* 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. [00:00:02] 6:06 PM I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY? NO. OKAY. I AM GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEET THE MEETING TO ORDER. IF I CAN HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER STATE THEIR ATTENDANCE. I AM COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER GRAY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER ALBA. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER HASANI PRESENT. COMMISSIONER ZIMAN PRESENT. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON PRESENT. COMMISSIONER CHARLA PRESENT. AND WE HAVE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION THAT COMMISSIONER GARZA IS TRAVELING. UM, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO WAS HERE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE LOST HER, BUT WE DO HAVE QUORUM. SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEETINGS TO ORDER AND GET STARTED. UM, I WANNA SAY THAT THE AGENDA IS VERY TIGHT TODAY. SO THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I'M GOING TO TABLE. ITEM FOUR, DISCUSSION OF AUSTIN CITY OF AUSTIN'S ART POLICY GOALS. I'M GONNA TABLE THAT TO JULY. I AM GOING TO, UH, PUSH CALDER CAYMAN'S DISCUSSION ITEM THREE UNTIL THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO BE PRESENT. THEY'RE WORKING UNTIL SEVEN. SO WE'RE GONNA LET, LET THEM HAVE A CHANCE TO GET DOWN HERE. UM, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES ] AND FIRST, LET'S DO THE MINUTES. CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 19TH MEETING? ACTUALLY, I'VE GOT AN EDIT. YOU'VE GOT AN EDIT? OKAY. YES. UM, THERE IS, LET ME PULL UP MY NOTES. SORRY, I HAD THEM JUST HERE. I THINK IT'S STILL CONNECTING. UM, DO YOU, I THINK IT'S ITEM 10. IT, UH, SAYS, COMMISSIONER SMALL, UH, MOTIONS AND THE MOVEMENT. THE MOTION FAILS. SEVEN TO ZERO. SORRY. MY, UH, CITY EMAIL IS, OR THE, UM, WIFI IS STILL KICKING IN HERE. MM-HMM . OH, LET ME GET OVER TO THE BACK. YES. ITEM 10, DISCUSSION AND ACTION. THANK YOU. UM, IT SAYS, MOTION TO APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION FOR EMERGENCY SUPPORT FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS DUE TO RECENTLY ANNOUNCE NEA GRANT CANCELLATIONS ON COMMISSIONER MOTION. HOUSTON MOTION COMMISSIONER SCHMUCK SECOND FAILS AN A SEVEN ZERO VOTE, WHICH IS THE, I THINK THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HAPPENED. GOT DELETED MAYBE. OH, SINCE WE MADE THAT RECOMMENDATION AND SENT IT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S RECORDED APPROPRIATELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY OTHER EDITS TO THE MINUTES FROM LAST MONTH? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER ZIMAN. PER THAT I MOTION TO APPROVE ONE SECOND. MOTION BY ZISMAN. SECONDED BY ANDERSON. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED MINUTES ARE PASSED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST WANNA NOTE, COMMISSIONER HUSSEIN, UM, IS ABSTAINING 'CAUSE THEY WERE NOT PRESENT FOR THE MEETING. OH, I'M SORRY. MOTION PASSED WITH COMMISSIONER HUSSEI ABSTAINING DID NOT SEE YOU. ABSTAIN. SORRY, . OKAY, SO WE GOT THAT DONE. CAN WE, UM, IS IT POSSIBLE TO VOTE ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A IPP COMMISSIONER HOUSTON? SHOULD WE START WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? OH, YES, WE SHOULD. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME. I HAVE THE LIST RIGHT HERE. WE [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ] HAVE FOUR PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND WE'D LIKE TO LISTEN TO THEM AND WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. WE, YOU EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. WE FIRST HAVE DONOVAN JONES FROM AUSTIN GAME'S CHORUS, AND THEN DEBORAH ORR FROM OUTREACH PRODUCTIONS. THEN JOAN STEWART AND TANYA PENNY FROM LANAYA AND DANCE AFRICAN FEST. DONOVAN JONES, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. SO, GOOD EVENING [00:05:01] COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS DONOVAN JONES. THANKS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TONIGHT. I'M THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN GAY CHORUS. I'LL BE HEADING STRAIGHT FROM HERE TO OUR ANNUAL MEETING. SO I, I'M SORRY THAT I CAN'T SAY. UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE ACCOMMODATION FOR LETTING ME SPEAK FIRST. I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF THE THRIVE GRANT AND TO THANK AND COMMEND THIS COMMISSION FOR YOUR ONGOING WORK TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE ARTS FUNDING IN AUSTIN. IT'S YOUR LEADERSHIP AND IT'S YOUR SUPPORT OR PROGRAMS LIKE THRIVE THAT MAKE MEASURABLE CHANGES POSSIBLE AND THE RIPPLE EFFECT IS VERY REAL. THANKS TO THRIVE. THE AUSTIN GAY MENS CHORUS WAS ABLE TO TAKE A MAJOR STEP IN OUR 35 YEAR HISTORY AND HIRE A FULL-TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUT IT WASN'T THE ONLY STEP. THRIVE ALSO GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN A MORE STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN AND STRENGTHEN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, ALLOWING US TO DO MORE WITH THE LIMITED RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. THESE CHANGES TOGETHER ARE HELPING US SHIFT FROM SIMPLY GETTING BY TO THRIVING AND BUILDING SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST. AND WHILE I HAPPEN TO BE THE PERSON IN THIS NEW ROLE, I WANNA TELL YOU I'M NOT HERE TO THANK YOU FOR MY JOB. I'M HERE TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT KIND OF INVESTMENT UNLOCKS IS UNLOCKED BY THE THRIVE GRANT TO PROVIDE A BROADER ARTS ECOSYSTEM IN AUSTIN. WE ALL KNOW IT'S CREDIBLY HARD FOR SMALL AND MID-SIZED NONPROFITS TO GROW. THE PRESSURE TO PRODUCE IS NONSTOP, OFTEN WITH UNDERPAID OR VOLUNTEER LABOR. LEAVING LITTLE ROOM FOR REFLECTING AND PLANNING THRIVE IS WHAT BROKE THAT CYCLE FOR US. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'VE HAD THE CAPACITY TO ZOOM OUT, STRENGTHEN OUR SYSTEMS, AND INVEST IN LONG-TERM GROWTH. SINCE I CAME ON BOARD JUST ONE MONTH AGO, I'VE BEEN SETTING IN MOTION THE PLANS AND THE PROCEDURES THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPAND, UM, OUR DONOR BASE, DIVERSIFY OUR REVENUE, AND CREATE FINANCIAL, A FINANCIAL MODEL THAT SUPPORTS MORE PROGRAMMING ACROSS THE CITY. WE'RE ALSO WORKING TOWARDS NEW TICKETING STRUCTURES THAT ALLOW FOR FREE OR LOW COST ACCESS. SO THAT COST IS NEVER A BARRIER TO EXPERIENCING OUR WORK OR FOR THAT MATTER, TO BEING ON STAGE WITH US AS WELL. THAT GROWTH, THAT GROWTH IS ALIGNED WITH WHAT THRIVE INTEND TO DO. SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DEEPLY ROOTED IN AND REFLECTIVE OF AUSTIN'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES AND GIVE THEM THE SPACE AND THE STABILITY TO GROW THEIR PUBLIC IMPACT. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU AND TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THE FORESIGHT AND THE CONVICTION FOR THE SUPPORT PROGRAMS LIKE THRIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS KIND OF SUSTAINED INTENTIONAL INVESTMENT IS WHAT ALLOWS GROUPS LIKE OURS TO STOP SCRAMBLING AND START, START THRIVING. AND WE'RE ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU MR. JONES, DEBORAH ORR OUTREACH PRODUCTIONS. AND THEN WE'LL HAVE JOAN STEWART, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT. MS. WILL YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES? YES. AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, OUR COMMISSIONERS AND CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, I'M HERE BECAUSE I WANNA PARTICIPATE IN THIS REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CULTURAL ARTS AND THE PROGRAMS, BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO I AM. MY NAME IS DEBORAH ORR. I'M THE FOUNDER AND THE DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH PRODUCTIONS AND OUR AND LITERACY BASED NONPROFIT ROOTED IN EAST AUSTIN. WE'VE BEEN SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE THE 1980S AND OFFICIALLY BECAME A NONPROFIT IN 1994. FOR OVER 30 YEARS, WE HAVE USED THE ARTS TO REACH YOUTH AND FAMILIES IN OUR MOST MARGINALIZED NEIGHBORHOODS. MANY REFERRED TO US BY TEACHERS, PARENTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO SAW THE SPARK IN THE CHILD AND WANTED TO HELP THEM SHINE. WE'D DONE THIS WORK, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS EASY, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NEEDED. AND FOR MANY YEARS WE DID IT WITH VOLUNTEERS, SMALL DONATIONS, AND JUST THE GENEROSITY OF THE SPIRIT OF THE COMMUNITY. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THRIVE, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAD ACCESS TO STABLE AND MEANINGFUL FUNDING. WE WERE SELECTED TWICE. AND THAT SUPPORT ALLOWED US TO BREATHE, TO GROW, AND TO SHOW WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN LONG TERM COMMUNITY BUILDERS ARE FINALLY GIVEN REAL TOOLS TO PROSPER. BUT GROWTH, REAL SUSTAINABLE GROWTH TAKES TIME. WE ARE STILL BUILDING AND WE CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO CATCH UP IN JUST TWO FUNDING CYCLES AFTER DECADES OF UNDER RESOURCING. SO TODAY I WANT TO SPEAK OUT NOT ONLY FOR OUTREACH PRODUCTIONS, BUT FOR ALL THE LEGACY GRASSROOTS, BLACK AND BROWN WOMEN LED ORGANIZATIONS DOING GENERATIONAL WORK, OFTEN QUIETLY, CONSISTENTLY, AND WITHOUT A SAFETY NET. I'M ASKING THAT THE CITY ARTS COMMISSIONERS, CITY COUNCIL ACME [00:10:01] COMMIT TO A LONG-TERM CULTURAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES US AND OTHER GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS. SOME OF THE CONCERNS, EXIT STRATEGY. WHAT HAPPENS TO ORGANIZATIONS ONCE THEY'RE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR THRIVE? ARE THERE, IS THERE A TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT OR MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TO HELP THEM SUSTAIN THE GROWTH? THEY STARTED WORKSHOPS AND RESOURCES. CAN THEY BE A NEXT TIER NETWORK OF LEARNING GRANT READINESS WORKSHOPS AND FUNDRAISING GUIDANCE FOR THRIVE ALUMNI OR SMALL NONPROFITS MATCHING FUNDS? NOW, FOR MANY OF US MATCHING FUNDS IS REALLY HARD. NOW IS THAT MY TIME? OKAY. WELL, EVERYTHING IS ON THE PAPERS I GAVE YOU. WE ARE. HOW MANY COMMISSIONERS ARE MISSING MS. ORS HANDOUT? OKAY. SO I'LL GET ONE TO YOU. AND DO, DO YOU, AND DO YOU HAVE AN ELECTRONIC COPY THAT YOU COULD SEND TO JESUS BARILLA AND THEN HE CAN MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE IT? YES, I DO THIS. IS THIS A LOVELY DOCUMENT? YES, I DO. IT REALLY IS. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME MS. ORR. HAVE A GOOD ONE. COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, CAN I ASK IF, IF YOU HAVE YOUR WORDS TO US WRITTEN DOWN, IF, IF THAT DIFFERS FROM WHAT WE HAVE, WOULD YOU SEND THAT AS WELL? I, IT WAS REALLY BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW WE HAVE JOAN STEWART, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE TANYA PENNY. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR, UH, ALLOWING ME TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. UH, MY NAME IS JOAN T. STEWART AND I HAVE HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH OUTREACH PRODUCTIONS FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS. UM, WE, UH, BEGAN TO SERVE OUR YOUNG CHILDREN AND, UM, SERVED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY FROM EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC. UM, ALL RACES, ALL ABILITIES. WE, UM, WERE SHARE TEACHING CHILDREN HISTORY. UH, WE SHARED STORYTELLING. WE HELP WITH EARLY READING SKILLS. UM, AND THE THRIVE GRANT THAT, UM, OUTREACH HAS HAD FOR THE PAST, UM, TWO YEARS HAS REALLY HELPED, UM, WITH, UH, THE ATTAINMENT OF THAT MISSION. IT'S BEEN REALLY SUPPORTIVE. UM, AND NOW WHAT WE'RE SEEING AS TIME HAS PASSED IS THAT, UH, THE YOUNG CHILDREN THAT WE USED TO HAVE, HAVE GROWN UP WHILE WE WERE NOT LOOKING AND COMPLETELY WITHOUT PERMISSION, . AND THEY HAVE BECOME NURSES, TEACHERS, ENTREPRENEURS, ARTISTS, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BECOME PARENTS AND BROUGHT THEIR CHILDREN BACK, UM, TO OUTREACH FOR, FOR SERVICES AND, UH, TO ENJOY THE OFFERINGS THE OUTREACH HAS. AND WHAT, UM, MY HOPE IS, IS THAT AS THIS THRIVE GRANT IS RESTRUCTURED OR LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF RESTRUCTURING, THAT, THAT, UH, WOULD BE DONE IN A MANNER IN WHICH THE MISSION OF OUTREACH WOULD BE FURTHERED AND STRENGTHENED. AND THAT, UM, AS I'M LOOKING AT, I FEEL LIKE, UM, THE REQUEST TO HAVE MATCHING DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR WOULD ACTUALLY BE A HINDRANCE TO THE MISSION THAT, UM, THEY'VE STRIVED FOR AND ACCOMPLISHED, UM, OVER THE PAST YEARS WITH SUCH CONSISTENCY AND WITH SUCH GREAT EFFECT FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SO, OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT. TANYA PENNY WITH LANAYA AND DANCE, AFRICAN FEST, AFRICA FEST. . GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. GREAT. MY NAME IS TANYA PENNY AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF TWO BLACK LED NONPROFITS, DANCE AFRICA FEST AND LANAYA DRUMMOND DANCE DANCE AFRICA FEST SHARES, ENGAGES AND SPOTLIGHTS. GLOBAL BLACK DANCE THROUGH MASTER CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, DANCE CONFERENCES, AND UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES. FOR MANY, IT SERVES AS A POWERFUL AND WELCOMING REMEMBRANCE OF HOMELANDS FAR AWAY DANCE. AFRICA FEST IS A TWO YEAR THRIVE RECIPIENT. LANAYA IS A VIBRANT AWARD-WINNING NONPROFIT, COMPOSED OF SEASONED AND EMERGING DANCERS, DRUMMERS AND MUSICIANS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING AND SHARING THE RICH DRUM AND DANCE TRADITIONS OF WEST AFRICA THROUGH ENGAGING PERFORMANCES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. LANAYA WAS ALSO [00:15:01] A THRIVE RECIPIENT. TOGETHER THESE TWO ARTS NONPROFITS FOCUS ON PRESERVING CULTURAL TRADITIONS WHILE ENRICHING THE OVERALL CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF AUSTIN FOR EVERYONE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK AGAINST THE TWO YEAR LIMITATION RULE FOR THRIVE APPLICANTS. THE THRIVE APPLICATION PROCESS IS ALREADY HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND DOES NOT NEED THIS ADDITIONAL BARRIER. HERE'S WHY THIS LIMITATION IS PROBLEMATIC. ONE, STABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. RESTRICTING THRIVE GRANTS TO TWO CYCLES WITHIN SIX YEARS, DISRUPTS LONG-TERM PLANNING, STAFF RETENTION, AND CONSISTENT PROGRAMMING. THIS JEOPARDIZES THE STABILITY OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT RELY ON THESE FUNDS TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES. RELY OR ANTICIPATE BECAUSE THE THRIVE FUND IS NEVER GUARANTEED. TWO DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON SMALLER ORGS. SMALLER AND EMERGING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, PARTICULARLY THOSE SERVING UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, MAY STRUGGLE TO SECURE ALTERNATIVE FUNDING, PUTTING THEIR MISSIONS AT RISK. THREE, STIFLING INNOVATION AND GROWTH. THE FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTY CAUSED BY THIS CAP CAN LEAD TO BURNOUT, REDUCED PROGRAMMING, AND A DIMINISHED CULTURAL LANDSCAPE. FOUR, BETTER ALTERNATIVES FOR EQUITY. INSTEAD OF IMPOSING ARBITRARY LIMITS, CONSIDER PRIORITIZING FUNDING BASED ON FINANCIAL NEED SERVICE TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS. THIS APPROACH WOULD, WOULD ENSURE A MORE EQUITABLE AND IMPACTFUL DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES. FINALLY, A CALL TO ACTION. I URGE YOU TO CON RECONSIDER THE TWO YEAR CAP AND EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE BOTH EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. A TWO YEAR CAP, AS I MENTIONED, IS AN UNNECESSARY OBSTACLE. LIMITING THRIVE GRANTS TO TWO YEARS, TWO CYCLES IN SIX YEARS, HURT SMALL ORGANIZATIONS DISRUPT STABILITY AND STIFLE STIFLES GROWTH. PLEASE PRIORITIZE EQUITY BY FUNDING BASED ON NEED SERVICES TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. AND INNOVATION THRIVE GRANTS SHOULD HELP ORGANIZATIONS TRULY THRIVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU MS. PENNY, COULD YOU SEND THAT DOCUMENT TO JESUS BARLA? TO, TO JUST FINISH TO THE WHOLE COMMISSION? I SURE CAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THAT IS ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT COMMUNICATION THAT WE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR TONIGHT. NOW WE APPROVE THE MINUTES. CAN WE VOTE ON A IPP? HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT BACKUP OR DO WE WANNA KEEP HIM HERE? CONSENSUS, RIGHT, RIGHT. I'M TRYING. I'M ASKING IF WE CAN VOTE ON MOVING TO CONSENT, THE A IPP PRESENTATION SO THAT STAFF DOESN'T HAVE TO STAY UNTIL LATE IN THE EVENING FOR US TO THEN SAY WE'RE GONNA MOVE, WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON CONSENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM PRESENTED. OKAY. MOVE THEM UP IN THE AGENDA. UH, CAN WE MOVE THEM UP IN THE AGENDA? ASKING, ASKING STAFF. CAN WE MOVE THEM UP? YEAH, WE CAN MOTION TO MOVE. WE JUST NEED A MOTION. YOU'RE ASKING THE COMMISSIONERS. JESUS PANTEL, UM, ASSISTANT UH, LIAISON OR BACKUP LIAISON TO THE ARTS COMMISSION? YES. UM, AS LONG AS THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND BY THE COMMISSION, YOU CAN TAKE AGENDA ITEMS OUT OF ORDER. OKAY. THANK YOU. I MOVE TO MOVE THE A IPP ITEMS TO 12. YEAH. WHERE WAS THAT? 12, 13, 14. YEAH. UH, ITEMS 12. YES. UH, MINE ARE NUMBER DIFFERENT THAN THE ATTACHMENTS, BY THE WAY. SORRY GUYS. ARE WE SKIPPING THE DEBRIEF FROM THE LIAISON? ITEM TWO? WE HAVE COMMISSIONER MALDONADO PRESENT. OH, COMMISSIONER. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL GOOD. LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMMISSIONER MALDONADO HAS JOINED THE DAAS, FIRST OF ALL. AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND [2. Report of the Art in Public Places Liaison concerning actions taking during the June 2, 2025 meeting of the Art in Public Places Panel by Commissioner Maldonado ] TAKE, TAKE ITEM TWO WHILE WE HAVE A MOTION UP. NOW. [00:20:01] WELL, THE MOTION DOESN'T, DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS VERBALIZED. WAS IT COMPLETED? MM-HMM . NO, NO, THE MOTION WAS NOT COMPLETED. OKAY. SO WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION. SO LET'S GO TO ITEM TWO FROM COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. AND THEN WE WILL SEE ABOUT MOVING UP THE A IPP DISCUSSION. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO NADO. HELLO EVERYONE. SO I JUST HAVE A SUPER QUICK UPDATE 'CAUSE I DO BELIEVE THERE ARE STAFF BRIEFINGS FROM A IPP ON, UM, ON THE PAST TWO MEETINGS. ONE, WHICH WAS ON JUNE 2ND, WHICH ESSENTIALLY WE MET. IT WAS A SPECIAL MEETING, AND WE WENT OVER THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE IEPP WORKING GROUP. SO YOU'LL BE HEARING, UM, YOU'LL BE HEARING A RECAP OF, OF THE OUTCOME OF THAT. UH, AND THEN ON THE JUNE 9TH MEETING, THERE WERE TWO ACTION ITEMS WHICH YOU WILL BE, UH, ALSO VOTING ON TODAY. AND THAT WAS FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE ARTIST SELECTION FOR THE RESTROOMS AT THE AIRPORT. AND I BELIEVE THE OTHER IS FOR THE AMENITY LOUNGES AND SPACES FOR CHILDREN AT THE AIRPORT. AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE THE A IPP ITEMS UP. 'CAUSE THAT WILL SUPPORT, UH, THESE PAST TWO MEETINGS. AND I THINK WE'LL MAKE A LOT OF THINGS REALLY CLEAR. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER. SMALL. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? [12. Approve the Selection Process Recommendations for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) Airport Expansion & Development Program (AEDP) Phase III Art in Public Places Projects – Restroom Entries] [13. Approve the Selection Process Recommendations for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) Airport Expansion & Development Program (AEDP) Phase III Art in Public Places Projects – Amenity Lounges and Spaces for Children (Part 1 of 2)] [14. Approve the Selection Process Recommendations for the St. John Redevelopment Site Art in Public Places Project ] SO NOW WE WILL MOVE TO ITEMS 12, 13 AND 14 SELECTION PROCESS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS TO VARIOUS PLACES. , CAN I MAKE A [11. Staff briefing regarding an update on Art in Public Places by Jaime Castillo, Art in Public Places Manager (Part 1 of 2)] MOTION TO MOVE ITEM 11, UH, TO THE CURRENT STATE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. I SECOND. THAT MAKES SENSE. SO WE'RE ITEM 11 IS, UM, JAIME CASTILLO'S BRIEFING STAFF BRIEFING. SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE THAT TO NOW. SORRY. JAIME . AND THEN HAVE HIM JUST ROLL INTO THE MM-HMM . RECOMMENDATIONS. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SORRY ABOUT THAT. . WE'RE TRYING TO, TRYING TO CRUNCH IT DOWN. IS IT 11 OR, OR DID STAFF BRIEFING? YEAH, IT'S THIS ONE. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING. IT'S 11. OKAY. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. HI CASTILLO, PROGRAM MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, WELCOME TO THE A IPP SHOW, . . UH, FIRST UP WE HAVE, UH, PHASE THREE A US AIRPORT, EXPA, UH, A EDP, THE AIRPORT EXPANSION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, UH, RESTROOM ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES. UH, ALMOST ASKED FOR THE NEXT SLIDE. , UH, SPONSORED DEPARTMENT IS AVIATION. THE, THE TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET IS 2.9 MILLION, BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE BROKEN OUT TO THREE OPPORTUNITIES. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE RESTROOM ENTRIES RIGHT NOW, AND THERE ARE NINE OPPORTUNITIES AT 80,000. UH, THIS PROJECT'S IN DISTRICT TWO A IPP COORDINATORS ALEX A DATA. AND SO THE RESTROOM ENTRIES, UH, WITH THERE ARE NINE SETS OF RESTROOM ENTRIES, AND THEY'RE, UH, LOCATED IN, IN, WITH, IN THE NEW AD ARRIVALS IN DEPARTURES, HALL AND CONCOURSE B. SO THESE ARE NEW SPACES THAT ARE BEING BUILT OUT, DON'T CURRENTLY EXIST. UH, ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR PER RESTROOM SET WAS 80,000. AND THE PROJECT SUMMARY, UM, IS TO AN OPPORTUNITY THAT FOCUSES ON CREATING VISUALLY IMPACTFUL RESTROOM ENTRANCES TO SUPPORT INTUITIVE WAYFINDING AT THE AIRPORT. AND WE WANTED ARTISTS TO, TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM AUSTIN'S LOCAL CULTURE, LANDMARK HISTORY, FLORAL, FALLEN ENVIRONMENT. SO REALLY AN AUSTIN FOCUS ON THESE OPPORTUNITIES. UM, JUST BE CLEAR, WE, UP TO NINE ARTISTS CAN BE SELECTED WITH ONE ARTIST ASSIGNED TO EACH SET OF RESTROOMS. AND THE, UH, WE DID CONDUCT AN OPEN CALL RF QS FOR ARTISTS, AUSTIN BASED ARTISTS, OR AUSTIN AREA ARTISTS. UH, AND THE EVALUATION CRITERIA THAT WE USED WAS THAT, UH, IT'D BE PROFESSIONALISM AND APPLICABLE EXPERIENCE, TECHNICAL SKILLS AND AESTHETIC APPEAL OF PAST WORK, CONSISTENT QUALITY AND PRODUCTION OF ARTWORK AND COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS AND INTENTIONS. UH, FOR YOUR AWARENESS, THE SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS INCLUDED VOTING MEMBERS OF VAL BRITTON, AN ARTIST FROM PORTLAND, OREGON. REX HAMILTON, AN ARTIST FROM HERE IN AUSTIN. LESLIE MOODY CASTRO, A CURATOR IN WRITER FROM HERE IN AUSTIN. SHE ALSO WORKS IN MEXICO CITY. UH, AND WE ALSO [00:25:01] HAD NON-VOTING ADVISORY MEMBERS. AND SO ROBERT MERCADO FROM, UH, THE PROGRAM MANAGER, UH, AT THE A US NICK GARCIA PROGRAM DESIGN MANAGER FOR, FOR THE AUSTIN, FOR THE AIRPORT EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AT A US AND MONICA MALDONADO, OUR A IPP PANEL LIAISON. SO WE HAD 173 COMPLETED PHASE THREE APPLICATIONS. IN THESE APPLICATIONS, THE ARTISTS WERE ABLE TO SELF-IDENTIFY WHICH OPPORTUNITIES THEY WERE, UM, INTERESTED IN APPLYING. SO AGENDA ITEM 11 AND AGENDA ITEM 12 ARE BOTH PHASE THREE PROJECTS. SO WE'RE HERE AT AGENDA ITEM 11, THE RESTROOM REENTRIES. AND FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES, THERE WERE 87 ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS. UH, WE CONVENED THE PANEL, UH, SELECTION PANEL IN MAY. AND THROUGH, THROUGH THAT PROCESS, VERY RIGOROUS CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE NINE ARTISTS FOR THE REGIMEN OPPORTUNITIES. AND WE IDENTIFIED TWO, UH, ALTERNATES IN CASE, UH, IN CASE THEY'RE NEEDED. AND SO FOR, UH, FIRST ARTIST IS HALEY BREWER. HALLE BREWER. UH, HALLIE'S WORK IS VISUALLY INTERESTING AND INTRIGUING, HOW HE HAS A STRONG VISUAL VOICE AND THE WORK WOULD ADD VALUE TO ANY SPACE. ELIZABETH CHILD IS ANOTHER, UH, SELECTED ARTIST. ELIZABETH. USE OF COLLAGE IN THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS IS TECHNICALLY IMPRESSIVE, WHILE THE IMAGERY IS ALSO STRONGLY EVOCATIVE OF THE NA NATIVE FLOOR OF AUSTIN. AND SO IT CREATES A STRONG EMOTIONAL IMPACT AND, AND LOVING THE RICHNESS OF THE DENSELY LAYERED IMAGES. ESSENTIALS, CREATIVE, UM, THEIR WORK IS VIBRANT AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THEIR CULTURES, AND INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THIS GROUP OF ARTISTS COME TOGETHER TO MAKE ANOTHER COHESIVE PIECE. THE WORK BRINGS A COLORFUL ENERGY THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF AUSTIN. ANOTHER RECOMMENDED ARTIST, ELIZABETH HUDSON. UH, THIS ARTIST'S WORK IS THE STRONGEST, ALL THE WORK CONSIDERED FOR THIS PROJECT. THEIR UNIQUE VOICE AND APPROACH TO FIGURATIVE WORK FEEL REFRESHING AND FAMILIAR IS CAPTIVATED BY THE ETHEREAL NATURE OF THE WATERCOLORS AND BALANCED COMPOSITIONS. HOPE HUMMINGBIRD IS AN ARTIST THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE ART COMMUNITY. THE PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS WOULD MEMORIALIZE AND COMMEMORATE THE CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS THAT MADE THE ART ECOSYSTEM IN AUSTIN SO SPECIAL. PHOEBE JOINT, UH, PHOEBE IS A RESPECTED MURALIST IN THE CITY WHO'S CAPABLE OF A COMMISSION OF THIS SIZE. HER VISUAL VOICE IS UNIQUE AND INTERESTING. DEBORAH MURKY. DEBORAH MURKY HAS MULTIPLE INSTALLATIONS IN AUSTIN AS AN ARTIST WITH A PROVEN RECORD PRODUCING SITE. SPECIFIC WORKS THAT WITHSTAND THIS TEST OF TIME. THIS ARTIST IS CLEARLY QUALIFIED FOR A COMMISSION SUCH AS THIS ONE. UH, MONICA MONAT, UM, FOUND MONICA'S FIREWORKS COMPELLING IN THEIR USE OF COLOR AND SPACE ON THE WAY THEY DRAW ONE'S EYES AROUND THE COMPOSITION. AND I CAN IMAGINE THE ARTIST TRANSLATING THESE ABSTRACTIONS INTO EXCITING WORK FOR THE RESTROOM ENTRANCES. MANIC NARA HAS PROVEN HE'S CAPABLE OF LARGE SCALE PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. THAT LAST MANICS VISUAL LANGUAGE IS BOTH UNIQUE AND STRONG. AND SO THOSE WERE THE NINE RECOMMENDED ARTISTS. WE DID IDENTIFY TWO ALTERNATE ARTISTS. SHANNON FANON IS, IS THE FIRST, AND SHE SHOWS THE MASTERY OF TECHNIQUE AND SKILL AND CAN REFERENCE THE VERY SPECIFIC MOTIFS PRESENT IN AUSTIN AS A CHANGING CITY. SHE'S ALSO A RESPECTED MEMBER OF THE AUSTIN ARTS COMMUNITY. AND OUR SECOND ALTERNATE IS MULTI LEE. MULTI LEE HAS A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE IN ILLUSTRATING THE ICONIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SHE COMBINES THE VISUAL REFERENCES OF HER CULTURE AND THE CITY TO PRODUCE WORK THAT IS INTERESTING AND NUANCED. THOSE ARE OUR ARTISTS, RECOMMENDED ARTISTS AND OUR TWO ALTERNATE ARTISTS UP FOR APPROVAL TONIGHT. I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE. ARE WE READY? DO YOU HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? CAN'T WAIT TO USE THE RESTROOM A LOT IN THE AIRPORT. TURN ON YOUR MIC. . TURN ON YOUR MIC. I I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION. UM, THAT COSTS $80,000. IS THAT PER YEAR OR ONE TIME? RIGHT. SO IT'S A COMMISSION FOR THE ARTIST TO COME IN AND IT'S PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING AT THE AIRPORT. SO, UM, THE 80,000 WILL COVER THE DESIGN WORK, UM, THE FABRICATION, THE INSTALLATION, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT THE ARTIST IS EXPECTED TO CONDUCT. SO THEY PUT IT UP ONCE AND IT'LL STAY THERE FOREVER FOR AS LONG AS [00:30:01] WE CONTINUE MAINTAINING IT. YES. OKAY. ACCORDING TO OUR POLICIES. WE NEED A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. COMMISSIONER. GRAY MOVES AND DISMAN. SECONDS. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? AND THE RESTROOM PROJECTS ARE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE APPROVED. THANK YOU. [13. Approve the Selection Process Recommendations for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) Airport Expansion & Development Program (AEDP) Phase III Art in Public Places Projects – Amenity Lounges and Spaces for Children (Part 2 of 2)] AND NOW WE'LL DO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UH, AMENITY LOUNGES AND SPACES FOR CHILDREN. AGENDA ITEM 12. WELL, ACTUALLY MINE HAS 13 OR THE ATTACHMENTS ARE ALL RIGHT. UH, SO AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS, THIS AGENDA ITEM IS ALSO PART OF THE PHASE THREE, UH, AIRPORT PROJECTS. THIS IS THE AMENITIES LOUNGES AND, UM, AND THE SPACES FOR CHILDREN. SO AGAIN, SPONSORING DEPARTMENT IS AVIATION. THE TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET IS 2.9, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT SPECIFICALLY AT THESE TWO OPPORTUNITIES AT 546,000, UM, FOR TWO LOUNGES, UH, AT EACH, EACH OPPORTUNITY. AGAIN, DISTRICT TWO PROJECT COORDINATOR ALEX RERA. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO FOR THE AMENDING LOUNGES, WE DO HAVE, UH, MOBILITY ASSISTANCE LOUNGE, WHICH IS IN THE DEPARTURES TICKETING AREA, UH, AGAIN WITH A BUDGET OF 546,000. THE SENSORY LOUNGE IS IN CONCOURSE B, UH, BUDGET OF 546,000. THE SUMMARY FOR THIS IS THAT, UH, WE HAVE THESE TWO SIGNATURE LOUNGES AT THE A US AIMED AT ENHANCING GUEST SERVICES. BY SUPPORTING PASSENGERS NEEDING ACCESSIBILITY ASSISTANCE. UH, THESE ARTISTIC INTERVENTIONS SHOULD HELP CREATE WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE, AND COMFORTING ENVIRONMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR FAMILIES. AND, UH, TWO ARTISTS OR ARTIST LED TEAMS WILL BE SELECTED, ONE FOR EACH LOUNGE. AND THEN FOR THE SPACES FOR CHILDREN, AGAIN, TWO OPPORTUNITIES. ONE IS THE HIGH ENERGY LOCATED IN CONCOURSE B, BUDGET OF 546,000. AND THEN WE HAVE THE QUIET ENERGY ALSO IN CONCOURSE B, ALSO 546,000. AND SO A US IS SEEKING TO PROVIDE TWO DEDICATED CHILDREN'S SPACES THAT INTEGRATE, PLAY INTO THE FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF THE ARTWORK. ONE SPACE SHOULD PROMOTE HIGH ENERGY MOVEMENT AND EXPLORATION, WHILE THE OTHER SHOULD OFFER CALMING AND SERENE EXPERIENCE. SO ARTISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO INCORPORATE CONTEMPORARY WHIMSICAL CONCEPTS USING ANALOG AND OR SIMPLE DIGITAL INTERACTIVITY. AND SO ONE OR TWO ARTISTS OR ARTISTS LED TEAMS WILL BE SELECTED TO, OR WERE SELECTED TO DESIGN THESE DISTINCT ENVIRONMENTS. AND AGAIN, SAME PROCESS. IT WAS AN OPEN CALL FOR AUSTIN AREA ARTISTS, SAME EVALUATION CRITERIA, PROFESSIONALISM AND APPLICABLE EXPERIENCE, TECHNICAL SKILLS AND AESTHETIC APPEAL OF PAST WORK, CONSISTENT QUALITY AND PRODUCTION OF ARTWORK AND COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS AND INTENTIONS. SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS FOR THIS, UH, OP THESE OPPORTUNITIES AS ANGELA WOLF AS ARTISTIC AND DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM FOR THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED HERE IN AUSTIN. RISTO, UH, ARTIST FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. CAROL ZO, AN ARTIST FROM SANTA MONICA IN ALBUQUERQUE. BRITTANY WILLIAMS, INTERIOR DESIGNER AND CO-FOUNDER OF ORIGIN STUDIO HOUSE HERE IN AUSTIN. AND ISABELLE URA, A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PARTNER DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR ASURA ROBINSON IN HOUSTON. AND OUR ADVISORY PANEL INCLUDED ROBERT MERCADO, AGAIN, PROGRAM MANAGER FOR A US NICK GARCIA PROGRAM DESIGN MANAGER FOR A THE AUSTIN FOR THE AIRPORT EXPANSION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR A U AND BERNARDO DIAZ, OUR A IP PANEL LIAISON. AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, 173 COMPLETED PHASE THREE APPLICATIONS. THE ARTISTS SELF-SELECTED WHICH OPPORTUNITY THEY WANTED TO APPLY FOR, AND WE IDENTIFIED 33 ELIGIBLE FOR THESE, UH, FOR THESE SPACES. WE HELD A, UH, INITIAL REVIEW IN MAY, AND THEN WE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS IN JUNE. AND THROUGH THOSE, THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY RECOMMENDED ARTISTS, UH, BRIAN JOSEPH AND ROCKY [00:35:01] JANE FOR THE, UH, AMENITY LOUNGES. AND FOR THE HIGH ENERGY SPACE. WE'VE, UH, IDENTIFIED WILLIFORD AND FOR THE QUIET ENERGY SPACE, LUCAS AOKI. AND WE DID IDENTIFY RECOMMENDED ARTISTS OR RECOMMENDED ALTERNATES, JAMAL HUSSEIN FOR THE AMENDED LOUNGES AND IRIS KWAN FOR THE, UH, SPACES FOR CHILDREN. AS AN EXAMPLE OF BRIAN JOSEPH'S WORK TO REALLY APPRECIATE THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND THE AESTHETIC ARTISTS BRINGS A HISTORY OF PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS AND ABILITY TO ASSEMBLE A TEAM OF CONSULTANTS TO REALIZE THE PROJECT WAS ABLE TO VISUALIZE A VIBRANT AND INCLUSIVE SPACE THROUGH THE ARTIST APPROACH. SOME EXAMPLES OF ROCKY JANE'S, UH, WORK. THIS ONE'S IN OUR COLLECTION, THE A IPP ART COLLECTION. ROCKY WAS RECOMMENDED FOR THE SENSORY LOUNGE. HER PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN CREATING LARGE SCALE INSTALLATIONS GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SPOKE TO THE POSSIBILITIES THAT COULD BE DESIGNED FOR THIS SPACE. SHE ASKED THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY ABOUT UNIVERSAL DESIGN, AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT SHE WOULD LEVERAGE HER ABILITY TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES TO GATHER INPUT FROM A VARIETY OF GROUPS TO CONSIDER HOW THE SPACE WOULD BE DESIGNED, COULD BE DESIGNED TO MEET A BROAD AUDIENCE'S NEEDS. AND I'LL OUR ALTERNATE FOR THE AMENITY LOUNGES. JAMAL HU SAME EXAMPLES OF OF VIDEO WORK ON THE SCREEN. JAMAL OFFERS A DISTINCT APPROACH THAT EMPHASIZES TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND UTILIZES NEW MEDIA AND THE RECOMMENDED ARTIST FOR THE HIGH ENERGY SPACES FOR CHILDREN. UH, TABIA WILLIFORD EXAMPLE OF HER PORTFOLIO, GABRIELLE WAS RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH ENERGY SPACE FOR CHILDREN. SHE SEEMS TO RESPECT THE EXPERIENCE OF CHILDREN, SEEMS COMMITTED TO SEEKING, TO SEEKING OUT INPUT FROM CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO BETTER DESIGN THE SPACE. HER APPROACH TO USE TEXTURES AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN HAS TRUE POTENTIAL TO CREATE AN EXCITING, ENGAGING, AND INCLUSIVE SPACE THAT WILL ENGAGE ALL CHILDREN IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. AND THE RECOMMENDED ARTIST FOR THE QUIET ENERGY SPACES FOR CHILDREN. LUCAS AOKI EXAMPLE OF HIS WORK, OF THEIR WORK, THE ARTIST THAT DEMONSTRATES STRONG POTENTIAL WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS, IN SUPPORT OF PROFESSIONAL NETWORK OF COLLABORATORS, CREATING WHIMSICAL, COLORFUL, AND INTERACTIVE PIECES THAT EVOKE WONDER AND CURIOSITY. THEIR APPROACH EMPHASIZES SENSORY ENGAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIVENESS, AND INCLU INCLUSIVITY WITH THOUGHTFUL COMMUNITY AND INVOLVEMENT AND ADAPTABILITY TO PROJECT SCOPE AND MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS. AND THE ALTERNATE ARTIST FOR THE SPACES FOR CHILDREN'S IRIS KWAN EXAMPLE OF THEIR WORK ON SCREEN. HER PAINTINGS AND CONCEPTS ARE A COMBINATION OF NARRATIVES NOT ALWAYS STRAIGHTFORWARD, WHICH I APPRECIATE. SO I HOPE THEY, SHE WILL FIND, BE ABLE TO FIND A WAY TO EXPAND THE WORK INTO THREE DIMENSIONS, NOT JUST AS DESIGN WORK. THE WONDER OF CHILDHOOD IS GREAT HERE AS THE END OUR RECOMMENDED ARTISTS AND ALTERNATES. ANY DISCUSSION? I HAVE A QUESTION AGAIN. UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE TAKEN US THROUGH ALL OF THE SELECTION, UH, FOR THE, THE FOLKS IN THE BACKUPS. MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE POTENTIAL OF THE DIGITAL INSTALLATIONS. ARE THERE CRITERIA GIVEN IF YOU GO TO THE ALTERNATE TO ENSURE THAT LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE INCLUSIVITY OF THE WORK SPECIFICALLY FOR NEURODIVERGENT FOLKS, IF WE'RE CREATING SENSORY SPACES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS, UM, LIKE, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT WAY TO SAY IT, BUT INCLUSIVELY BUILD, SO WE DON'T LIKE TRIGGER OR HARM FOLKS DEPENDING ON THE WAY THE DIGITAL INSTALLATIONS ARE MADE. YES, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE ALTERNATE ARTISTS WOULD HAVE TO MEET THEIR PARAMETERS AND REQUIREMENTS OF, OF THE THAT'S THERE THEN THAT'S GREAT. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW. IT'S MY FIRST TIME HERE. THANKS. NO, GREAT QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL UNDERSTAND MY A MOTION. I MOTION COMM MALDONADO. I'LL MOTION SECOND. COMMISSIONER CHARLA. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SO WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE AMENITY LOUNGES AND SPACES FOR CHILDREN AT AUSTIN BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. [00:40:01] THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO THE ST. JOHN REDEVELOPMENT SITE. ITEM NUMBER 14. ALL RIGHT. UH, HERE WE GO. ST. JOHN RE DEVELOPMENT SITE, UM, SPONSORING DEPARTMENT OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT. PROJECT BUDGET IS 250,000. THIS IS LOCATED IN COUNCIL DISTRICT FOUR. RYAN RUNCIE IS OUR A IPP COORDINATOR WORKING ON THIS PROJECT. UH, SO THIS IS, UH, CHINA ORANGE, Y'ALL. THE, THE, THE ROADWAY IN THE BACK OF THE IMAGE, THAT'S I 35. AND THEN TO THE LEFT WOULD BE, UH, ST. JOHN'S. AND SO THIS IS THE ST. JOHN'S POCKET PARK. YOU'LL SEE THE EXISTING BOUNDARY OF THE, OF THE POCKET PARK IN THAT, UH, DARK GREEN, UH, I FORGET, I'M FORGETTING MY GEO GEOMETRY, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SQUAREISH KIND OF SHAPE THERE IN THE MIDDLE. UM, IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S FOR, FOR GENERAL CONTEXT. THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THIS 19 ACRE MIXED USE PLOT OF LAND INCLUDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, RETAIL SPACE, COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE, EXISTING PARK, UM, THAT'S BEEN EXPANDED OR, OR WILL BE EXPANDED AND INCREASED ACCESS TO THE PARK FROM BOTH BLACKSON AVENUE AND ST. JOHN BOULEVARD. UH, FOR OUR PROJECT GOALS, UH, WE WANTED A WORK OF ART OF REDEEMING QUALITY THAT ADVANCES PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF VISUAL ART AND ENHANCES THE AESTHETIC QUALITY OF BOTH PLACES. UM, THIS SOON AS THE BIGGIE HERE, WE WANTED TO HONOR THE ST. JOHN'S NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY AND LEGACY. WE ALSO WANTED TO CONCEPTUALIZE A STRONG OVERALL ARTWORK DESIGN APPROACH THAT INTEGRATES WITH THE SITE AND SURROUNDING NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. AND AS USUAL, EASILY MAINTAIN VANDAL RESISTANCE IN AN EXTERIOR ENVIRONMENT, PERMANENT WITH AN EXPECTED LIFESPAN OF AT LEAST 20 YEARS. UH, WE DID PUBLISH A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS OPEN TO TEXAS BASED ARTISTS, UH, AND WE RELEASED THAT IN IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH. UH, WE HELD ARTIST INFORMATION MEETINGS IN FEBRUARY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET, UH, 29 ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. AND WE SELECTED, UH, WE DID CONDUCT A, A SELECTION MEETING AND, AND IDENTIFIED THREE ARTISTS TO INTERVIEW IN APRIL AND HELD THOSE INTERVIEWS IN MAY. OUR VOTING, UH, SELECTION PANEL MEMBERS WERE ARIEL AUSTIN, AN ARTIST HERE IN AUSTIN. DAMON MOSLEY, AN ARTIST HERE IN AUSTIN, ALSO HAS ARTWORK AT THE ST. JOHN'S POCKET PARK, WHICH WILL BE RELOCATED AS PART OF THIS PROJECT. UH, AND NALA SANKOFA, A PRACTICING ARTIST HERE IN AUSTIN. AND WE HAD OUR ADVISING NON-VOTING PANEL MEMBERS. UH, DR. PATRICIA ALFORD WAS A COMMUNITY MEMBER OF ST. JOHN'S RAYMOND CASTILLO, ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER AT ST. JOHN EMILY YOUNG, ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER IN ST. JOHN'S. UH, STEPHANIE LEMO, UH, FROM A ND ARCHITECT. AND, AND ALSO OUR, OUR A IPP PANEL LIAISON, KELLY PHILLIPS FROM GREYSTAR DEVELOPERS AND CARSON CHAPMAN, TPG PARTNERS, UH, AS PART OF THAT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. AND ON CITY STAFF SIDE, WE HAD, UH, CHRISTINE FRONTAL SUPPORTING US WITH, UH, FROM FSD FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT. AND THE RECOMMENDED ARTIST WAS MAXWELL MKS, UH, STATEMENT FROM THE PANELS THAT I BELIEVE HE MADE A COMPELLING CASE FOR WHAT ROLE PUBLIC ART COULD PLAY AT THE SITE. HE SUPPORTED HIS VISION BY RESEARCHING THE ST. JOHN NEIGHBORHOOD AND LEARNING ABOUT THEIR HISTORY. HE PRESENTED EVIDENCE OF VISUALLY STUNNING PAST WORKS AND SHOWED A WILLINGNESS TO COLLABORATE WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THIS PROJECT. AND THE RECOMMENDED ALTERNATE, UH, IS JESSICA BELL, AND I RECOMMEND JESSICA BELL FOR THE ST. JOHN REDEVELOPMENT SITE PROJECT. ALTERNATE 'CAUSE OF HER SUCCESS IN COMPLETING SIMILAR PROJECTS, JESSICA DISPLAYED A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF THE PUBLIC ART PROCESS, AND THE ARTS POSSESSED THE SKILL SET TO PRODUCE BEAUTIFUL WORKS THAT ENHANCE SPACES AND ALLOW FOR PUBLIC INTERACTION. AND THEN WE ALSO INCLUDED A SECOND ALTERNATE, UM, UH, FRESH AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO PUBLIC ART, INCLUDING THE USE OF NEW AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS IN HIS WORKS. BELIEVES COMMUNITY BUY-IN IS ESSENTIAL TO ANY WORK COMMISSIONED. AND ALTHOUGH NEW TO THE AREA, UH, NEWISH TO THE AREA IS COMMITTED TO BEING AN UNBIASED CON CONDUIT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND LISTEN TO THEIR DESIRES. AND SO, MAXWELL MK IS THE RECOMMENDED ARTIST, AND WE HAVE TWO ALTERNATE [00:45:01] ARTISTS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. I'LL SECOND. WHO'S THAT? SCH SCH. SMALL BOX. SCH SMALL BOX SECONDS. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ST. JOHN REDEVELOPMENT SITE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAIME, DID YOU HAVE [11. Staff briefing regarding an update on Art in Public Places by Jaime Castillo, Art in Public Places Manager (Part 2 of 2) ] ANYTHING FOR ITEM 11? YES. THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO ITEM 11. . ALRIGHT, LET'S DO IT. ALRIGHT. UH, GOOD EVENING AGAIN. JAIME CASTILE, PROGRAM MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, LAST MONTH WE AGREED THAT WE WOULD PROVIDE, UH, REGULAR MONTHLY UPDATES ON, ON THE WORK THAT A IPP IS DOING REGARDING, UH, RESPONDING TO THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCIL PASSED, UH, AS WE WERE WORKING IN PARALLEL WITH, UM, THE CREATIVE RESET. AND SO, UH, WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE DID RECEIVE, UH, OR COUNCIL PUBLISHED A RESOLUTION ON MARCH 6TH. AND, UH, WE GOT TO WORK. WE, UH, BASICALLY ARE APPROACHING THIS IN, IN PHASES. AND SO FOR PHASE ONE, WHICH, WHICH WE'VE, UH, ACCOMPLISHED ALREADY WORKING FROM MARCH TO MAY, WE CONDUCTED OUR APPROACH. WE'RE HAVE CONDUCTED OUR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT, LOOKING AT HISTORICAL DATA, UM, ANY FEEDBACK THAT, THAT WE'VE RECEIVED IN THE PAST, I WANNA SAY FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS. UM, BENCHMARKING. WE'VE LOOKED AT 12 OTHER CITIES, UH, 13 WITH AUSTIN, JUST COMPARING PROGRAM, UH, DESCRIPTIONS AND, AND POLICIES. WE REVIEWED OUR CURRENT POLICIES, CONTRACTS, AND PROGRAMS, UM, INCLUDING THE ORDINANCE AND GUIDELINES AND, AND ALL THOSE ASSOCIATED POLICIES. AND WE STARTED REDLINING THEM, UH, IDENTIFYING WHERE WE CAN, UH, ADD OR INSERT, UH, THE RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE FROM, FROM THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE BEEN BEEN HAVING. AND WE ALSO CONDUCTED, UM, SOME PROGRAM NEEDS AS PART OF THIS, UH, INITIAL PHASE. AND WE, WE MET WITH THE A IPV PANEL GUIDELINES WORKING GROUP, UH, A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THIS PHASE, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH THEM AND GETTING THEIR INITIAL FEEDBACK AS TO, UM, SOME OF THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE NEEDED TO CONSIDER IN THESE CONVERSATIONS. WE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOME THEMES COMING OUT OF THEM AND, AND REALLY IT COMES TO, UH, LOCAL ARTIST PARTICIPATION AND LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE. AND, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS BASICALLY FALL INTO THREE BUCKETS. AND, WE'LL, THERE'S ANOTHER SLIDE FOR THAT THAT I WANNA GO INTO. BUT FROM THIS SCREEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE UPDATING OUR POLICIES FOR CLARITY AND INCLUSION. WE'RE UPDATING OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING FOR, FOR BETTER TRANSPARENCY AND, AND, AND BETTER EDUCATION. AND WE ARE, ARE EXPLORING, UH, RE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS. SO WE ARE NOW IN PHASE TWO AND WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR, OUR CONSULT STATUS UPDATE TO THE RESO RESOLUTION. BY WORKING WITH, WE, WE ESTABLISH A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH, WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS AND, AND CREATING ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION, GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE RED LINE DOCUMENTS THAT WE'VE CREATED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE GET THEIR FEEDBACK AS WELL. MAKING SURE THAT, UM, WE ADJUST THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AS NEEDED. UH, CONDUCTING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND, AND FEASIBILITY AS TO WHAT THESE RE RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD DO FOR THE PROGRAM AND, AND, AND HOW WE WOULD IMPLEMENT THEM. UM, YOU DID A UT LANDMARKS ASSESSMENT, PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT WORD, MORE OF A BENCHMARKING. WE MET WITH LANDMARKS. UM, WE, WE LOOKED AT THEIR PROGRAM, WE COMPARED 'EM TO OURS. AND SO WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING OUT OF THAT, BUT IT REALLY JUST BENCHMARKING, UH, WITH UT LANDMARKS. AND, UH, WE'RE CONDUCTING ACME LEADERSHIP UPDATES HERE DURING THIS TIME, DURING THIS PHASE, MAKING SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE AND WILL DO. AND THE ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE CONDUCTING HERE ARE TARGETED FOCUS GROUPS. SO WE MET, SPECIFICALLY RESPONDING TO THE RESOLUTION, A MEETING WITH STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED, UM, REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK, UH, BASICALLY D DE SESSIONS. AND, UH, AS WELL AS ARTISTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED, UM, REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK, BUT IN, HAVE COMPLETED IN, IN, UH, I'M FORGETTING THE EXACT WORDS OF THE RESOLUTION, BUT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MOVED THEIR ARTWORK, RELOCATED THEIR ARTWORKS, AND SO WHETHER THAT WAS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY OR PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT HAD, UM, PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE [00:50:02] AND, UH, INTERNALLY FOCUS GROUP, THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP. AND AGAIN, THE THEMES COMING OUT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS, A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW OUR PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM, UH, EXISTS OR WORKS AND NEEDING ARTISTS SUPPORT. AND BECAUSE OF THOSE WE HAVE, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE, ARE HAVING A MORE TRANSPARENT PROCESS OR TRANSPARENCY OF OUR PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES A FLOW CHART, WHICH WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IS, IS CLEARLY, CLEARLY COMMUNICATES THE PROCESS AND IDENTIFIES HOW EVERYONE, UH, WHETHER IT'S ARTISTS OR SPONSORED DEPARTMENT OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THAT PROCESS AND HOW THEY FIT IN AND CAN CONTRIBUTE. UH, AND THEN AGAIN, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS. AND SO, LOOKING TO THE FUTURE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, PHASE THREE, WE'RE GOING TO, AFTER WE CONDUCT, FINISH, CONDUCTING ALL OUR, UH, ENGAGEMENT IN PHASE TWO AND, AND UPDATING OUR RECOMMENDED, UH, GOT POLICY DOCUMENTS, UH, PRESENTING AN ORDINANCE, UPDATES TO COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER SO THAT WE CAN, UH, IMPLEMENT THE CHANGES THAT, THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING, UPDATING OUR POLICIES AND GUIDELINES, UH, PRESENTING THOSE TO THE PANEL AND COMMISSION. UH, AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, THE GUIDELINE, THE A IPP GUIDELINES ARE, UM, GO UNDER ANNUAL REVIEW AND THEY ARE, UH, APPROVED BY THE PANEL AND, AND YOURSELVES AS, AS, UH, ADVISORY BODIES. AND THEN WE'RE ANTICIPATING LAUNCHING SOME CALLS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THESE UPDATES. UM, AND THEY WILL INCLUDE THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED FROM PHASE ONE AND TWO. AND BECAUSE OF THE ORDINANCE UPDATE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, WE ANTICIPATE AND PLANNING FOR DOING ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE CHANGES THAT, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. AND LOOKING EVEN FURTHER INTO THE FUTURE NEXT YEAR, ANNOUNCING AND IMPLEMENTING NEW PROGRAMS, AND AGAIN, DOING ENGAGEMENT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE WHERE THE CHANGES CAME FROM, THE RESOLUTION AND THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE FIRST TWO PHASES. UM, THESE IS, THIS IS HOW IT'S REFLECTED IN OUR PROGRAM AND IN OUR POLICIES. AND THIS IS HOW THEY MIGHT LOOK IN THE FUTURE AS WE TEST OUT THESE NEW PROGRAMS. UH, MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE SPOKE TO THIS ONE PHASE ONE MORE DETAIL. UH, WANTED TO POINT OUT THE, THE RESOLUTION ITEMS LISTED, YOU KNOW, FROM THE