TALKING ABOUT ALMOST LIKE SOME KIND OF LIMITED BOUNDARIES TO WHICH THE CURRENT INFORMATION MIGHT BE FLOWING THROUGH.
LIKE, BUT HOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA, THE LATINO DIASPORA, LIKE HOW, HOW WHAT KIND OF MEDIA, UH, ARE, ARE BEING USED OR IS, OR IS EVEN AVAILABLE TO GET INFORMATION OUT, UH, BROADLY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S AN, THAT'S BEEN AN ONGOING CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS AND ALL DYING OVER,
[02:15:01]
OVER THE YEARS.ANY OTHER COMMENTS? UH, QUESTIONS ON THIS? COMMENTS, DISCUSSION ITEMS?
ALRIGHT, UM, LET'S, UH, LET'S, LET'S MOVE THIS, UH, TO THANK YOU.
UH, LET'S MOVE THIS, UH, AGENDA ITEM LATER MAYBE, UH, TO NEXT THE NEXT SESSION AGAIN AND SEE WHERE WE WANT TO GO WITH IT.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS
[11. Discussion on music commission budget recommendations]
DISCUSSION ON MUSIC COMMISSION BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.UM, UH, ERICA WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHEN THIS IS DUE FOR US.
UH, IF YOU COULD PLEASE, UH, GIVE US SOME INFORMATION AROUND THAT.
I UNDERSTOOD IT WAS AROUND MARCH, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
YEAH, I JUST ASKED S NOVIA AS WELL, JUST TO SEE IF SHE KNEW.
THE CLERK'S OFFICE WILL EMAIL YOU, UH, AS A GROUP WITH THE BUDGET PORTAL WHEN IT'S READY.
TYPICALLY THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DUE IN MARCH FOR THEIR, YOU KNOW, UH, APRIL, JUNE, JULY SESSIONS LEADING INTO BUDGET APPROVAL.
SO MY SUGGESTION IS, IS PROBABLY AT YOUR FEBRUARY MEETING, 'CAUSE YOU'LL NEED A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO MOVE THOSE ITEMS. UH, IF IT'S, IF THE PORTAL, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE DOING THE PORTAL STILL.
I JUST HAVEN'T HEARD WHAT THE PROCESSES ARE.
SO I THINK WE HAVE TIME FOR YOU GUYS TO PUT THIS AS A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON YOUR NEXT AGENDA AND THEN COME PREPARED WITH WHAT THOSE ITEMS WILL BE.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, HOPEFULLY WE'VE HEARD FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE ON WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
SO I THINK, UM, WHAT WE CAN, UM, SPEND SOME TIME IF, IF THERE ARE ANY IDEAS RIGHT OFF THE BAT TODAY, UM, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE OR, UM, UM, I, OTHERWISE I THINK, UM, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON AND MYSELF, WE CAN PUT A DRAFT AND, UH, SHARE IT THROUGH THE CITY AHEAD OF TIME WITH THE, UM, COMMISSIONERS AND THEN WE CAN REACT TO IT, UH, IN THE NEXT SESSION, IN THE NEXT MEETING.
BUT, UH, I DO WELCOME COMMENTS HERE, COMMISSIONER ROSENTHAL.
YEAH, WELL, LAST YEAR, LAST YEAR, UH, COMMISSIONER GOULD AND I WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS IDEA OF AN EMERGENCY FUND BECAUSE IF THERE SHOULD BE A POWER FAILURE DUE TO COLD WEATHER, HOT WEATHER, SNOW, ICE, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, THAT THAT CAUSES
THAT, UH, THAT CAUSES, UM, GIGS TO BE CANCELED.
HAVING SOME SORT OF EMERGENCY FUND THAT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU CAN SAY, HEY, HERE'S MY CONTRACT AND THE SHOW IS THIS, THIS SHOW IS CANCELED, GETTING THESE MUSICIANS REIMBURSED FOR THAT.
WE SAID THIS WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA.
AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL, BUT IT'S A CITY GONNA WANT TO PAY FOR IT.
WELL, NO, BUT PERHAPS WE COULD GET AUSTIN ENERGY TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES WHO CAUSED THE PROBLEM.
WE DIDN'T, WE ACTUALLY PUT, DIDN'T WE PUT THAT IN? WE PUT THAT IN.
