* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE. IT IS 6 0 4. [CALL TO ORDER] WE ARE AT QUORUM. JESUS. DO WE HAVE ANY COMMISSIONERS IN THE WAITING ROOM? COMMISSIONER KEYS, PERHAPS? NO. OKAY, THEN I THINK THAT'S ALL OF US. THIS IS LIKE, SO HEIDI, BESIDES HEIDI, HEIDI HAS, UM, PLANET TEXAS 2050. SO SHE IS NOT ABLE TO JOIN US TODAY. IT'S HER BIG, UH, ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM. OKAY. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA CALL TO ORDER THE MEETING OF THE REGULAR ARTS COMMISSION MEETING. IT IS FEBRUARY 24TH, 6:04 PM LET'S START WITH ROLL. UH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO PRESENT. COMMISSIONER CNI. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER MOCK PRESENT. COMMISSIONER GRAY PRESENT. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON PRESENT. COMMISSIONER CHARLA PRESENT. AND COMMISSIONER GARZA. YES. BE PRESENT. AND I AM HERE AS WELL. WONDERFUL. NEXT WE MOVE ON TO APPROVAL [APPROVAL OF MINUTES ] OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR JANUARY 27TH, 2025 MEETING. I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER GRAY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE JANUARY MEETING. FABULOUS, UNANIMOUS. UM, MOVING ON. ITEM [2. Discussion on DEI words that will no longer allowed to be used by the Trump administration by Chair Zisman ] TWO, DISCUSSION OF DEI, WORDS THAT WERE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO BE USED BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BY CHAIR ZIMAN. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS SELENA SUSMAN. MY PRONOUNS ARE THEY THEM. I AM THE PERSON OF COLOR WEARING A DARK JACKET WITH SHORT HAIR AT THE HEAD OF THE ROOM. UM, ORIGINALLY THIS CHAIR'S REPORT TITLE WAS INTENDED TO BE THE FULL LIST, UM, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A CHARACTER LIMIT BY MY WONDERFUL LIAISON. UM, I WANNA JUST BRIEFLY TOUCH ON WORDS AND HOW THE USE AND THE ABILITY TO USE CERTAIN WORDS DOES NOT CHANGE THE NATURE OF THIS WORK. IT DOES NOT ERASE THE LAST FOUR TO FIVE YEARS. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE THAT MUCH MORE FLUENT AND MUCH MORE CAPABLE OF OPERATING AS THOUGH THOSE WORDS ARE FREE TO USE. UM, AND TO CONTINUE THE WORK THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING SO DILIGENTLY ON. UM, WE HAVE UNIQUE STORIES THAT ALL NEED TO BE HEARD AND UPLIFTED AND HONORED. AND JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY ON TOP SAYS WE CAN'T USE SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY, DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT WORK SHIFTS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. SO WE'LL BE HEARING, UM, SOME WONDERFUL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR WORKING GROUP. UM, AND WE KNOW THAT CERTAIN SHIFTS AND PIVOTS HAVE BEEN MADE. I'M SURE WE'LL BE HEARING FROM CITY STAFF, UM, FOR OUR NEXT ROUND OF FUNDING PROGRAMS AND HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADAPT PROGRAMS. DO WE NOT HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE NEXT ITEM. . OH, I'M SO SORRY. I'M JUST GETTING REAL EXCITED. ALRIGHT. UM, MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW OUR AGENDA. I THINK YOU'RE IN LINE FOR CHAIR FELIPE. I AM JUST SAYING, I THINK, YOU KNOW, UM, ANYWAY, SO LET'S CIRCLE BACK. I GOT REAL EXCITED AND GOT RIGHT TO THE MINUTES. UM, BUT YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT WORDS ARE WORDS AND IT'S NOT GONNA SLOW US DOWN FROM CONTINUING TO KEEP THE LENS FOCUSED ON DOING THE GOOD WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ALL ALONG. UM, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS? [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ] OKAY, PERFECT. THANKS GUYS. SORRY FOR VIOLATING YOUR FREEDOM TO SPEAK. ALRIGHT, SO WE HAVE JAMIE OROZCO AND URSULA WALKER. COME ON UP. PICK, GRAB A MIC. FEEL FREE TO SIT RIGHT HERE. MAYBE, UH, COMMISSIONER CHARLA, WE CAN SHARE THIS MIC. ALRIGHT. OR I CAN JUST, YOU CAN GET ANOTHER CHAIR. LET'S USE THE MIC JUST BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE RECORDING WORKS. THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW YOU, YOU DOING GREAT. LATINO ART WEEKEND. OKAY. ELISA'S. I'M FRIENDS WITH ELISA GRACE. YEAH. GOOD TO SEE YOU, HUN. ALL RIGHT. Y'ALL HAVE THREE MINUTES. GO FOR IT. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. OH. OH, HERE. YEAH. NOW YOU'RE DEAD. OF COURSE. THE GREEN . THAT'S WHY I WORK. NO, I'M JUST KIDDING. HI, EVERYONE. YES. CAN YOU HEAR US OVER? AND THEN YOU GOOD? YEAH. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SO, UM, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. I AM JAMIE, FOUNDER OF DANCE VERITY, A HOLISTIC STREET STYLE DANCE STUDIO, UM, BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE CALLED DANCE. UM, OUR WHOLE FOCUS IS TO, UM, UNITE CULTURES, UM, TALK ABOUT CULTURES, UM, EXPRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY, UM, THROUGH MOVEMENT. AND SINCE IT IS BODY LANGUAGE, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL ARE ABLE TO TELL OUR STORY, AND THAT IS THE FOCUS OF OUR STUDIO. UM, I HAVE ALONGSIDE TEAM MEMBER AND COLLABORATOR AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS. UM, I'LL LET YOU GO. I'M URSULA WALKER. UM, I AM THE CREATOR OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SOUL ARTS COLLECTIVE, UH, WHICH OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THROUGH, UM, CREATIVE ARTS, THROUGH, UM, HOLISTIC [00:05:01] WELLNESS AND THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE. SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH DANCE DIVERSITY FOR, UM, SOME TIME NOW. AND, UH, OUR OTHER COLLABORATOR ISN'T ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT. HER NAME IS KITTY, FOUNDER OF ILLUMINA WELLNESS AND SHEA BUTTER BABIES PRODUCTIONS. UM, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO SHARE AND INVITE YOU ALL TO OUR NEWEST COLLABORATIVE EVENT TITLED UNI UNITY NIGHTS. YES. UM, SO UNITY NIGHTS IS A MONTHLY COMMUNITY EVENT AT DANCE. AT DANCE VERITY FOCUSED ON BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO HONOR COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND CREATIVITY. BROUGHT TO YOU BY DANCE VERITY, SOUL ARTS COLLECTIVE, SHE BUTTER BABIES AND ILLUMINA WELLNESS. THE ESSENCE OF UNITY NIGHTS LIES IN FOSTERING AN INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT WHERE PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPRESS THEMSELVES FREELY, FORGE NEW FRIENDSHIPS, AND STRENGTHEN THE BONDS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY. OUR FIRST EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, FROM, UM, AND THEN FROM THEN ON EVERY THIRD FRIDAY WITH OUR NEXT BEING MARCH 21ST. MM-HMM . BY THE WAY, THAT EVENT THIS FRIDAY IS FROM SEVEN TO 8:30 PM AND THESE GATHERINGS FEATURE A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES THAT ARE DIFFERENT AND WILL ROTATE EACH MONTH, UH, SUCH AS LIVE PERFORMANCES, ART DISPLAYS, IMMERSIVE WORKSHOPS, OPEN MIC SESSIONS, AND THEME DISCUSSIONS. THEY PROVIDE, PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR INDIVIDUALS TO SHARE THEIR TALENTS AND STORIES IN ORDER TO CULTIVATE COMMUNITY. AND THIS MONTH'S, UH, THEME IS HONORING AND CELEBRATING BLACK VOICES. HERE WE NOT ONLY ENTERTAIN, BUT INSPIRE AND EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING AND UNITY AMONGST EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY WITH EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY. WE NEED ART, WE NEED CONNECTION, AND WE NEED COMMUNITY TO ENSURE WE ALL CAN CONTINUE TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE BUT THRIVE. WHETHER YOU'RE AN ARTIST OR AN ADMIRER, THERE'S A PLACE FOR YOU AT UNITY NIGHTS. SO WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU THERE. AND WE'D LOVE TO LEAVE Y'ALL WITH ONE SMALL NOTE FROM, UH, WORDS FROM THE GREAT QUEEN LATIFAH, YOU AND ITUI, YOU AND ITUI. THAT'S A UNITY. U-N-I-T-Y-U-N-I-T-Y. THAT'S A UNITY. HEY, WE HOPE TO SEE Y'ALL THERE. WHERE IS IT? THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THANK YOU GUYS HAVING US. WILL YOU SEND, UM, ALL OF OUR EMAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE ARTS COMMISSION WEBSITE. I THINK WE'D ALL LOVE TO JUST TAP THAT IN WRITING IN FRONT OF US SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO AMPLIFY, UM, YES, THE EVENT AND SPREAD THE WORD AND ATTEND IDEALLY. THANK YOU. PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. AND YOU GUYS, THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL WORK THAT ALL OF YOU'RE ARE COMMITTED TO. UM, WE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF IT, AND IT IS HEART WORK, LITERALLY. THANK YOU. THANK YES, THANK YOU. Y'ALL APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW WE'RE BACK ON TRACK, Y'ALL. SO, ITEM THREE, [3. Report of the Art in Public Places Liaison concerning actions taking during the February 3rd meeting of the Art in Public Places Panel by Commissioner Maldonado] REPORT OF THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. WE MISSED ITEM TWO. OH, NOPE. YOU'RE GONNA GET VOLUNTEERED FOR TRUMP. JUST SAY IT FULLY. STAY ON IT. STAY ON IT. LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT SHARP WAY, USING NO PRONOUNS AND USING ADJECTIVES. I'M A VERY GRANDPA KIND OF GUY, AND REALLY NICE, UH, REPORTED THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES LIAISON CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN DURING THE FEBRUARY 3RD MEETING OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PLAN BY COMMISSIONER ARMALDO, THOUGH. SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU IN THE ROOM WITH US. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. USUALLY YOU'RE ON SCREEN. IS THIS WORKING? YES. AND I APOLOGIZE. I DO NOT HAVE AN UPDATE TODAY. I'M SO SORRY. OKAY. THAT IS OKAY. I THINK WE'LL BE HEARING FROM A-I-P-P-A LITTLE BIT LATER. UM, UPDATE ITEM FOUR, [4. Update on actions taken at the January 15th Downtown Commission meeting by Commissioner Mok ] UPDATE ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE JANUARY 15TH AT TOWN COMMISSION MEETING BY COMMISSIONER MOCK. AND I'M JUST GONNA TAKE WHILE SHE PREPARES HER NOTES, WE WILL NEED A NEW TOWN DOWNTOWN LIAISON AS OF NEXT MONTH. MM-HMM . . SO Y'ALL JUST START SIMMERING THINKING ABOUT WHO WANTS TO GO HANG OUT WITH THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION. UH, THEY'RE GOING TO CONSOLIDATE AND BE WITH, I GUESS, TOGETHER WITH OTHER COMMITTEE. UM, BUT IN ANY CASE, UM, AT THE LAST MEETING, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SEA HOME WITH DEVELOPMENT. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TRAFFIC OVER THERE. AND ALSO, UM, THERE'S SOME TALK ABOUT THE A SUNLIGHT RAIL. UM, THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHICH PROJECT SHOULD GO FIRST. YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE AIRPORT FIRST OR GOING TO ANY OTHER DIRECTION PARTS. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT. AND I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT THEY ARE, THEY ACTUALLY PASS A RESOLUTION. THE MAYOR HAS SENT OUT SOME, UH, EMAIL ABOUT HIS, UM, VISION FOR THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT. UM, SO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION PASSED A RESOLUTION, UM, TO ASK THAT [00:10:01] THE DOWNTOWN, UH, PLAN BE MORE THOUGHTFUL AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, JUST PATCHES WORK, YOU KNOW? SO I THINK, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE US COMMISSION TO BE AT THE TABLE AS WE ARE DEVELOPING THE DOWNTOWN, UH, AUSTIN PLAN, BECAUSE THERE'S A, I THINK THERE IS A, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO BRING CULTURE, UH, US IN PUBLIC PLACES INTO THE DOWNTOWN. UH, THE DOWNTOWN IS OUR DOWNTOWN. IT'S THE AUSTIN DOWNTOWN. SO IT'S NOT JUST THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THERE, OR PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING BUSINESS THERE. UM, SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE FUTURE DOWNTOWN THAT WE ALL CAN IDENTIFY WITH YIN, WHEREVER AREA WE LIVE, YOU KNOW? SO, YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT'S MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMISSIONER MOCK. WELL, AGAIN, WHOEVER IS GOING TO REPLACE ME, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ARM MODELO OH, MODELO ON THE BRAIN ON YOUR AGENDA. OTHERWISE YOU'LL GET A PHONE CALL FROM ME. THAT'S RIGHT. SHE'D STILL BE TUNED IN UNTIL IT HAPPENS. UNTIL IT HAPPENS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. STAFF BRIEFINGS. WE HAVE STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING THE [5. Staff briefing regarding the establishment of the Office of Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment by Matthew Schmidt, Acting Cultural Arts Division Manager ] ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT BY MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION OFF MANAGER. THANK YOU, MATT. EVENING, MISSIONARIES. UH, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME WELL? WE CAN HEAR YOU. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. MY PRONOUNS ARE HE, HIM. UH, I'M HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE Y'ALL AN UPDATE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. EXCUSE ME. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, AS Y'ALL ARE AWARE, UH, LAST WEEK OUR CITY MANAGER ANNOUNCED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW, UH, OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. UH, AND AS OF TODAY, UH, WE ARE CELEBRATING ITS OFFICIAL, UH, UH, INAUGURAL, UH, BIRTHDAY, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY. IT WAS BORN TODAY, UH, OFFICIALLY. UH, AND THE ACME, UH, UH, OFFICES FOCUSED ON SUSTAINING AND GROWING AUSTIN'S CREATIVE, UH, SECTOR. UH, AS Y'ALL ARE WELL AWARE, THIS IS, UH, A RECOMMENDATION THAT CAME FROM THE CREATE AUSTIN CULTURAL MASTER PLAN. IT WAS PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATION NUMBER THREE, UH, WHICH COMMUNITY HAD RECOMMENDED THE CREATION OF A SPECIFIC CITY DEPARTMENT, UH, OF ARTS AND CULTURE. UH, AS Y'ALL NOTE THAT IT IS CURRENTLY AN OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE AND MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. AND AS IT GOES THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS OVER THE SUMMER AND INTO FY 26, THAT IS WHEN IT WILL MOST LIKELY THEN TURN INTO AN ACTUAL DEPARTMENT, UM, THROUGH THE ANNOUNCEMENT, AS Y'ALL NOTED. UH, AND, AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, THE INAUGURAL DIRECTOR IS ANGELA MEANS, I THINK SHE IS IN THE AUDIENCE, WE MS MEANS IN THE AUDIENCE WITH US. AWESOME. AWESOME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. ABLE TO MEET HER TONIGHT. UM, UH, THE IMPACT DIVISIONS, UH, CURRENTLY, I KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE SOME CONTINUED EVALUATION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS AS WE, UH, SHIFT OUT WHAT THE ACTUAL ORGANIZATION OF THE OFFICE LOOKS LIKE, UH, ARE CURRENTLY THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT, THEIR MUSIC AND EVENTS, UH, DIVISION, AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY. THE HERITAGE CENTER IS LIKE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE FACILITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SPECIFICALLY THE CULTURAL ARTS DEPARTMENT OR DIVISION WITH THEIR AUSTIN, UH, UH, ARTS AND PUBLIC PLACES, UH, PROGRAM, PARKS AND RECREATION, THE CULTURAL CENTERS, THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS AND HERITAGE TOURISM, UH, AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AS THE AUSTIN CENTER OF EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES. UH, THE GOALS OF THIS DEPARTMENT, OF COURSE, IS TO STREAMLINE STAFF COORDINATION, PROVIDE A MORE COHESIVE AND ACCESSIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR STAKEHOLDERS, AND THEN AMPLIFY THE REACH AND EFFECTIVENESS OF JOINT INITIATIVES FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THAT IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS OFFICE RIGHT NOW. UH, WE ARE LIKE, AS I SAID, WE ARE STILL KIND OF WATCHING AS THE ORGANIZATION OF INTERNALLY OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. OH, AS IT, UH, KIND OF DEVELOPS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. BUT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME. COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UM, ONE QUESTION, UM, [00:15:01] WITH THE BUDGET BEING DISCUSSED, UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THE CITY MANAGER IS ASKING? BECAUSE I THINK MONEY TALK AND, UH, I THINK THE COMMITMENT, THE SUCCESS OF THIS DEPARTMENT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HOW MUCH RESOURCES THE CITY IS WILLING TO PUT INTO IT. SO I THINK, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, UH, TO HAVE SOME IDEA HOW MUCH RESOURCES THE CITY MANAGER IS WILLING TO PUT INTO IT WITH SO MANY, I MEAN, YOUR, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO DO, SO HOW BIG OF A DEPARTMENT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE PERSONNEL? BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OVER THERE, AND I HOPE YOU ASK FOR ENOUGH SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I'M ANGELA MEANS I'M THE, UH, DIRECTOR FOR THE NEW DEPARTMENT, AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE. CURRENTLY, THIS CITY IS WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE LOGISTICS AS FAR AS THE BUDGETING. I COULD TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, ALL OF THE AREAS THAT, UH, MATT LAID OUT FOR YOU, THOSE BUDGETS ARE COMING TO THE NEW DEPARTMENT, SO IT SHOULD STAY STATUS QUO FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE, UH, BUDGET OFFICE, UH, AND MAYOR AND COUNCIL THROUGH THE, UM, BUDGET PROCESS THIS YEAR. WE'RE GEARING UP FOR THAT ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW. AND SO AS WE DEVELOP WHAT THAT FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET LOOKS LIKE, WE WILL GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, UH, THE FORMAL PROCESS. YEAH. KEEP US INFORMED. I WILL BE YOUR BACK. I WILL HAVE HER BACK. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. TO THAT NOTE, UM, I HAD COMMISSIONER SCHWABA AND I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SITTING IN ON A MEETING IN ANTICIPATION OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT, UM, JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE WITH THE CITY MANAGER, TC BROAD MAX. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REMINDED HIM THAT'S COME UP IN CONVERSATION IS THAT HOT TAX CURRENTLY PAYS OUR CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF, THAT'S AN AMOUNT OF ABOUT $550,000 THAT COULD BE GOING INTO CULTURAL CONTRACTS DIRECTLY INTO THE, INTO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO, UM, JUST BRINGING THAT BACK UP TO THE SURFACE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE WERE CHAMPIONING LAST YEAR TO REALLY SAY, HEY, HERE'S A STARTING POINT. WE UNDERSTAND THESE OTHER ASKS MIGHT BE PIE IN THE SKY OR FIVE YEAR PLAN, IDEALLY, BUT THAT THIS IS A REAL NUMBER THAT WE CAN SEE AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE CITY SHOULD BE PAYING, UM, FOR ITS STAFF OUT OF ITS OWN GENERAL FUND OR BUDGET, WHEREVER THAT MAY COME FROM. UM, JUST TO KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THE, THE NEED AND THE REQUESTED AMOUNTS AND WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DEPLOY. SO KNOWING THAT, YES, A LITTLE OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT IN TERMS OF CITY BUDGET, BUT IT WOULD MAKE A HUGE IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY. ABSOLUTELY. ANYBODY ELSE? COMMISSIONERS COMMISSIONER HOUSTON AND COMMISSIONER ME CHARLA. IS THERE ANYWHERE IN CITY LANGUAGE THAT STATES WHAT THE CITY'S POSITION IS TOWARDS ARTS AND CULTURAL IN THE CITY? SOMETHING THAT COULD BE EASILY SAID, LIKE THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, , SOMETHING THAT SPECIFICALLY TALKS TO WHAT OUR OBJECTIVES AND GOALS ARE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DISTRIBUTING CITY FUNDS. BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE, IF WE DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE DOING IT, THEN WE CAN'T STRUCTURE THE GIVING CORRECTLY. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT BECAUSE ONE OF THE FIRST PRIORITIES THAT I HAVE IS TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THIS AREA. THE LAST TIME ANY TYPE OF PLANNING WAS CONDUCTED WAS QUITE SOME TIME AGO. AND SO NOW WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK. AUSTIN HAS CHANGED TREMENDOUSLY, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES HERE. SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO, UH, HAVE A PLANNING IDEA, HAVE A PLANNING DOCUMENT THAT WE ALL COULD LIVE BY, UH, AS WE DECIDE ON VARIOUS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. SO YOU WILL HEAR MORE, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS FAR AS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. BUT THAT'S A TOP PRIORITY OF MINE. OKAY. SO I'M, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT, BUT, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING TO AS COMMISSIONERS TO SAY THIS IS WHAT THE CITY'S INTENTION IS FOR THIS MONEY? AS OF RIGHT NOW, I WOULD SAY BASED ON WHAT WAS ALREADY COMPLETED, WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. AND I WANNA PAUSE BY SAYING, I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION SURROUNDING THE, UH, FUNDING FROM THE LAST YEAR, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A LITTLE LATER AS FAR AS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE, IT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT UNTIL WE GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS. UH, [00:20:01] WE ARE, WHEN IT COMES TO ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR AUSTIN, TEXAS, IT IS PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE CITY. AND WE KNOW THAT THE NEEDS ARE GREATER THAN WHAT WE WILL HAVE. AND SO WE WANNA BE REALLY INTENTIONAL WHEN WE LOOK AT ALLOCATING THOSE RESOURCES. THAT'S WHY THE STRATEGIC PLANNING IS CRITICAL FOR US, UM, BECAUSE OUR NEEDS ARE JUST GREATER THAN WHERE WE ARE AT THIS POINT. SO IF YOU NEEDED SOMETHING RIGHT AT THIS POINT, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH WHAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS, AS PRIORITIES FROM THE PRIOR YEARS, BUT THERE WILL BE MORE CONVERSATION AS FAR AS THOSE GRANTS HERE SHORTLY. COMMISSIONER CHARLA. HI. UM, WELCOME. UH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION AROUND, UH, UM, ARTS AT THE AIRPORT. IS THAT MOVING? IS IT STAYING WITH THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT? THANK YOU. BECAUSE I, I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT IN THE LAST, YES, THOSE, UH, INDIVIDUALS ARE MOVING, UH, OVER, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SERVICES AND THOSE PROGRAMS REMAIN THE SAME. SO MOST LIKELY THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL STAY OUT ON SITE, UH, AND THEY'RE JUST CHANGING THEIR REPORTING STRUCTURE AT THIS TIME. MUSIC AND ARTS FROM THE AVIATION. THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GARZA. AND THEN COMMISSIONER CNI. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND CLARIFYING A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO OR NOT SUPPOSED TO DO. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I BELIEVE WE ALL OPERATE IS UNDER OUR BYLAWS. OUR BYLAWS ARE ESTABLISHED BY OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THE OTHER RULES UNDER WHICH WE SHOULD OPERATE. ONE OF OUR BYLAWS CLEARLY STATES THAT OUR POSITION IS TO ADVISE AND NOT TO LOBBY. I LOVE BOTH OUR JESUS'S BACK THERE, BUT, UH, IT IS NOT OUR POSITION TO LOBBY FOR THEIR SALARIES. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO. ANOTHER THING, UH, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING SOME OTHER THINGS. AND WILL THE, THE BYLAWS BE CHANGING, DO YOU KNOW, OR, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN ESTABLISHED, I BELIEVE FOR OVER 10 YEARS NOW, UH, WITH YOUR POSITION AND WITH THIS NEW DEPARTMENT, WILL THOSE BYLAWS CHANGE? I WILL SAY, NOT AT THIS TIME, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THERE COULD BE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE, BUT NOT AT THIS TIME. THAT'S NOT, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S ON MY, FOR MY TOP PRIORITY FOR THE BYLAWS FOR THIS COMMISSION. THANK YOU. BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE RULES UNDER WHICH WE OPERATE. COMMISSIONER CNI. HI. YES. UM, MINE'S MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION. I'M VERY EXCITED BY THIS NEW DIVISION HAPPENING. I THINK, UM, A LOT OF GOOD THINGS CAN COME OUT OF IT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE AT THE VERY EARLY PLANNING STAGES. OBVIOUSLY IT'S JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED. UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE WE ARE CREATING SOMETHING ESSENTIALLY FROM SCRATCH, RIGHT? THIS, THIS DIVISION HAS NEVER EXISTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, WILL YOU BE, UM, LOOKING TO THE COMMUNITY FOR FEEDBACK AND KIND OF WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN GIVING MY FEEDBACK BECAUSE I'M SURE EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM KNOWS I HAVE A LOT OF IT. UM, BUT I'M JUST REALLY OVERJOYED BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS MADE THE ARGUMENT THAT ART DOESN'T EXIST JUST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. NO ARTIST GOES INTO MAKING A PIECE OF ART OR BECOMING AN ARTIST TO MAKE MONEY. UM, MONEY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMES WHEN YOU SUPPORT IT, RIGHT? BUT IT'S NOT THE DRIVING FORCE. AND SO I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL HELP EVERYBODY, INCLUDING THE CITY OF AUSTIN, KIND OF REFRAME OBJECTIVES AROUND WHY ARTS AND ARTISTS EXIST IN THIS SOCIETY AND THIS WORLD AS HUMANS. UM, BUT YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PIPELINE WAS FOR, LIKE FEEDBACK WHEN CRAFTING. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT QUESTION. MY PHILOSOPHY IS HEAVY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AND SO BECAUSE THIS IS DAY ONE, UH, WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR, UH, VARIOUS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS, IT IS MY TOP PRIORITY. UH, I'VE HAD A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE OFFICE, BUT ALSO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT THE VISION IS AND WHERE WE'RE GOING. AND MY RESPONSE HAS BEEN, I NEED TO TALK TO THE COMMUNITY. THEY WORKED ON THIS, UH, RECOMMENDATION OVER A DECADE AGO, I BELIEVE. SO THIS IS AS EXCITED AS I AM. I'M EXCITED FOR, FOR AUSTIN, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE AUSTIN'S AT THE TABLE. SO YOU WILL SEE A, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN THAT IS VERY HEAVY. WE WILL LOOK AT VARIOUS WAYS TO, UH, ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY [00:25:01] BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT LIVES, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COLLECTIVELY ARE EXCITED AND A PART OF WHERE WE GO FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. I JUST HAVE ONE LITTLE FOLLOW UP TO THAT. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS, THE DATA STUDY THAT MEASURE DID, AND I FELT LIKE IT WAS VERY TELLING OF, UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS IN WHICH WE COULD IMPROVE, UM, BUT ALSO SOME THINGS THAT WE WERE GETTING RIGHT. UM, SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FROM CONSULTS, I FEEL LIKE THEY DID A REALLY GREAT JOB OF GETTING FIRST PERSON EXPERIENCES FROM A VERY UNBIASED, UM, JUST TRUTHFUL PERSPECTIVE. AND, AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT. AND I THINK OFTENTIMES A LOT OF ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN AUSTIN HAVE A LOT OF DISTRUST. UM, AND THAT, I WILL TELL YOU, WAS THE FIRST DATA STUDY THAT I SAW THAT REALLY RESONATED AS A TRUE PICTURE OF KIND OF THE LANDSCAPE. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY THERE PERSONALLY. THIS IS LIKE PURELY UNBIASED FEEDBACK, BUT I, I REALLY LIKED IT, SO, RIGHT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY. I DID, I DID WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT. OH, YES, PLEASE. JUST REALLY QUICKLY, THE, BY THE BYLAWS, SAY A, THE ARTS COMMISSION IS TO SERVE AS AN ADVISORY BODY TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN ALL ARTS RELATED MATTERS. SO AN ARTS RELATED MATTER IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR GRANTING TO THE ARTISTS. AND IF A SALARY IS COMING OUT OF THAT, THEN THAT HINDERS OUR ABILITY TO ENCOURAGE ART IN THE CITY. THAT'S ALL. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. OKAY. I THINK THAT IS IT. GREAT. AND WE HAVE SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO, AND WE'RE HERE. PLEASE USE US. UM, AND YEAH, WE'RE JUST EXCITED AND STRAPPED IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU, MATT. OKAY, MOVING ON. WE, OH, YOU'RE STICKING AROUND. WE HAVE STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING [6. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Matthew Schmidt, Acting Cultural Arts Division Manager ] AN UPDATE ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TOWNS BY MATT, THE SCHMIDT ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. MUTED. YOU ARE ON MUTE, DARLING. ? NO, NOT YET. YOU'ALL. HEAR ME NOW? THERE YOU ARE. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. AGAIN. MY NAME IS MATTHEW SCHMIDT. I'M YOUR ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. MY PRONOUNS ARE HE HIM, UH, AND I AM HERE TO GIVE Y'ALL AN UPDATE ON THE LATEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBERS THROUGH JANUARY, 2025. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION IN JANUARY WAS 29,682,604. UH, THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR JANUARY WAS 2,834,604. UH, WITH THESE JANUARY NUMBERS, WE ARE 36% TOWARDS OUR FY 25 APPROVED BUDGETS. UH, JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A DELAY IN HOW HOT REPORTING HAPPENS. SO THIS PRESENTATION IN FEBRUARY SHOWS THE FUNDS COLLECTED IN JANUARY FOR HOTEL STAYS IN DECEMBER. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, THIS GRAPH CONTINUES TO SHOW OUR MONTHLY PROGRESS TOWARDS THE IMPROVED BUDGET FOR FY 25. OUR HOT CULTURAL ART FUNDS ACTUALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 SO FAR ARE $5,892,855. AS A REMINDER, THE FUNDS COLLECTED AN FY 25 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2026. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M ALSO INCLUDING OUR CULTURAL ARTS FUND, HOT COLLECTIONS BY QUARTER FOR THE PAST FEW FISCAL YEARS. UH, JUST OF NOTE, WE ARE CURRENTLY $373,000 BELOW WHERE WE WERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR. AND NEXT SLIDE. UH, THIS OPENS UP FOR QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR MATT? COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I JUST WANT TO STATE THAT I PERSONALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU REMIND US WHEN THE TAXES ARE COLLECTED AND WHEN THEY'RE SPENT. I, I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S REDUNDANT, BUT EVERY TIME YOU SAY IT, I GO, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. REMEMBER THAT? SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. MORE IS MORE, MORE IS MORE. MORE IS MORE COMMISSIONERS. ANYBODY ELSE? ANY QUESTIONS FOR MATT REGARDING HOT? OKAY. WELL, HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE UP THAT 330,000 OVER THE NEXT FESTIVAL SEASON. MARCH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THAT. YEAH. [00:30:01] IS THERE, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? I CAN HEAR YOU. I COULDN'T AT ALL BEFORE. IS, UM, IS PART OF THE REPORTING OR DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE WHERE, UM, WHERE DO WE, WHERE, WHERE DO THEY IDENTIFY WHAT THE DRIVERS ARE FOR THAT NEGATIVE VARIANCE FOR BEING BEHIND? SO WAS IT LIKE, IF YOU COMPARE TO LAST YEAR, WAS THERE LA YOU KNOW, LESS FESTIVALS OR WHAT, WHAT WERE THE DRIVING KEY FACTORS TO THAT? DO, DO WE KNOW? FORTUNATELY, WE DON'T RECEIVE THAT TYPE OF DATA. IT'S JUST REALLY, UM, I MEAN, IT'S REALLY JUST OUR, OUR PREDICTIONS OF WHAT, UH, COULD HAVE BEEN OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR OF WHAT IS, WHAT IMPACTS, UH, THAT COULD BE OCCURRING TO HOT. SO IT'S WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE WE'RE LOSING VISITORS TO THE REGION, UH, AND THEY'RE NOT STAYING DIRECTLY IN AUSTIN. UM, THAT'S, OR, OR AS YOU KNOW, ON THE 27TH, UH, COUNCIL WILL BE TAKING UP SHORT-TERM RENTAL, UH, REVIEWS. SO WE COULD BE LOSING A LOT OF HOT FUNDS, UH, TO THOSE, UH, RENTALS AS WELL. UM, SO THOSE ARE SOME INDICATORS THAT COULD BE, UH, REDUCING OUR HOT COLLECTIONS, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THROUGH OUR REPORTS, WE DON'T HAVE DIRECT INDICATORS. UH, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD START TRYING TO EXPLORE. UH, IN THE FUTURE. IT'D BE INTERESTING TO HAVE A CALENDAR, LIKE I KNOW THIS MARCH, WE'VE GOT A NASCAR EVENT COMING THAT HASN'T BEEN HERE BEFORE. AND MAYBE THAT WILL PROVIDE AN INFLUX OR, YOU KNOW, CARRY BACK UP THE WAY. WELL, I THINK MOST OF THE CONCERN WOULD BE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AFTER A CERTAIN POINT, LET'S SAY AT THE END OF THIS QUARTER OR THE NEXT QUARTER, IF WE'RE STILL TRAILING BEHIND, HOW IS THAT GONNA AFFECT, UH, THE AMOUNT OF GRANTEES AND JUST MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE? AND WE JUST START PREPARING FOR LIKE, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND NOT WAITING TILL THIRD OR FOURTH QUARTER. YEAH, THANKFULLY. UM, SORRY, I'LL BE QUICK. UM, THANKFULLY WE'RE WORKING WITH ACTUALS, WHEREAS IN YEARS, THE YEARS BEFORE WE MADE THAT TRANSITION, I THINK 2021, UM, WE WERE SORT OF OVERPROMISING OR THE COMMISSION WHEN CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION WAS MAKING, UM, SAYING YES TO A NUMBER OF GRANTS THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE THE HOT TAX TO, TO COVER IT. SO WE WOULDN'T, WHATEVER WE GET, WE WILL BE ALLOCATING. THANKS FOR CLARIFYING. THERE WOULDN'T, YEAH, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY SORT OF DISCREPANCY. COMMISSIONER GARZA, I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE A $370,000 SHORTFALL SO FAR. UH, I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR FUNDS. WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT WHO IS COMING DOWN ON IMMIGRANTS, UH, WHO MAY NOT BE HERE LEGALLY AND HAVE LEGAL STATUS. THOSE INDIVIDUALS ALSO USE OUR AIRPORTS NOW. THEY WILL NOT BE USING OUR AIRPORTS BECAUSE OF FEAR BEING DEPORTED. THOSE INDIVIDUALS ALSO USE OUR HOTELS. THEY MAY NOT BE COMING HERE BECAUSE OF THAT. THERE IS A CURRENT MEASLES, I WOULD NOT CALL IT A PANDEMIC YET, BUT WE JUST SPREADING THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY. THAT MAY ALSO REDUCE, WHICH INDIVIDUALS MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COME HERE. THERE IS NO, THERE IS ZERO GUARANTEE ON HOW MUCH FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR ART APPLICANTS. WE LEARNED THAT SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE, AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO FELT THEY WERE ENTITLED TO MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY REQUESTED MORE MONEY, CAME TO OUR COMMISSION AND DEMANDED THAT WE ELIMINATE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WHICH SOME OF THEM HAD BENEFITED FROM. SO WE'RE ALWAYS IN THIS FLUX OF NOT KNOWING EXACTLY HOW MUCH MORE OR LESS MONEY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO OUR ARTISTS. SO I BELIEVE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE LET OUR ARTISTS KNOW THAT THERE IS ZERO GUARANTEES AS TO HOW MUCH MONEY YOU WILL GET THE NEXT YEAR, OR IF YOU'RE USED TO GETTING MORE MONEY, THAT YOU'LL GET MORE MONEY THE FOLLOWING YEAR. SO LET US MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT, AND THAT NO ONE IS ENTITLED TO MORE MONEY SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY RECEIVE THAT MONEY BEFORE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARZA. WONDERFUL TO BE REMINDED OF THAT. ABSOLUTELY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY, MATT, YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK. IT LOOKS LIKE JESUS IS UP NEXT. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. HAVE A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU. STEP BRIEFING ON THE [7. Staff briefing on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor ] CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BY JESUS PENTEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. YOU HAVE TO SHARE YOUR MIC WITH NAMALI, I THINK. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONER. [00:35:02] GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, MY NAME IS JESUS PANTEL. I AM THE CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. I AM A LATINO WITH LONG GRAY HAIR AND A BLACK AND WHITE, UH, PEP SALT AND PEPPER BEARD. UH, MY PRONOUNS ARE HE, HIM, I'M WEARING A RED SHIRT AND I WILL BE GIVING THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING UPDATE, UH, THIS EVENING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT, UH, CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS, UM, OUR FY 25 CULTURAL FUNDING UPDATES. SO, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, AFTER WHAT, UH, MATT HAD TALKED ABOUT AS WELL AS OUR GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, NEXT SLIDE FOR CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS. UM, SO THIS IS, UH, THE USUAL, UH, SCREEN THAT, UM, SLIDE THAT I'VE BEEN SHARING WITH YOU ALL. UH, MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE WRAPPING UP THE BOTTOM RIGHT, UM, BOX SHOWS, UH, HOW MANY FINAL REPORTS ARE STILL OUTSTANDING. SO, UM, MOST OF THOSE, UM, SOME OF THEM ARE ALREADY CLOSED OUT. THE REST HAVE JUST A COUPLE LEFT. AND WE HAVE, UH, THIS IS AROUND THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE WE START, UH, SENDING OUT OUR, UH, FINAL REPORT DELINQUENCY LETTERS. SO WE'RE ON TRACK WHERE WE NEED TO BE TO START, YOU KNOW, GETTING, CLOSING OUT THOSE DELINQUENT FINAL REPORTS, UH, SO THAT WAY WE CAN, UM, CONCENTRATE FULLY ON OUR FY 24, UH, CURRENT, UH, FUNDED ACTIVITIES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, NEXT I'LL TALK ABOUT THE CULTURAL FUNDING UPDATES. UM, SO AS MATT MENTIONED IN HIS PRESENTATION EARLIER, THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION AND THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS HAVE MOVED OVER TO THE NEW OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. AS A RESULT OF THE MOVE. AND BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS, STAFF HAVE DETERMINED THE NEED FOR AN INTENTIONAL TIMELINE SHIFT FOR THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY ELEVATE. AND SO OUR GOAL IS STILL TO LAUNCH ELEVATE IN THE EARLY FALL. THAT IS OUR GOAL. WE ARE STILL PLANNING ON LAUNCHING ELEVATE. WE'RE MOVING TO HOPEFULLY THE EARLY FALL. AND SO THERE ARE SPECIFIC GOALS WE HAVE ESTABLISHED FOR THIS TIMELINE SHIFT. FIRST, WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE GOALS ESTABLISHED DURING THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW PROCESS, WHERE WE LOOKED AT THE HOLISTIC, UH, FUNDING ECOSYSTEM. SO WE LOOKED AT THRIVE, ELEVATE, AND NEXUS AS A WHOLE. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS SPECIFIC FOR ELEVATE, UH, WE STILL WANT TO KEEP THOSE, UM, UH, GOALS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED DURING THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW PROCESS. SECOND, WE WILL USE THIS TIME TO ADDRESS LEGISLATIVE IMPACTS AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. UH, THIRD, WE WILL MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE THE ARTS COMMUNITY AND THE ARTS COMMISSION. AND OUR FOURTH GOAL IS, AGAIN, TO DO ALL OF THIS WHILE LIMITING POTENTIAL FUNDING DISRUPTIONS. OUR CURRENT ELEVATE GRANTS, UH, RUN THROUGH THE END OF DECEMBER. NEW, UH, GRANT PERIODS WOULD START, UH, JANUARY, 2026. SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP WITH OUR GOAL OF LAUNCHING ELEVATE, UM, IN THE FALL, UM, THERE WILL, IT'LL JUST BE A LATER, UH, UH, LAUNCH OF THE APPLICATION. IT SHOULD NOT AFFECT, YOU KNOW, ANY, UH, GRANT ACTIVITIES. UM, SO I THINK THAT'S IT FOR THIS SLIDE. YES, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, WE WILL ALSO HAVE A MORE ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, PLAN, UH, SPELLED OUT FOR YOU AT THE ARTS COMMISSION. UH, AS DIRECTOR MEANS MENTIONED, WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, A VARIETY OF, UH, DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH, UH, THE NEW OFFICE. UM, SO WE HAVE A PLAN KIND OF, UM, UH, FORMULATED. UM, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED, UH, TAKING PUBLIC INPUT AS, UH, SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW AT, UH, SPEAK UP AUSTIN. YOU CAN ALSO GO TO THE, UH, CULTURAL FUNDING WEBPAGE, UH, TO FIND THIS LINK. UM, AND THIS WILL IS PART OF THE BACKUP. SO ANYBODY WHO'S WATCHING AND WANTS TO, UM, UH, FIND THAT, UH, LATER ON, THEY CAN, UH, CLICK HERE. THEY CAN GO TO THE CULTURAL FUNDING WEBSITE. UM, IT IS OPEN THROUGH JULY OF 2025. SO WE WILL BE, AND AGAIN, WITH THE TIMELINE SHIFT, MAYBE WE'LL KEEP IT OPEN LATER THAN THAT. BUT CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, UH, PRIOR, UH, TO ALL THIS, UM, WE WERE PLANNING ON KEEPING THAT OPEN THROUGH JULY, 2025. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, UH, FOR JANUARY, UM, SINCE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY, WE DON'T HAVE, UM, ALL THE FEBRUARY DATA YET, BUT, UH, FOR JANUARY WE HAD, UM, SIX PARTICIPANTS, UM, AND SIX RESPONSES WITH FIVE COMMENTS. AND SO, UH, THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE RESPONSES AND COMMENTS, SO THE RESPONSES IS WHAT YOU SEE THERE ON THE SCREEN. SO JUST, UM, HOW, UH, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES YOU? SO ONE PERSON WHO FILLED THAT OUT DID NOT PROVIDE US, UM, ANY COMMENTS. UH, BUT WE DO HAVE, UM, FIVE, AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST FOR JANUARY. WE HAVE MORE THROUGH FEBRUARY. I DON'T HAVE THOSE UPDATED NUMBERS YET. SO WE'LL, I'LL KIND OF BE PROVIDING, UM, THESE UPDATES, UM, IS THE CURRENT PLAN, UM, AS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IN THE COMING MONTHS AT THE ARTS COMMISSION MEETINGS. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AGAIN, THE TIMELINE SHIFT IS JUST FOR ELEVATE, UM, AND DOES NOT AFFECT NEXUS EVEN THOUGH WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CULTURAL FUNDING ECOSYSTEM AS A WHOLE. SO, UM, THE NEXUS DEADLINE, NOTHING CHANGES WITH, UH, WHAT NEXUS IS. IT'S CURRENTLY OPEN. IT'S, UM, STILL PLANNING ON CLOSING ON MARCH 6TH. IT WILL BE [00:40:01] FOR ACTIVITIES THAT OCCUR BETWEEN MAY 1ST THROUGH APRIL 30TH. SO, UH, WE DON'T SEE THIS ELEVATE, UH, LAUNCH, UH, TIMELINE SHIFT HAVING ANY EFFECT ON THE CURRENT NEXUS THAT IS CURRENTLY OUT. UM, AND IS, UH, SCHEDULED TO CLOSE ON MARCH 6TH. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OUR GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES. SO NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE HAVE A FEW, UM, THIS MONTH, AND THIS IS FOR, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, FUNDING PROGRAMS. WHAT I DO IS I LOOK FOR ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPEN STARTING TOMORROW TILL YOUR NEXT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING. UM, SO I'M NOT GONNA NECESSARILY READ ALL OF THESE, BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE WOMEN IN THEIR WORK PRESENTING IRENE ANTONIO, DIANE REESE. UH, WE HAVE ONE OUNCE OPERA DOING THE SEVENTH ANNUAL FRESH SQUEEZE DANCE OF OPERA. WE HAVE TEXAS ACCOUNTANTS AND LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS PROVIDING THE ART OF TEXAS, UH, WEBINAR. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, WE HAVE DANCE AND JAZZY DOING SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS. WE HAVE NON WONG DOING S SENSE STORIES OF STRENGTH AND SURVIVAL. AND THEN WE HAVE AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR SOCIETY DOING LIVE AT THE ROSETTE, UH, FEATURING CC DUO NEXT SLIDE. AND I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR, I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. COMMISSIONER CHENEY, MINE'S MORE OF COMMENTS, BUT ALSO COULD BE QUESTIONS. UM, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, JUST REITERATING THAT CREATING THIS NEW DIVISION REALLY IS EXCITING TO ME BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE POSSIBILITIES THAT CAN COME OUT OF THE PROCESSES. UM, AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT RESHAPING THE LANDSCAPE FOR THE COMMUNITY. BUT, UM, ONE THING THAT I THINK WOULD BE REALLY MEANINGFUL, AND THIS MAY ALREADY BE ON THE DOCKET FOR Y'ALL, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING SIX PEOPLE THAT, UM, PUT THEIR INPUT IN, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S A REALLY LOW NUMBER. AND THAT TELLS ME THAT THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T FEEL ENGAGED WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT OUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND MUSIC ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS, RIGHT? LIKE, THAT'S THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE THRIVE GRANT EVEN, RIGHT? THEY'RE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE LONGSTANDING OR SHORT STANDING EMERGING, UM, MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS. AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US LEVERAGE THESE ORGANIZATIONS FOR ORGANIC TRUE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. UM, THAT COULD LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN SENDING OUT A LINK, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE ARE KIND OF MISSING THE MARK, UM, SOMETIMES, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE NEW GRANTS. AND I'M SURE YOU'LL SEE IN THE, UM, FEEDBACK OR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE GRANT LATER. UM, BUT I JUST, IT'S, IT'S HARD, RIGHT? IT'S HARD WHEN YOU'RE AN ARTIST IN THE COMMUNITY. SOMETIMES YOU DON'T WANNA GO ONLINE AND FILL OUT A FORM BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A PERSON IN A SEA OF THOUSANDS AND YOUR VOICE DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. AND SO, I, I REALLY DO THINK CULTIVATING AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT REALLY STRENGTHEN US IS, IS WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. AND I JUST HOPE THAT THE COMMISSION, THE ARTS COMMISSION IS LEVERAGED IN THAT PROCESS. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE. YOU KNOW, I'M JUST MAKING THIS UP AS I'M TALKING AS WELL, BUT I'M JUST, I, I DON'T WANT US TO MISS THAT MARK, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A CHANCE TO KIND OF RESTART AND, AND, AND BUILD THIS TRUST BACK. UM, THAT'S REALLY ALL I WANTED TO SAY. SO, AND THE GREAT COMMENTS, I KNOW WE ARE LOOKING AT STUFF LIKE THAT. SO, UM, GLAD TO HEAR THAT, UH, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT. AND AGAIN, WE'LL BE PRESENTING MORE INFO ON, ON WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE DO WANNA HAVE ROBUST, UM, FEEDBACK. UM, AND AGAIN, WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, ALSO KEEP THIS SOMEWHAT LIMITED IN SCOPE IN WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THAT WE'RE STILL PLANNING, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA HAVE ALL OF OUR PILOT PROGRAMS COMPLETED. WE DON'T WANT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, THREATEN ANY FUNDING, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING STARTING IN JANUARY. BUT, UH, WE DO, YOU KNOW, WANT TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEN SOMETHING ELSE THAT YOU ALSO SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARTISTS MAYBE NOT WANTING TO GO IN AND, AND PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK, PLEASE PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK EVEN IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, UM, SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY SAID OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BECAUSE THE MORE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF UNIQUE POINTS OF VIEW THAT WE GET, YOU KNOW, ONE PERSON'S VOICE THAT COULD BE JUST LIKE, OKAY, BUT IF WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THE SAME THING OR SIMILAR THINGS OVER AND OVER. UM, AND IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE, UH, THE OTHER THING TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE COMMENTS, IT'S ANONYMOUS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE, UM, PEOPLE AREN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO GO UP ON THERE ON TO SPEAK WITH AUSTIN AND SPEAK UP AUSTIN AND SEE, OH, SO AND SO SAID THIS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. SO FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE, UH, WHATEVER COMMENTARY YOU HAVE. UM, I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BUT YOU KNOW, STAFF IS ALWAYS TAKING [00:45:01] FEEDBACK. SO WHETHER IT'S AT OUR OPEN OFFICE HOURS AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UM, NOT SIDE COMMENTS, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, NOT OFFICIALLY TAKING IT IN, BUT STILL, HEY, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. WE'LL, UM, WE'LL CONSIDER THAT DROPPING AN EMAIL TO YOUR, UH, STAFF LIAISON. UM, ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK. WE DO WANNA HEAR ABOUT THAT FOR THE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. YEAH, AND I DEFINITELY THINK, I DIDN'T MEAN TO LIKE MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF LIKE THAT DIGITAL FORUM, BUT I THINK REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY HAS TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE CONNECTED TO IT AND THERE'S THIS DISCONNECT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, AND I AGREE WITH YOU, LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT THE GRANTS NEED A COMPLETE OVERHAUL. I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WORKED AND SOME THINGS THAT DIDN'T WORK. AND I THINK KIND OF KEEPING THAT TYPE OF LANGUAGE IS LIKE IMPORTANT TOO, BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT SOMEBODY ROLLING IN AND THEY'RE LIKE, IT'S ALL TRASH. WE WANNA CHANGE IT ALL, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I, I DO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, CELEBRATE YOUR WINS AND, AND ALWAYS GET YOUR FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT, RIGHT? UM, BUT YEAH, I WOULD LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, CHAT WITH Y'ALL ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE LATER WHENEVER YOU FIGURE IT OUT. , COMMISSIONER GARZA, THANK YOU JESUS, FOR MENTIONING THE RESPONSES THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED SO FAR. I'M EMPLOYED WITH THE AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT EVERY SINGLE YEAR, EVERY SINGLE SEMESTER FOR THAT MATTER. WE'RE GIVEN A SURVEY ABOUT HOW OUR ADMINISTRATORS WORK, HOW ARE WE ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITY AND, AND SAFETY NERVE SCHOOLS AND THOSE KINDS OF STUFF. FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I WOULD JUST PICK LITTLE BUTTONS EVERY NOW AND THEN, NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT I WAS DOING, BECAUSE I FELT, AND SEVERAL OTHER FACULTY MEMBERS FELT THAT OUR OPINIONS REALLY WEREN'T THAT VALUED BECAUSE WHEN WE OFFERED OUR OPINIONS, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE CHANGE. I WAS RECENTLY KINDA SCOLDED BY AN ELDER IN OUR SCHOOL AND REMINDED THAT EVERY PERSON WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THAT SURVEY WILL READ OUR OPINIONS. AND AS YOU SAID, THE MORE THE OPINIONS THAT ALIGN, THE STRONGER THAT OPINION IS. SO PLEASE, FOR OUR, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CONTRACTORS, I BELIEVE, HAS A MORAL OBLIGATION TO ANSWER THAT SURVEY BECAUSE WE CAN'T SERVE YOU TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS IS. SO, TO ALL OUR SURVEY CONTRACTORS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ANSWER THOSE SURVEYS BECAUSE YOUR OPINIONS, YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS WHAT WE USE TO ESTABLISH THE RULES FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. AND BILLY, THAT'S WHAT WE DO, CORRECT? YEAH. WE TAKE THAT INTO CONS. YES. WE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION, YOU KNOW, UM, WITH ALL SEEING HOW FEASIBLE IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST SAY, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS. WE WANT TO HEAR FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT, UM, UH, THE IDEAS THAT WE HAVE, WHAT ARE IDEAS THAT MAYBE WE WEREN'T EVEN THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE TO, TO SPEAK WITH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE WERE THINKING ABOUT IT, BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, IDEAS THAT WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT, WE'RE NOT GONNA THINK OF THEM. SO YES, PROVIDE, PROVIDE THOSE THAT MAKES SENSE. PLEASE, PLEASE, EVERY SINGLE CONTRACT IS, DON'T DUNNO, IS A BETTER, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, WHETHER IT'S GOOD, WHETHER IT'S BAD, WHETHER YOU USE PROFANITIES IN THERE BECAUSE YOU'RE SO FRUSTRATED WITH A PROCESS. GIVE US YOUR OPINIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL, WHETHER THEY'RE RUDE OR, OR WHETHER THEY EXPRESS A MISTRUST IN THIS COMMISSION. LET US KNOW SO WE CAN FIX IT. I TAKE IT, THANK YOU, JESUS. I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE RUDE. I WANT YOU TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE, AND THAT CAN BE DISSENTING AND THAT IS WELCOME. BUT DO NOT BE RUDE. BE RESPECTFUL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THIS WORK AND THE PROCESS. THAT'S TRUE. AND SOME OF OUR INDIVIDUALS, AND I'VE HEARD THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE TREATED RUDELY. SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT GOES IN IS WHAT COMES OUT. YOU SHOW RESPECT, PEOPLE WILL GIVE YOU RESPECT. THANK YOU, JESUS. THAT PART. ANYBODY ELSE? YEAH, I, COMMISSIONER MULLIN. OTHER THAN COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I, I JUST WANNA TOUCH ON SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER GINA HAS MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES, JUST IN GENERAL, WHICH IS JUST ABOUT, UH, THE SIMPLICITY, THE TYPE OF LANGUAGE WE'RE USING, WHETHER IT'S SURVEYS OR HOW THE GRANTS ARE, THE APPLICATIONS ARE WRITTEN OR [00:50:01] WHATNOT. SO I ACTUALLY WENT TO GO CHECK OUT THE SURVEY RIGHT NOW. AND SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS THERE'S ONE QUESTION, AND THEN IT'S JUST GENERAL FEEDBACK. SO WHAT, I GUESS WHERE I'M GOING WITH THAT IS HOW, WHAT, ONCE YOU GET THAT FEEDBACK, HOW'S THAT GONNA BE TRANSLATED SO THAT WE ACTUALLY GET A VERY, I GUESS, INSIGHTFUL PICTURE OF WHAT'S CONSISTENT AND NOT CONSISTENT INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY HAVING QUESTIONS. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK SINCE THIS PILOT PROGRAM WAS ROLLED OUT. SO WHAT I WOULD IDEALLY IMAGINE IS THAT WE WOULD'VE ALREADY TAKEN ALL THAT FEEDBACK AND HAD THAT INFORM THE SURVEY. AND OF COURSE, YES, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THAT QUESTION. IS THERE ANYTHING ADDITIONALLY YOU WOULD WANNA SHARE OR FEEDBACK? UM, AND JUST FROM THE GET GO, WHAT THREW ME OFF IS YOU GO TO THE LANDING PAGE AND YOU HAVE TO CLICK NEXUS THRIVE OR ELEVATE. BUT THE SURVEY IS THE SAME FOR ALL THREE OF 'EM. SO WHY DO WE KEEP MAKING THINGS MORE CONFUSING? , ANGELA BEANS DIRECTOR. I WILL SAY WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS A SURVEY THAT WAS CREATED PRIOR TO THE NEW OFFICE. OKAY? SO WHEN I STATED EARLIER ABOUT A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN THAT'S ROBUST, THIS, THERE WILL BE SURVEY TOOLS, BUT THAT'S JUST ONE OF MANY WAYS THAT WE ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY. UH, AND I HEARD A COUPLE OF YOU COMMISSIONERS SPEAK TO THE NEED TO REALLY ENGAGE IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL BE DOING. SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS WHAT WAS WAS ALREADY SLATED, BUT THERE WILL BE IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT IN ADDITION TO OTHER TOOLS THAT WE WILL USE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ENGAGING ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PINPOINT ON THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS JUST SHARED WITH US, IT'S AS MEANINGFUL ENGAGE COMMUNITY AND COMMISSION. SO I AM REALLY GONNA HOLD YOU TO THE MEANINGFUL PART. UM, I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THAT BULLETED ITEM THERE. YES. COMMISSIONER GRAY. OH, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, THEN COMMISSIONER GRAY HOUSTON. UM, ON THE ELEVATE, UH, FINAL REPORTS, WHAT WAS THE DEADLINE FOR IT? THE FINAL REPORTS WHEN THE EL, UH, FY 23 ELEVATE FINAL REPORTS WERE DUE. MM-HMM . UH, THOSE WERE DUE OCTOBER 30TH, 2024. AND WE HAVE ALMOST 40 THAT HAVEN'T TURNED IN THEIR FINAL REPORTS YET. UM, SOMETHING, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER. 36, 5 AND 1 96. YEAH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MM-HMM . SO I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT TIMELINESS, AND, AND WHAT THE ACTUAL MEANING OF THE FINAL REPORT IS. IF PEOPLE CAN BE THIS FAR OUT AND NOT HAVE, BECAUSE THE FINAL REPORT IS A TERM OF THE CONTRACT MM-HMM . AND IF THEY HAVEN'T COMPLETED THAT, THEN THEY HAVEN'T, THEY'RE NOT COMPLETING THE CONTRACT. THE DUE DATE WAS THE DUE DATE. AND I UNDERSTAND LEEWAY BECAUSE THINGS HAPPEN IN LIFE, BUT IT'S GOING ON SIX MONTHS NOW, , AND I THINK THAT'S FOUR MONTHS. THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A PROBLEM. SO WE NEED, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT. AND A ROBUST, IF WE WE'RE COMING UP WITH ROBUST SURVEY TOOLS, I DON'T SEE WHY REQUIRING A CONTRACT RECIPIENT TO COMPLETE A SURVEY IS ONEROUS IF THEY RECEIVE THE MONEY. YES. SO JUST SAY, WRITE THAT INTO THE FINAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. THIS IS, THIS IS OUR SURVEY. WE NEED YOU TO TELL US HOW WE DID SO WE CAN HELP YOU AND DO BETTER. UM, NOTED. I WILL STATE, UM, JUST SO EVERYBODY IS AWARE THAT, UM, APPLICANTS WHO DO NOT COMPLETE THEIR FINAL REPORT, UH, WE DO NOT PAY OUT ALL OF THE MONEY UPFRONT. WE DO WITHHOLD 10% UNTIL THE FINAL REPORT IS COMPLETED 10%. SO THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, LEVERAGE THAT WE HAVE AS WELL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CANNOT RECEIVE THE FULL 100% OF THEIR FUNDS WITH THE FINAL REPORT. THEY HAVE TO SHOW THAT THEY SPENT 100% OF THE FUNDS. UM, BUT WE WILL NOT RELEASE THAT FINAL 10% PAYMENT UNTIL WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT THE FINAL REPORTS. NOW, NOT ALL OF THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DELINQUENT AND THEY JUST HAVEN'T TURNED ANYTHING IN. SOME OF THEM, THEY'VE TURNED THINGS IN, BUT THEY'VE HAD PROBLEMS. AND SO WE'RE GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM. I KNOW WE'VE GOTTEN A COUPLE SINCE I CREATED THIS SLIDE, SO, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. UM, IT IS THE, THIS IS AROUND THE USUAL TIMELINE THAT WE START SENDING THOSE OUT, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE. THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF CHANGES HERE. SO JUST, JUST TO NOTE ALL THOSE, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FINAL REPORT REMINDERS OR NOTICES GOING OUT AROUND THIS TIME AND SEEING [00:55:01] IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT BE AN EARLIER TIME PERIOD GOING FORWARD. COMMISSIONER GRAY, SORRY, JUST SUPER QUICK. I, I WOULD SAY AS THESE SURVEYS ARE BEING FORMULATED, THAT YOU CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE WHO HAVE SPOKEN, UM, PUBLICLY AT OUR COMMISSIONER MEETINGS AND USE THEM AS A FOCUS GROUP TO REVIEW THOSE SURVEYS. I KNOW THAT MANY OF TIMES, OR NOT, PROBABLY EVERY SINGLE TIME THEIR SURVEYS ARE BEING DEVELOPED BY STAFF. UM, AND I THINK THAT JUST FOR A START, THAT WOULD BE MY FEEDBACK IS TO USE THE COMMUNITY AS A FOCUS GROUP AND SAY LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SURVEY? DO THESE QUESTIONS MAKE SENSE? UM, THAT'S IT. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MALONE, COMMISSIONER GRAY. UM, MY BRAIN'S GOING 90 MILES AN HOUR. I THINK GOING BACK TO COMMISSIONER, UH, HOUSTON'S STATEMENT, I THINK THAT EVERYTHING WE ARE DOING NEEDS A CITY VISION UNTIL THAT VISION IS THERE. WE DON'T EVEN REALLY KNOW WHAT THE SURVEY IS ASKING OR WHAT THEY THINK ARE POSSIBILITIES. IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, WE ARE TREADING WATER. WE'RE GOING BACK TO A PLAN RELATIVE TO THE, UH, THANK GOODNESS THERE IS SOMETHING. NOW, A DEPARTMENT THAT WAS 2009 WHEN I WAS RECOMMENDED 2009. AND HOW MANY SURVEYS, HOW MANY CONSULTANTS, HOW MANY THINGS HAS THE CITY GONE THROUGH TO FOUND A DIFFERENT ANSWER? UM, I'M GOING ON MY FIFTH YEAR AS A COMMISSIONER. I'M SUPER FRUSTRATED. I FEEL LIKE IN SO MANY WAYS I'M JUST WASTING MY TIME. AND I DON'T WANT THAT FOR ANY OF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS EITHER. AND I'M NOT SAYING ANYBODY ELSE FEELS THAT, BUT THE PROCESS IS NEVER GONNA MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY EVER, EVER. BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A CITY VISION. WE HAVE TO KNOW DIRECTION IT'S GOING COMMUNITY INPUT TO GET TO IT. YES. AND THEN WHEN YOU HAVE CONTRACTS AND GUIDELINES, THERE NEEDS TO BE CONSEQUENCES. THERE HAS TO BE CONSEQUENCES TO BE FOUR MONTHS LATE ON A FINAL REPORT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A POINT WHERE IT'S, YOU CAN'T BABYSIT THROUGH THIS PROCESS. YOU CAN'T. THERE ARE THINGS, YES, THERE'S REASONS, BUT AS LONG AS YOU KEEP GIVING THOSE THAT ST IT'S JUST GONNA KEEP HAPPENING. THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING WAY TOO LONG. I HAVE OTHER THINGS TO SAY, BUT THE COMMISSIONER GARZA, I WOULD LIKE TO ECHO THE OPINIONS OF OUR, FOR, OF OUR, ONE OF OUR PRESENTER OR COMMISSIONERS HERE. UH, WE SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE SURVEYS, THOSE OPINION POSTS. HAVING HAD STUDIED STATISTICS AND MARKETING, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED IS THAT OPINION ON WHO WRITES THOSE SUPPORTS, THOSE EVIDENCE OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, THEY CAN EASILY MANIPULATE THOSE QUESTIONS TO GET THE ANSWERS THEY WANT. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY WOULD PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE AND MEDICAL OPINIONS THAT TOBACCO WAS HEALTHY FOR YOU. UH, THAT IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY HAS BEEN PROVEN WRONG. LIKEWISE, WHEN YOU MAKE THOSE SURVEYS, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT SKEWED TO GET THE ANSWERS YOU WANT. MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT JUST ANSWER WHAT YOU WANT, BUT TO ACTUALLY GIVE THEIR OPINIONS. SO THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT DON'T ASK THEIR OPINIONS. AND IT'S VERY EASY TO MANIPULATE THOSE SURVEYS TO GET THE RESPONSES YOU WANT. AND THAT'S WHY I FEEL IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE SURVEYS AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK. I'VE BEEN ON THIS COMMISSION FOR NINE YEARS UNDER TWO DIFFERENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, BOTH OF WHICH ASKED ME TO BE ON THIS COMMISSION. I NEVER APPLIED BECAUSE I RANDOMLY THREW MY NAME OUT THERE. I NEVER APPLIED TO A DIFFERENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. MY COUNCIL MEMBER ASKED ME BOTH OF THEM TO BE ON THIS COMMISSION. AND I FEEL HONORED BY THAT TRUST OF THOSE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I FEEL HONORED BY THEIR TRUST FOR ME TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR CHICANO COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR FUNDINGS. SO WHEN WE HAVE A REPORT THAT SAYS THAT THE LATINO OR THE HISPANIC OR CHICANO COMMUNITY IS RECEIVING LESS MONEY THAN IS PROPORTIONATE TO THE POPULATION, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, [01:00:01] AND I WILL BE VERY BLUNT IN EXPRESSING MY OPINION. SOMETIMES I MAY NOT BE PLEASANT, SOMETIMES I MAY BE RUDE, BUT THAT IS MY OPINION. AGAIN, PLEASE LET US KNOW SO THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU SOME INPUT. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHENEY. I JUST HAVE, I KNOW WE NEED TO MOVE ON, BUT I JUST WANNA HAVE JUST SAY ONE MORE TIME THIS THING THAT I'VE BEEN SAYING. I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE WITH THIS NEW DIVISION TO RE RESTART THE SLATE AND TO BUILD COMMUNITY TRUST. AND I, I, I JUST DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN BY, BY, BY. I DON'T KNOW. LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY RIGHT NOW. IT'S JUST LIKE WE CAN TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE GOT WRONG, UH, THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN GOT WRONG, BUT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NOW WITH THIS NEW DIVISION TO BUILD SOMETHING NEW. AND THAT'S WHY I'M EXCITED, THAT'S WHY I'M SITTING HERE. THAT'S WHY I BECAME A COMMISSIONER, IS BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE ACTUAL ACTIONABLE CHANGE. AND I DID FEEL UNDER THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT THAT WAS NOT FEASIBLE BECAUSE OF DEPARTMENT CONSTRAINTS AND ALSO PRIORITIES. BECAUSE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THIS VERY BROAD THING. SO I'M JUST REITERATING THAT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE LIKE IN AN ECHO CHAMBER RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND I, AND I WANNA BE PRODUCTIVE WITH MY TIME ON THIS COMMISSION. AND I JUST REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS IS A POSITIVE, RIGHT? THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH. WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE GENUINE CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY AND GENUINE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE'RE NOT REALLY GONNA GET THERE IF WE CONTINUE TO JUST REHASH EVERYTHING THAT WENT WRONG TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO. AND IT'S TRAUMATIC AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT LIKE, I DON'T KNOW. I JUST SEE THIS AS A REALLY BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS A COMMISSION TO REALLY STEP UP AND LIKE GET IT RIGHT. AND LIKE, YOU'RE RIGHT. WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY, BUT AT LEAST WE'RE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT REAL FEEDBACK, WHICH I DON'T THINK HAS BEEN DONE ON A SUPER MEANINGFUL LEVEL. UM, AND THAT'S LIKE NOT A SLIGHT AT ANYONE. LIKE YOU LIVE, YOU LEARN THAT'S WHAT FEEDBACK IS HERE FOR. BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THAT 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA LIKE SIT HERE AND LIKE BERATE JESUS AND, AND MAKE HIM FEEL LIKE HE HASN'T DONE ENOUGH WHEN WE HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER. AND Y'ALL KNOW I BE TALKING ALL THE TIME. MM. WELL SAID . ANYBODY ELSE COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS FOR JESUS ON THIS UPDATE? YEAH. THANK YOU JESUS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. WITH THAT, WE'RE MOVING ON TO [8. Action to Approve Request for Qualification for the Asian American Resource Center Art in Public Places Project ] DISCUSSION ACTION. UH, ITEM EIGHT IS ACTION TO APPROVE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PROJECT. THIS IS IN OUR BACKUP. I IMAGINE WE WILL HAVE THE DEPARTMENT MANAGER JOINING US. YES. YES. SURE, SURE. WONDERFUL. ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. TEST, TEST. CAN YOU HEAR ME ALL RIGHT? YOU GOTTA GET ANYWAY. OH, HOW ABOUT NOW? I CAN MAKE MY VOICE TRAVEL. YEAH, THAT WORK. OH, WE GOT ON SCREEN. MATT, CAN YOU HEAR HYMAN? YEAH. OKAY. YOU'RE GOOD. YEAH, YOU CAN ALWAYS HEAR ME. ALL RIGHT. UH, SO TONIGHT WE'RE PRESENTING THE RFQ FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER. UH, ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER IS, OR THE PROJECT IS A UNDER PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. UH, THE PROJECT BUDGET IS 90,000. THE PROJECT, OR THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER IS LOCATED IN DISTRICT ONE. AND OUR A IPP PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AGAIN, WORKING ON THIS PROJECT WOULD BE LINDSEY. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, LOCATED AT 84 0 1 CAMERON ROADS IS DISTRICT ONE. UH, THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER IS, UM, HAS A BOND PROJECT OR TO BUILD THE PAVILION, UH, TO DEVELOP MULTIPURPOSE, UM, VENUE. UH, THIS PAVILION WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THE EXISTING GREAT LAWN. IT, IT'S ENVISIONED TO BE A A YEAR-ROUND VENUE, SO DESIGNED TO HOST, UH, SMALL AND SIZED EVENTS. UH, KEY FEATURES INCLUDE A PERFORMANCE AREA, ACCESSIBLE AMENITIES, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR, FOR DIFFERENT COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. UM, AND YOU'LL SEE THE MAP THERE. UH, ASIAN AMERICAN RESEARCH CENTERS LOCATED ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN, UH, 180 3 ON THE SOUTH RUN BURG LANE ON THE NORTH, UH, RIGHT ON CAMERON ROAD. AND THEN WE'VE GOT, UM, WHAT DO THEY CALLED THE ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS OF, OF WHAT THE PAVILION MIGHT LOOK LIKE, UH, ON THE [01:05:01] BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. AND THEN TO THE LEFT, THAT IMAGE TO THE LEFT SHOWS YOU THE EXISTING ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER BUILDING, AND THEN WHERE THE, THE PAVILION WOULD BE LOCATED IN, WITHIN THE LAWN, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE BUILDING. UH, UH, NEXT SLIDE. UH, IT, THIS WAS IN BACKUP, BUT IT WAS TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT AS TO WHICH, UH, A IPP PROJECTS ARE, ARE IN THE VICINITY. OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE, UH, LOTUS FROM 2013. THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, THAT WAS CREATED AS PART OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER BUILDING. UH, ARTISTS WERE SUN, YOUNG CHUNG, PHILIPPE, KLEINFELTER, UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A, A, A FEW OTHER ARTWORKS IN THE AREA AT GEORGIA ACRES PARK, ST. JOHN'S POCKET PARK, ST. JOHN'S COMMUNITY CENTER, AS WELL AS EMS STATION 14. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, THIS IS KIND OF HARD TO SEE, BUT THIS IS THE RFQ. UH, WHEN I, WHAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT WERE THE PUBLIC ARTWORK GOALS FOR THIS. SO AGAIN, IT'S THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER PAVILION PROJECT. UM, BUT THE ARTWORK GOALS FOR IPP IS, UH, OUR TYPICAL REDEEMING QUALITY THAT ADVANCES PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF VISUAL ART, UH, STRONG OVERALL ARTWORK DESIGN, INTEGRATES WITH THE SITE AND SURROUNDING NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, UH, BUT ALSO SPEAKS TO AND REPRESENTS THE ASIAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN AUSTIN, INCLUDING THE DIASPORA MIGRATION, BELONGING AND SETTING ROOTS IDENTITY MAKING, ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND OR LOCAL COMMUNITY BUILDING. UH, AND OUR PART OF OUR TYPICAL GOALS IS TO EASILY MAINTAIN VANDAL RESISTANT PERMANENT WITH EXPECTED LIFESPAN OF AT LEAST 20 YEARS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. I WAS GONNA SAY THIS IS A BETTER SHOT, BUT THAT IT'S STILL AT, JUST AS WASHED OUT AS THE PREVIOUS ONE. UM, I GUESS HERE I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE, THERE IS ANOTHER FUTURE PROJECT WITH THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT, WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT. UM, THE, IT'S ON THE FURTHER FURTHER EAST WHERE THEY'RE, UM, ADDRESSING THE CREEK. AND, AND THERE WILL BE ADDING SOME PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES SO THAT THE TRAFFIC FROM THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, CROSS OVER, UM, INTO THE PARKING LOT IN THE SOUTH, WHICH ACTUALLY CONNECTS WITH, I'M FORGETTING THE, THE CAMPUS THERE. UM, I BELIEVE IT'S THE AR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY CAMPUS. SO JUST INCREASING PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY IN THE AREA. UM, AND I MEAN, EVEN NOW, I, I LIKE GOING INTO THAT AREA. THAT'S LOVELY NATURAL GREEN SPACE IN, IN THE, IN THE LAWN AND AREA OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCES CENTER. SO CREATING A TRAIL AROUND THAT, UM, WILL BE A LOVELY EXPERIENCE. UM, SO JUST SO THAT YOU'RE AWARE THAT, THAT THIS IS PART OF THE CONTEXT OF WHAT THAT THIS PAVILION AND THE A IPV PROJECT WILL BE, UM, BUILDING WITH NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, ARTWORK, BUDGET. ARTWORK. OH, THE ARTWORK SIGHTING. SO, UM, FINAL SITE, SITE WILL BE DETERMINED WITH COLLABORATION, RIGHT? SO THIS IS OUR TYPICAL, WHERE WE BRING IN, BRING ON ARTISTS, THEY SPEAK WITH THE DESIGN TEAM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARTWORK THEY MIGHT ARTWORK, DESIGN THEY MIGHT WANNA BRING FORWARD. BUT THE SIDING, UM, SOME POSSIBLE LOCATIONS IDENTIFIED ARE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONSIDER VISIBILITY FROM THE GREAT LAWN. UM, THERE'S ALSO POSSIBILITY OF OPEN WALL SPACE UNDERNEATH THE EXISTING BALLROOM BALCONY. AND SO THIS REMINDS ME THAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID THIS OPPORTUNITY IS BOTH 2D AND 3D. SO, UM, OPEN TO A WIDE VARIETY OF ARTISTS TO, TO APPLY FOR THIS RFQ. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, ELIGIBILITY IS, ARE, YOU ARE STANDARD, UH, OR AS I JUST SAID, TWO DIMENSIONAL OR THREE DIMENSIONAL PERMANENT ARTWORK ELIGIBLE FOR AUSTIN AREA VISUAL ARTISTS. SO IT'S OUR, OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES, TRAVIS HAYES, WILLIAMSON, BASTROP, CALDWELL, BURNETT, AND BLANCO, AND AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE. UM, JUST A, A REMINDER I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT IN THE ELIGIBILITY. SO, UH, ARTISTS THAT HAVE MORE THAN THREE PERMANENT ARTWORKS IN OUR A IPP COLLECTION ARTISTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY UNDER CONTRACT FOR A-A-I-P-P PROJECT, AND ARTISTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED AN A IPP PROJECT WITHIN THE PAST YEAR ARE INELIGIBLE TO APPLY. AND THIS IS JUST, UH, A REMINDERS TO ENCOURAGE ARTISTS TO, UM, APPLY FOR PUBLIC ART PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, USE THE EXPERIENCE THAT THEY'VE HAD WITH US, UM, BUT ALSO JUST MAKE SURE THAT OTHER ARTISTS GET OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, ENTER ART INTO OUR COLLECTION. UH, THE REST OF THIS INFORMATION IS FAIRLY STANDARD IN TERMS OF SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. BUT I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. UH, OUR SELECTION PROCESS, [01:10:01] UH, THREE VOTING MEMBER, THREE MEMBER VOTING SELECTION PANEL. UM, OF COURSE, WE'LL INCLUDE ADVISORS THAT WILL BE, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR PRO OR DESIGN PROJECT DESIGN PROJECT, UM, MEMBERS OR FROM THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL. UH, OUR TENTATIVE SCHEDULE IS, UH, GETTING THE ARTIST UNDER CONTRACT THIS FALL WITH, UM, CONSTRUCTION BEGINNING IN THE WINTER, AND TARGETING INSTALLATION BY, UH, SPRING OF 2027. AND THIS WOULD BE, UH, PUBLIC, THIS CALL WOULD BE PUBLISHED IN MAY WITH, WITH, UH, A GROUP OF OUR PUBLIC ART CALLS THAT ARE GOING OUT IN MAY. MM-HMM . ANY FOR QUESTIONS? THAT, THAT'S MY PRESENTATION. OKAY. COMMISSIONER M AND THEN COMMISSIONER GRAY. AND COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. HI, MR. JAIME. UH, I'M WONDERING THE, THE DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE REQUEST. UM, DID YOU GET THE INPUT FROM THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY COMMISSION? OH, GOOD QUESTION. I DON'T BELIEVE SO. WE, WE WORKED ON THIS CALL, THIS LANGUAGE WITH, UM, PARKS AND REC, SO THAT, UH, STAFF FROM THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER AS WELL AS, UH, CDS OR CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, THE PROJECT MANAGER. UH, UM, BUT WE, I, I DON'T BELIEVE WE ENGAGE WITH, I THINK THEY WOULD APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHAT THEY WISH TO BE, TO HAVE THIS, UH, ART PIECE OF PUBLIC ART IN THE, IN THE, UH, AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GRAY. YES. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. AND PERHAPS IT SAYS GREEN. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. COOL. UM, SELECTION PROCESS, OBVIOUSLY WHERE THAT CAN COME INTO PLAY. I HAVE A QUESTION, A GENERAL QUESTION. UM, AS FAR AS CANDIDATES AND SUBMISSIONS FOR THE A IPP ARTWORK OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, HAVE THOSE RISEN AS FAR AS ARTISTS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN SUBMITTING ARTWORK? THAT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER, BECAUSE WE REALLY ONLY PUT OUT OUR, OUR CALLS IN SEPTEMBER. RIGHT. AND WE HAVEN'T PUT OUT ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL CALL, WELL, THE AIRPORT, BUT, OKAY. SO IT'S NOT A GOOD COMPARISON. SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET A, A BASELINE, BECAUSE I KNOW IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES, TWO YEARS, WHENEVER WAS THERE, THAT WAS STARTING TO BE A PROBLEM. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD SEE INTEREST COMING ACROSS WHETHER THE, WHETHER THE RF FEES ARE THERE OR NOT. YEAH, IN GENERAL, ANECDOTALLY, I'D SAY NO, OUR NUMBERS LOOK GOOD. YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE GREAT. WE'RE HAPPY WITH THE NUMBER, NUMBER OF APPLICANTS THAT WE'RE RECEIVING. GREAT. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO HEAR. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. SO THIS $90,000 IS GONNA COVER THE CREATION OF THE PAVILION AND A PIECE OF PUBLIC ART. BUT THE PAVILION IS THE PIECE OF PUBLIC ART. NO, NO. OKAY. THE PAVILION PROJECT IS THE PROJECT THAT IS FUNDING A IPP. SO THE PAVILION HAS A, A CONSTRUCTION BUDGET, AND WE'RE GETTING 2% OF THAT. THAT'S WHERE THE 90 THOUSAND'S COMING FROM. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. COMMISSIONER ANI? YES. I JUST WANTED TO ECHO, UM, WHAT COMMISSIONER MOCK SAID. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, CULTURAL GROUPS TO ENGAGE WITH THOSE CULTURAL GROUPS. UM, THE ASIAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION, UM, ALSO HAS PEOPLE THAT ARE ALSO ARTISTS AS WELL, THAT ARE REPRESENTING THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT ENGAGING WITH, AGAIN, KIND OF GOING BACK TO MY POINT OF LIKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTION, LIKE ENGAGING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, ASIAN AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK IN THE ARTS IN AUSTIN, SO THAT THEY CAN REACH THEIR CONSTITUENCIES AS WELL, I THINK WOULD BE A VERY MEANINGFUL, VERY INTENTIONAL WAY. AND I KEEP USING THOSE WORDS BECAUSE I THINK THAT, AGAIN, I'M GONNA SAY IT LIKE FIVE TIMES, BUT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO START MOVING IN A DIFFERENT WAY SO THAT PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY'RE REALLY, TRULY PART OF THE PROCESS. AND I THINK THAT COULD BE A REALLY NICE, LIKE FIRST STEP FOR THIS NEW DIVISION AS WELL. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. OUR STANDARD PROCESS IS, IS FOR A IPP, TO ENGAGE WITH THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE BUDGET AND POSSIBLE SITING. AND SO THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT, UM, IS REALLY INFORMED BY THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT 'CAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IN TERMS OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. AND SO ABSOLUTELY THE NEXT STEP WHEN WE, WHEN WE START ENGAGING WITH ARTISTS, ABSOLUTELY WE'RE GONNA MEET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ARTIST UNDERSTANDS WHAT IS [01:15:01] DESIRED BY THE COMMUNITY AND, AND OR ANY OTHER, UM, STAKEHOLDER IN RELATED TO THE PROJECT. SO, JUST TO BE CLEAR FOR DEVELOPING THE LANGUAGE FOR THIS RFQ, IT WAS CITY STAFFS, MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW THE BUDGET, WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS IN TERMS OF POSSIBLE SIGHTING, BUT ABSOLUTELY OUR NEXT STEP IS WHEN GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE ARTIST KNOWS WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS IN TERMS OF ARTWORK IN THEIR COMMUNITY. I GUESS I MEANT IN, IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS OF EVEN BEFORE YOU SELECT THE ARTISTS, RIGHT? SO GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT THERE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE ASIAN AMERICAN, THAT, THAT RUN BUSINESSES AND RUN ORGANIZATIONS ARE ACTUALLY PROMOTING THAT, THAT APPLICATION, SO THAT IT'S REACHING THAT DEMOGRAPHIC OF PEOPLE SO THAT THE CHANCES OF THE ARTIST BEING ASIAN AMERICAN ARE ACTUALLY GREATER THAN THEY'RE NOT. ABSOLUTELY. SO, UH, PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT, THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER STAFF, UM, THEY'VE BEEN VERY ACTIVE, AND THEY ARE, THEY'RE READY TO PROMOTE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT PARTICIPATE AT EVENTS AT THIS RESOURCE CENTER. UM, SO I THINK WE'VE GOT THAT COVERED. OKAY. UM, BUT YEAH, JUST WANTED TO REASSURE YOU THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY READY WITH A, WITH A COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH PLAN FOR, FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT PARTICIPATE AT THAT CENTER. COOL. HARK BACK. THIS HARKED BACK TO THIS CONVERSATION OF MARKETING VERSUS OUTREACH. AND I THINK THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION IS A GREAT PLACE TO REALLY ANCHOR OURSELF. AND I REMEMBER A CHAIR IN THE PAST REALLY PUSHING FOR CROSS COLLABORATION WITH QUALITY OF LIFE. COULDN'T POSSIBLY THINK ABOUT WHO THAT WAS. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON AND COMMISSIONER MARK, I JUST WANNA SAY THIS OUT LOUD, AS WE EMBARK ON THIS NEW DEPARTMENT IN THIS MEANS THAT THE CITY HAS CREATED THESE BODIES TO BE CONDUITS FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS TO THE CITY. SO IT SEEMS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO EXCLUDE THEM FROM ANY PORTION OF THIS PROCESS. WHEN THE, WHEN THE IDEA IS GENERATED, LET'S DO SOMETHING. THE ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, YOU IMMEDIATELY ENGAGE ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES ON THE CITY LEVEL THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THAT, SO THAT YOUR REACH IS BROADER IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT'S THE, IT'S THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT OUR TASK WITH BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, IT'S NOT THE STAFF'S JOB TO DO THAT. SO IT WOULD BEHOOVE US TO ALWAYS ENGAGE THOSE BODIES AT THE FIRST SIGN THAT THAT CULTURAL BODY IS BEING AFFECTED IN ANY WAY, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT CREATES THE ORGANIC KIND OF COMMUNICATION AND DISCUSSION. YES. COMMISSIONER MARK. YES. I THINK IT GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THIS COUNTRY IS FOUNDED NOT BY THE RACE, BUT BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AGREE ON OUR VALUES, WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE CONSTITUTION. SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ARTS, MUSIC, OR WHATNOT, THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR COUNTRY NEEDS TO BE FROM THAT LENS THAT THEY ARE PART OF THE COUNTRY. IT'S NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT. IT'S NOT A I AM DOING YOU A FAVOR. NO, BECAUSE WE ARE PART OF THE AMERICAN CULTURE. SO I THINK DIRECT MEANS, UM, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHATEVER WE DO, ESPECIALLY IN CULTURAL ARTS, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT OUR COMMITMENT AND OUR DETERMINATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EMBRACE EVERY CULTURE AS THE AMERICAN CULTURE, IT IS NOT THIS CULTURE, THAT CULTURE. SO I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. I KNOW THEIR LOGISTICS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THEIR BUREAUCRACIES, BUT UTILIZE, YOU KNOW, OUR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, OUR PEOPLE IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SO UTILIZE THEM TO ENGAGE THEM IN THE FIRST CONVERSATION AT THE TABLE. I THINK THAT IS A, THAT SHOULD BE A DETERMINATION AND A COMMITMENT IN THE FUTURE OF US DOING OUR WORK. THANK YOU. ANGELA MEANS, DIRECTOR. I WANTED TO COME UP AND, AND RESPOND, BECAUSE I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WHAT YOU SAID. AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE, I'VE, I'VE HEARD ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK TONIGHT ABOUT COMMUNITY [01:20:01] ENGAGEMENT. AND WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE DETAILS, THAT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF THE AREAS THAT YOU NOTICE A DIFFERENCE HERE SHORTLY. UH, THE CITY IS COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, UM, ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING AT IMPROVING WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. I'VE COME FROM DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AUSTIN CODE, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. AND I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE LEARNED SOME THINGS. AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS VERY STRATEGIC. IT'S SOPHISTICATED AND, AND A JUST AN EASY WAY TO SAY THE COMMUNITY WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE THAT WILL BE DIFFERENT. UM, I UNDERSTAND SOME FRUSTRATIONS, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, MOVING FORWARD, OUR COMMUNITY WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS NEW DEPARTMENT. WE'RE ALL EXCITED. THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, BUT OUR COMMUNITY WILL BE COMING ALONG WITH US. THE STAFF HAS DONE WHAT THEY CAN WITH THE RESOURCES THAT THEY'VE HAD, WHAT WE HAVE NOW AS AN OPPORTUNITY AS A CITY TO BRING RESOURCES TOGETHER TO EVEN BE BETTER. BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT ALONE. WE WILL HAVE THE COMMUNITY, UM, AS PART OF THAT, THOSE CONVERSATIONS. SO, I WANTED TO RESPOND 'CAUSE I REALLY DID APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID, UH, ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER. I'VE GOT COMMISSIONER CHENEY, THEN COMMISSIONER GARZA, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY. SPEECHLESS. COMMISSIONER GARZA, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. UH, BY UNDERSTANDING OUR HISTORY AND HAVING A GRASP ON OUR HISTORY, THEN WE CAN MAKE BETTER DECISIONS FOR OUR FUTURE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS TOLD TO ME MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO. UH, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THIS COMMISSION DID NOT PROVIDE FUNDS FOR CHICANO ARTISTS ON THE EAST SIDE, IN PARTICULAR. I REMEMBER RAM MALVO, HE WAS, HE'S ONE OF MY MENTORS AND MURAL ARTWORKS IN EAST AUSTIN. I HAVE ASSISTED DESIGNED OVER 30 MURALS THROUGHOUT EAST AUSTIN. TODAY, ONLY ABOUT TWO OR THREE OF THEM SURVIVE. A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH GENTRIFICATION. A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH VANDALISM. WHEN I FIRST STARTED IN PUBLIC ARTS AND RAM RAMONDO AND RAHUL SALINAS WERE WORKING AT LUCHA, THEY ASKED ME AND A COUPLE OTHER ARTISTS TO GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. I REMEMBER WALKING THE HOUSING PROJECTS AT CHALMERS COURTS AND AT SANTA RITA COURTS KNOCKING ON INDIVIDUAL'S DOORS AND GETTING THEIR OPINIONS. THAT IS GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NEVER EXISTED THROUGHOUT IN PUBLIC PLACES OR THROUGH THIS COMMISSION BACK IN THE EIGHTIES. AGAIN, WE HAVE TO UNDER UNDERSTAND OUR HISTORY. WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND PASSING JUSTICES. WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE DON'T TRUST US, AND WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT WE REALLY CAN'T WIN BACK THAT TRUST. I'VE BEEN OFTEN TOLD THAT YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION LEAVES SUCH A STRONG IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS. IT TAKES UP TO 20 OTHER MEETINGS BEFORE THEY CHANGE THEIR OPINION. SO IT HASN'T BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THAT HAPPENED. AND SO WE'VE HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY. OUR COMMUNITY MUST BE INFORMED NOT ONLY OF OUR PUBLIC PLACES, BUT OF ALL THE THINGS WE DO AND ALL THE OFFICERS WHO, WHO ARE ON THIS COMMISSION. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. A PART THAT I FEEL FOR LONG, FOR SO LONG WAS MISSING. I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES I DON'T AGREE WITH ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. RECOMMENDATIONS. I REMEMBER QUITE WELL THAT THERE WAS A TEMPO PROJECT, WHICH WAS TO HONORA PARKER. I LOVE QA PARKER. I MET, I READ SEVERAL HISTORY BOOKS, INCLUDING THE HISTORY OF ANA PARKER. NOW THE COMANCHES WHO QA PARKER WAS A CHIEF OF REALLY NEVER ENGAGED AND LIVED IN AUSTIN. THEY WOULD GO THROUGH MARING KILLING [01:25:01] DEERS AND BUFFALOES AND WHATNOT. BUT THE TRIBE THAT IS INDIGENOUS TO THIS COMMUNITY, OR THE TWAS NEVER HAVE. I SEEN THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES, HONOR THE TWA, WHO ARE THE ROOTS OF THIS COMMUNITY. I DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE GREAT GRANDSON OF GUANA PARKER, RON PARKER. AND HE SAID THAT IN AS MANY YEARS AS THE ELDER OF THE PARKER CLAN, HE HAS SEEN POEMS. HE HAS SEEN ARTWORK, HE HAS SEEN SCULPTURES, HE HAS SEEN PAINTINGS, VARIOUS, VARIOUS THINGS ABOUT HIS GREAT-GRANDFATHER, KIWANA PARKER. BUT ONE THING HE SAID, AS IN ALL OF THOSE HUNDREDS OF PRESENTATIONS AND GIFTS THAT HE'S RECEIVED, NOT ONCE, NOT ONCE HAS ANY ARTIST COME UP TO HIM AND SAY, HEY, CHIEF PARKER, GREAT GRANDSON OF JUANA PARKER. I'M THINKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING TO HONOR OUR NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND? HE SAID TO ME, WHAT I WOULD TELL THAT INDIVIDUAL IS TO LOOK AT YOUR FEET. LOOK AT YOUR FEET, SEE WHERE YOU'RE STANDING. SEE WHO USED TO LIVE ON THAT GROUND. FIND OUT AS MUCH YOU CAN ABOUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND HONOR THEM. WE HAVE A SCULPTURE OF A BEAUTIFUL BIRD, A OAXACAN BIRD RIGHT NEAR CITY HALL. THE OAXACANS WHO ARE IN CENTRAL MEXICO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH AUSTIN. YET THIS COMMISSION AND THE, AND THE IP PANEL APPROVED THAT PROPOSAL. THAT IS AN INSULT, THAT IS AN INSULT TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS, WHOSE CULTURE WAS ROBBED, WHO HAD BEEN MURDERED, AND WHOSE LAND WAS STOLEN. THIS IS THE LAND IN WHICH OUR FEET STAND ON THEIR LAND, NOT OUR LAND. AND AGAIN, TO UNDERSTAND OUR HISTORY AS SHE DEVELOPED OUR FUTURE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. I HAVE A, A REQUEST FROM STAFF. UM, WOULD SOMEONE SEND YOU AN EMAIL TO LET ME KNOW WHO I SHOULD CONTACT ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER SIGNAGE AND LIGHTING AT NIGHT? I HAD NIGHT REHEARSALS FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS OUT THERE. AND YOU CAN'T SEE THE SIGN THAT SAYS ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER AT NIGHT. IT IS, THERE'S NO LIGHTING ON IT. AND THE LIGHTS IN, IN THE PARKING LOT. EVIDENTLY SOMETHING WAS STOLEN AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN REPLACED. BUT THAT'S AN ISSUE. SO IF SOMEONE ON STAFF WOULD TELL ME WHO I NEED TO REACH OUT TO, TO LOOK INTO THAT. OKAY. UM, THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM, SO WE NEED SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOTION SO THAT WE MIGHT VOTE. I I'LL MOVE. UM, MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER MOCK, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS. UNANIMOUS. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CUS UH, FUNNY, UH, THANK YOU. A IP MANAGER MR. CASTILLO, PREVIOUS LIFE, BUT NOT IN THIS ONE, UHHUH. ALL RIGHT, NEXT WE HAVE [9. Action to Approve Final Design for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Terminal Expansion Phase (TEP) II “A” Art in Public Places Project ] ACTION TO APPROVE FINAL DESIGN FOR THE AUSTIN BERGSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL EXPANSION PHASE TAP TWO, A ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PROJECT. I THINK WE'RE WAITING ON A PRESENTATION. UH, I FORGOT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF EARLIER. JAIME CASTILLO, MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM. UM, WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR PRESENTATION TO GO UP ON THE SCREEN, BUT THE THING IS, THOUGH, IN THE PAST, THEY ALWAYS STAYED BY. SO OUR PROJECT TONIGHT, UH, THAT WE'RE PRESENTING FOR FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL IS THE TERMINAL EXPANSION PHASE TWO A. OUR ARTIST IS BAILEY LIU. UH, SPONSORING DEPARTMENT IS AVIATION. THE PROJECT BUDGET IS 200,000. IT'S IN DISTRICT TWO. AND OUR A IPP COORDINATOR IS ALEX IRA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE TIMELINE. WE, UM, WELL, THIS IS A, A, A SHORTENED, WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK, GO BACK TO THE FULL, UH, TIMELINE AT THE END, THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION. UM, BUT, SO NO, NO, NO. I WASN'T ASKING YOU TO MOVE. I'M JUST SAYING WE WILL TOUCH ON IT. UH, SO THERE'S THE RECENT PROJECT TIMELINE. SO WE DID, UH, PRESENT MID DESIGN REVIEW TO THE A IP PANEL IN AUGUST [01:30:01] OF 23. UH, THE FINAL DESIGN PACKAGE WAS SUBMITTED TO A IPP STAFF IN SEPTEMBER OF THAT SAME YEAR. UM, YOU'LL SEE THE IMAGES TO THE LEFT, UH, IS THE ORIGINAL SIGHTING FOR THIS ARTWORK. UH, THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS, UH, BY THE SPONSORED DEPARTMENT, AND THEY RECOMMENDED A SITE CHANGE. AND WITH THAT SITE CHANGE, THEY INTRODUCED A BUDGET INCREASE FROM, UH, 1 55 TO 200. SO, STAFF UPDATED THE A IPP PANEL IN SEPTEMBER OF 24. UM, WE RECEIVED THE REVISED FINAL DESIGN PACKAGE AND PRESENTED TO THE A IPP PANEL EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE FINAL, THE REVISED FINAL DESIGN, AND IS WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING TONIGHT TO THE ARTS COMMISSION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, SO THIS IS THE NEW SIGHTING. SO THE PREVIOUS ONE YOU SAW WAS ABOVE LIKE THE ESCALATOR, UM, STAIRCASE. HERE IS A, A NOOK, UH, NEAR GATE 15. YOU NOTICE THAT, UM, I MEAN, THE PHOTO'S A LITTLE BIT DECEIVING, BUT THIS IS A MUCH MORE EXPANSIVE LOCATION. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND THIS IS THE, THE PROPOSAL OF THE ARTWORK CONVERGENCE AUSTIN, UM, A RENDERING OF, OF WHAT THE ARTWORK MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN THIS NOOK. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE ARTIST, BAILEY LI'S, UH, PORTFOLIOS. IS THE ARTWORK IN, IN A GALLERY SPACE? UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY SIMILAR OR, BUT, UH, I GUESS SIMILAR IS THE RIGHT TERM, UH, ARTWORK. THAT, THAT IT EVOKES THE SIMILAR, UM, PRESENTATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, IT'S A SHOT FROM EXTERNAL IN LOOKING INSIDE THE GALLERY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, THIS IS THE NEW SIGHTING. THE ARTIST DID PROVIDE A NARRATIVE. UM, SO CONVERGENCE AUSTIN IS A SITE RESPONSIVE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION THAT REFLECTS AND RESPONDS TO THE PURPOSE, GROWTH, AND EXCELLENCE OF THE AUSTIN BERGSTROM AIRPORT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, CONVERGENCE AUSTIN ENCOURAGES TRAVELERS TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SLOW DOWN, TO OBSERVE AND CONTEMPLATE, TO CONNECT AND SHARE. NEXT SLIDE. SO THERE'S A RENDERING FULL VIEW, AS I, AS I MENTIONED, UM, THE PHOTO DOESN'T REALLY DO IT JUSTICE. I MEAN, THERE'S A EXPANSIVE SPACE, AND THE ARTWORK IS GONNA HAVE A LOVELY PRESENCE IN THIS, IN THIS NOOK. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, HERE'S A BETTER SENSE OF THE SPACE, THE HOW EXPANSIVE IT IS. SO WE HAVE THE TOP PORTION, BUT THE ARTWORK IS LOCATED IN THAT BOTTOM INSET IN THAT CORNER THERE. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. JUST A ZOOMED IN, UH, MOMENT OF WHERE THE ARTWORK IS GOING TO LIVE IN THIS NOOK. UM, NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS KIND OF WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE IF YOU STAND RIGHT, RIGHT UNDERNEATH IT, YOU LOOK UP. NEXT SLIDE. JUST, UH, SOME HARDWARE DETAILS ABOUT HOW THE ARTWORK WILL ACTUALLY, UM, EXIST AND, AND BE ATTACHED TO STRUCTURES IN THE SPACE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. UH, AGAIN, JUST GETTING A SENSE OF WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE, THE, UM, THE VARIATION OF THE HEIGHTS OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, ELEMENTS. NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. UH, AGAIN, THIS WAS IN YOUR BACKUP, BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, LIKE, THIS IS GONNA BE FABRICATED IN THE ARTIST STUDIOS. IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ELEMENTS ARE GONNA BE SIZED AND CUT AND POLISHED AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HAND, HAND ASSEMBLED. UM, THE ARTIST WILL BE, THE ARTIST STUDIO WILL HIRE, UM, LOCAL AND OR MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS AND ASSISTANTS TO SUPPORT THE FABRICATION. NEXT SLIDE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. HERE'S A SCHEDULE THAT I WAS THINKING. SO, UH, JUST A, A REMINDER, WALKTHROUGH. JANUARY OF 2020, WE, WE HELD FINALS INTERVIEWS FOR THIS PROJECT IN FEBRUARY OF 2020. THOSE, UH, THE RECOMMENDED ARTISTS WAS APPROVED BY PANEL AND THE ARTS COMMISSION. UH, THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED. AND IN APRIL, 2022, THE FINAL DESIGN CONTRACT, UH, WAS SIGNED. AND THE ARTISTS BEGAN THEIR MID DESIGN, OR, YEAH, THEY BEGAN, BEGAN THEIR MID DESIGN. AND IN AUGUST, 2023, THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE A IPP PANEL. UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE WAS A SITE CHANGE IN THAT, THAT SPRING OF 2024, SO APRIL, UM, OF 2024. AND THEN FINAL DESIGN WAS PRESENTED, UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH TO THE A IPP PANEL PRESENTED TO YOU TONIGHT. AND WITH YOUR APPROVAL, FABRICATION WILL BEGIN, UM, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WORKING FOR THE NEXT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS WITH, [01:35:01] UH, INSTALLATION EXPECTED AUGUST OF THIS MONTH. AND THAT'S THE PRESENTATION. NO, COMMISSIONER MARK. UM, I MOVED TO APPROVE THIS PROJECT, BUT I WANT TO MAKE A STATEMENT. UM, I WAS HOPING WE ARE MAKING A DECISION TO APPROVE THIS FINAL DESIGN. SO I WAS HOPING THE ARTIST WILL BE HERE TO GIVE US SOME IDEA ABOUT THIS FINAL PROJECT. AND, YOU KNOW, AND JUST FOR MY BENEFIT AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS MEETING, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE A FIRSTHAND INFORMATION ABOUT HER THOUGHT PROCESS THAT GET INTO THIS DESIGN, YOU KNOW, UM, SO IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. SO I'M HOPING IN THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY A SIZE OF THIS PROJECT SO BIG, I DON'T THINK IT'S A SACRIFICE FOR THE ARTIST TO MAKE HERSELF OR HIMSELF AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION ABOUT THEIR DESIGN. BUT, YOU KNOW, I, LIKE, I KNOW HER WORK VERY WELL, AND I LIKE HER WORK, AND I LIKE THIS DESIGN, BUT IT'S JUST THAT I, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD GET THE BENEFIT FROM THE ARTIST TO GIVE US A PRESENTATION WHEN WE ARE DESIGNING, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY, WE ARE DESIGNING ON, ON THE APPROVAL OF THIS PROJECT. AND I LIKE THE LOCATION, THE NEW LOCATION ACTUALLY ON, UH, GATE 15. I THINK THAT WILL PROBABLY GET MORE ATTENTION. I LIKE THAT. UH, I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I'M, I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST BEING ROBBED OF, OF GETTING THE WISDOM FROM HER, YOU KNOW, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, GET TO KNOW HER. BUT I APPROVE. I APPROVE, YOU KNOW, I APPROVE THIS PROJECT. JUST WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT. WE HAVE A MOTION. ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD? WHO, WHO'S SECONDED? I WAS GONNA SECOND, I'LL BE GLAD TO SECOND MAKE A COMMENT AS WELL. OKAY. GO MAKE YOUR COMMENT. I WOULD JUST, AMY, I LOVE WHAT YOU JUST SAID. I REALLY DO. I SINCERELY DO BELIEVE THAT ONCE AN ARTIST HAS BEEN CHOSEN, THAT IT WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARILY WONDERFUL AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH WE'RE REQUIRED OR SUPPOSED TO DO. THAT THAT DESIGN AND THAT CONVERSATION TAKE PLACE IN AN OPEN FORUM SUCH AS THIS. WE HAVE TO ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF WHICHEVER DISTRICT YOU'RE FROM. WE'RE ONE CITY, AND THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTWORKS IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR DISTRICTS. AND THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF OUR COMMISSION. THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF OUR HOT FUNDS. THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF EQUITY, IS THAT NOW EVERY DISTRICT SHOULD, HAS THESE EXACT SAME OPPORTUNITY. AND SO, AMY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE, WHEN AN ARTIST IS SELECTED, THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH OUR ARTISTS THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE OPEN UP THEIR AGENDA, AND THEY LOOK AT THE AGENDA, THAT THEY'LL KNOW, HEY, THERE'S SOME PUBLIC ARTWORK HAPPENING IN MY DISTRICT. LET ME CHECK IT OUT. LET ME GIVE MY OPINION WHETHER IT IS FOLLOWING AIPS P'S RECOMMENDATIONS OR WHETHER IT'S AGAINST, EVERY VOICE HAS A RIGHT TO BE HEARD. SO THANK YOU, AMY, FOR THAT COMMENT. AND I SECOND THAT MOTION AS WELL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MOCK. MAY I RESPOND? OH, PLEASE. . UH, SO I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, HAD I BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THERE WAS A DESIRE FOR THE ARTIST TO PRESENT, WE WOULD'VE WORKED TO, TO, TO MAKE THAT POSSIBLE. UM, I WAS NOT MADE AWARE THAT THERE WAS THAT INTEREST TO HAVE THE ARTIST PRESENT. OUR TYPICAL PROCESS IS FOR THE ARTIST TO PRESENT AT THE A IPP PANEL. AND BECAUSE THE PANEL PROVIDES FEEDBACK REGARDING THE DESIGNS, REGARDING, UM, THE, REGARDING, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THEY, THE ARTIST HAS CONDUCTED THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT IS CONTRACTUALLY, UH, REQUIRED OF THEM, AND THE PRESENTATION TO THE ARTS COMMISSIONS TO ENSURE THAT, UH, THAT THE ARTISTS AND THE A IPP PANEL HAVE FOLLOWED, UM, THE PROCESS FOR A-I-P-P-P, UH, COMMISSIONS. SO, I'M NOT SAYING NO, I'M JUST SAYING GIVE, GIVE US THE HEADS UP AND WE WILL PREPARE FOR THAT. WELL, I, I'M JUST, UH, TRYING TO RESPOND. I HAVE BEEN IN THIS COMMISSION FOR OVER 10 YEARS. I THINK IN THE PAST, THE ARTISTS [01:40:01] ALWAYS MAKE THEMSELF AVAILABLE BEFORE WE JUST, YOU KNOW, BLANKET TO SAY, OKAY, ALL, YOU KNOW, TO APPROVE IN A BLANKET. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE HERE. I THINK IT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE, SHOULD WE HAVE QUESTION FOR THEM. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M NOT SAYING YOU, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ARTIST, YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW HER WELL, AND I KNOW HER WORK, AND I LIKE HER WORK. I'M JUST NOT HAPPY THAT SHE'S NOT MAKING HERSELF AVAILABLE WHEN WE ARE DECIDING, MAKING A DECISION ON APPROVAL, HER FINAL DESIGN. SO IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. I'M JUST THINKING AS A COURTESY FOR ANY FUTURE ARTISTS, YOU KNOW, AT A PROJECT THIS SCALE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY SHOULD MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE. RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYING, LIKE, THERE, THERE WAS NO EXPECTATION FOR THE ARTIST TO BE HERE TONIGHT. SO IF, IF I WAS MADE AWARE, BUT NOT TONIGHT, I'M JUST SAYING THAT IT'S NOT TONIGHT. I THINK IN THE PAST, I, WE ALWAYS HAVE ARTISTS HERE, WHETHER WE TALK TO THEM OR NOT, BUT THEY MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE. SHOULD WE HAVE QUESTION FOR THEM? AND THAT'S JUST A COURTESY. LET'S TURN THIS INTO A YES. AND LET'S PUBLICIZE OUR MEETINGS TO THEM WHEN WE ARE ONBOARDING NEW ARTISTS SO THAT THEY AT LEAST ARE AWARE. DO THEY NOT KNOW WE ARE? WELL, PERHAPS NOT, LET'S NOT MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS. BUT I ALSO WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT WE AS COMMISSIONERS ARE INVITED ON AN ONGOING BASIS TO ATTEND OUR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL. AND I'VE, WE'VE ASKED, I'M FOLLOWING TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN SET FORTH IN FRONT OF ME. WE HAVE TO TAKE IT UPON OURSELVES TO AUDIT THOSE MEETINGS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND ASK FOR AGENDA. I KNOW LINDSAY HAS INVITED US. IT'S ALL ON OUR CALENDARS WHEN THOSE HAPPEN. YES, WE HAVE A LIAISON, BUT IT IS NOT ON THEIR SHOULDERS ALONE, UH, TO UPDATE US, I THINK FOR A VESTED INTEREST. AND I, TO ME, THERE'S NO WRONGDOING ON ANY PART HERE. I'M SAYING, LET'S TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY. THAT IS A DIFFERENT THING. THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING. THIS IS A ARTS COMMISSION MEETING. I'M DOING IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC. THE PUBLIC DO NOT GO TO THE A IPP PANEL DISCUSSION, RIGHT? SO I'M JUST SAYING THAT IN THE FUTURE, I THINK IT'S JUST A COURTESY FOR THE ARTISTS TO MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE IN A PUBLIC MEETING LIKE THIS. WHEN WE ARE PRESENTING THE SCALE OF THIS PROJECT. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE TEMPLE, RIGHT? I AM TALKING ABOUT THIS IS A HUGE DEAL. IT'S A PUBLIC DISPLAY IN OUR AIRPORT, RIGHT? AND I WANT PEOPLE TO START NOTICING THAT THIS IS COMING. AND THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING FOR THIS, BECAUSE I WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS, BUT THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING, RIGHT? A PUBLIC MEETING, RIGHT? SO IF I SAY, OH, YOU SHOULD REFER TO THE PUBLIC MEETING. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS PIECE OF ARTWORK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN OUR AIRPORT. GO TO THIS LINK AND, AND GET THE WISDOM FROM THE ARTIST WHY SHE'S MAKING THIS DESIGN AND WHAT'S IN IT. SO I'M TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT THING. OF COURSE, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF A IPP PROCESS, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT THING. I'M TALKING ABOUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC. I THINK IT JUST NEEDS TO BE FRAMED FROM STAFF TO SAY, HEY, HERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU WILL BE IN THE PUBLIC, THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO YOUR OWN WORK IN YOUR OWN WORDS, SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION. SO IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A, A CUMULATIVE RESPONSE, RIGHT? WE NOW KNOW THAT THIS IS, SHOULD BE MADE A PRIORITY. SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT. CAN I, I'M SORRY. I'M JUST, I'M JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY. YOU KNOW, IF SHE DIDN'T KNOW, SHE DIDN'T KNOW. BUT IF SHE KNEW, THEN I, UNDER, UNDER MY RECOMMENDATION, I SUGGESTED THAT SHE NOT ATTEND BECAUSE I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY CONVERSATION NEEDED. ANYWAY, THANK COMMISSIONER NEY WHILE WE HAVE OUR, UM, A IPP AIRPORT LIAISON. YEAH. I JUST WANNA, Y'ALL ARE GONNA GET SICK OF ME SAYING THIS, RIGHT? I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SAYING HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING, RIGHT? WE NEED TO GIVE THEM A REASON TO WATCH. WE NEED TO BE INVITING ARTISTS THAT ARE DOING PUBLIC ART TO TALK ABOUT THEIR ART, BECAUSE THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE ARTS, RIGHT? AND SO, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. AND OUR ORGANIZATIONS, WHEN WE ARE GIVING THEM GRANT FUNDING TO HAVE PROJECTS OR PROGRAMS, WE ASK THEM TO [01:45:01] SUBMIT THEIR STUFF SO THAT WE CAN MARKET IT TO THE PUBLIC, RIGHT? SO I THINK KIND OF THE THOUGHT PROCESS IS WE NEED TO KIND OF PUT THE ART BACK IN THE ARTS COMMISSION WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY CELEBRATING ARTISTS AND BRINGING ARTISTS IN TO TALK ABOUT THEIR WORK. BUT I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ON THIS SCALE THAT'S GOING, UH, FOR A LONG TERM INSTALLATION. LIKE I WOULD'VE LOVED, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS ARTIST'S WORK. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANY OF HER WORK. AND SO I WOULD'VE LOVED TO SEE HER IN A, IN A PUBLIC SETTING LIKE THIS. AND I ALSO THINK IT GIVES INCENTIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS BECAUSE I'M JUST GONNA BE REAL WITH Y'ALL. LIKE, THEY'RE VERY BUREAUCRATIC. AND IF I'M AN ARTIST, I'M NOT REALLY FEELING LIKE THIS IS WHERE I WANNA SPEND MY TIME. BUT IF THERE WAS A COOL ARTIST THAT WAS PRESENTING SOMETHING, I WOULD SURELY WANNA GO. MAY I? AM I ON? YOU'RE ON. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. CONSTANCE WHITE GUEST SERVICES MANAGER OVERSEEING ART MUSIC AT THE AIRPORT. UM, OOH, THIS IS, I START, THIS GLASS WILL BREAK IF I GO ANY LOUDER THAN THAT. CAN WE GET THE MIC? THIS IS WHAT I GOT, UM, AMPLIFIED. I DON'T KNOW IF WE, WE HAVE CONTROL. CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME OKAY? I KNOW YOU'RE BEING CAPTURED, BUT YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY BEING AMPLIFIED IN THE ROOM. TESTING. TESTING. IS THAT BETTER? YEAH, THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER. OKAY. I WASN'T TRAINED IN THEATER TO PROJECT. UM, SO I WILL SAY, UM, ARTISTS GENERALLY LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK ABOUT THEIR WORK AND TO, UM, AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES, UM, ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC ART. UM, THEY ARE NOT OPPOSED TO COMING TO PUBLIC MEETINGS WHEN THEY'RE INVITED. AND JUST TO SUPPORT WHAT JAIME SAID, THE ARTIST WAS NOT INVITED BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT AN EXPECTATION, UM, IN RESPECT TO WHAT YOU'VE REQUESTED COMMISSIONER MOCK AND TO THE REST OF THE DS DIAZ, THIS IS A PROCESS CHANGE THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING. UM, SO IN THE THREE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE AND THE TIMES THAT I'VE, UM, CONSULTED WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN BEFORE, IT'S JUST NOT COMMON PRACTICE FOR ARTISTS TO PRESENT THEIR DESIGNS AT THE BOARD LEVEL BECAUSE IT'S PRESENTED AND APPROVED AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL. AND SO IT, IT WOULD TAKE AN INVITATION FROM THE COMMISSION. THIS IS THE BOARD, THE CITY'S ARTS BOARD. IT WOULD TAKE AN INVITATION, WHICH TAKES AN EXCEPTION TO THE GUIDELINES AND THE POLICIES THAT ARE WRITTEN RIGHT NOW. AND SO WE STAFF IS NOT DENYING THAT THIS COULD BE A BIG DEAL, AND WE COULD ALL CELEBRATE, UM, WITH THE SPIRIT OF WANTING TO CELEBRATE. BECAUSE BY THE TIME THEY COME TO YOU GUYS, THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE RIGOR OF AIRPORT DESIGN ENGINEERS, A RAS REVIEW FOR ACCESSIBILITY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TASTE TEST OF THE FIRE MARSHAL AND EVERYTHING. SO BY THE TIME THEY GET HERE, THE DESIGN IS BAKED. AND WE DON'T WANT DESIGN BY COMMITTEE AT THAT POINT. UM, THE ARTISTS DO, UM, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVEN FOR THE AIRPORT. UM, THEY ARE OUT IN THE TERMINALS. THEY ARE OUT WHEREVER WE ARE DEFINING COMMUNITY. WE ARE REQUIRING THEM TO DO THAT. AND WE DO NOT RUSH THAT PROCESS BECAUSE WE THINK LISTENING IS IMPORTANT. AND SO, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT AS WE ARE SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AT THE AIRPORT, THAT IS A PUBLIC INVESTMENT. WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY IN YOUR GOVERNANCE IS IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE HEAR YOU. BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE LEVEL SET EXPECTATIONS THAT IF SOMEONE'S FAVORITE COLOR IS NOT RED, WE'RE NOT CHANGING IT AT THIS LEVEL. AND THESE THINGS HAPPEN. SO THERE'S A SENSITIVITY TO THE, TO THE CREATIVE PROCESS FOR THE ARTISTS THAT WE WANT TO SAY WE WANNA CELEBRATE YOU. YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THE RIGOR OF APPROVAL WITH THE, UM, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL. THEY'VE APPROVED IT, AND THEY, WHAT YOU ARE APPROVING IS THE RECOMMENDATION FROM A IPP PANEL. YOU'RE NOT APPROVING THE FINAL DESIGN, YOU'RE APPROVING THE RECOMMENDATION. BUT WE ARE OPEN TO PROCESS EXCHANGING FINAL . I'M REALLY TICKLED BY THIS. WHEN A MISTAKE WAS MADE, UHHUH, IT NEEDS TO ADMIT AND CORRECTED. I THINK TO ME, THIS IS A GROWTH OVERSIGHT, YOU KNOW, BY THE STAFF AND ALSO BY THE ARTISTS. YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT CHANGING ANYTHING. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM THE ARTISTS AT THE FINAL DESIGN, WHICH IS GOING TO INSTALL IN OUR AIRPORT IN PUBLIC PLACES. IN THE PAST, I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN HERE ONLY FOR THREE YEARS. YEAH. BUT IN THE PAST, THE ARTISTS ALWAYS MAKE THEMSELF AVAILABLE. AND SO WE HAVE QUESTION, THEN WE'LL GO TO THEM. BUT IT'S JUST A COURTESY. IF I'M, I AM GETTING A $200,000 [01:50:01] PROJECT FROM THE CITY, YOU KNOW, I CAN AFFORD THE TIME TO, YOU KNOW, TO TALK ABOUT ME. AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT MY ARTWORK TO THE PUBLIC. IF I MAY, THE OVERSIGHT WAS THE LACK OF, LIKE, WE JUST, WE JUST DID NOT EXTEND THE INVITATION. IT WASN'T THAT THE ARTIST WASN'T WILLING, AVAILABLE OR ABLE TO, WE JUST DID NOT EXTEND THE INVITATION. SO I CAN ACCEPT THAT RESPONSIBILITY THAT, UM, HAD I KNOWN THERE WAS AN EXPECTATION, THEN CERTAINLY WE WOULD'VE INVITED THE ARTIST. UM, AND SHE WOULD'VE BEEN REALLY EAGER TO PRESENT TO THIS BODY. I'M GONNA LET, UH, MS MEANS SPEAK. ANGELA MEANS DIRECTOR. I WANTED TO SAY THAT I'VE HEARD YOUR FEEDBACK AND I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO INCLUDE THAT. SO I DIDN'T WANT THE STAFF TO GO TO GET INTO THE DETAILS AS FAR AS LOGISTICALLY HOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN OR, UH, VIA THE POLICY. SO I WANTED YOU TO JUST KNOW THAT WE'VE HEARD YOUR FEEDBACK AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONSIDER. THE THING IS THOUGH, IT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST MM-HMM . SO THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT. I, I NEED TO MAKE A REQUEST AHEAD OF TIME. RIGHT. THAT'S FINE. 'CAUSE IF YOU LOOK BACK, WE ALWAYS HAVE ARTISTS FOR BIG PROJECT, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MILLIONS DOLLARS OF THE, THE, THE, UM, THIS THE AIRPORT PROJECT, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY COME FROM SEATTLE. SHE'S FROM OUT OF TOWN. SHE WAS HERE. YOU KNOW. SO I'M JUST, I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST, JUST EXPRESSING MY EXPERIENCE IN THE PAST AND HOW IT WILL BE BETTER. MM-HMM . FOR THE FUTURE. SHOULD THE ARTIST MAKE HERSELF OR HIMSELF AVAILABLE TO TALK ABOUT HER PIECE OF ARTWORK AT THE FINAL DESIGN, WHICH IS GOING TO COME UP FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW? AND I FEEL LIKE WE ARE ROBBED OF NOT HAVING HER IN THE ROOM. I LIKE HER WORK. I LIKE HER, BUT TOUGH LOVE COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. YEAH. I THINK, UH, I THINK AT SOME POINT, UH, HAVING THE ARTIST PRESENT CHANGED. 'CAUSE I ACTUALLY REMEMBER WATCHING , THE ARTS COMMISSION TO SEE THE ART THAT WAS IN, YOU KNOW, IT WAS COMING TO OUR CITY. AND DEFINITELY YOU DON'T WANNA WATCH THAT THROUGH A IPP, RIGHT? , BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S WHERE THE FEEDBACK'S BEING GIVEN OR WHATNOT. AND THEN WHEN I BECAME A ARTS COMMISSIONER, IT TRANSITIONED TO WHERE IT WAS LIKE A CONSOLIDATED LIST AND THEN WE WERE SHOWN LIKE A POWERPOINT THAT JUST WENT THROUGH SLIDES OF ALL THE FINAL DESIGNS AND WE JUST ALL WOULD VOTE YES AT THAT POINT. . UM, I THINK HAVING THE ARTIST AND USING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT? AND BUILDING TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY AND SEEING WHERE THE CITY IS INVESTING ITS MONEY OR WHATNOT, HAVING THE ARTIST, I THINK WOULD BE IMPORTANT. I WILL SAY THAT IT DOES NEED TO BE CONSOLIDATED. UM, 'CAUSE OTHERWISE WE WOULD END UP HERE REALLY LATE, WHICH IS WHY I THINK AT SOME POINT THAT CONSOLIDATION INTO A POWERPOINT HAPPENED. AND I REMEMBER BEING LIKE REALLY BUMMED ABOUT THAT AS WELL. BUT I DIDN'T SPEAK UP 'CAUSE I WAS JUST TOO NEW. UM, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING THE A IPP LIAISON, SO I DO GET TO HEAR FROM THE ARTISTS. UM, AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT. I THINK IT, IT WILL SHOW THE DIVERSITY. IT WILL JUST, IT WILL DEMONSTRATE SO MUCH BY HAVING THE ARTISTS HERE TO PRESENT THEIR FINAL. AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT MAYBE JUST CONSOLIDATED VERSION OF IT SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN SEE WHERE OUR DOLLARS ARE GOING. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER GARZA. AND THEN I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THE TIME, AND WE HAVE SOME PRETTY HEAVY ITEMS TO COME STILL, SO, UM, WANNA JUST KEEP US ON TASK. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT I ALSO WANT TO REMIND THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL, AND YOU COMM MR. CASTILLO, THAT WHILE YOU MAKE THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE FINAL VOTE TO APPROVE THAT MONEY IS THROUGH THE ARTS COMMISSION. AND LIKE AMY SAID, A PRESIDENT OF A FIVE MINUTE PRESENTATION BY AN ARTIST WHO'S RECEIVING A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IS PROBABLY NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR, FOR THEM TO SIT HERE FOR FIVE MINUTES AND ACCEPT 10 MINUTES WORTH OF QUESTIONS. BECAUSE, AND IF THAT'S ON THE AGENDA, WE CAN HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ALSO ENGAGED THROUGH US AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS. WE'RE BEING DENIED THAT OPPORTUNITY. [01:55:02] I REMEMBER AS AMY SAID, THAT ARTISTS WOULD PRESENT TO US. I REMEMBER A 3D PIECE OF ARTWORK THAT WAS PASSED AROUND AND EVERY COMMISSIONER HELD IT UP AND LOOKED AT IT AND SAW HOW THE DESIGN WAS AND WHATNOT. AND THEN WE APPROVED THAT THING. UH, WE DESERVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THAT ARTIST. OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THAT ARTIST AS WELL. SO PLEASE, IF WE CAN JUST, IF THAT ARTIST WHO'S MAKING A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OFF OF US CAN'T SPARE FIVE MINUTES OR 10, 15 MINUTES, THEN ARE THEY REALLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY OR ARE THEY SERVING THEMSELVES? THAT'S IT. I JUST WANNA BE REALLY CLEAR THAT THE ARTIST WAS NOT COMMUNICATED TO. AND SO LET'S NOT CHARACTERIZE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT HERE. I WAS SPEAKING OF FUTURE, NOT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR. OKAY. YEAH. AND I THINK IT'S BEEN DULY NOTED THAT WHAT THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO SEE MM-HMM . AND SO WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE VERY WONDERFUL SUGGESTIONS. THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MOCK, A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. ALL IN FAVOR? I'M RECUSING MYSELF FROM THIS VOTE. OKAY. UNANIMOUS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MYSELF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. OKAY. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON [Items 10 - 13] THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS 2025 AND BEYOND. AFTER PRESENTATION BY COMMANDER MIRELL ON BEHALF OF THE CAD GRANTS WORKING GROUP. DO WE NEED TO REORGANIZE? SHOULD WE PUSH UP THE UPDATE IN FRONT OF THIS? THAT, WOULD THAT MAKE MORE SENSE? SURE. I THINK WE CAN COMBINE 10 11 AND THE WORKING GROUP UPDATE AND JUST COVER IT ALL IN ONE. OKAY. LET'S, AND, UH, IF, IF YOU JUST WANNA COVER ITEM NUMBER 11 AND THEN MOVE ON TO THIS TOPIC, WE COULD DO THAT. OKAY. FANTASTIC. LET'S GET A MOTION TO CONSOLIDATE THESE ITEMS. SO, MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CHENEY, SECONDED BY MONICA. I NEVER REMEMBER. WE COULD ACTUALLY VOTE, BUT LET'S JUST VOTE. THEY ALL IN FAVOR OF CONSOLIDATING THESE ITEMS SO THAT THEY CAN BE SPOKEN TO IN SEQUENCE. WONDERFUL. UNANIMOUS. OKAY. SO ITEM 11 IS DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE RECOMMENDATION FOR SPECIFIC UPDATES TO THE ELEVATE GRANT FOR POTENTIAL MAY, JUNE 25 ROLLOUT. WE NOW KNOW THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE EARLY FALL AFTER PRESENTATION BY COMM COMMISSIONER CHARLA ON BEHALF OF THE CAD WORKING GROUP. AND THEN THE UPDATE DOWN HERE IS UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. MOST RECENT RELEASE OF THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS WORKING GROUP WITH COMMISSIONER ANI MALDONADO, GRAY HOUSTON, AND ME. SO 10, 11, AND 13 ALTOGETHER. FLOOR IS YOURS, . AND GET THAT DONE. OKAY. NO, LET'S JUST GET INTO IT. ALRIGHT, SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. UM, COULD WE, UM, JUST AN ORDER, COULD WE GET THAT OUT? 'CAUSE THE ITEM 12 AND 13 IS NOT AN ACTION ITEMS. IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE AN ACTION, THEN WE CANNOT INCLUDE 12 AND 13. WE JUST NEED THE UPDATE FROM 13. OKAY. YEAH. SO THERE'S NO ACTION NEEDED FOR 13. IT'S JUST NOT BECAUSE, UH, BECAUSE THE ACTION ITEM IS UP TO 11. MM-HMM . YES, EXACTLY. SO, BUT 13 IS THE PREDECESSOR CONTENT FOR 12 AND 13. THAT'S, THAT WAS THE THINKING. BUT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS WONDERFUL DOCUMENT THAT HAS BEEN COMPILED BY OUR WORKING GROUP. IT'S LARGE ENOUGH FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO READ FROM HERE, RIGHT? ? I WAS, UH, GETTING READY HERE TO READ FROM MY CELL PHONE. WELL, THANK YOU EVERYONE. UM, THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, LET ME SET SOME CONTEXT HERE BEFORE WE DEEP DIVE INTO THIS. SO THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED BY THIS PARTICULAR SET OF FOLKS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE WORKING GROUP. AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AROUND, BUILT AROUND THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK FOR THE, UH, CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS, RIGHT? SO THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION NECESSARILY SAYING THAT THIS IS HOW WE WANT, UH, THE CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS TO BE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS. IT'S ESSENTIALLY SAYING, AS LONG AS WE ARE EVOLVING THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK IN THE NEXT THREE OR TWO YEARS, UH, TO KIND OF KEEP UP WITH THE TIMELINES, ET CETERA. THIS IS, UH, THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SAME. WE STARTED WITH ELEVATE AND KIND OF EXPANDED TO PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND THRIVE, ELEVATE, AND NEXUS, SO AS TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS IN CONTEXT. UM, I HAVE MARKED, UH, ITEMS THAT KIND OF HAD, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERABLE DEBATE. UM, JUST HIGHLIGHTED THOSE IN YELLOW. UH, SO WE ARE AWARE THAT THOSE WERE, I MEAN, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER ITEMS WHERE WE HAD DISCUSSIONS AND MAYBE NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT UNANIMOUS, BUT THESE WERE SPECIFICALLY ITEMS THAT WERE [02:00:02] CONSIDERABLY, UH, DISCUSSED AND DEBATED. UM, FOR THE GROUP THAT PARTICIPATED, THE COMMISSIONERS THAT PARTICIPATED, I ALSO, UM, JUST UPDATED TWO OR THREE LINE ITEMS, UH, SMALL ITEMS, BUT, UH, I WILL QUALIFY THEM AS I MOVE ALONG. UH, JUST BECAUSE AS CHAIR I ALSO REALIZED THAT I, IN SOME PLACES, I JUST NEEDED TO PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT OR MAKE SURE THAT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, UH, DESIRE OR THE, UM, THE, UH, THE POINT THAT WAS EXPRESSED IN THE GROUP, UH, EVEN IF IT WAS DIFFERENT, THAT IT'S DULY EXPRESSED. UM, AND JUST A REQUEST TO EVERYBODY TO LET ME, UH, GO THROUGH, UH, THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT. IT IS, IT IS, UH, A SIZABLE DOCUMENT. UM, IT'S MOSTLY BEEN PROVIDED IN THE SAME, SORRY, I TALK ABOUT PROJECTION. GOODNESS. IT'S MOSTLY BEEN PROVIDED IN THE KIND OF SAME FORMAT AS WHAT WE WOULD SEE IN THE GRANTS APPLICATIONS RIGHT NOW OR, OR ON THE WEBSITE RIGHT NOW. SO AS TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST, MY REQUEST WOULD BE TO ALLOW ME TO COMPLETE THE DOCUMENT ENTIRELY AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, WE COULD OPEN IT UP FOR, UH, DISCUSSIONS. SO, UM, FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION, WE HAD, UH, COMMISSIONER GRAY, UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, COMMISSIONER CHENEY, UH, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO AND, UH, MYSELF, WHO HAD THE OWNER OF, UH, CHAIRING THIS WORKING GROUP FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE HAD, UM, BONNIE KILLAM, I'M PROBABLY BUTCHERING HER LAST NAME, UH, BUT FROM THE VORTEX CAN RUSK, UH, INDIVIDUAL ARTIST, UH, CREATIVE AND BUSINESS WRITER, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING, UH, WRITING GRANTS. UM, JOHN REY FROM AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE MATRIX SKILL GO, UH, PRESENTED HERE, UM, AS AN INDIVIDUAL ARTIST IN THIS WORKING GROUP WITH THEATER ARTS EDUCATION BACKGROUND. UH, MATRIX ALSO DOES COME WITH CONSIDERABLE TCA BACKGROUND TONY BRAVO FROM DIVERSE SPACE DANCE THEATER, UH, AND, UH, AND CHARLOTTE PATTERSON AND, UH, SES SADA FROM DANCE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, NONPROFIT FILM BACKGROUNDS INDIVIDUALLY, BUT ALSO COMMISSIONERS, UH, FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION WHO PARTICIPATED IN SOME OF THE SESSIONS. RIGHT. SO, UM, THE WAY, UH, IF WE COULD SCROLL UP A BIT AGAIN, I'VE QUALIFY, UH, SORRY, SCROLL DOWN. YEAH, SO THE FIRST SECTION IS HOW WE DEFINE THESE PROGRAMS, RIGHT? SO HERE, INITIALLY THE IDEA STARTED WITH THRIVE AND ELEVATE, ESSENTIALLY BEING SEPARATED BY THRIVE BEING FOR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AND ELEVATE BEING FOR PROJECT SUPPORT, RIGHT? AND THEN AS WE MOVED ALONG, THE WORD INSTITUTIONAL STATUS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE GRANTS TODAY GOT REINTRODUCED TO THIS, RIGHT? AND WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT THAT, THIS MAINLY CENTERS AROUND EMERGING, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET THEM EMERGING ORGANIZATIONS TO INSTITUTIONAL STATUS. I JUST NOTED ESTABLISHED IN LEGACY AS WELL, BECAUSE THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION LATER ON TO ESTABLISH POTENTIALLY A SEPARATE FUND FOR ESTABLISHED LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS. I DID INCLUDE THEM HERE JUST TO ESTABLISH THAT AS LONG AS WE ARE WORKING WITHIN THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK SOMEWHERE, OPERATIONAL SUPPORT FOR ESTABLISHED LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS ALSO NEEDS, UH, TO BE ACCOMMODATED BASICALLY, WHETHER IT IS WITHIN THRIVE OR IN SOME OTHER FORMAT. UM, IT'S JUST EXPRESSING THAT ESSENTIALLY FOR ELEVATE, UM, IS, UM, AGAIN, SO THRIVE IS FOR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT TO HELP ART NON-PROFITS TO GET TO INSTITUTIONAL STATUS. ELEVATE WOULD BE FOR ANNUAL, OF COURSE, THAT WILL BE BIANNUAL AS IT AS IT, UH, STANDS TODAY. ELEVATE WOULD BE FOR ANNUAL PROJECT BASED SUPPORT FOR ARTS NONPROFITS, ARTS GROUPS, AND INDEPENDENT ARTISTS. IF YOU NOTE HERE, CREATIVE BUSINESSES, WE ARE REMOVED FROM THIS GROUP, UM, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF A RECOMMENDATION FROM THIS PARTICULAR WORKING GROUP NEXUS, MOVING IT BACK TO SEMI-ANNUAL, UH, ROLLOUTS. AND SO THIS IS FOR SEMI-ANNUAL SHORT-TERM PROJECT BASED SUPPORT FOR ARTS NONPROFITS, INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND ARTS GROUPS. AGAIN, WE HAVE REMOVED CREATIVE BUSINESSES FROM, UH, FROM HERE IF WE COULD MOVE FORWARD PLEASE. SO THIS SECTION IS ABOUT ELIGIBILITY, RIGHT? SO THRIVE, THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WOULD BE ARTS NONPROFITS, AND THAT ORGANIZATION SHOULD BE REGISTERED AS AN ARTS NONPROFIT FOR MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS WHAT IT IS TODAY, AND HAVE DEMONSTRATED CREATIVE HISTORY FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. AGAIN, THERE WERE DISCUSSIONS HERE AROUND SHOULD THERE BE A MINIMUM BUDGET AND [02:05:01] WHAT AMOUNT SHOULD THAT BE? WE STARTED OUT AROUND 200 K IN THE CONTEXT OF TALKING ABOUT EMERGING GROUPS, NEW AND EMERGING GROUPS, 200 K SEEMS LIKE A VERY HIGH BARRIER FOR ENTRY. SO WE HAVE KEPT IT AT 50 K. THERE WERE ALSO FURTHER CONVERSATIONS AROUND HAVING FISCAL SPONSORS AND MATCHING FUNDS IN THIS CATEGORY AS WELL. BUT WE, UH, DECIDED TO REMOVE THOSE AND LEAVE A MINIMUM OPERATING BUDGET AS THE, UM, ENTRY CRITERIA FOR THRIVE. MOVING ON, FOR ELEVATE FOR ARTS, NONPROFITS, ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE REGISTERED AS A NONPROFIT FOR A MINIMUM OF THREE YEARS AND HAVE DEMONSTRATED CREATIVE HISTORY FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AS WELL AS ARTS GROUPS. LATER ON, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE DEMONSTRATIVE CREATIVE, CREATIVE HISTORY REQUIREMENT IS OF TWO YEARS HERE. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION AROUND GOING BACK TO REQUIRING PHYSICAL FISCAL, UH, SPONSORSHIP LIKE IT USED TO BE IN THE PAST, BEFORE THE LAST SET OF PILOT CHANGES WERE MADE, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, IF WE DO HAVE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, THEN FISCAL SPONSORSHIP BE LIMITED TO 10% OF GRANT OR LESS. SPONSORING ENTITIES SHOULD MEET ACCEPTED STANDARDS FOR SPONSORING QUALIFICATIONS, SEPARATION OF FUNDS, FINANCIAL PROCESSES, MEETING GAP, DO NOT SHARE STAFF WITH SPONSORED PROJECTS, ET CETERA. ESSENTIALLY, THE IDEA BEING THAT THERE IS STRINGENT CRITERIA ON WHAT A FISCAL SPONSOR CAN GET IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SPONSORSHIP FEE AND WHAT IS THE CRITERIA THAT DEFINES, UH, A FISCAL SPONSOR. THE NEXT PART PIECE OF THIS WAS ALL APPLICANTS NEED 50% MATCHING FUNDS, INCLUDING IN KIND ALL POSSIBLE STAFF EXPLORATION OF QUESTIONS THAT WOULD HIGHLIGHT THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. HERE. THERE WAS DISCUSSION AROUND THE STANDARD BEING A HUNDRED PERCENT, AND KIND OF AS A MIDDLE GROUND WE CAME UP WITH THE GROUP CAME UP WITH, OKAY, MAYBE THIS COULD BE 50%, UH, MATCHING GRANTS IN MATCHING FUNDS, INCLUDING IN KIND AND AS, SO AGAIN, IT'S THESE ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. SO THESE WERE CONSIDERABLY DISCUSSED. AND ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT WAS ADDED WAS, OKAY, WHY, WHY DO WE, WHY ARE WE LOOKING FOR THIS? RIGHT? WE ARE LOOKING FOR THIS TO KIND OF ESTABLISH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ESSENTIALLY, RIGHT? SO THE OPTION OF POSSIBLE EXPLORATION OF QUESTIONS THAT WOULD THEN PRESENT THE SAME, UH, EVIDENCE WAS ALSO PUT IN THERE. SO THAT'S FOR, UM, UH, IF YOU SCROLL DOWN FURTHER, YOU WOULD SEE THAT IT'S DETAILED SAME CRITERIA AS FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS FOR ARTS GROUPS AS WELL. A MINIMUM CREATIVE HISTORY OF TWO, TWO YEARS AND REQUIRING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND REQUIRING A 50% MATCHING FUND. ALL INCLUDING IN KIND, IF YOU MOVE DOWN TO NEXUS HERE, THIS IS FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, ARTS GROUPS AND ARTS NONPROFITS. DEMONSTRATIVE CREATIVE HISTORY OF PAST ONE FOR THE PAST ONE YEAR, NO FISCAL SPONSORSHIP REQUIREMENT, NO MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRED. THE NEXT THING IS HOW WOULD THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES BE FUNDED BETWEEN THESE DIFFERENT GRANT PROGRAMS, RIGHT? SO FOR THRIVE, WHICH IS FOR OPERATIONAL CORE SUPPORT GRANTS ON A BIENNIAL BASIS, IF YOU COULD HOLD THAT, THANK YOU. THE GRANT AMOUNTS FOR NON-PROFIT ORGS ORGS UP TO 50% OF THE AVERAGE OF THE PAST TWO YEARS OF OPERATING BUDGET WITH A CAP OF 150,000 MAXIMUM IN GRANT AMOUNT. SO THE IDEA HERE WAS ESSENTIALLY ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY BROUGHT UP AND ALSO WAS BROUGHT UP STRONGLY IN THIS WORKING GROUP, WAS THAT PERHAPS WE ARE NOT CONSIDERING OPERATIONAL BUDGETS AT ALL IN WHEN WE ARE DECIDING THE GRANT AMOUNTS. SO EVEN TO GET AN ENTITY TO AN INSTITUTIONAL STATUS, SAY THEY'RE OPERATING AT A BUDGET, AND I'M JUST THROWING THIS AS AN EXAMPLE OF $5,000, YOU KNOW, WOULD IT BE THE BEST IDEA TO NOW GIVE THAT ENTITY 80 5K, 250 K FOR TWO YEARS IN A ROW? AND IS THAT TRULY SUSTAINABLE FOR AN ORGANIZATION TO GET TO INSTITUTIONAL STATUS? WHAT IF AFTER TWO YEARS THEY DON'T GET THE GRANT, WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SCALE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY MEET THOSE NUMBERS? RIGHT? SO THIS, WHILE STILL GIVING THE GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE GONE TO MAYBE SAY RIGHT NOW AT 50 K WOULD GIVE THE GRANTS AT 50%. SO THAT ORGANIZATION THAT HAS 50 K OPERATING BUDGET NOW GETS A GRANT OF 20 5K FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. SO THAT IS THE IDEA HERE, ESSENTIALLY. BUT ALSO TO CAP IT ON THE OTHER SIDE, IF IT'S A $400,000 OPERATING BUDGET ORGANIZATION, THEY WOULD STILL GET ONE 50 K MAXIMUM FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. THE NEXT POINT [02:10:01] IS IT PROVIDES INCREMENTAL GROWTH SCALING. UM, I THINK HERE, UH, IF YOU COULD SCROLL DOWN A BIT, I'VE JUST GIVEN EXAMPLES. AN ORGANIZATION WITH AVERAGE 50,000 OPERATING BUDGET CAN GET GET UP TO 20 5K IN GRANT FUNDS MAKING THEIR POTENTIAL ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET AT 70 5K PER YEAR FOR THE SUBSEQUENT TWO YEARS. IF IT'S A HUNDRED K OPERATING BUDGET ORGANIZATION, THEY CAN GET UP TO 50 K IN GRANT FUNDS MAKING THEIR POTENTIAL ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET AT ONE 50 K FOR THE SUBSEQUENT TWO YEARS. AN ORGANIZATION NOW WITH $500,000 IN AVERAGE OPERATING BUDGET CAN GET A MAXIMUM OF 150,000. THAT'S THE CAP IN GRANT FUNDS MAKING THEIR POTENTIAL ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET AT SIX 50 K PER YEAR FOR THE SUBSEQUENT TWO YEARS FURTHER DOWN. SO THE GOAL HERE IS TO, UH, OF THRIVE IS ALSO, THIS IS REITERATING, UM, THE IDEA OF GETTING SMALL, MEDIUM EMERGING ORGANIZATIONS TO INSTITUTIONAL STATUS TO EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT A DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM. ECOSYSTEM OF ORGANIZATIONS THRIVE CAN STRATEGICALLY PRIORITIZE GRANTS FOR ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE A FINANCIAL BOOST TO ADVANCE THEIR DEVELOPMENT BY ALLOCATING FUNDS TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT NEED THIS CRITICAL SUPPORT. THRIVE CAN HELP LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, ENABLING SMALLER OR MID-SIZED ORGANIZATIONS TO SCALE UP AND ENHANCE THEIR IMPACT. THIS IS WHERE, AGAIN, I DO WANT TO QUALIFY THAT EARLY ON THROUGH THE GROUP DISCUSSIONS, THERE WERE, THERE WAS ALSO THE INTENTIONALITY OF WANTING THESE FUNDS TO ALSO CATER TO MORE ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATIONS, UM, WHETHER WITHIN THIS BUCKET OR OUTSIDE OF IT. AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS ALSO NEW IN THAT AN ORGANIZATION CAN RECEIVE UP TO TWO CYCLES OF THRIVE GRANTS IN A SIX YEAR PERIOD. SO IF YOU GET TWO SUBSEQUENT THRIVE GRANTS, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK, OR, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD GET IT FOR TWO YEARS TO TAKE A BREAK AND COME BACK AND, AND, AND GET THE GRANT FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS. SO IT'S BASICALLY CAPPING HOW MANY TIMES AN ORGANIZATION CAN GET A GRANT. THE THRIVE GRANT, WITHIN A SIX YEAR PERIOD, THAT PERIOD OF SIX YEARS WAS ALSO DEBATED, DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, 6, 8, 10. BUT THE IDEA IS TO KIND OF PUT SOME LIMITATIONS AROUND IT, REALLY WITHIN ELEVATE, UM, ELEVATE FOR PROJECT BASED GRANTS. SO HERE THE TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT ARE GONNA BE FUNDED. THERE WAS DEFINITELY, UH, DISCUSSION AROUND A NEED TO REALLY KIND OF AT LEAST GIVE A, A BROAD FRAMEWORK OF LIKE, WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS DO WE WANT TO FUND. SO, AND WE HAVE JUST PUT, UH, THE NEA, UH, LINK AS A REFERENCE. AND, UH, THE GOAL, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA WAS TO ESSENTIALLY KIND OF REALLY, UH, EMULATE SOME OF THAT WITHIN ELEVATE THE GRANT AMOUNTS FOR NONPROFIT ORG. AGAIN, UP TO 50% OF THE AVERAGE OF THE PAST TWO YEARS OF OPERATING BUDGET WITH A CAP OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND MAXIMUM IN GRANT AMOUNTS, INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS WITH FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AT 10 K TO 30 K BASED ON PROJECT ASK. UM, I THINK I WOULD JUST SEND AN UPDATED COPY AND MARK THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW AS WELL. UM, I'LL GET AN UPDATE TO YOU. UM, BUT HERE AGAIN, 10 TO 30 KS, 30 KS, I THINK THE UPPER LIMIT RIGHT NOW FOR ELEVATE ANYWAY, FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND, UH, UM, AND, UH, ARTS GROUPS. UM, THE NET NEW POTENTIALLY THAT YOU SEE IS THE REQUIREMENT FOR FISCAL SPONSORSHIP. UM, NEXUS IS GRANT AMOUNTS AT 2.5 K, 5K, AND 10 K GRANTS BASED ON PROJECT ASK. SO WE ARE ASKING THAT THE NEXUS BUCKET BE EXPANDED, UM, AND ALSO THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS BE, UH, KIND OF VARIED BASED ON THE PROJECT, ASK AND, UH, AND, AND BE GIVEN OUT TO LIKE INDIVIDUALS, ARTISTS AND, UH, NEW NONPROFITS POTENTIALLY GOING FORWARD. SCORING CRITERIA. UM, A LOT OF THIS DISCUSSION ALSO COMES FROM THIS IDEA THAT WE HAVE OFTEN HEARD EVEN THAT THE COMMISSION IS PUTTING ART BACK IN THE ARTS GRANTS, RIGHT? SO THIS WAS PRETTY MUCH ADOPTED FROM TCA, ESSENTIALLY PUTTING EMPHASIS ON ARTISTIC QUALITY AT 50% ARTISTIC SIGNIFICANCE, QUALITY OF WORK OF ARTS, UM, QUALITY OF ARTISTS, IMPACT OF ARTISTS, QUALITY OF SERVICES. THE NEXT ONE, IF YOU COULD SCROLL DOWN, IS CAPABILITY AT 25% ADMINISTRATIVE CAP CAPABILITY, PERSONNEL DEMONSTRATED HISTORY, BUDGET PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION. AND THE LAST 25% FOR IMPACT, UH, INCLUDING PUBLIC SERVICE, AUDIENCE OR PARTICIPANTS, ECONOMIC IMPACT AND TOURISM AND OUTREACH MOVING FORWARD. [02:15:01] THIS IS AROUND THE PANELS. WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF FEEDBACK AROUND HOW THE PANELS HAVE BEEN CONS CONSTITUTED HOW THEY HAVE OPERATED SO FAR IN THE PILOT IS, AND THESE ARE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND PANELS, PANEL COMPOSITION, DOMAIN EXPERTISE REQUIRED COMBINATION OF LOCAL AND NEUTRAL REVIEWERS SCORING ADJUSTMENTS. THIS WAS ONE THING. UM, THIS FOR ME PERSONALLY IS A PET PEEVE. UM, IN THAT, ARE WE NORMALIZING SCORES WITHIN THE PANELS? UM, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS A PANELIST IN ONE OF THE PANELS THAT ALWAYS GIVES A FIVE, AND THAT'S THE HIGHEST THEY WILL EVER GIVE. AND IT IS A SEVEN FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. SO ARE WE NORMALIZING THE SCORES? UM, ARE WE ALSO ADDRESSING SITUATIONS WHERE FIVE PANELISTS HAVE GIVEN A HIGH SCORE AND THEN THERE'S ONE PANELIST WHO GIVES A THREE, AND THEN THEIR ENTIRE SCORE COMES DOWN? SO HOW ARE WE HANDLING THOSE SITUATIONS? UH, SO THESE ARE JUST SUGGESTIONS AROUND IT. I THINK NORMALIZING SCORES IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT IN MY MIND. TRANSPARENCY, A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AROUND WHETHER WE NEED TO HAVE, UH, OPEN TO PUBLIC PANELS WHERE THE PANELISTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UM, ASK QUESTIONS TO THE APPLICANT, ET CETERA. UM, AND IT'S ALSO UNIQUE TO AUSTIN THAT WE HAVE HAD OPEN PANELS. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT'S NOT STANDARD PROCESS ACROSS MANY ARTS GRANTS. SO WITHIN TRANSPARENCY, APPLICANT'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE CLARIFICATION WITHIN A SET TIMEFRAME ON INQUIRIES FROM PANEL. SO THIS, THIS COULD BE VIRTUAL, UM, YOU KNOW, A QUESTION, SOME CLARIFICATIONS ARE ASKED, UH, OR SUBMITTABLE WITH, UH, MAYBE A ONE ONE WEEK OR A TWO WEEK DEADLINE FOR THE, UM, APPLICANT TO REPLY BACK. I KNOW RALLY AUSTIN HAS USED THIS IN THE PAST. APPLICANT'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE ANSWERS IN LIVE SESSION TO PANEL, LIKE IT USED TO BE DONE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, APPLICANT'S ABILITY TO VIEW IN REAL TIME THEIR INDIVIDUAL APPLICATION PANEL ONLY. SO THIS IS ADDRESSES SOME OF THE CONCERN AROUND APPLICANT'S POTENTIALLY NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT ARE MADE, UH, AT THESE PANELS. AND, UH, UH, MAYBE NOT, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT ENTIRELY PUBLIC, BUT LET, LET AN APPLICANT JUST VIEW THEIR PARTICULAR PANEL, UH, PANEL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT TO PROVIDE CLARIFICATIONS TO PANELISTS AND KEEP THINGS ON TRACK HERE. THEY WERE KIND OF ALMOST, THESE ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE THERE WAS CONCERN ALSO EXPRESSED IN MODERATORS BEING ON THESE PANELS AND INFLUENCING, POTENTIALLY INFLUENCING DECISIONS IF THEY KEPT INTERVENING AND, UH, REMINDING FOLKS OR A CERTAIN PYRAMID PARAMETER OR THE OTHER ON THE OTHER SIDE, IT SEEMED TO MAKE SENSE THAT THERE ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXP EXPERTS, EXPERTS ON THE PANEL WHO KNOW EXACTLY HOW THESE THINGS NEED TO BE RUN AND PROVIDE YOU FEEDBACK AND KEEP THE PANELISTS ON TRACK. THE NEXT ONE IS RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING. ACTIVELY RECRUIT SPECIALIZED PANELISTS ACROSS DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES FOR DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE. SPECIFIC REVIEWS CLEARLY COMMUNICATE SCORING CRITERIA TO ENSURE FAIRNESS AND UNDERSTANDING FOR EVALUATION, SEPARATE EVALUATION, SEPARATE EVALUATIONS INTO THREE CATEGORIES, INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, ARTS GROUPS, AND NONPROFITS TO ENSURE FAIR TAILORED ASSESSMENTS. ALSO, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO DO DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC EVALUATIONS WITHIN EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES TO ENHANCE ACCURACY AND RELEVANCE IN THE REVIEW PROCESS. SO WE ARE ASKING FOR SEPARATION OF INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, ARTS GROUPS AND NONPROFITS INTO DIFFERENT PANELS, AND WITHIN THESE ENTITIES ALSO DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC EVALUATIONS ESSENTIALLY MOVING FORWARD. THIS IS THE LAST SECTION. THERE'S AN OVERARCHING SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS HERE. APPLICANTS RECEIVE THEIR SCORES WITH COMMENTS TO IMPROVE FUTURE APPLICATIONS, CHANGE GRANT NAMES TO REFLECT THE PURPOSE, EXAMPLE PROJECT GRANT OR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT, BUT JUST BE VERY CLEAR IN THE GRANT NAME ITSELF AS TO WHAT THAT GRANT NAME IS, THAT GRANT IS FOR, AND WHO THE AUDIENCE IS. UTILIZE CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE IN GRANT APPLICATIONS, BOTH THE SECOND ONE AND THE THIRD ONE CAME UP MULTIPLE TIMES. USE CLEAR JARGON-FREE LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE APPLICANTS, THEIR WORK PROJECT, DETAILS, IMPACT AND AUDIENCE. THIS ENSURES ACCESSIBILITY BROADENS THE APPLICATION POOL AND MAKES THE GRANT PROCESS MORE INCLUSIVE. EXPAND MARKETING OF GRANT PROGRAMS, PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES TO THE COMMUNITY. WE TOUCHED UPON THIS BEFORE. UM, THE WAY I SEE THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, COULD WE ALSO MARKET IN, IN, IN THE, IN THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, AND OTHER LANGUAGE MEDIA AS WELL, ALONG WITH, UM, JUST THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. THEN OF COURSE, UM, POST PROGRAM METRICS FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS [02:20:01] AND GRANTS PROGRAM. THIS IS WHERE THE IDEA OF ESTABLISHING A A SEPARATE PIPELINE FOR LEGACY ORGANIZATION COMES IN, ESTABLISHING A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING PIPELINE FOR LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS IN NEED OF OPERATIONAL SUPPORT, DEVELOPING A DEDICATED FUNDING STREAM FOR LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS, ARTS AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS WITH A LONGSTANDING HISTORY OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY, DEMONSTRATING SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL IMPACT, AND MAINTAINING A TRACK RECORD OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. THESE ORGANIZATIONS MAY HAVE BEEN FOUNDATIONAL TO THE LOCAL ARTS ECOSYSTEM, BUT MAY NOT MEET THE SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA OF THE THRIVE PROGRAM DUE TO FUNDING STRUCTURES, EVOLVING GRANT REQUIREMENTS, OR SHIFTING PRIORITIES IN ARTS FUNDING. IF YOU COULD GO, GO UP A BIT. YEAH, SO THE LAST ONE, I SPLIT THIS INTO TWO PIECES OF REVIEW AND APPROVAL BECAUSE BOTH HAD COME UP IN THE MEETING, THE A CME DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE GRANT PROGRAM GUIDELINES DRAFT, UH, TO THE ARTS COMMISSION WITH REASONABLE TIME FOR THE ARTS COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR A CME TO INCORPORATE ARTS COMMISSION'S FEEDBACK AS SUITABLE INTO THE GUIDELINES. SO THIS IS ASKING FOR AN ON-TIME REVIEW AND THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK IN A TIMELY MANNER THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED FOR INCORPORATION INTO THE GRANTS. UM, AND THE NEXT ONE, UH, SORRY. AND THIS WILL ENSURE ALIGNMENT WITH COMMUNITY GOALS, TRANSPARENCY AND STAKEHOLDER TRUST. THE NEXT ONE, UH, DIDN'T, DIDN'T HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, COMPLETE AGREEMENT ON THIS, BUT SINCE IT HAS COME UP, IT'S, IT'S MADE ITS WAY TO THE RECOMMENDATION ARTS COMMISSION TO APPROVE GRANT PROGRAM GUIDELINES, DRAFT OVERALL, THE ABOUT RECOMMENDATIONS, PROVIDE ABOUT RECOMMENDATION PROVIDES A STRUCTURED APPROACH TO FUNDING, ELIGIBILITY AND EVALUATION, ENSURING TRANSPARENCY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS IN GRANT ALLOCATION. UM, WITH THAT, I'LL YIELD TO THE CHAIR AND, UH, IF YOU WANNA SCROLL UP, IF THERE ARE SECTIONS THAT FOLKS WANT TO COMMENT ON OR DISCUSS, UM, PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. WELL, A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE WORKING GROUP, UM, THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS AND THE, UH, FACILITATORS OF THAT GROUP. I THINK YOU GUYS DID SOME AMAZING WORK. AND JUST A REMINDER TO THE ROOM, THIS ISN'T FOR ALL OF US TO AGREE UPON IN A UNANIMOUS WAY. THIS WAS A SURVEY OF FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND IT IS NOT A, UM, DICTATION TO STAFF THAT THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE'VE ASKED FOR. THIS IS WHAT THEY'VE AGREED TO REFERENCE IN THE CONTINUOUS SHAPING OF THESE, UM, GUIDELINES. AND SO I THINK THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY. ONE, I WANT TO HEAR FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO SPEAK UP AND CAN ADD TO THIS, UM, WONDERFUL DOCUMENT. BUT, UM, BUT, OH, SORRY, I HAD ANOTHER THOUGHT AND I JUST LOST IT. UM, BUT WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT WE FEEL STRONGLY FOR OR AGAINST. I DO WANNA POINT OF CLARIFICATION IN THE FIRST TALKING ABOUT THRIVE, JESUS PENTAL, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, CURRENTLY THE REQUIREMENT IS YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR FIVE YEARS AND A NONPROFIT AT THE TIME OF THE SUBMISSION. SO YOU, THAT THIS HAS BEEN A VERY CONFUSING ASPECT FOR LONGSTANDING, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE YOU SAID LET'S KEEP IT AS IS, WHICH IS, AND THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S, I KNOW IT'S DIFFERENT. YEAH. OKAY. SO YOU, SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO HAVE BEEN A NONPROFIT FOR FULL FIVE YEARS? YES. OKAY. JUST MAKING SURE. SAY AGAIN. IT IS REGISTERED, I BELIEVE. YEAH, THEY HAVE REGISTERED AS A NONPROFIT. THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE. BUT OUR, THE IN THE VERBAL CONVERSATION WAS YEAH. JUST AS IT IS NOW, AND IT'S LIKE, THAT'S NOT HOW IT IS NOW, RIGHT? SO THAT THIS IS A CHANGE TO THE CURRENT ONE. OKAY. JUST CLARIFY. YEAH. SHARE THIS MINUTE. IF I MAY, JUST, IF I MAY, JUST QUICKLY, YES. ONE OF THE, OF COURSE, UNDERSTANDING, FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS WORKING GROUP IS ALSO THAT THIS IS A SUBSET OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, RIGHT? SO THE UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A CME AS, AS, UH, THE DIRECTOR WILL PROFOUNDLY STATED, WILL CONTINUE A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POST THIS. ALSO, THE WORKING GROUP HAS THE ABILITY TO CONTINUE WITH A NEW SET OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE EVEN NEW SET OF COMMISSIONERS TO KIND OF KEEP EVOLVING THESE. SO RIGHT NOW, THIS IS A BASELINE SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL GO FROM US TO STAFF TO CONSIDER, AND WE'LL MOVE FORWARD FROM THERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER NEY. YES. SO I WANT, I ALSO WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING AS WELL. UM, THERE WERE A FEW PARTS, UM, THAT WERE NOT HIGHLIGHTED YELLOW THAT I DON'T NECESSARILY ALIGN WITH, UM, WHICH IS THE [02:25:01] 50% OF THE BUDGET FOR THRIVE. UM, AND ALSO, UM, NOT THAT THE 50% OF LIKE THE, THE MATCH. YEAH. SO, UM, I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT. UM, BUT I DID WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JUST LANGUAGE IN GENERAL. AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE A LOT OF OUR CONFUSION AS A COMMUNITY, UM, STEMS FROM, AND I'M REALLY KIND OF TALKING TO STAFF WHEN I'M SAYING THIS, IS THAT WE NEED TO BETTER DEFINE, LIKE, WHAT DOES, LIKE, ESTABLISHED VERSUS LEGACY ARE ACTUALLY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, RIGHT? A LEGACY ORGANIZATION MIGHT MEAN SOMETHING TO ME, BUT IT MIGHT MEAN SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO YOU. JESUS, AN ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATION MIGHT MEAN A DEFINITION TO ME, BUT AGAIN, YOURS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT. AND SO ME AS A, AS A PERSON THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE APPLYING FOR THESE AS A NONPROFIT LEADER AND THEN ALSO A COMMISSIONER, I'M, I'M SEEING BOTH, BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM, RIGHT? AND I THINK OVERALL IN ALL OF THE GRANTS, IT THAT WE NEED TO REALLY DEFINE WHAT WE MEAN BY LEGACY. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ESTABLISHED? AND WE'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, BUT I STILL THINK IT'S REALLY AMBIGUOUS. AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO READ THE STORY THE WAY THEY WANT IT TO BE READ IF WE DON'T DEFINE IT REALLY STRONGLY. UM, SOME THINGS THAT I DON'T AGREE WITH, UM, IS I, I THINK FISCAL SPONSORSHIP SHOULD JUST BE OPTIONAL ACROSS THE BOARD. I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD REQUIRE THAT. AND HERE'S MY REASON WHY. I WOULD LOVE MORE DATA. I WOULD LOVE TO STUDY DATA ON WHAT THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ARE VERSUS WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THIS, UM, GRANT CYCLE THAT WE'VE JUST HAD WITHOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP. BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT INFORMATION, I'M MAKING AN UNINFORMED DECISION BASED ON LIKE MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, WHICH I DON'T THINK SPEAKS TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. UM, I ALSO THINK THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP CAN BE A REALLY GOOD THING, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE A VERY PREDATORY THING. AND SO KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THE STANDARDS, I JUST DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE YET AS A, AS A NEW DIVISION, BUT ALSO AS, UM, A COMMUNITY. UM, AND THEN, UM, THE JARGON, AGAIN, GOING WITH ACCESSIBILITY WITH LANGUAGE. THE MEASURE STUDY, WHICH I CITED EARLIER IN THE CONVERSATION, WAS REALLY TELLING THAT FOLKS THAT ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN, UH, THE WORKSHOPS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WHERE THEY KIND OF DEMYSTIFIED THE CRITERIA OF SCORING THOSE APPLICANTS HISTORICALLY, DATA PROVES SCORED HIGHER THAN THOSE THAT DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THOSE OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS. AND SO, MEASURES FEEDBACK WAS MAYBE YOU MAKE THE WORKSHOPS MANDATORY. I ACTUALLY DON'T AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK THAT IF YOUR GRANT IS SO, UH, CONFUSING LANGUAGE WISE TO PEOPLE, THAT THOSE QUESTIONS NEED TO BE SIMPLIFIED. LIKE, WHO IS THIS FOR? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU DOING, WHAT IS THE IMPACT? LIKE, THOSE ARE, I FEEL, THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ASKING. NOT, YOU KNOW, ASKING THREE DIFFERENT THINGS IN FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS IN ONE QUESTION, WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED. UM, AND I JUST, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT'S REALLY WEIRD IF SOMEBODY HAS TO HAVE A, A, A ONE-ON-ONE MEETING TO DEMYSTIFY. AND I THINK THAT'S A GATEKEEPING ISSUE WITHIN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES OF GATEKEEPING KNOWLEDGE, GATEKEEPING MONEY, GATEKEEPING RESOURCES. I WANNA MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE MONEY, I MEAN, TO GET MONEY TO GET GRANTS. BUT I ALSO WANT TO DEFINE WHO ARE THOSE GROUPS OF PEOPLE. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY LAST THING, AND THEN I'LL STOP TALKING. UM, WHICH IS, UM, I LOST MY, I LOST MY THOUGHT BECAUSE I'M TALKING SO MUCH. UM, UH, I DON'T REMEMBER, BUT I WAS GOING TO, OH, YES. THE MATCHING FUNDS, I'M SORRY, THE MATCHING FUNDS. SO I DON'T THINK FOR ELEVATE THAT THERE SHOULD BE MATCHING FUNDS. AND HERE'S WHY. AGAIN, Y'ALL TOOK THAT AWAY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO STUDY THAT DATA. I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS THE IMPACT? DID IT STRIP AWAY BARRIERS FROM PEOPLE THAT WERE HISTORICALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, UM, BARRED FROM GETTING FUNDS? WHAT IS THE DATA THAT PROVES HA HAVING A MATCH MEANS THAT YOU HAVE MORE COMMUNITY IMPACT? JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE MORE MONEY DOESN'T MEAN, OR MORE RESOURCES DOESN'T MEAN YOUR ART IS MORE IMPACTFUL. AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO CHALLENGE US AS A COMMUNITY TO RETHINK THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ART AND WHY WE'RE INVESTING IN IT. AND OTHER [02:30:01] MEASURES THAT WE COULD TAKE TO KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SEE THE PROCESSES, SEE THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, SEE THE COMMUNITY IMPACT IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THAT ISN'T PERPETUATING THE SAME ISSUES THAT I HAD WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND I KNOW Y'ALL ARE LIKE, MAN, SHE'S REALLY TALKING SMACK TONIGHT ABOUT THEM. BUT I DID HAVE PROBLEMS WITH IT BECAUSE IT WAS EQUATING ARTS TO GENERATION OF CAPITAL. AND WHILE I KNOW WE LIVE IN A CAPITALISTIC SOCIETY, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY REIMAGINE OUR GRANT MAKING AS A COMMUNITY AND REALLY MAKE IT AN EQUITABLE PROCESS THAT IS KIND OF REMOVING THIS LIKE, SYSTEMIC FINANCIAL BARRIER AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT'S LIKE PERFECT, AND I DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS RIGHT NOW, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE IS A MORE MEANINGFUL, I THINK MY MICROPHONE, YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY. MORE, MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THAT WE CAN, UM, STUDY THAT, BUT ALSO SUPPORT IT. I, I'M A DATA DRIVEN PERSON AND I JUST DON'T THINK WITH SOME OF THESE CHANGES, I, WE HAVE THE DATA TO SUPPORT PUTTING THEM BACK IN, BECAUSE HISTORICALLY THEY HAVE BEEN BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE. SO THAT'S MY PIECE. PROBABLY HAVE MORE TO SAY, BUT I'M GONNA STOP TALKING. IT'LL COME TO THE SURFACE, I'M SURE. AND LIKE, AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER TO EVERYBODY AT HOME AND PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED ISSUES WERE THINGS THAT THERE WAS NOT NECESSARILY CONSENSUS ON. SO AS A NOTE TO STAFF, LIKE, TAKE THIS INFORMATION AND WORK WITH IT. UH, COMMISSIONER CHARLA. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE ANOTHER QUICK CLARIFICATION THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO UPDATE THE DOCUMENT IN THAT IN THRIVE, WHEN WE SAY IT CAPS AT ONE 50 MAX, RIGHT NOW, WHEN THRIVE HAS A MAX OF ONE 50, IT'S ONE 50 A ONE, IT'S ONE 50 YEAR TWO, AND I THINK WE SHOULD SAY ONE 50 K MAX PER YEAR, BECAUSE IT'S A BIENNIAL GRANT. SO WE ARE NOT SAYING IT'S ONE 50 FOR TWO YEARS. WE'LL LEAVE IT AT ONE 50 K AS THE MAXIMUM CAP FOR EACH YEAR, BASICALLY. SO PLEASE NOTE THAT UPDATE. UM, I'LL UPDATE IT AND SEND IT ACROSS. BUT YEAH, RIGHT NOW IT STANDS AT ONE 50 K CAP PER YEAR. SO RECIPIENT WOULD GET ONE 50 AND ONE 50. YEAH. THANK YOU. PERFECT. UH, COMMISSIONER GRAY. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, 'CAUSE I, UH, I HAVE A, A FEW THINGS IN AGREEMENT AND, UH, OVER THE MANY HOURS WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS ALL TOGETHER. WE'VE BEEN IN, WE'VE HAD, UH, INCREDIBLE, UM, CONVERSATIONS WE REALLY HAVE. 'CAUSE WE'RE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF. UM, KIND OF REITERATE THE SAME THING, BUT A DIFFERENT WAY MAYBE TO SAY IT. UH, NOT BETTER, NOT WORSE, BUT FOR EVERYTHING, WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO? OR THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY? PERIOD. AND WHATEVER QUESTIONS, SIMPLICITY, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? WHERE ARE YOU GONNA DO IT? HAVE YOU DONE IT BEFORE? HOW ARE YOU GONNA DO IT? YOU GOT ANY MONEY? SO BACK TO MATCHING. AND I KNOW, I THINK I'M ABOUT AS LOUD AS I'M, YEAH. SORRY. SO LOOK AT ME FUNNY WHEN I'M LOUD. SO, UM, MATCHING FUNDS TO ME SHOWS THAT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, THE CITY AND US TOGETHER. AND I'M A BIG BELIEVER. UM, AND OTHER COMMISSION, AT LEAST ONE OTHER COMMISSIONER IS, IS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND IT'S COME UP. I FEEL THAT MATCHING FUNDS, ANCHOR SUSTAINABILITY, IT ANCHORS THE COMMUNITY. AND THERE'S OTHER WAYS TO SHOW IT. THERE'S FOR SURE OTHER WAYS TO SHOW IT, BUT IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT THE RIGHT SHOE, YOU GOT THE LEFT, NOW WE CAN WALK TOGETHER. AND I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR THIS. THIS IS NOT A CHARITY. IT IS, IT'S NOT A, A SUBSIDY IN THE ESSENCE THAT YOU CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT US. IT IS AN INVESTMENT. THE CITY IS INVESTING IN YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE INVESTING IN YOURSELF. THAT'S HOW STRONGLY I FEEL ABOUT MATCHING GRANTS. UM, BUT YES, BACK TO WHAT, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER ERNI WAS SAYING. I JUST MESSED YOUR NAME UP IN THIS. I KNOW THAT WAS REALLY BAD. UM, KANEY, UH, KANEY KA . I'M SO SORRY, BABE. UM, I FORGOT MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. UM, SIMPLICITY. IT GOES BACK TO SIMPLICITY. JUST EASY. VERY SIMPLE. THE NAMES OF THE GRANTS ARE SIMPLE. THIS IS ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT. THIS IS PROJECT SUPPORT. SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE, NO FANCY WORDS. AND AGAIN, FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS TO ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS. NO, JUST WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY. IT'S THINK IT'D BE THAT SIMPLE. AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S SERVED ON THIS THUS FAR, AND I HOPE I'M PART OF THE PROCESS IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. SO I WAS PART OF THIS WORKING GROUP, AND FOR ME, IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT [02:35:01] TO ALSO EXPRESS THAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE 50% MATCH. AND I HAVE SOME NOTES HERE. UH, I THINK FOR INDEPENDENT CREATIVES, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE NETWORK, UM, THAT LARGER ORGANIZATIONS WOULD HAVE, IT WOULD BE VERY HARD FOR THEM TO FIND THOSE MATCH THAT MATCH MONEY. UH, I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC. UM, AS WELL, I HAVE HERE THAT, UM, I THINK MAKING IT A UPFRONT REQUIREMENT COULD BE DISCOURAGING. I THINK IT'S A MICRO INVALIDATION, UM, AND CAN BE JUST RIGHT OUT THE GATE INTIMIDATING FOR PEOPLE, UH, AND WOULD CREATE THAT BARRIER TO MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. SO I'M DEFINITELY AGAINST THAT 50% MATCH. COMMISSIONER GRAY, JUST SECOND THOUGHT ON THAT. HOW DO YOU FEEL, HOWEVER, ABOUT THAT THERE REALLY IS A THREE, AT LEAST RIGHT NOW, A THREE-TIERED, THREE DOORS TO WALK INTO, UM, ABOUT HOW NEXUS CAN FALL INTO THAT. AND, UM, UH, EARLIER IT WAS SAID THAT PERHAPS NEXUS GROWS, IT'S A BIGGER POT WITHOUT MATCHING, NOT NEEDING MATCHES. SO, YOU KNOW, IF IT GETS UP, I THINK THE DOCUMENT SAYS IT GOES UP TO 10, 2, 5, 10, PARDON? 2, 5, 10. YEAH. 2 5, 2 5 AND 10 10,000. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GR IF YOU DON'T HAVE GRES. ANYWAY, I THINK, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M ASKING. I, I THINK I HAVE A BIGGER CONCERN AROUND HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING AWARDED, UM, BASED ON WHAT TYPE OF OPERATING BUDGETS, UH, UH, EITHER AN A INDIVIDUAL OR ARTIST HAS OR ORGANIZATION HAS. MY CONCERN WOULD BE MORE ALONG THOSE LINES. I THINK A BUDGET ITSELF, OPERATING BUDGET, UH, REFLECTS MORE ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT COMMITMENT IS OR HAS BEEN , UM, AND IS A LOT MORE TELLING. AND I THINK THERE'S OTHER WAYS WE CAN DO IT TO STILL FEEL LIKE THERE'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THAT THE ORGANIZATION OR ARTIST IS SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY THAN UPFRONT SAYING, WE, WE REQUIRE YOU TO MATCH AT 50%. UH, AND I DO, AND I'M NOT COMPLETELY OPPOSED TO MAYBE THERE BEING A TIER, RIGHT? THAT IT'S A 10%, 20% BASED ON THE SIZE OF A ORGANIZATION OR, OR A CREATIVE OR WHATNOT. BUT I THINK THAT THAT 50% JUST STATING THAT RIGHT OUT THE GATE THAT I'M OPPOSED TO THAT. CAN I JUMP? OH, JUST, AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED, WE'VE, THIS IS GOING IN THE SAME CIRCLE, SO IT'S A BIG, IT'S A BIG THING. UHHUH. IT'S LIKE, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO INCLUDING IN KIND, WHICH CAN INCLUDE YOUR VOLUNTEERS TO THE BASE RATE OF PAY. SO HOW IS YOUR COMMUNITY INVOLVED IF YOU REALLY DO HAVE GRASSROOTS AND THE COMMUNITY? I'M NOT ARGUING, I'M JUST ASKING A QUESTION. NO, I, I, I THINK COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT OR IN KIND VOLUNTEERS, UM, I THINK THAT DEFINITELY COULD BE FACTORED IN, BUT ULTIMATELY I THINK LIKE THESE FINAL REPORTS AND WHAT THE IMPACT IS SHOULD BE WEIGHED MORE IN. UM, I KNOW PERSONALLY AS A, YOU KNOW, LEADING A LATINO ORGANIZATION FINDING FUNDS, UM, HAS BEEN VERY CHALLENGING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I CAN, I FEEL REALLY CONFIDENT ABOUT THE TYPE OF IMPACT WE'RE MAKING. UM, SO I THINK MY ABILITY NOT TO BE ABLE TO MATCH A GRANT SHOULD NOT BE KEEP ME FROM NOT BEING CONSIDERED AS A AWARDEE. COMMISSIONER GARZA, I'M, I WAS ON THE WORKING GROUP. I WANNA MAKE SOME COMMENTS. OH, OKAY. ONE SECOND PLEASE. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON . UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT WE DID HAVE GREAT CONVERSATIONS. IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS WONDERFULLY PRODUCTIVE. THE THING THAT I KEPT COMING BACK TO WAS THAT I BELIEVE THAT CREATION IS A RIGHT, IS WHAT SETS US OFF FROM OTHER HUMAN, OTHER ANIMALS ON THE PLANET. BECAUSE WE CREATE, IT'S A RIGHT. HOWEVER, WE DON'T LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE WE CAN GIVE OUT MONEY JUST FOR YOUR CREATION. THAT WOULD BE A PATRONAGE WHERE YOU, UH, SOMEONE GIVES MONEY TO AN ARTIST AND THEY ONLY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THEIR ART AND MAYBE SHOWING UP AND HAVING GOOD DINNER CONVERSATION, BUT THEY'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING ELSE. WHAT WE NEED WITH THE CITY AND OUR CREATIVES IS A PARTNERSHIP. WE NEED THE ARTISTS TO CONTRIBUTE THE ART THAT SUSTAINS US AS A HUMANITY, BUT WE ALSO NEED THE ARTISTS TO, TO, TO PITCH IN WITH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SHOWING THAT THIS PUBLIC MONEY IS BEING USED FOR A PUBLIC PURPOSE. WE NEED TO PRIORIT PRIORITIZE THE AUDIENCE BECAUSE IT'S PUBLIC MONEY, THEN THE ARTIST, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SUPPORTING. AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATION OR WHATEVER THE, THE BACK, THE BACKGROUND OR CAPABILITY OF THE PRODUCTION IS. BUT IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE SAY IN SOME FORM, AND [02:40:01] MATCHING IS AN OLD SCHOOL METHOD. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. MAYBE THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO DO IT. NOW WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH THAT BETTER WAY BECAUSE WE DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT AT THIS TIME, BUT BEING ABLE TO SAY THAT, IF YOU CAN SHOW ME WHERE FIVE PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR YOUR PRODUCTION EVERY SINGLE NIGHT TO HAND OUT FLYERS OR HAND OUT PROGRAMS, THEN THAT'S TELLING ME THAT YOU ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY, EVEN IF IT WAS JUST THOSE FIVE PEOPLE. BUT I NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SAY TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN, THIS ART HAS VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY. BECAUSE THIS ARTIST IS WILLING TO NOT ONLY CREATE, BUT PARTICIPATE IN THE REALITY AND LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY'RE, THAT IS SUPPORTING THEM. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT SAYS, HOW ARE YOU ENGAGING THE AUDIENCE OTHER THAN YOUR CREATION ITSELF THAT I WISH WE COULD FUND JUST PERIOD. I WANNA LIVE IN THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE WHERE IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER. AND AN ARTIST CAN JUST DO ART, RIGHT? I WANT TO LIVE THERE. WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET. BUT WE CAN, WE CAN'T. THAT'S THE, IS THIS ON? BUT, BUT SEE, THAT'S MY POINT IS LIKE, WE CAN DO THAT. IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER CITIES, IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER COUNTRIES, IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER PROGRAMS ACTUALLY THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, GIVING SOMEBODY A SUM OF MONEY BASED ON THEIR APPLICATION, YOU WANTING TO INVEST INTO THAT PROJECT OR INVEST INTO THAT ORGANIZATION, THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH. IT SHOULDN'T THEN COME WITH, YOU KNOW, STRINGS ATTACHED TO IT THAT ARE MONETARY. I, I TRULY, I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL . I TRULY FEEL THAT THERE IS A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THAT WE CAN ENGAGE THE IMPACT OF A PUBLIC ARTWORK, IF THAT'S WHAT IT IS, RIGHT? IF YOU CAN PUT THIS IN ANY KIND OF CONTEXT THAT IS MORE MEANINGFUL THAN VALIDATING IT BY A DOLLAR MATCH, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THAT WE CAN DO THAT. AND I HAVE SEEN IT DONE. AND ONE WAY THAT I WILL SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW IS A FELLOWSHIP. A FELLOWSHIP. IF AN ARTIST IS GETTING A FELLOWSHIP, THEY DON'T NEED TO MATCH THAT, THOSE FUNDS. THEY CAN GO AND THEY CAN CREATE OR THEY CAN RESEARCH. AND THE, WHAT THEY BRING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY CAN'T BE QUANTIFIED IN DOLLARS. AND I, I REALLY WANT US TO THINK ABOUT ART IN THIS MORE MEANINGFUL WAY AND IN, AND NOT THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SOLE WAY. AND NO, I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER ON HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT, BUT I WOULD LOVE US TO BRING THIS ON THE TABLE AND REALLY CRITICALLY THINK ABOUT IT AS A COMMUNITY. AND THE LAST THING THAT I'M GONNA SAY ON THIS MATTER IS IT'S HOT FUNDS. SO THE ONLY STIPULATION ON THE DOLLAR IS THAT IT PROMOTES THE CITY AS A CULTURAL DESTINATION. SO LET'S THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS WITHOUT QUANTIFYING IT TO A DOLLAR. AND I GUARANTEE YOU THAT THE IMPACT OF THIS WILL BE TENFOLD. I GUARANTEE YOU, IF WE, IF WE TRULY INVEST IN ARTS IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY. BUT THAT WOULD MAKE US HAVE TO STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE SYSTEMS IN THE PAST PERPETUATE BARRIERS. AND I, I WANNA BE A PART OF BREAKING THAT DOWN. AND I WANNA, AND I JUST WANNA, I JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO BE MONETARY. MM-HMM . I THINK WE HAVE TO LIVE IN THE REALITY THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CONVERT IT TO MONETARY SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, BECAUSE THAT'S THE REALITY THAT WE LIVE IN. BUT I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO BE HARD CASH THAT SHOWS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. I DO BELIEVE THAT IF IT'S PUBLIC MONEY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT COMES FROM THE TAX DOLLARS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR THE POCKETS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VISITING AUSTIN, IT'S PUBLIC MONEY. AND THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY ON THE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST TO GIVE BACK TO THE PUBLIC OTHER THAN THE CREATION OF THEIR ART. AND I THINK THAT NEEDS, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE MEASURED WITH THE FINAL REPORTING. AND HOW ARE WE MEASURING THE RETURN, FOR LACK OF BETTER WORDS ON THAT MONEY, RIGHT? YEAH. SO IF YOU'RE AWARDING SOMEONE $30,000, OR LET'S SAY $5,000 AT THIS POINT WITH NEXUS IS, BUT THE ATTENDANCE IS 300, 500 PEOPLE OR WHATNOT. BUT I THINK FOR ME, I STILL, AND I'LL SAY THIS, I DO FEEL WE HAVE NOT REALLY SEEN THE DATA AND THE RETURN OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THIS MONEY. AND I, I'LL SAY THIS, AND I AM, [02:45:01] IT HURTS ME TO SAY IT, BUT I, I HAVE SEEN WHERE SOME OF THIS MONEY HAS BEEN AWARDED, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE RETURN ON IT AND THE COMMUNITY IMPACT, UM, THAT I WOULD'VE EXPECTED HAS HAPPENED. WHICH REALLY DISAPPOINTING WHEN YOU SEE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY BE LOST FUNDING BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T SCORED, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY OR WHATNOT. BUT WE GOTTA MAKE SURE ALSO, AND, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT PART OF WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING, BUT IF WE'RE WANTING TO MEASURE WHAT THE RETURN IS, WHAT THE COMMUNITY IMPACT IS, UM, IT'S GONNA GO BACK TO THESE FINAL REPORTS AND, AND HOW THAT EVALUATION AND THEN WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU'RE NOT MAKING THAT TYPE OF IMPACT, RIGHT. WITH PUBLIC MONEY. AND I JUST WANNA SAY AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE, JUST BECAUSE YOU GOT A $20,000 GRANT AND YOU'RE ABLE TO MATCH THAT $20,000, DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOUR PROJECT WAS MORE IMPACTFUL. IT JUST MEANS YOU HAD THE DOLLARS TO MATCH IT. SURE. YOU COULD HAVE HAD $20,000 MATCHED IT WITH $20,000 AND HAD A HUNDRED PEOPLE COME TO YOUR EVENT. OR YOU COULD HAVE AN EVENT WHERE YOU JUST HAD $20,000 AND HAVE 5,000 PEOPLE COME TO YOUR MARKET. IT, SO WE'RE QUANTIFYING IT TO DOLLARS AND WE NEED TO REALLY BE THINKING HIGHER ABOUT THIS AND MORE MEANINGFUL ABOUT THIS. AND I'LL JUST, I'LL KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT IF Y'ALL LET ME. BUT I WILL TRULY DIE ON THIS HILL. I WILL TRULY DIE. YEAH. I THINK THAT, UM, I'M GETTING CLOSER TO BEING UP CLOSE TO JUMPING OFF THE MOUNTAIN TOO, BUT I'M REALLY OVER HERE WITH GINA AS WELL. I'M A LIBRA, WHAT CAN I SAY? UM, DATA PAST HISTORY IS SO IMPORTANT. 'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CITY HAS SUCCESSFULLY DONE PRIOR TO THIS PILOT PROGRAM OR NOT. SOME STUFF'S THERE, BUT I THINK THAT STUFF, THE, THE DATA NEEDS TO REALLY BE LOOKED AT BECAUSE, AND THAT'S COME UP IN THE PAST, BUT IT'S, I THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE AND WE'VE LEARNED THERE'S GOOD THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS, BUT I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT $20,000 AND YOU HAVE THE MONEY, BUT YOU ONLY REACHED 500 PEOPLE AND YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO MA MAKE THE MATCH, WHAT, AND THEN YOU, YOU, YOU MET 5,000, THE REPORTING SHOULD HAVE THAT. AND THEN YOU SEE THE FACT THAT, OH MY GOSH, THIS ARTIST DIDN'T MAKE THE MATCH. BUT LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY MADE. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT BALANCES MM-HMM . IN THE REPORTING. YES. BUT AGAIN, IT'S LIKE, IT'S, IT'S NOT APPLES AND ORANGES. IT'S THE SAME, IT'S THE SAME THING IN DIFFERENT STUFF. SO I I TOTALLY AGREE. UM, I THINK THAT, SORRY. AND IT'S ALWAYS, IT SEEMS THE CYCLE OF THIS FUNDING IN AUSTIN, AND AGAIN, FOR EVERYBODY THAT'S SPENT, YOU KNOW, PAID HOURS AND VOLUNTEER HOURS IN ALL OF THIS, IS, IT SEEMS WE'RE ALWAYS OUT OF TIME TO MAKE THE CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE, INCLUDING, THERE WERE A LOT OF CHANGES MADE FOR THIS PILOT PROGRAM. BUT I KNOW STAFF YOU PROBABLY FELT RUSHED AND WE FELT, I MEAN, THERE WAS JUST NOT MUCH TIME TO DO IT. AND THEN YOU THINK THE ONE YEAR WE ACTUALLY GOT EXTRA MONEY FROM, FROM THE NATIONAL GUT, FROM THE, FROM THE, UH, FROM THE, YEAH. FROM NATIONAL, FROM THEM, UM, UM, YEAH. ARPA FUNDS, AND YET THE COMMUNITY WAS, MUCH OF THE COMMUNITY COMPLAINED 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T GET FUNDED, UH, AGAIN, ALTHOUGH THEY DID GET, WE GOT $80,000 OF PRIOR CONTRACT ANYWAY. THERE WAS NO LA THERE WASN'T A YEAR THAT YOU DIDN'T GET FUNDED. THERE WAS A YEAR YOU COULDN'T GET FUNDING IF YOU WEREN'T ALREADY IN THE CYCLE. SO IT ALREADY, RIGHT. SO WHAT MY POINT IS, IS THAT BIG, BIG CHANGE WAS MADE IN THIS PILOT PROGRAM MM-HMM . AND I KNOW, I PERSONALLY THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS, AND FOR THRIVE, IT, IT MADE SENSE ON SOME LEVEL. BUT THE FACT THAT MANY PROGRAMS OR AT ALL PROGRAMS, THERE WAS NO BUDGET INVOLVED. I THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE, A BIG MISTAKE. AND I THINK IT WAS ON PURPOSE THAT YOU SEE THE NONPROFIT THING CHANGE FROM FIVE YEAR, YOU KNOW, THE NONPROFIT, HOW MANY LONG, HOW LONG, HOW LONG HAVE YOU DONE STUFF? AND YOU JUST BECAME A NONPROFIT, OR YOU'VE BEEN A NONPROFIT FOR FIVE YEARS. THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE. AND WE'RE NOW WITHIN THE SECOND CYCLE OF THRIVE. SO IT'S GONNA PROVE ITSELF OR NOT. AND IF YOU'RE STILL A, NOT YOU WERE A NONPROFIT, THEN YOU'RE ALMOST RIGHT THERE. YOU'RE RIGHT THERE. SO IT'S LIKE, THERE NEEDS TO BE, IT GOES BACK TO SUSTAINABILITY. SO, I KNOW I'M RAMBLING. I CAN RAM I CAN KEEP GOING TOO. COMMISSIONER GARZA, THANK YOU FOR, UH, WANTING TO USE CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE. I BELIEVE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO DEFINE, AS COMMISSIONER WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHAT IS A LEGACY ORGANIZATION? HOW DO WE DEFINE THAT? WHAT IS AN ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATION? [02:50:01] HOW DO WE DEFINE THAT THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT REGARDING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND, AND FEES AND WHATNOT. UH, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, , ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO OR SO, I, UH, HAD A FISCAL SPONSOR WHO INSISTED ON INCLUDING AS PART OF THE MONETARY VALUE IN KIND CONTRIBUTIONS. AND SO THEY WITHHELD FUNDS BECAUSE PART OF THEIR FEE THAT, AND THEY NEVER MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, WAS A FEE OR A TAX BASICALLY ON VOLUNTEERS. AND SO THAT I BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE SEPARATED. WHAT IS IN KIND, AND DO WE TAX THAT IN KIND? DO WE CHARGE SPONSORSHIP FEES FOR PEOPLE VOLUNTEERING AND TRYING TO HELP OUT? OR DO WE NOT THAT NEEDS TO BE SPECIFICALLY CLEAR BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST. AGAIN, CAN YOU, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE? I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN. I HAD A SPONSOR, WE APPLIED TO DO A MURAL. WE HAD VOLUNTEERS WHO CAME BY AND HELPED DOOS, PEOPLE WHO DONATED PAINTS, PEOPLE WHO DONATED THEIR LABOR TO BUILD A FREESTANDING WALL FOR A MURAL ON AIDS AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD. ONCE THAT WAS DONE, AND WE WERE RECEIVE EXPECTING THEIR FUNDS FROM THAT, UH, SPONSOR WHILE INCLU AND THAT BUDGET IN MY BUDGET, I I INTRODUCED TO THEM, INCLUDED THE IN KIND THAT PEOPLE HAD VOLUNTEERED. WELL, THEY SAID THAT'S PART OF THE TOTAL BUDGET, SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE SOME MONEY AWAY FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE OF THE VOLUNTEER WORK THAT PEOPLE DID. SAME THING I DID. I MADE THIS FROWNY LOOK LIKE, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YEAH. WOW. AND THAT WAS PERMITTED UNDER THE EXISTING RULES BACK THEN. UH, THEY DID GIMME SOME EXTRA MONEY AFTERWARDS, BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER THEY HAD AN APPLICATION PENDING WITH THE TEXAS COMMISSION OF THE ARTS THAT I BROUGHT IT TO YOUR ATTENTION, WHAT THEY WERE DOING. YEAH. AND SO THEY WERE THEN ANGRY AT ME BECAUSE THE TEXAS COMMISSION AND THE ARTS HAD REDUCED THEIR FUNDING. WELL, I'M SORRY, THAT'S NOT MY FAULT. ALL THEY DID WAS PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION. AND AGAIN, WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT WE CLARIFY WHAT IS SPONSORSHIP, WHAT FEES CAN BE COLLECTED, WHAT FEES CANNOT BE COLLECTED. AND THAT'S NOT IN THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, LIKE OUR, OUR COMMISSIONER ARE SAYING, WHAT IS A LEGACY ORGANIZATION? WHEN I THINK OF A LEGACY ORGANIZATION, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, I WOULD THINK OF LA PENYA. I WOULD THINK OF , I WOULD THINK OF BALLET EAST. I WOULD THINK OF ACADEMIA SALON. THESE ORGANIZATIONS WOULD'VE BEEN IN, IN OR IN SERVICE OR A COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS. THAT WOULD BE A LEGACY ORGANIZATION. MM-HMM . ANYONE CAN GO PULL A DBA AND FILE WITH THE IRS AND ESTABLISH A BUSINESS. AGAIN, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY AN ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATION? THESE SPECIFIC DEFINITIONS HAVE TO BE MADE CLEAR FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED. BUT THANK YOU. BECAUSE YEAH, THIS IS PART OF OUR EXPLORING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE NEED TO DO THAT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND THEY, LIKE I WAS SAYING, THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE AS WELL. WE DON'T JUST GIVE MONEY OUT WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING BACK IN RETURN. OUR, THE MONEY WE GIVE TO OUR ARTISTS ARE BASED ON HOT FUNDS. THE HOT FUNDS SYSTEM WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT, NOT BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN. OTHER COMMUNITIES ALSO HAVE HOT FUNDS. AND AGAIN, PROMOTING TOURISM IS PART OF THAT HOT FUNDS. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE, OUR APPLICANTS ARE APPLYING, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM AND WHAT IS NOT ONLY OUR EXPECTATIONS, BUT WHAT IS THE STATE'S EXPECTATIONS ON HOW THAT MONEY IS USED, YOU KNOW, FOR PROMOTING TOURISM. WE'VE ALSO HAD, AND I HAVEN'T HEARD THIS IN MANY, MANY YEARS, A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PILLARS THAT WE HAD THAT WAS THE VALUE OF THIS COMMISSION. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY REFERENCE TO THOSE PILLARS IN QUITE A WHILE. SO I THINK WE NEED TO [02:55:02] INCLUDE WHAT DO WE EXPECT? PROVIDE CLEAR DEFINITIONS, PROVIDE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS. LIKE YOU SAID, CONCISE, SIMPLIFIED LANGUAGE. I LOVE THAT. WE DON'T NEED TO BE WASTING OUR TIME WITH ART JARGON AND WHO'S GOT THE BETTER ART DEGREE AND KNOWS THE BETTER TERMINOLOGIES. BECAUSE VERY OFTEN IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ARTISTS. SOME WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES, SOME WITH GEDS, AND EVERY ARTIST, WE ARE GOING TO SERVE A COMMUNITY AND NEEDS TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AS WELL. THAT IS WHAT EQUITY IS. BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I DO AGREE WITH SOME OF THE STUFF. I HAVE QUESTIONS ON A FEW OF THEM, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. I, SORRY. HEY, HANG ON A SECOND. YOU GUYS. . HOLD . I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THE TIME. IT IS. NINE O'CLOCK. UM, JUST A TOTAL ASIDE, COMMISSIONER GARZA, THE PILLARS WERE BROUGHT UP THIS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR AND TALKS ABOUT THE RETREAT AND THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE. AND IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, YOU WERE PRETTY STRONGLY WORDED AGAINST GETTING THOSE IN PLACE AND WE HAD TO MOVE ON. SO I JUST WANNA POINT A FACT. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT ON OUR LAST RETREAT, YEAH. YES. AT THE LAST RETREAT, I WAS ABSENT BECAUSE I WAS AT MY SISTER'S FUNERAL. I UNDERSTAND. BUT WE HAD A CONVERSATION THAT CIRCLED BACK AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE RECORDING THAT WAS AVAILABLE MM-HMM . YEAH. SO IT JUST, IT DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO BRING IT BACK UP. 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN REALLY, LIKE I SAID, I WAS AT MY SISTER'S FUNERAL THAT DAY. MM-HMM . YEAH. I'M NOT SURE THE REST OF THE COMMISSION KNOWS ABOUT THAT. I KNOW YOU WEREN'T THERE, SIR. NO, NO. YEAH. DID YOU KNOW WHY? YES, I DID. OKAY. IT WAS, IT TOOK PLACE IN MAY AND YEAH, IN ABSOLUTELY BERE, I BELIEVE MAY OR JUNE, SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE. YEAH. BY ALL MEANS. MY COMMENT WILL TAKE 30 SECONDS. THANK YOU. PLEASE . WELL, 45. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON MENTIONED IT, AND I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, I DON'T SEE THIS AS A HANDOUT OR AS CHARITY, AND I ALSO DON'T BELIEVE THAT OUR CULTURAL AND CREATIVE COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN DOES. AND THERE WAS A COMMENT TOO, ABOUT CREATIVES WANTING TO DO WORK FOR THEMSELVES. UM, AND I KNOW ALMOST REAL THINGS IS HERE, AND THEY DO, UH, EXHIBIT THE TOUCH THE ART EXPERIENCE. AND I TRULY DO BELIEVE THAT A LOT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATIVES THAT ARE RECEIVING THE GRANT MONEY OR DOING WORK BEYOND THEMSELVES, UH, AND REALLY CREATING OUTLETS FOR OTHERS TO BE REPRESENTED. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, ACTUALLY, I'LL ADD TO THAT BECAUSE I THINK THERE, THERE NEED, WE NEED TO ADD, AND I THINK WE TOUCHED ON IT, UH, SINCE THE, UH, THE REPORT, UH, WAS ON THE AGENDA, A PLACE FOR SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRULY, THAT MAY NOT BE A NONPROFIT THAT ARE TRULY HELPING CREATIVES. YES. SO, FOR SURE. YEAH. I WANNA JUST KEEP US FOCUSED ON THIS DOCUMENT. UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEGACY INSTITUTIONS, ONE THING I WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH, UM, AND I'LL SEND OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LAST YEAR, UM, TO MISS MEANS, BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THIS STUFF. WE TALKED ABOUT SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, WE TALKED ABOUT THE LESS THAN 10 INSTITUTIONS THAT OUR CITY HAS THAT SHOULDN'T BE PITTED UP AGAINST SMALLER NONPROFITS, EMERGING NONPROFITS FOR THESE SAME FUNDS. MM-HMM . SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE IN AGREEANCE ON THAT. WE SUBMITTED THOSE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND THIS TIME LAST YEAR. UM, AND NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED. WE KNOW THAT WE DIDN'T GET OUR, UM, ANSWERS, UH, TO OUR PRAYERS. AND SO I THINK THAT THOSE ARE STILL STANDING. AND SO PAST I'VE, AGAIN, THE, THE $550,000 COMING OUT OF HOT TO PAY CAD STAFF, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE ITEM ON THERE. AND BELOW THAT ARE, ARE EXACTLY THESE ITEMS. UM, BUT I WANT TO KEEP US FOCUSED ON, ON THE DOCUMENT, AND IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE IT UP. I WANNA, UM, ASK A QUESTION. UM, CREATIVE BUSINESSES ARTS GROUPS, ARE THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TERMS USED IN THE THING? ARE THEY THE SAME THING? NO, THEY'RE NOT. OKAY. UM, THERE WAS, UH, CONSISTENT FEEDBACK TO NOT INCLUDE CREATIVE BUSINESSES. THE IDEA, AND I WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, YIELD TO ANOTHER COMMISSIONER TO EXPOUND ON IT. BUT, UH, THE IDEA WAS THAT THE, USUALLY THE ARTS GRANTS DO NOT INCLUDE FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES. AND THIS WAS SOMETHING I UNDERSTAND WAS INTRODUCED IN THE LAST PILOT AND DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE. AND SO THERE SEEMED TO BE A, A PRETTY, UH, STRONG SENTIMENT AROUND KEEPING THESE GRANTS LIMITED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, ARTS GROUPS AND, UH, UH, NONPROFIT ARTS NONPROFITS. AND JUST TO YOUR POINT, COMMISSIONER GRAY, UM, WHEN WE DISCUSSED WHAT KINDS OF ARTS NONPROFITS, IT DID INCLUDE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL, UH, A PERSONAL THOUGHT ON, UH, CREATIVE BUSINESSES. I THINK WE SHOULD MAYBE IN A, BEFORE THEY WERE INTRODUCED, UH, [03:00:01] I WOULD'VE HAD A DIFFERENT OPINION. UH, MAYBE THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED. UH, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER FOR ME, THE FACT THAT THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THE GRANTS AT SOME POINT. UH, I THINK TAKING THAT AWAY ENTIRELY, UH, MAY NOT BE THE BEST PATH. BUT I THINK THEN CREATIVE BUSINESSES JUST NEED TO BE VERY CLEARLY IN WHAT KIND OF ACTIVITIES AND WHAT, WHAT DESCRIBES THE CREATIVE BUSINESS. JUST LIKE WE ARE, UH, COMMISSIONER GARZA, YOU DID A LOT OF THE OTHER CATEGORIES, THEY JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIND VERY CLEARLY. UM, AND SAME THING WITH DEFINING ESTABLISHED LEGACY, UH, NEW, EMERGING, ET CETERA. THIS IS A BASELINE DOCUMENT. THOSE NEED, I WOULD LOOK ACTUALLY, UM, FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM STAFF, UH, TO KIND OF ELABORATE ON, ON, ON THOSE, THOSE KIND OF DEFINITIONS. THANK YOU. CAN I GET A DEFINITION OF ARTS GROUP THEN? SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO, SO THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WORDS CREATIVE BUSINESS AND AN ART GROUP. JUST LIKE, THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYING NONPROFIT AND ARTS NONPROFIT. SO IT'S BEING INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR LANGUAGE. SO YOU COULD BE A CREATIVE BUSINESS AND YOU COULD BE A DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY, RIGHT? AND YOU COULD APPLY FOR A $30,000 GRANT BECAUSE YOU WANNA DO A MURAL ON THE SIDE OF YOUR BUSINESS, RIGHT? AND TECHNICALLY YOU FALL WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF CREATIVE BUSINESS. AND TECHNICALLY WHAT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR WOULD FALL WITHIN THE AMBIGUOUS RANGE OF WHAT WE, WHAT WE SAY WE FUND, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S REALLY JUST NARROWING IN ON WHAT AN ART GROUP, OR WE WANTED TO GET AWAY FROM THE WORD CREATIVE BUSINESS BECAUSE IT IS AMBIGUOUS, RIGHT? AND THIS IS AN ARTS GRANT. SO ARTS GROUP CAN BE A FOR-PROFIT ENTITY, BUT IT'S NOT A NONPROFIT, RIGHT? MM-HMM . SO IT'S KIND OF GOING BACK TO WHAT Y'ALL WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND THERE WAS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE GRANT 10 YEARS AGO, BUT WHEN YOU HAD, UM, THE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS FOR UNIN UNINCORPORATED ART GROUPS, RIGHT? SO IT WAS REALLY, AND I'M LOOKING AT YOU 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU WERE AROUND THAT, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY, IT WAS REALLY NARROWING THE SCOPE, RIGHT? IT WAS REALLY NARROWING THE SCOPE. AND, AND IT GOES BACK TO LIKE, WHO IS THIS FOR? RIGHT? AND WHEN YOU'RE SAYING ART GROUP, IT'S THAT THE ORGANIZATION, WHETHER THEY'RE A NONPROFIT OR NOT, SOLE PURPOSE OF EXISTING IS TO PRODUCE ART. SO LIKE GALLERIES, GALLERIES SOMETIMES ARE FOR-PROFITS IN AUSTIN. UM, YOU HAVE LIKE ART SPACES, UM, PEOPLE THAT PROVIDE ARTIST RESOURCES OR LIKE STUDIO SPACES THAT ARE MAYBE FOR PROFITS. BUT THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MARKETING FIRM THAT'S A CREATIVE BUSINESS AND AN ART GROUP. AND IT, AGAIN, I KNOW I'VE BEEN SAYING IT OVER AND OVER, BUT WE HAVE DONE KIND OF A POOR JOB AT DEFINING WHAT THESE ARE. AND ANOTHER POINT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE IS IN THE GRANT ITSELF FOR NEXUS, WE SAY FOR INDIVIDUALS, AND IT SHOULD SAY FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, RIGHT? AND, AND IT'S THE SAME INTENT, BUT YOU'RE BEING INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR LANGUAGE AND YOU'RE REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHO IS THIS FOR? AND WHAT AM I SUPPORTING? SO, I DON'T KNOW. I LOVE NERD STUFF LIKE THIS AND LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS AND YEAH. I THINK WE GOT IN TROUBLE WHEN WE INTRODUCED THE WORD BUSINESS. YES. THAT'S WHAT MISSED, THAT'S WHAT, YEAH. JUST GET RID OF THE WORD BUSINESS. YEAH. BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS FUNDED FOR PROFITS, BUT WE WEREN'T USING THE WORD FOR PROFIT AND NOBODY WAS UPSET ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT THAT MONEY WAS GOING TO ART GROUPS THAT ARE NOT NON-PROFITS, BUT STILL DOING WORK IN THE ARTS SECTOR. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT A NICE WORKING DEFINITION OF ART GROUP, A FOR PROFIT ENTITY DOING WORK SPECIFICALLY IN THE ARTS SECTOR. I WOULDN'T EVEN SAY FOR PROFIT, GET RID OF THAT. COULD BE THAT TOO, RIGHT? I MEAN, I MEAN, AN INDIVIDUAL IS, IS FOR PROFIT. YEAH. THIS IS MY BUSINESS, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE YOU FI IF YOU'RE AN INDIVIDUAL, YOU'RE FILING AS AN S ESCORT. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE A SUCCESSFUL NONPROFIT, YOU CAN MAKE MONEY. JUST REMEMBER THAT . UM, OKAY. IT JUST HAS TO GO BACK INTO THE, BACK INTO THE BUSINESS CORPORATION. I JUST THINK IT'S GOOD FOR US TO SAY THAT WHEN WE SAY WE'RE MOVING CREATIVE BUSINESSES AND WE'RE INCLUDING ARTS GROUPS, THAT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE ARE EXCLUDING FOR PROFIT . YEAH. NO, WE'RE NOT ENTITIES EXCLUDING FOR PROFIT. RIGHT. I THINK THERE'S A BIGGER CONCERN OF SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT RECEIVED FUNDING THAT ARE NOT ARTS GROUPS. YEAH. AND I DON'T WANNA NAME SOME OF 'EM, BUT THERE ARE, BUT WE COULD, BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT YEAH. YOU KNOW, DO STEM OR DO COOKING, OR DO YES. OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NOT FOCUSED AROUND ARTS. MM-HMM . AND I THINK THAT DANGEROUS, WE WENT THROUGH THIS LIST AND CROSSED OFF HOW MANY OF THOSE, THESE ARE NOT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS OR YOU LOOKED AT THEIR BUDGETS AND TO SEE HOW MUCH MONEY IS SPENT ON ARTS. UH, [03:05:01] WE WOULD BE REALLY EMBARRASSED RIGHT NOW. YEAH. WELL, AND THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT IS ON THE GRANT ITSELF NOW FOR ELEVATE, IT SAYS FOR NONPROFITS. AND SO SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT IS LANGUAGE AGAIN, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, UP FOR DEBATE WHETHER WE WANT ELEVATE TO BE OPEN TO ALL TYPES OF NONPROFITS TO PRODUCE PROJECTS. SO LET ME JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. IF YOU WERE A HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NONPROFIT, AND THAT WAS PRIMARILY, UM, WHAT YOU DO, RIGHT? BUT YOU WANT TO DO, LET'S SAY YOU WANNA DO A, UM, LIKE MEDIA PROJECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? AND THOSE ARE UNDERSERVED CONSTITUENTS. ARE THEY ELIGIBLE FOR IT? OR DO WE ONLY WANT IT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ARTS MM-HMM . NONPROFITS. AND I'M, I'M HONESTLY LIKE EITHER WAY ON THAT, BECAUSE I SEE THE VALUE IN BOTH. I SEE THE VALUE IN SUPPORTING OTHER SECTORS AND ALSO AS AN ARTS ORGANIZATION MYSELF, LIKE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COULD ALSO PROMOTE THE ARTS, RIGHT? THAT'S LIKE THE KIND OF DIALOGUE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE DISCOURSE, RESPECTFUL DISCOURSE ABOUT AS A GROUP. SO THOSE ARE JUST THINGS TO THINK ABOUT IN, IN YOUR LANGUAGE, RIGHT? AND I, I SAW IN THE GRANT REVIEW PANEL, THERE WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS NOT AN ARTS ORGANIZATION, AND THEY APPLIED FOR A REALLY AWESOME THING, RIGHT? AND THEY, AND THEY GOT THE GRANT, BUT THAT WAS ACTUALLY A QUESTION THAT A PANELIST ASKED. THEY SAID, THIS IS NOT AN ARTS ORGANIZATION. THIS IS A REALLY AWESOME PROJECT, BUT I'M, I'M KIND OF CONFUSED. LIKE, ARE THEY ELIGIBLE FOR THIS? AND SO WE NEED TO LIKE, TAKE AWAY THE AMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE AND JUST SAY WHAT WE MEAN AND MEAN WHAT WE SAY AND DIE ON THAT HILL. LIKE I WILL DO ABOUT MATCHING AND AND SPONSORED PROJECTS, , COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, AND THEN COMMISSIONER CHARLA. AND I THINK THAT THE CRUX OF IT IS HAVING THE CITY MAKE A SOLID STANCE ABOUT WHAT THE INTENTION OF TOWARDS ART AND CULTURE IN THE CITY IS MM-HMM . SO THAT THEN WE CAN BUILD OUR FUNDING SO THAT IT IS PUSHING INTO THAT PRIORITY. YES. CAN I MAKE A, A SUGGESTION CHAIR THAT SINCE THE, THE DETAILED ANALYSIS AS NEEDS A LOT OF CONVERSATION AND WE DIDN'T HAVE AS MUCH DISSENSION AMONG THE OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS, CAN WE LOOK AT THE OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS, SEE IF WE CAN, UH, PASS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE ACTION ON TONIGHT, AND THEN MAYBE GIVE, UM, FURTHER GUIDANCE TO THE WORKING GROUP TO DRILL DOWN ON THE THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE CONTENTIOUS. AND THE MAIN ONE? WELL, HERE'S THE THING. AS I SAID IN THE BEGINNING, WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE CONSENSUS AROUND THIS STOCK. LIKE WE, THE ARTS COMMISSION, THIS IS A PRODUCT OF MANY HOURS OF CONVERSATION THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ALL PARTICIPATED IN. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO ALLOW FOR DISSENTING MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS CONVERSATION IS DEMONSTRATING TO STAFF. LIKE HOW MUCH ARE WE ALIGNED ON THIS STUFF? UM, AND, AND THEN MARKING SPECIFICALLY IN YELLOW WHAT SORT OF ARE TENSE POINTS. UM, AND TO HEAR THE ARTS COMMUNITY TALK ABOUT THIS WITH OUR STAFF, WITH STAFF, TO ME IS INVALUABLE BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T, HASN'T HAPPENED. I MEAN, THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATIONS, BUT NOT IN DEPTH LIKE THIS CROSSTALK THAT YOU'RE REALLY SEEING THE THE WHY AND THE HOW AND WHY WE'RE SAYING WHAT WE'RE SAYING. UM, SO I'M SORRY, I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. UM, DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, LET'S CONTINUE. TA I MEAN, I DO THINK THAT WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS REALLY VALUABLE. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS TO STAFF. THEY'RE NOT GONNA TAKE THESE AND PUT 'EM INTO PLAY. SO LET'S KEEP TALKING . UM, I DO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS TONIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO CREATE A, A, THIS WORKING GROUP WILL BE CLOSED. I WANT, UM, I THINK A GOOD IDEA WOULD BE JUST ESTABLISH A, LIKE A FOLLOW UP WORKING GROUP WITH MAYBE ONE OR TWO OF THE ORIGINAL COMMISSIONERS. ALLOW NEW COMMISSIONERS TO COME INTO THIS CONVERSATION, BRING IN NEW VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY. I, I THINK WE'VE HEARD RESOUNDINGLY WHAT THAT SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE HAS TO SAY. I'M MORE INTERESTED IN PEOPLE THAT ARE EXITING THE THRIVE PROGRAM OR THAT ARE NOW SECONDARY RECIPIENTS. LIKE, I WANT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES BEFORE WE DRILL DOWN FURTHER. OKAY. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THAT'S GOOD. SO THE, I I DON'T WANNA TREAT THIS AS IF WE'RE LOCKING IT IN AS LAW. WE HEARD FROM A SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE, NOW IT'S TIME TO [03:10:01] BRING IN NEW COMMISSIONERS AND BRING IN A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY COMMISSIONER MARCELLO, DID YOU WANNA ADD? YEAH, YEAH. I, I LOVE THAT IDEA. I THINK THIS IS, UH, A PRETTY GOOD BASELINE. THERE ARE MANY, MANY HOURS THAT HAVE GONE INTO CREATING THIS BASELINE, DISCUSSING ALL THESE IDEAS. UM, IT IS FAIRLY CLEAR ON WHERE THERE IS SOME, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENCE OF OPINION, UM, AROUND, YOU KNOW, THIS DOCUMENT WHEN EITHER, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO FISCAL SPONSORSHIP OR MATCHING. AND I THINK THAT IT'S BEEN MARKED AND THAT STAFF IS ALSO HEARING THIS DISCUSSION HERE. I THINK THERE'S AWARENESS. SO I THINK IF WE, IF WE CAN VOTE ON THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT, I THINK WHAT IT'LL HELP IS PROVIDE A NICE BASELINE DOCUMENT TO FURTHER DEVELOP ON FURTHER OTHER GROUPS AND NEWER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COME IN AND REACT TO, OKAY, WE LIKE THAT, LIKE THAT, LET'S, OR DON'T LIKE THAT. LET'S ADD THIS THIRD PARAMETER INTO THE MIX. IT'LL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE BUILDING ON THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD. UM, SO I THINK, UH, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT THIS IS NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT UNANIMOUS NECESSARILY, BUT THAT'S ALSO BEEN NOTED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT, I THINK IT'S, IT'S FAIR GAME FOR US TO VOTE ON THIS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAND THIS OVER TO STAFF COUNCIL AND, AND LET LET THE, THE SUBSEQUENT GROUPS, UH, REACT TO REACT TO THIS. AND I THINK ALSO REALLY, I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA BE THE CRUX OF ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? IS, IS THAT WE HAVE, UH, UH, NOBODY IS GONNA BE ABLE TO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, NO SINGLE GROUP, NO INDIVIDUAL, RIGHT? INCLUDING THIS COMMISSION. SO, SO WE, WE HAVE A GOOD BASELINE, WE GET NEW SETS OF PEOPLE, WE CONTINUE TO SEE HOW, YOU KNOW, A CME, UH, IS GOING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND END OF THE DAY, IT STILL MIGHT NOT BE A PERFECT SOLUTION. BUT IF IT'S, WE HAVE ENGAGEMENT AND THERE IS TRANSPARENCY, YOU KNOW, LET'S LOOK FOR SOME, EVENTUALLY SOME HARMONY BACK TO SOME HARMONY IN THE COMMUNITY ON HOW WE FEEL, ENGAGE AND FEEL ABOUT THESE GRANTS. AND, UH, AND THEN IT CAN BE AN ITERATIVE PROCESS EVEN IN THE YEARS TO COME, BECAUSE THEN IT'LL BE DATA BASED. YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, YOU TWEAK THE NEXT YEAR'S GRANT, AND THAT'S GONNA BE A CONTINUOUSLY ITERATIVE PROCESS, ESSENTIALLY. UH, THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME OUT. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO ECHO THAT. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, WHAT YOU SUGGESTED IS ACTUALLY WHAT I TALKED ABOUT IN THE WORKING GROUP OF HAVING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE FOLKS THAT WERE IN THIS GROUP THAT, YOU KNOW, DONATED THEIR TIME TO GIVE THEIR FEEDBACK. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I SAW HOLES IN THE DEMOGRAPHIC, LIKE, I WANNA SEE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS IN THERE. I WANNA SEE A NONPROFIT THAT HAS GOTTEN THRIVE THAT MAYBE IS NEWER. I WANNA SEE ONE THAT MY DEFINITION OF ESTABLISHED, I WANT TO SEE WHAT AN ESTABLISHED NONPROFIT HAS TO SAY ABOUT THESE DEFINITIONS VERSUS A LEGACY ORGANIZATION. AND, UM, BUT I DO FIND VALUE IN THIS BECAUSE I THINK, I DON'T AGREE WITH ALL OF IT. I'VE MADE THAT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TONIGHT. BUT I DO THINK ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. SO USING IT AS A RUBRIC, JUST LIKE MEASURE. AND I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY THAT WORKS THERE. I MET THEM ONE TIME WHEN THEY WERE HERE LAST TIME, BUT I LOVED THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE GETTING FIRST PERSON EXPERIENCE, BUT THEY WEREN'T STARTING FROM SCRATCH. THEY WERE, THEY WERE ASKING THESE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AND SEEING, OKAY, THIS THING HAS BEEN SAID FOUR TIMES. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE LIKE REALLY NARROW IN ON THIS THING. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE TONIGHT, LIKE NO ONE'S ARGUING OVER THE DEFINITION OF AN ART GROUP VERSUS A CREATIVE BUSINESS. BUT I GUARANTEE YOU, IF YOU GET A CREATIVE BUSINESS IN THERE, THEY'RE GONNA START ARGUING THOSE POINTS. RIGHT? AND SO, I, I'M, I'M FOR THAT. I WILL SAY RIGHT NOW THAT I REALLY WANT TO CONTINUE BEING INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, UM, BECAUSE OF MY, UH, ADAMANT, UH, DISDAIN FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS ON HERE. UM, AND I, I JUST REALLY LIKE DISCOURSE. UM, BUT YEAH, I, I, THERE'S SO MUCH VALUE IN THIS, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T AGREE WITH SOME OF IT , AND NOBODY'S SAYING THAT. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE ALL AGREE ON, BUT IT'S BEEN EXPRESSED, LIKE, TO YOUR POINT, RIGHT? THIS IS, PEOPLE ARE SAYING THESE THINGS. UM, LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT I ALSO AM NOT A FAN OF THE MATCH. UM, AND I THINK FISCAL SPONSORSHIP SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY OPTIONAL. UM, AND, UH, TO THE POINT OF DATA, I THINK THAT THAT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL PERSPECTIVE TO HAVE, UM, IN TERMS OF MAKING FINITE DECISIONS IN EITHER DIRECTION. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, I AGREE THAT THERE, THAT THERE WERE HOLES IN THE WORKING GROUP, AND THAT GOING FORWARD, WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY TURN THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING ALL THE IDENTITIES IN THE, THAT EXIST IN OUR ECOSYSTEM. HOWEVER, I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT THAT IT IS [03:15:01] OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS COMMISSIONERS TO GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND FIND THOSE PEOPLE. MM-HMM . YEAH. UH, YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, AND I THINK, UH, WE TOUCHED ON THIS. I KNOW FAS AND I HAD THIS CONVERSATION, UH, AND SPECIFICALLY, UH, ABOUT STAFF IS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA GET GRANULAR ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS. WE WANT THEM TO BE BROAD. I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF THE ANSWERS. IF WE GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL MHJR REPORT, IT'S THE SAME THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW, RIGHT? MM-HMM . IF WE LOOK AT THE, THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, THE PUBLIC FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW, AT PAST COMMISSIONER MEETINGS, I THINK ALL THE ANSWERS ARE THERE, AND WE JUST HAVE TO TRUST THAT STAFF CAN WORK ON THE HOW MM-HMM . AND IT'S ABOUT TAKING, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE GRANT'S AT, NOT, YOU KNOW, REINVENTING IT OR WHATNOT, BUT JUST MAKING IT BETTER. MM-HMM . AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEVER GONNA BE PERFECT, BUT DEFINITELY MAKING IT BETTER. AND LOOKING, IF YOU TAKE THE GRANT AND LOOK AT THE MAJR REPORT, WE'VE ACTUALLY MET A LOT OF THOSE THINGS. YOU'VE MET A LOT OF THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? SO WE DON'T WANNA DISREGARD THAT MM-HMM . AND IT'S JUST LIKE, HOW DO WE KEEP IMPROVING IT AND, AND TAKING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTING THEM. MM-HMM . COMMISSIONER MAHAR, UM, JUST VERY QUICKLY, UM, I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT. WHICHEVER WAY THIS GOES, TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS WORKING GROUP. UM, MANY, MANY HOURS WERE SPENT ON THIS. UM, I PERSONALLY TRY TO DO MY BEST JOB IN TRYING TO REFLECT THE BROAD THEMES THAT CAME, UH, CAME THROUGH, UH, FROM DIFFERENT FOLKS IN THE WORKING GROUP AND AT SOME PLACES. UM, I TRANSLATED IT INTO NUMBERS AND CAPS JUST TO REFLECT THE IDEA. UH, BUT AGAIN, I REALLY WANNA THANK EVERYBODY WHO SPENT HOURS AND HOURS OF VOLUNTEER TIME IN MANY, MANY MEETINGS. WE WERE MEETING WEEKLY, AND IN THE LAST WEEK WE, THIS LAST WEEK, WE, WE MET AT LEAST THREE TIMES. UH, TO WRAP THIS UP, SO MANY HOURS WE SPENT ON THIS, I REALLY WANT TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS WHO PARTICIPATED AS WELL AS ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO, UH, DECIDED TO COME AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEIR TIME AND IDEAS TO THIS. THANK YOU. CAN I SAY YOU PLEASE, COMMISSIONER MARK? YES. VERY BRIEF WORKING. WELL, I JUST WANT TO THANK THE WORKING GROUP. I MEAN, IT'S A VERY PASSIONATE PEOPLE PUT IN, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M REALLY, I'M GRATEFUL, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS MY LAST MEETING, AND I'M JUST SO GLAD THAT I GOT TO WITNESS THIS. YOU KNOW? UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT I, I THINK WE LEARN FROM OUR EXPERIENCE AND, AND YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT BETTER. AND THE DEFINITION DEFINITELY, I MEAN, NEEDS TO BE SO CLEAR, SO THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING. AND ANOTHER THING I THINK WE NEED TO SAFEGUARD IS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME ABUSE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE CLEVER, RIGHT? AND, UH, A LOT OF TIME IT'S HARD TO SAFEGUARD ALL OF THOSE, BUT THINK ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, DO THE BEST WE CAN, AND THOSE ARE THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY AS WE GET IT BETTER, YOU KNOW? UM, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK, AND I ALSO AGREE WITH YOU. I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE A MATCHING FUND. I MEAN, I LOVE ARTISTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I, NOT AN ARTIST, I DON'T HAVE THAT IN MY JEANS, SO I WANTED TO SUPPORT THEM. I THINK THE, THE LEAST BARRIER THAT WE PUT DOWN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE RIGHT BRAIN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO SUPPORT IT FOR THE SAKE OF OUR HUMANITY, YOU KNOW? AND BEING A GOVERNMENT IS NOT IN THERE TO MAKE MONEY, YOU KNOW? ALTHOUGH THE HARD FUND IS ABOUT MAKING MONEY, RIGHT? BUT, BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST WANTED TO BE AS, UH, NURTURING AS WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TO THE AUTHORS. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I SO MOVE. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY. SO, MOVE BY MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MOCK. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CHARLA. YES. POINT OF ORDER. WHAT IS THE MOTION FOR, UH, TO ADOPT THIS, RIGHT? LET'S SEE WHAT IT SAYS. READY FOR THAT? WE'RE NOT READY FOR THAT. WOULD THE UPDATE THAT IT'S ON THRIVE, IT'S ONE 50 K CAP PER YEAR WITH THAT UPDATE? WHAT? WELL, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT WE, AND WE ARE PUTTING FORTH THESE AS OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THESE WERE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE WORKING GROUP WITH NOTES ON WHAT WAS, UH, AGREED [03:20:01] UPON AND WHAT WAS A POINT OF CONVERSATION. IS THAT CLEAR? I, I'M GONNA CALL ON STAFF. CAN IT BE A MOTION TO, THE MOTION CAN BE I WE SUPPORT OR THAT IT IS A LIVING DOCUMENT? YEAH. THAT IT'S A LIVING, IT IS A LIVING DOCUMENT, I THINK IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. I THINK WE CAN MOTION TO APPROVE THIS AS AN ARTS COMMISSIONER AS A REFERENCE DOCUMENT FROM THE OF OUTCOMES. FROM THE WORKING GROUP AS, YEAH. AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT IT IS. A RAPPORT OF THE FIRST WORKING GROUP TO BE GIVEN TO STAFF, OR TO USE THIS AS A BASELINE TO BILL FEATHER WHO'S WRITING THIS DOWN? 'CAUSE I, I WAS GONNA SAY, SO FOR CLAR, FOR CLARITY, WE NEED A CLEAR MOTION YES. ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING. I THINK JAIME'S WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. ARE WE, HOW DO WE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? ANOTHER CONVERSATION? YEAH. BECAUSE WE HEAR YOU OVER HERE IN YOUR YEAH, EXACTLY. YES. YOU'RE USUALLY THE LEGAL BRAIN THAT'LL GET THE WAY TO SAY, SO WE OKAY. ACCEPT THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. YES. I AM THE A FPP MANAGER. I KNOW, I KNOW. BUT MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENED IS YOU RECEIVED THE REPORT FROM THE WORKING GROUP. YOU ARE SON SETTING THE WORKING GROUP. THERE'S NO NEED FOR A VOTE, BUT YOU'RE TAKING THE REPORT. RIGHT. AND YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING, YOU'RE GONNA FORM, BECAUSE AS A, TO SUNSET, A WORKING GROUP, WE SUBMIT A REPORT. SO WE DON'T NEED, THIS WAS POSSIBLE ACTION. WE DON'T, BUT IT'S THE DEFINITION THAT THE REPORT IS THE CLOSING GROUP. BUT THAT DOESN'T NEED AN ACTION ON ITEM. I THINK THE, UM, THE, UH, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE MOTION IS TO SUNSET. YEAH. THIS WORKING GROUP, IF I MAY, I THINK THE MOTION SHOULD BE TO PRESENT THIS DOCUMENT TO STAFF ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS TO USE AS A BASELINE FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS. BECAUSE, BECAUSE, YEAH, BECAUSE THE ACTION ITEM WAS AROUND VOTING ON THE DOCUMENT. IT WAS NOT AROUND CLOSING THE WORKING GROUP. MM-HMM . SO THE VOTE IS ON THIS WITH UNDERSTANDING. WE CAN PREFACE IT WHEN WE PROVIDE THE JUSTIFICATION THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS AN OUTCOME OF THE WORKING GROUP, AND TO USE THIS AS A BASELINE, UM, AS A STARTING POINT, RIGHT. FOR FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY, BUT STILL WHAT IS IN HERE WITH THE DIFFERENT THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS, BECAUSE ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED IN HERE. RIGHT. IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S NOT BEEN EXPRESSED BY MARKING SOMETHING IN YELLOW. WE ARE SAYING THAT THAT'S, YEAH. THERE ARE TWO OPINIONS AROUND THIS. RIGHT? SO THAT IS THE BASE. WE ARE BASICALLY VOTING ON THIS DOCUMENT BEING A BASELINE REFERENCE FOR STAFF TO CONTINUE BUILDING THE CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS, THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE VOTING ON, ESSENTIALLY. WHO WROTE THAT DOWN THE MOTION? . . OKAY. SO MOTION TO APPROVE THE SUBMISSION OF THIS DOCUMENT AS A REFERENCE DOCUMENT, A BASELINE REFERENCE BASELINES, HMM. BASELINE REFERENCE DOCUMENT TO BE USED BY STAFF IN FURTHER TO CONTINUE BUILDING, TO CONTINUE BUILDING AND SHAPING OUR CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. YES. YES. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE TWO MOTIONS THOUGH? YEAH, I THINK SO. THAT'S THE MOTION. SO THAT WAS THE, THAT'S WHAT AMY SAID. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. ACTUALLY AMY SAID THAT. YEAH. YEAH. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. ALL IN FAVOR OF USING THIS AS A REFERENCE. DOCU SUBMITTING IT AS A RECORD OF THE WORKING GROUP AND AS A BASELINE REFERENCE DOCUMENT FOR STAFF MOVING FORWARD TO CONTINUE BUILDING TO CONTINUE THE COUNTRY ARTS GRANTS IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. Y'ALL BETTER BE WRITING THIS DOWN. YES. I UNANIMOUS. I CAN RESTATE THAT . OKAY. OKAY. IF NOT, YOU CAN ROLL TAPE. UM, ADJOURN. ADJOURN. YOU WISH WE'RE ALMOST DONE. OKAY. ALMOST DONE. ALMOST DONE. OKAY. SO THEN WE'VE GOT THE URBAN CORE ISSUES UPDATE FROM JOINT MUSIC COMMISSION WORKING ON URBAN COURT. YEAH. IF I QUICKLY MAY. YEAH. YEAH. SO THE NEXT, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION ON ELEVATE. IT'S ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE OVERALL GRANT. SO WE ARE NOT GONNA DO ANY MOTIONS OR ANY FURTHER REVIEWS BECAUSE ELEVATE'S ALREADY INCLUDED. OKAY. OH, YEAH. AND THE WORKING GROUP WAS PURELY AN UPDATE. SO NEXT TIME WE CAN ADD AN ACTION TO CLOSE THIS WORKING GROUP AND CONTINUE WITH THE NEW SET OF FOLKS. PERFECT. OR SOME COMMON, SOME NEW FOLKS. THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE UPDATE ON THE WORKING GROUP. WE CAN'T TAKE ACTION THERE RIGHT NOW. THAT'S, SORRY TO INTERRUPT. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE URBAN CORE? NO, NO, NO. OKAY. . THERE WERE THREE. OH, THERE WERE THREE ITEMS THAT WE KIND OF TRIED TO MOVE INTO THIS, RIGHT? SO YEAH. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I'M JUST CLOSING THAT. PERFECT. THANK YOU. AND SO THEN, UM, UH, CHAIR SCHMACK IS NOT HERE TO SPEAK TO THE URBAN CORE. HAS ANYBODY ELSE HAVE THERE BEEN A MEETING OR AN UPDATE? WE DID HAVE A MEETING, UM, BUT, UH, I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IF, IF, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER SMALL WILL GET THAT UPDATE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. NO, NO, NO. WE DIDN'T THIS LAST WEEK, BUT WE'VE MET SINCE LAST COMMISSION. OKAY. SO I, WONDERFUL. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING AN UPDATE ON I, UH, THE COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP. MM-HMM . COMMISSIONER GARZA FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YES. ACCORDING TO OUR BYLAWS. [03:25:01] AND AT APRIL MEETING WILL BE ELECTED NEW OFFICERS. YES. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD FOR NEXT MONTH FOR ANY COMMISSIONER WHO WISHES TO ASSUME AN OFFICER ROLL, MAKE A PRESENTATION, THEN THAT WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST TO HEAR THEIR THOUGHTS AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO HEAR THEIR THOUGHTS AND TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE FEEDBACK. I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A QUORUM THERE. I KNOW AS OF A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, THERE WERE LIKE FOUR COMMISSIONS OR ADVISORY BOARDS, WHICH DID NOT HAVE A QUORUM APPOINTED YET. UH, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR NINE YEARS AND THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO US. WE'VE HAD A MEETING MAYBE WHERE WE COULDN'T CONDUCT IT BECAUSE WE'RE LACKING A QUORUM, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A QUORUM OF COMMISSIONERS ON THIS COMMISSION. UH, AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, UH, THOSE COMMISSIONERS WHOSE TERMS ARE UP, UNLESS THEY'VE BEEN APPROVED BY THE NEW COMMISSIONER, UH, YOUR TERM IS UP THIS MONTH. THAT IS A BYLAWS. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK COMMISSIONER MOCK FOR HER HARD WORK. AND, UH, SHE'S NOT GONE. MAYBE WE'LL GIVE HER A OVATION WHEN SHE COMES BACK, BUT I THINK IT IS OUR DUTY TO ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS COMMISSION AS WELL. UH, WE HAVE BYLAWS THAT NEED TO BE FOLLOWED SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THAT IS OUR LEGAL REQUIREMENT. THAT IS OUR OATH. UH, WHEN THE CHAIR IS IN HERE TO PRESIDE OVER A MEETING, ACCORDING TO OUR BYLAWS, THE NEXT PERSON WHO IS LEGALLY REQUIRED TO CONDUCT THAT MEETING IS THE VICE CHAIR. IF THE VICE CHAIR AND THE CHAIR ARE NOT AVAILABLE, ACCORDING TO OUR BYLAWS, THE NEXT MOST SENIOR OFFICER OR PAST CHAIR IS GIVEN THAT IS GIVEN THAT RESPONSIBILITY. NO COMMISSIONER, NO CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR HAS THE AUTHORITY TO GO AROUND THOSE BYLAWS. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACTING CHAIR. THERE'S A SENIOR COMMISSIONER PRESIDING OVER A MEETING. SO AGAIN, I WILL LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT THOSE OFFICE INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO BE OFFICERS PRESENT AT OUR NEXT MEETING, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW THAT THE LAST TIME, UH, AND I WENT BACK TO THEIR AGENDA, THERE WAS NO ITEM IN THE AGENDA ABOUT ELECTION OF OFFICERS. SO WE WEREN'T GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY ON WHAT THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS WAS. AND YOU HAVE MY SECOND, SO WE HAVE THAT ON THE AGENDA. UM, PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH STAFF IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR POSITION. BOTH WILL BE AVAILABLE, UM, THIS COMING YEAR. ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MOCK FOR YOUR SERVICE. OH MY GOD, THANK YOU. KEEPING ME ON MY, BEEN A PRIVILEGE AND KEEPING US ON OUR TOES. YEAH. PRIVILEGE AND A GIFT TO SERVE ALONGSIDE YOU. BRING BACK THE DILLO. WE'RE GONNA BRING BACK THE DILLO. BRING BACK THE D. THAT WILL BE MY REWARD. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. MEETING IS ADJOURN. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.