RESOLUTION, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE WE HAVE P THREE INTEGRATION. UH, IDENTIFYING FLEXIBLE FUNDING, BOTH FOR MAINTENANCE AND FOR, UH, FLEXIBLE FUNDING FOR MAINTENANCE. AND THEN FLEXIBILITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE PLACE ARTWORK, UH, IDENTIFYING OR, OR REDUCING BARRIERS THAT ARTISTS EXPERIENCE AND APPLYING. LOOKING AT CURATORIAL SERVICES FOR, FOR LARGER PROJECTS. DOING THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THAT I CALLED OUT SPECIFICALLY WITH, UH, ARTISTS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE SESSIONS OR, OR REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORKS, UH, PRIVATE PROPERTY RESOURCES. SO THIS IS, UH, THE RESOLUTION ASKS FOR US TO LOOK AT OUR POLICIES AND, AND HOW WE CAN PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS THAT ARE WORKING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. UM, AND SO, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. AND THEN CONTRACT UPDATES, JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE'S CLEAR WHAT THE CONTRACTS SAY. UH, SPECIFICALLY AROUND, UH, THE RECESSION PROGRAM ASSESSMENT, AS I MENTIONED, WE LOOKED AT HISTORICAL DATA FROM RECENT YEARS. WE DID SOME BENCHMARKING AGAINST 12 OTHER CITIES. UH, WE'RE CURRENTLY REVIEWING POLICIES AND, AND DOCUMENTS. AND, UH, AGAIN, THE THEMES. LOCAL ARTIST PARTICIPATION, LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AND ARTIST ASSISTANCE WITH PERMITTING, STORAGE AND OR OTHER DELAYS. UM, AT NO FAULT FOR THE ARTISTS OR A IPP RECOMMENDATIONS FROM, FROM WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN PHASE ONE, AGAIN, THE INCLUSION OF P THREE REQUIREMENTS, THAT'S SPECIFICALLY IN THE ORDINANCE. UM, LEMME MAKE SURE, OH, SO THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. SO ORDINANCE GUIDELINES AND SUPPORTING POLICIES. THESE ARE THE, UH, RECOMMENDED CHANGES THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'VE REDLINED. UH, SO INCLUSION OF P THREE, UH, ENCOURAGING PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION. SO WHEN YOU'RE THINKING OF PUDS PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS, THERE'S CURRENTLY A TIER TWO CERTIFICATION THAT THEY CAN GET. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF GUIDANCE WITH THAT LANGUAGE, SO WE WANNA STRENGTHEN THAT. UM, AND EXPANDING ON THAT. THEN WE HAVE THE CLARITY ON TOTAL OF 2% COSTS, FLEXIBILITY OF FUNDING, BEING ABLE TO POOL UNUSED MONEY AS LONG AS IT'S NOT LEGALLY RESTRICTED, UM, SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT MAINTENANCE AND PROGRAMMING AND OTHER A VP NEEDS. UH, AND THEN CLARITY ON THE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR RESPONSIBILITIES. THAT'S JUST A, A GOOD CONVERSATION AS WE'RE, UM, UPDATING OUR POLICIES, MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THEIR ROLES, AND, UH, EXPANDING, UH, FEE WAIVERS. UPDATING OUR FEE WAIVERS. SO THOSE WERE THE POLICY UPDATES, PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES, THINGS THAT WE DON'T NEED TO CHANGE OUR POLICIES, BUT WE JUST CHANGED THE WAY WE'RE DOING THE WORK. PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES INCLUDE CURATORIAL SERVICES, AND SO WE ALREADY HAVE THE ABILITY TO INCLUDE THAT IN, IN OUR OPTIONS [00:55:01] OF, OF DELIVERY, SERV, UH, PROJECT DELIVERY OPTIONS, UM, THINK RFQ VERSUS RFP VERSUS, UM, YOU KNOW, DIRECT SELECT. UH, AND THEN, UH, THE, OUR CALL UPDATES, UPDATING THOSE SO THAT IT'S CLEAR IN TERMS OF ELIGIBILITY, UH, ELIGIBILITY IN TERMS OF LIKE, HERE'S THE BUDGET FOR THIS PROJECT YOU SHOULD BE IN. YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE WITH IT, UH, LOCAL VERSUS TEXAS VERSUS NATIONAL. UM, THOSE TYPES OF ELIGIBILITY, BEING CLEAR ON THOSE CALLS. UH, SOME GRAMMATICAL CHANGES. JUST THE CLARITY FOR EVERYONE. THE A IPP PANEL IS A COMMITTEE OF THE ARTS COMMISSION, AND WE THINK THAT IF WE CLARIFY THAT IT IS THE A IPP COMMITTEE, THAT'D BE CLEAR FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A COMMITTEE OF THE ARTS COMMISSION. SO JUST GOING THROUGH THE ORDINANCE AND GUIDELINES AND CALLING THE A IPP PANEL, A IPP COMMITTEE, UH, AGAIN, PROGRAM NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN THAT PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES, COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING UPDATES, AS I MENTIONED. UH, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO BE CLEAR, MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. PROVIDING MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ARTISTS. UH, DOING THE, A CONTRACT REVIEW MEETING EXPLICITLY POINTS OUT A NEW CONTRACT EXHIBIT SAYING, YOU KNOW, ONCE THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS WHEN WE TRANSFER THE TITLE. AND, UH, AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING NON A IPP FUNDING RESOURCES. SO WE HAVE OTHER, UM, CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH OTHER DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM WHERE ARTISTS CAN, CAN FIND FUNDING FOR CREATING ARTWORKS. UM, AND THEN OUR, OUR SISTER PROGRAMS WITH THE CULTURAL FUNDING TEAM. YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT ARTISTS UNDERSTAND ALL THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM THROUGH THE CITY. AND PHASE TWO, THIS IS REALLY MORE, UH, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP. UH, A LOT OF THE SAME INFORMATION. THE THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT HERE IS UNDER, IN THE THIRD COLUMN OF RECOMMENDATIONS, COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING. THAT TRANSPARENCY OF THE PROCESS. AND, AND NOT ONLY CREATING A FLOW CHART THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE PROCESS AND WHERE THEY MIGHT BE, WHERE THEIR PROJECT MIGHT BE OR WHERE THEY MIGHT BE INTERACTING WITH IT, BUT THE RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS. MAKING SURE THAT OUR ORDINANCE, OUR GUIDELINES, OUR POLICIES ARE ALL ON THE WEBSITE FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY. GOING AS FAR AS PROVIDING EXAMPLE CONTRACTS SO ARTISTS UNDERSTAND WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT MIGHT BE ASKED OF THEM AS THEY'RE APPROACHING THESE OPPORTUNITIES. UM, AS WELL AS, AS I MENTIONED, RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS WHO ARE CONDUCTING, UM, ARTWORK CREATION ON PRIVATE PROPERTY SO THAT THEY, THEY HAVE A REFERENCE POINT OF WHAT THEY SHOULD EXPECT AND WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE IN TERMS OF CREATING ART. UH, THAT WAS A BIG THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT THERE. AND SO I KIND OF ALREADY TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH OUR DOCUMENTS, UH, WITH THE A IPP WORKING GROUP, UH, REDLINING DOCUMENTS, WE, THEY BASICALLY FELL INTO THESE THREE BUCKETS OF POLICY UPDATES, UM, PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES AND COMMUNICATION UPDATES. AND AS I MENTIONED, POLICY UPDATES. YOU KNOW, THE, THE GUIDELINES AND OUR POLICIES, INCLUDING OUR DEES POLICY AND OUR LOAN AND DONATIONS, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE PRESENT TO THE PANEL ARTS COMMISSION FOR APPROVAL. BUT THE ORDINANCE IS, IS, GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT COUNCIL HAS TO APPROVE. SO TWO DIFFERENT PROCESSES. UM, AND THOSE ARE MORE WORK INVOLVED TO GET THOSE IMPLEMENTED. BUT FOR PROGRAMMATIC AND COMMUNICATION UPDATES, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE READY TO ROCK AND ROLL AS LONG AS EVERYTHING'S LINED UP AND EVERYONE'S GOOD TO GO. AND THAT IS MY PRESENTATION, AND I'M SURE YOU MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONER GRAY. THANK YOU, JAIME. UM, CAN YOU BE A LITTLE, UH, MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHO OR WHAT DEPARTMENTS ARE INVOLVED IN THAT CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP? YES, THANK YOU. AS WE WERE REVIEWING, AS WE WERE REDLINING THE DOCUMENTS AND IDENTIFYING THE UPDATED LANGUAGE THAT WE WANTED TO RECOMMEND, WE THOUGHT THROUGH WHICH DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD AFFECT. SO WE ARE PRETTY MUCH EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT IS IN THE CITY. WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE HAVING TARGETED CONVERSATIONS. UH, I MENTIONED WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT EXPANDING OUR FEE WAIVERS, SO WE'RE GONNA GO TO DSD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM. AND, AND SO FOR EVERYONE'S AWARENESS AS WELL, IT'S ALSO A CONVERSATION OF CLARIFYING WHICH TYPES OF A IPV PROJECTS CAN BE EXEMPT FROM PERMITTING AND WHICH TYPES OF PROJECTS, IF THEY CANNOT BE EXEMPT, IDENTIFY A DECISION TREE AS TO WHICH ARE THE MOST APPLICABLE PERMITS THAT THE PROJECT WOULD NEED. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO DSD FOR THOSE, BASICALLY THOSE TWO, UH, REQUESTS. SURE. FEE WAIVERS, UH, EXPANSION. [01:00:01] AND GIVE US A, A DECISION TREE OF, OF EXEMPTIONS FOR PERMITS SO WE CAN BE CLEAR, WE CAN HAND THAT OVER TO THE ARTIST AND SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE, THESE ARE THE PERMITS THAT YOU HAVE TO GET. THESE ARE THE ONES, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A FEE WAIVER, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO GET THEM. AND THEN PROVIDING THAT SAME INFORMATION TO OUR SPONSOR DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER IT'S WITHIN PART OR WITH IT'S A CDS PROJECT, MANAGE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKING SURE EVERYONE'S ON THE SAME PAGE. OKAY. SO, I MEAN, WE'RE HITTING EVERY DEPARTMENT WITH A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF THE RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE. GREAT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? UM, I WAS, WILL WE GET A PREVIEW? THIS IS ALL AWESOME. MORGAN, I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE BEEN SO DILIGENT ON THIS AND THERE'S SO MUCH THAT YOU'VE DONE. WILL WE GET A PREVIEW? I KNOW THAT THE ORDINANCE DOESN'T COME THROUGH US, TECHNICALLY IT GOES RIGHT TO COUNCIL, BUT WILL WE GET A PREVIEW OF IT BEFORE IT GOES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT OR SUPPORT ? CAN WE GET ? MY GUT SAYS YES, . AND SO WE KNOW WHAT'S IN IT. LIKE, I MEAN, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO JUST SEE, UM, WE, YOU VERY CLEARLY SUMMARIZED ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING LOOKED AT, BUT SO WE KNOW LIKE WHAT ACTUAL CHANGES ARE MADE BEFORE IT GOES TO COUNSEL FOR APPROVAL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, MY TONGUE IN CHEEK, MY GUT SAYS YES, BUT YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE STILL NEED TO GO THROUGH LEGAL REVIEW, RIGHT? SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE DO THAT BEFORE WE PRESENT. OKAY. I NEED TO FIGURE OUT THE TIMING ON THAT. BUT YES, WE WANT, WE WANT YOU TO KNOW, BE AWARE OF WHAT THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES ARE. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANKS. UM, I'M GONNA JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE AS I ASK THIS QUESTION. 'CAUSE I'M NEW. BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE PROCESS MORE ACCESSIBLE, EASIER TO FOLLOW, MORE TRANSPARENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. ABSOLUTELY. RIGHT. SO, UM, AND THIS IS, KNOW THAT THIS IS ME ABOUT ME, IT'S LESS ABOUT YOU, BUT BEING NEW TO THE BOARD AND COMMISSION, I FIND, UM, 'CAUSE I DON'T DO WORK WITH THE CITY, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE ETHOS OF LIKE, GO TO THIS ATTACHMENT, GO HERE, GO TO THERE, RIGHT? LIKE, ARE Y'ALL PUTTING ANY CONSIDERATION INTO JUST THE EXPERIENCE OF SOMEONE, RIGHT? IF, IF WE'RE WORKING WITH ARTISTS WHO MAYBE AREN'T ONLINE ALL THE TIME AND OPENING DOCUMENTS AND FOLLOWING PROCESSES, LIKE WE'RE, YOU'RE MAYBE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE, THE, THE CITY THAT ARE WORKING ON THIS ARE USED TO THE WAY THE CITY DOES IT, BUT THOSE FOLKS AREN'T. SO IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION TO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? AND, AND YOU KNOW, I HEARD YOU TALK ABOUT DOCUMENTS, PROCESS FLOW CHARTS, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS JUST FROM LIKE A TOTAL NEWBIE STANDPOINT OF LIKE, HOW DO WE HELP PEOPLE GO THROUGH THIS IF NOBODY'S EVEN THERE TO MENTOR THEM? ABSOLUTELY. SO THAT, THAT'S THE KEY. THAT'S THE, THE HEART OF WHY I'M BRINGING FORWARD THAT, THAT NEW FLOW CHART IS SO THAT IT IS CLEAR ENOUGH FOR ANYONE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR PROCESS IS, RIGHT? SO THE, THE THEMES THAT WE HEARD FROM, FROM THE ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS THAT UNDERSTANDING HOW OUR PROGRAM WORKS ISN'T QUITE THERE. I MEAN, AND IT'S DIFFERENT FROM WHATEVER, WHOEVER YOU'RE ASKING. IT'S A SLIGHT MISALIGNMENT. AND SO THAT FLOW CHART REALLY IS TO JUST GET, ORIENT EVERYBODY, THIS IS WHAT THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE FROM A TO Z FROM START TO FINISH. AND IN THIS, THIS PHASE OF IT, THIS IS WHERE THE ARTIST DOES THEIR WORK AND THIS IS HOW, HOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. AND IT'LL, IT'LL LOOK THE SAME FOR EVERYONE, BUT THE CONVERSATION OUT OF IT WILL DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE AUDIENCE. SO THE ARTIST, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS AND YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOUR PROJECT COORDINATOR, OR YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU NEED TO GO TALK TO THE A IPV PANEL, OR MAYBE YOU NEED TO COME TO THE ARTS, RIGHT? SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO USE THAT, UM, THAT FLOW CHART AS, AS OUR STARTING POINT FOR ANY CONVERSATION. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND SO AGAIN, THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE, NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, BUT I HOPE IT DOESN'T END UP IN A PDF THAT'S BURIED SOMEWHERE THAT NOBODY CAN FIND. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ORGANIZATION OF THE INFORMATION LOOKS LIKE. AND THE OTHER PART OF THIS I WANTED TO BRING UP IS THAT NAVIGATION IS ALSO IMPORTANT INTERNALLY, RIGHT? BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES WE'VE BEEN SHUTTLED BETWEEN GROUPS, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IF YOU WEREN'T LOOKING AT THE FULL LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS, BRING THAT UP. ABSOLUTELY. SO, UM, PART OF, PART OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AS, AS A DEPARTMENT, SO I I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE AT ON IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF, OF ACME. SO THE, THE DEPARTMENT HAS RECENTLY CREATED BRINGING TOGETHER DIFFERENT, UH, DIVISIONS FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. SO FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE HAVE THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION AND THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION. BUT WITHIN CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, IT IS BOTH ART AND PUBLIC PLACES AND THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING TEAM. AND SO IN THE CREATION OF THIS NEW DEPARTMENT, UH, WE DON'T YET HAVE SUPPORT SERVICE STAFF. SO THAT INCLUDES MARKETING, FINANCE, UM, SO THOSE WILL COME SOON. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE HURDLES THAT WE, IN OUR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT ARE, ARE TRYING TO OVERCOME IS LIKE, UH, WE NEED, WE [01:05:01] NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE EITHER EXISTING ARTWORKS IN OUR COLLECTION OR NEW COMMISSIONS THAT WE WANT ARTISTS TO APPLY FOR OUR CALLS. AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT INFORMATION IS EASY TO FIND ON OUR WEBSITE. AND THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, THAT FLOW CHART NEEDS TO BE AT THE TOP. I MEAN, I WOULD PRINT IT ON MY SHIRT IF I COULD . UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT SHIRT . BUT YES, THAT IS, THAT IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS IN TERMS OF LIKE, WE HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN ACCESS IT EASILY? THANK YOU FOR THE GRACE. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR. . ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU SO MUCH JAIME. I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO STICK AROUND A LITTLE WHILE, UM, UH, TO SEE WHEN, IF WE CAN GET CALDER CAYMAN ON SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. ANYTIME, , IT IS AFTER SEVEN, IT'S SEVEN 12. I DO NOT SEE THEM. THEY COULD BE JOIN. HAVE WE HAD ANYONE JOIN ONLINE? OKAY. SO WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA UH, TABLE THAT ONE AND GO [4. Discussion of the City of Austin’s Art Policy goals ] TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR. I'M MOVING TO JULY. CAN, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT ONE JUST BRIEFLY? UM, IT FEELS VERY ABSTRACT. IT IS. UM, AND MAYBE INTENTIONALLY SO, BUT IT ALSO SCREAMS WORKING GROUP. LIKE THAT IS NOT SOMETHING, IT IS SUCH A LARGE DISCUSSION AND I THINK INVOLVES A LOT OF OTHER MOVING PARTS BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING CITY OF AUSTIN'S ART POLICY GOALS. I MEAN, THAT'S ACNE, RIGHT? RIGHT. AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT ASK, I'M NOT INSINUATING THAT WE NEED TO SET POLICY. I'M SAYING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A VOICE. AND WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE COMMISSION INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONERS, WHAT ARE THEIR CONSTITUENCIES SAYING ARE THE PRIORITIES, BUT IS THE BEST, I GUESS, COMMUNING THAT INFORMATION ON THE DAAS LIVE? OR ARE WE JUST PLANTING THE SEED AND THEN BUILDING A WORKING GROUP? LIKE WHAT IS, WHAT'S THE ROADMAP FOR THIS ITEM, I GUESS IS MY QUESTION? MY, MY INTENTION IS TO JUST GET THE COMMISSIONERS TO VOICE WHAT THEIR BELIEF, THE, THE PRIORITIES SHOULD BE SO THAT WE CAN THEN SAY TO ACME, THIS IS WHAT THE COMMISSION SAYS. SO IT WOULDN'T BE A WORKING GROUP BECAUSE THAT WOULDN'T BE THE ENTIRE COMMISSION. NO, BUT I MEAN, WORKING GROUPS DO CONSOLIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OTHER COMMISSIONERS THEY CAN AND THEN KIND OF CREATE A SYNTHESIZED STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION. IT JUST FEELS LIKE A VERY LARGE TASK. AND TO ATTEMPT IT LIVE ON THE DAIS, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY FEEL LIKE THE MOST, I I LITERALLY WAS LOOKING FOR TOP THREE PRIORITIES FROM EACH COMMISSIONER. THAT'S IT. IT SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT AS SOMEBODY WHO'S TRIED TO STEER THIS BODY, SOMETIMES THE MOST SIMPLE THINGS REALLY ARE NOT SO, UH, FOR ME. YEAH. LEMME CHIME IN. UM, IF, IF WE WANNA KEEP IT AS A FULL COMMISSION DISCUSSION, MAYBE NOW SAYING THAT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE HAVE THE DISCUSSION IS TO BRING YOUR TOP THREE THINGS SO WE CAN DO THE PRE-WORK TO THINK ABOUT IT. 'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE THOSE OF US, LIKE HAD WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION TODAY, I THINK I WOULD'VE HAD A HARD TIME LIKE DISTILLING ALL MY FEELINGS ABOUT ARTS POLICY IN AUSTIN TO THREE THINGS. OKAY. SO MAYBE IF WE WANNA KEEP IT LIKE THAT, IS WE JUST HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE COMING BACK TO DISCUSS IS BRING YOUR TOP THREE DAYS. THAT'S FINE. YEAH. SO INSTEAD OF PUNTING FOUR TO JULY, INTRODUCING IT NOW TO THE COMMISSION. AND THAT WAY IF ANYBODY IS ALSO NOT ABLE TO BE THERE IN JULY, THERE'S THEIR VOICE IS HEARD. LIKE THERE ARE COMMISSIONERS THAT AREN'T PRESENT TODAY. LIKE COMMISSIONER GARZA, COMMISSIONER CHENEY. MM-HMM . UM, AND COMMISSIONER KEYS. SO I, I WOULD BE REALLY RE RETICENT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OF THAT MAGNITUDE WITHOUT A FULL DIET, WHICH IS ALSO CHALLENGING TO DO. SO I THINK LIKE, LET'S PLANT THE SEED NOW. LET'S SAY, OKAY, THIS IS THE HOMEWORK. SEND AN EMAIL OUT WITH CONTEXT TO THE FULL COMMISSION SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE PREPARED IN JULY. BUT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ON THE FLY IT, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING THAT. OKAY. YES. COMMISSIONER GRAY, JUST REALLY QUICK. I JUST NOTED THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE TABLED UNTIL JULY, BUT I'M GLAD THAT YOU DID SAY SOMETHING. 