DID ANYONE EVER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY? WELL, DIDN'T WE HAVE A RESOLUTION ABOUT IT? IT WAS THE STORMY WEATHER FUND.
I ACTUALLY, I THINK THE THING TO JUST PROCESS WISE, THE, THE THING TO THINK ABOUT IS LIKE WE CAN COME UP WITH ALL KINDS OF IDEAS AND LAUNDRY LISTS, BUT IF YOU HAVE, UM, A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART, AND THEN WE'VE ALL DECIDED TO SUPPORT THIS COMMISSION, SOMEBODY'S GOTTA SHOP THAT AROUND TO COUNCIL OFFICES AND GET SOMEBODY OUR, OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND GET SOMEBODY TO CHAMPION IT.
OTHERWISE, IT'S JUST KIND OF A BIT OF FILING, I THINK.
WELL, IT MIGHT BE A PRETTY GOOD TIME FOR THAT BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE GOING INTO THE SEASON WHERE THAT'S POTENTIALLY ABOUT TO HAPPEN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, JUST BASED ON HISTORY.
SORRY, COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND WHO, WHO, WHO WANTED TO SPEAK.
YOU WANTED TO, DO YOU WANT? SO, OKAY, I AND CHARLOTTE, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT.
LIKE, IT'S GREAT IDEA, IT'S A CLEVER NAME.
UM, BUT WE NEED TO GET COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SUPPORT THAT.
UH, UH, LAUREN, WHO'S YOURS? VANESSA? UH, VANESSA FUENTES.
I'VE GOT ALLISON, MY MINE IS ALLISON ALTER AND MAYBE WE CAN, UM, SIFT BACK AND GET THAT, UM, THAT RECOMMENDATION THAT WE, OR THAT WAS RECOMMENDATION.
LET'S, LET'S EACH REFRESH IT SO WE HAVE OUR WORDING AGAIN AND, AND START WE'LL SEND UP TRIAL BALLOONS TO, TO OUR, YEAH, TO OUR WEATHER BALLOONS.
AND, UH, WE CAN ALSO PUT IT BACK IN THE, IN THE DRAFT, UH, THAT WE SENT THROUGH.
WELL IF, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY IS GOING TO PASS, I WOULDN'T WANT THAT TO DISTRACT FROM SOMETHING LIKE A REALLY, A REALLY GOOD IDEA THAT, UM, THAT THAT ACTUALLY WOULD BE MORE CONVENTIONAL.
I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP THOUGH, BECAUSE I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT JUST EARLIER TODAY AND THINKING IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
BUT I, I DID WANNA SAY ON THE, THE BUDGET, UM, ON OUR BUDGET, I JUST
[02:20:01]
WANTED TO PUT A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA EMPHASIS BEHIND WHAT, UH, AND CHARLOTTE WAS SAYING EARLIER ABOUT POTENTIALLY, UH, HAVING A CHUNK OF MONEY FOR, FOR MARKETING FOR LOCAL ARTISTS THAT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA AND I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT.UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER PAT? WELL, YEAH, THE, THE QUICK QUESTION IS, UH, SHOULD WE BE HAVING, OR IS THERE A CONVERSATION THAT MAYBE WE COULD HAVE WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION ABOUT THIS? LIKE MAYBE IF, IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR TWO COMMISSIONS TO THEORETICALLY HYPOTHETICALLY, YOU KNOW, PASS A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL FOR A BUDGET FOR EITHER IT'S THE EMERGENCY ARTS, YOU KNOW, FUNDING OR IF IT'S, UM, SOMETHING YOU, I KNOW THAT LIVE MUSIC IS, IS, IS, IS DIFFERENT IN THE ADVERTISING.
IF WE ONLY KNEW AN ARTS COMMISSIONER, UM, THAT'S FUNNY.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, UH, THE CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIRS OF ARTS AND MUSIC.
WE HAVE SEMI-REGULAR MEETINGS, SO, AND WE WE'RE OVERDUE FOR ONE, UM, 'CAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS AND SO ON, SO YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE'LL, WE'LL TALK BUDGET WITH THEM.
AND I THINK WE CAN, UH, WE CAN ALSO SCHEDULE A JOINT MEETING AT SOME POINT IN THE NEW YEAR, UH, TO CONSIDER THESE.
SO, AND WE DO BOUNCE OFF, YOU KNOW, IDEAS AROUND BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, AND WHAT WE ARE PUTTING ON EACH OTHER'S, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, ACROSS, ACROSS THESE TWO COMMISSIONS.
SO, UM, SO THERE IS SOME EXCHANGE OF IDEAS THERE DEFINITELY BEING CONSIDERED ALREADY.
CAN, IF YOU GUYS PUT TOGETHER A DRAFT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT.
IT WON'T BE JUST WHEN WE GO TO THE MEETING.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE PRIOR TO THAT.
THAT'S WHAT I'M, UH, SUGGESTING, UH, COMMISSIONER PATTERSON I WOULD DO.
AND THEN, UH, SEND IT AHEAD OF TIME AND, UH, WE COULD DISCUSS AND UH, I'LL PUT IT UNDER POSSIBLE OR WE WILL PUT IT UNDER POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS FOR NEXT ROUND.
UH, YEAH, I HAD ONE MORE THOUGHT ABOUT BUDGET ITEMS, UM, WHICH WITH THE, THE RRCD PEOPLE HERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND, UM, THE CSAP PROGRAM.
AND I WAS WONDERING IF THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE NEED LIKE, MORE FUNDING ALLOCATED THERE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE CURRENT OR WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR 2024.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY FROM STAFF, I DON'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT IF YOU HAVE A, IF YOU COULD GIVE US A LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF IT, KIM, ERICA, WE CAN LEAVE THAT ON THE AGENDA NEXT TIME.
LIKE WHAT OUR PLAN IS, UM, FOR CSAP, WE DO HAVE THE ROLLING 500,000 THAT IS AN ANNUAL ALLOCATION FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, WE AGREE THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE FUNDING THERE, BUT WITH THE ADDITIONAL HOT COLLECTIONS, WHICH IS SEPARATE FROM GENERAL FUND, WE WILL HAVE AN EXPANDED BUDGET FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND THAT WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO MORE, UH, TYPES OF ELIGIBILITY CATEGORIES, UH, WITH RENT BEING ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
SO WE'RE YET, WE HAVE TO LIKE, LOOK AT IT COLLECTIVELY, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT COVERING THE SAME EXPENSES OVER SEVERAL PROGRAMS SO THAT WE CAN GET MORE BANG FOR A BUCK BY PROGRAM THAT WHERE THERE'S ELIGIBILITY.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW AND WE'LL BE BETTER PREPARED IN FEBRUARY TO KIND OF GIVE YOU SOME FEEDBACK, BUT DEFINITELY PUT THAT ON YOUR BUDGET, LIKE ON THE AGENDA SO THAT WE CAN DISCUSS IT FULLY WITH YOU.
I I, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, RIGHT? WE JUST HEARD ABOUT, IT SEEMED TO ME LIKE THAT THIS FUNDING IS GONNA END IN, IN DECEMBER AND WOULD WE AS A MUSIC COMMISSION, WANT TO REQUEST OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO CONTINUE TO FUND THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS? THAT SEEMED TO BE EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS ASKING US.
SHOULD WE INCLUDE THAT? IS THERE MM-HMM.
SO LET'S, LET'S MAKE SURE WE PUT THAT IN.
WE COULD, UM, WE COULD, UM, VOTE LINE BY LINE OR WE COULD VOTE ON WHOLE PROPOSAL NEXT TIME.
BUT THAT'S A GREAT IDEA TO PUT THAT.
AND COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS IS ACROSS MORE THAN JUST NEW DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
WE CAN, WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO IT, BUT YEAH.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE RESPONS.
[12. Discussion on calendar for Live Music Fund awardee events.]
AND WE KIND OF ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS A BIT, UM, EARLIER DISCUSSION ON CALENDAR FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND AWARD EVENTS.[02:25:01]
SO ACTUALLY, DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT AS WE WERE DISCUSSING? SO LIVE MUSIC FUND APPLICANTS, UH, WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO ALSO FILL OUT THE SUBMISSION FORM FOR PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES THAT BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, ASKED YOU WHAT KIND OF GENRE YOU ARE, YOU KNOW, X, Y, Z AND SO WE CAN UPLOAD LINKS THERE AND DO DIFFERENT THINGS.SO I THINK THAT COULD BE THE AVENUE, AVENUE FOR A SEARCHABLE DATA PORTAL FOR OUR LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, RECIPIENTS THAT OPTED INTO THAT.
WE'LL HAVE TO WORK WITH AN INTERN WITH SOME DATA, YOU KNOW, SOME DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ENTRY INTO THAT SYSTEM.
BUT THE PLAN ALREADY IS IN CASEY SMITH AND HER DATA TEAM IS WORKING ON, THIS IS A PUBLIC FACING, UH, VERSION OF OUR PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES AND ALL THOSE APPLICATIONS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE WELL OVER 200, YOU KNOW, NAMES IN THAT DATABASE NOW.
AND SO I KNOW HER TEAM IS WORKING ON THAT.
AND SO WE'LL JUST HAVE TO DO LIKE A CONCERTED MARKETING EFFORT TO THE GRANTEES TO GO IN, YOU KNOW, LOG INTO PORTAL AND GO UPDATE YOUR LATEST STUFF THAT YOU DID WITH YOUR GRANT THERE.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT PERFECT BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S WHAT, WHETHER OR NOT THEY DO IT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST HARD ON THE MUSIC SIDE.
IT'S NOT AS PREDICTIVE AS CULTURAL ARTS AS WE ALL KNOW IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
SHOWS GET CANCELED OR MOVED OR THE HOLD FALLS THROUGH.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S KIND OF HARD TO, UH, TRACK THOSE PROJECTS IN, IN, IN THE SAME WAY THAT CULTURAL ARTS WOULD.
I HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT THAT, WHICH MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT BE HELPFUL, BUT, UM, WHAT IF THERE WAS JUST LIKE A HASHTAG MM-HMM.
LIVE MUSIC FUN OR YEAH, WHATEVER.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU FOLLOW THAT HASHTAG AND THEN YOU SEE UPDATES YEAH.
ON YOUR FEED ABOUT WHATEVER'S GOING ON.
LIKE DEFINITELY THAT MIGHT BE A SIMPLE WAY TO CONSOLIDATE IT ALL IN ONE PLACE FOR ONE AUDIENCE THAT KNOWS HOW TO SEARCH FOR WITH THOSE HASHTAGS.
AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT A WAY THAT EVERY AUDIENCE IS BEING SERVED.
BUT THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO AT LEAST GET THE MUSICIANS.
IT'S EASY ENOUGH JUST TO ADD THAT AT THE END OF ANY POST.
AND YOU, AND YOU SAY THAT SOME OF THEM ARE ON THE VISIT AUSTIN SITE.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHICH ONES.
AND THEY'RE, AND IT'S NOT SEARCHABLE FOR THAT HASHTAG WELL WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO SEE IF WE CAN HAVE THAT PROGRAMMING CHANGED.
'CAUSE IT'S JUST A CODING ISSUE AND IT TAKES SOME TIME TO RECODE AND ORDER FOR THAT TO BE SEARCHABLE IN THAT WAY.
AND IT'S ALSO SOME CONVINCING IT'S VISIT AUSTIN AND THESE ARE LOCAL EVENTS AND SO IT'S MAYBE NOT GONNA BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY IF IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING PROMOTED THROUGH OUR MARKETING PLAN WITH THEM, WHICH IS BEING PROMOTED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
UM, SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF, UH, YOU GUYS LETTING YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS KNOW THAT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'D WANNA SEE.
'CAUSE AS, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL ABOUT DIRECTION BACK TO, TO THE OTHER ORGANIZ TO THE CITY STAFF AND TO VISIT AUSTIN.
THAT FEATURE NEEDS TO BE PRIORITIZED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, IDEAS ON THIS TOPIC? ALRIGHT, MOVING
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ON TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. WE'LL HAVE THE STAFF BRIEFINGS.WE'LL HAVE LIVE MUSIC FUND COLLECTIONS UPDATE.
WE'LL HAVE UPDATE ON LIVE MUSIC FUND EVENT PROGRAM.
WE'LL HAVE AN UPDATE ON VENUE ELIGIBILITY FROM GUIDELINES, VENUE ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES.
UM, BY, THAT'S PARDON FROM EDD THAT'S PART OF THE GUIDELINES.
PARDON ME? ERICA, ARE YOU SAYING THAT VENUE ELIGIBILITY IS PART OF THE GUARD GUIDELINES? THAT'S ALL GUIDELINES, YEAH.
YEAH, IT WAS, YEAH, IT WAS ON THE AGENDA THIS TIME AND WE MOVED IT TO FEBRUARY BASICALLY.
WE'RE VENUE ELIGIBILITY, VENUE ELIGIBILITY FOR THE LIVE MUSIC.
NOT JUST THE GUIDELINES, BUT VENUE ELIGIBILITY ESPECIALLY TO VENUES.
YEAH, WE'VE, WE'VE NOT HAD A, A CONVERSATION OR WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE GUIDELINES AS YET.
AS AN OUTCOME OF THE, UH, UH, THE SESSIONS THAT EDD HAS DONE WITH VENUES, ET CETERA.
UPDATE ON CONSULTANT EVALUATION ON LMF PROGRAM.
UH, DO WE WANT TO LEAVE IT THERE? PROBABLY IF THERE IS A FURTHER UPDATE AFTER A MONTH, UH, PROBABLY WE DO WANT TO LEAVE IT THERE.
UM, UNDER DISCUSSION ITEMS, WE WILL KEEP, UH, DISCUSSION ON MUSIC JOURNALISM AND ACCESS TO MEDIA COVERAGE OPEN.
[02:30:01]
UH, CALENDAR FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND AWARD EVENTS OPEN.UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, UH, DISCUSSION AFTER PRESENTATION OR AFTER UPDATE OR PRESENTATION FROM, UM, ON ACL 2023 FROM EMED BU CEO OF, UH, C3 EVENTS.
UM, CAN WE ADD A STAFF BRIEFING ON C SAP STAFF BRIEFING ON C SAP? YES.
UNDER ANYTHING ELSE THAT I'M MISSING? UH, I'LL MOVE ON TO POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS, BUT ANYTHING I'M MISSING FROM DISCUSSION ITEMS THAT ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO ADD? OKAY.
UH, UNDER DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS, WE WILL ADD, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION AFTER, UH, REVIEW OR, OR LET'S JUST SAY THE REVIEW OF, UH, THE MUSIC COMMISSION BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS BY, BY CHAIR.
UM, THEN, UH, ALSO, UH, DISCUSSION ON ALL AGES SHOWS AND HOW WE SUPPORT YOUTH IN AUSTIN THAT WE WOULD LEAVE IN THE, UNDER THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. I THINK I, I, I LEFT IT OUT, SO WE'LL LEAVE THAT UNDER DISCUSSION ITEMS. ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? UM, THE, UH, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AS A DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION AND ACTION.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FOR MUSICAL COMMISSION MEETINGS.
WHAT ELSE? UM, YEAH, IT'S A LOT.
DO WE, I DON'T, DO WE WE HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING ABOUT REDDIT RIVER.
DO WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT AT ALL OR? I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENS THERE IS WE WRITE UP A RECOMMENDATION AND, UH, SEND THAT, UH, TO COUNCIL THROUGH EDD.
THEY WANTED, YEAH, NO, NO, I KNOW THAT.
BUT UH, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE SAYING LIKE THE PRIORITIZATION OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT, UM, TO EVALUATE ECONOMIC LAND AND OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS AND STUFF.
SO I MEAN, YEAH, WE VOTED, WE VOTED FOR THE GAP FUNDING, BUT I THINK THAT'S JUST A, UH, A BANDAID ON A BULLET WOUND KIND OF THING, YOU KNOW, LIKE, AND, UM, I DON'T, I MEAN, I DON'T, I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD COME BACK.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN, IS AN AGENDA ITEM.
I THINK WE COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE THEM COME BACK IN THE FUTURE OKAY.
UH, ON SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY, THAT NICOLE OUTLINED, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE SPECIFICALLY NEED, NEED 'EM BACK OKAY.
ALRIGHT, SO THOSE ARE THE ITEMS. UH, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? OKAY, SO THOSE ARE THE ITEMS. UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND, UH, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AT ALL OF THE, ABOUT AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED, UH, FOR THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? YEAH, I SECOND.
ALRIGHT, I HAVE A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER PATTERSON.
UM, I THINK WE'RE GOOD TO GO THERE.
I'LL JUST SAY YOUR MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MOTION A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER, UH, GOLD HERE.
AND THANKS FOR EVERYBODY WHO TOOK THE TIME AND TO COME HERE AND ATTEND THE MEETING TODAY BECAUSE IT'S WINTER TIME.