'CAUSE ACTUALLY I DO THINK IT'S A REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA TO ASK ALL OF US AS COMMISSIONERS WHAT OUR THREE HARD POLICY GOALS ARE THAT, THAT'S, UH, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN ASKED THAT AS FAR AS JUST, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. I MEAN, WE HAVE PRIVATELY, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IN, IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT FOCUS. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT IN JULY. AND MY INTENTION IS NOT FOR IT TO BE LENGTHY DISCUSSION, IT TO JUST BE A PRESENTATION OF THIS IS WHAT I'VE HEARD. [01:10:01] AND THEN WE COMPILE THAT AND PRESENT THAT TO ACME. SO, UM, I, I WILL SEND AN EMAIL OUT, UM, AND SAY, PLEASE DO THIS HOMEWORK FOR THE JULY MEETING, AND THEN ASK FOR 10, 15 MINUTES FOR US TO JUST STATE WHAT THOSE THREE PRIORITIES ARE. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING PLAN. SOUND GOOD? MM-HMM . YEP. COMMISSIONER, MAYOR CHARLOTTE. HI. UM, THANK YOU CHAIR. I, I THINK, UM, THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT FROM, UH, ACE ACME RIGHT NOW WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO IT WOULD BE, UM, GREAT TO SEE HOW, UH, THE POLICY GOALS THERE ARE SHAPING UP, ESSENTIALLY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHAT WE ARE REFLECTING IS THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THERE IS, THERE'S CLEAR ALIGNMENT THERE IN, IN WHAT WE ARE HEARING. VERSUS ALSO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD REALLY THINK THAT THERE'S, UH, PLENTY ENGAGEMENT GOING ON RIGHT NOW THROUGH SERVICE, ET CETERA, THROUGH ACME. UH, AND, UH, I WOULD BE KEEN TO SEE, UH, WHAT KIND OF POLICY GOALS ARE BEING ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER ZIMAN. OKAY, I'LL SEND THAT OUT AND I WILL, UH, REACH OUT TO, AT ACME, UM, TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE. 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD A PRESENTATION FROM THEM IN A MINUTE. IS IT ON HERE? YEAH, IT IS ON HERE. YAY. WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ONE. WE'LL HAVE ONE TODAY. OKAY. UM, SO I'M GONNA TAKE, I'M GONNA HOLD, UH, ITEM THREE UNTIL SEVEN 30. AND THEN IF, UH, THEY'RE NOT HERE, WE'LL JUST MOVE FORWARD ON ITEM THREE. BUT WE'RE GONNA GIVE THEM A LITTLE TIME 'CAUSE THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T GET OFF WORK TILL SEVEN. SO, ITEM FIVE, DISCUSSION ON HOT LEFTOVERS. TRANSPARENCY CHAIR. CAN [6. Presentation and Discussion of recommendations regarding Austin's support for independent artists and creative workers through its cultural funding programs by Jane Hervey, Founder & Director, Future Front ] I, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE ITEM SIX UP ABOVE ITEM FIVE, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ARTS AND SUPPORT FOR THE INDEPENDENT ARTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS THROUGH ITS CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRESS BY JANE HERBIE, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF FUTURE FRONT. IF ANYBODY ELSE WOULD ENTERTAIN THAT MOTION. SMALL BOX SECONDS. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ITEM SIX AHEAD OF ITEM FIVE. SO WE'RE GOING TO ITEM SIX. NOW I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ITEM SIX. WAS THE PRESENTATION IN THE BACKUP? THERE'S JUST A PDF ATTACHED. THERE'S NO PRESENTATION. OKAY. OKAY. SO, JANE HERBIE, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF FUTURE FUND, DOES EVERYONE HAVE A COPY OF THAT? P IS THAT HELPFUL? THAT BACK? IT IS. OKAY. HI. HEY EVERYBODY. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT. UM, MY NAME IS JANE HARVEY. MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE, HER. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FUTURE FRONT, UH, COMMUNITY ARTS ORGANIZATION BASED IN AUSTIN. UM, TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ON SOME OF WHAT I'M GONNA SHARE TONIGHT, JUST A TAD OF INFO ON FUTURE FRONT. UM, WE'VE BEEN OPERATING IN AUSTIN FOR 10 YEARS. UM, FIVE OF THOSE YEARS WERE GRASSROOTS AND DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LED BY INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS. AND WE'RE STILL LED BY INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS. TODAY WE RECEIVE A MIX OF LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING AND, UM, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SUPPORT. AND OUR ANNUAL BUDGETS ARE AROUND, UH, HALF A MILLION. UH, WE WORK WITH ANYWHERE FROM A THOUSAND TO 1500 INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVES PER YEAR. AND, UM, SERVE ABOUT 20,000 TO 30,000 PUBLIC VISITORS DEPENDING ON OUR PROGRAM. SO I'M COMING TO TALK TONIGHT. UH, MOSTLY, UH, AROUND THINGS I THINK WE ALL ALIGN ON , WHICH ARE THE INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS ARE VITAL TO THE ARTS ECOSYSTEM IN AUSTIN. AND, UM, I'M SHARING SOME OF THIS NOW AND STEPPING INTO THIS SPACE BECAUSE OF THE RECENT CHANGES IN STRUCTURE ACROSS, UM, DIVISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ACME. AND ALSO JUST THE CHANGES MADE TO FUNDING PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED, UM, TO THE COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST MONTH, AS WELL AS, UM, JUST WITHIN THESE COUNCIL MEETINGS AND COMMISSION MEETINGS. UM, SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS TO SHARE ON JUST SOME FUNDING GUIDELINES, UM, THAT WE WOULD LIKE, UM, MYSELF AT FUTURE FRONT, BUT ALSO THE ARTISTS AND CREATIVES THAT I WORK WITH, UM, THAT REPRESENT A WIDE VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES. JUST WANT THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER, UM, AND THE STAFF TO CONSIDER AND SOME OF THE CHANGES BEING MADE. AND, UM, I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED NOT JUST WITH, UH, THE CREATIVE RESET, BUT ALSO GENERALLY SPEAKING AS YOU ALL ESTABLISH POLICY GOALS, [01:15:01] UM, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC ART. UH, THE ROLE THAT ART AND CULTURE PLAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, BUT ALSO IN OUR DAILY LIVES AND JUST WHY WE LIVE HERE AT ALL. RIGHT? SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANNA SHARE. AND, UM, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A PDF, UM, THAT I SENT ALONG THAT KIND OF SUMMARIZES ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BEFORE I LAUNCH INTO THIS THAT SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE SHARING HAVE COME OUT OF A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT RAN, UM, SINCE 2023 THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO THROUGH PARTNER PROGRAMS, UH, WITH DIFFERENT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, UM, IN THE CITY, UH, LIMITS. SO I CAN SPEAK TO ANY OF THOSE IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LINKS AND CONTEXT TO THAT. SO, YEAH, TO GET STARTED, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO HOW OUR HOT TAX GETS SPENT AS FAR AS, UH, CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS GOES. I'M SURE YOU ARE ALL HEARING FROM A NUMBER OF THOSE STAKEHOLDERS AND STAKEHOLDER TYPES. UM, BUT FOR ME, AND TONIGHT I WANNA FOCUS PARTICULARLY ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST OR THE INDEPENDENT CREATIVE WORKER. SO, UM, IMAGINE IF YOU WILL, IN YOUR MIND, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO YOU. I'M SURE YOU PROBABLY THINK OF A MAKER, A POET, UH, MAYBE YOU KNOW, A THEATER WORKER, A MUSICIAN, A VISUAL ARTIST, A MURALIST, UM, A COMMUNITY BUILDER, A CULTURAL PRODUCER. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. BUT I JUST WANNA INVITE EVERYONE TO KIND OF HOLD THAT PERSON IN THEIR MIND. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IN AUSTIN? 'CAUSE THAT'S WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, . UM, AND I WANT US ALL TO JUST CONSIDER IN DECISIONS BEING MADE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. SO, UH, ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE RIGHT, IS THAT THE CITY'S CURRENT FUNDING PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE CULTURAL TOURISM. AND I THINK IN THAT DISCUSSION AROUND CULTURAL TOURISM, WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVES WHO LIVE HERE, WHO WORK HERE, WHO PAY TAXES HERE, UM, WE HAVE TO THINK ALSO ABOUT LOCAL VISITORSHIP, SHARED MEMORIES AND TRADITIONS THAT MAKE OUR PLACES, COMMUNITIES, SPACES, NEIGHBORHOODS. NOT JUST SPOTS TO VISIT, BUT SPOTS TO LIVE, TO WORK, TO BUILD FAMILIES, UM, TO FIND COMMUNITY. AND, UM, I FOR THAT REASON AM SAYING THAT IN ANY DECISIONS THAT GET MADE OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, THAT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS GET GIVEN THE SAME SORT OF, UM, CREDIBILITY AND WEIGHT, EQUAL WEIGHT AND CONSIDERATION IN HOW THOSE FUNDS GET SPENT. AND WHEN I SAY EQUAL WEIGHT AND CONSIDERATION, I MEAN, WHEN WE SLICE AND DICE THE PIE, THEY SHOULD GET JUST AS MUCH AS ANY OTHER STAKEHOLDER AND BE CONSIDERED, UM, WITH EQUAL WEIGHT. SO, FUTURE FUNDING PROGRAMS, UM, WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE JUST WANT TO CENTER, AND I'M GONNA READ THESE 'CAUSE I'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THEM DOWN TO LIKE THE BEST LANGUAGE POSSIBLE, I THINK, OR THE QUICKEST. SO THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS, OF WHICH THERE ARE NUMEROUS, UM, REGARDLESS OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE MADE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, UM, I, WE WOULD LIKE TO ADVOCATE THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST IMPORTANT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO GET CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT FOR CREATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH HAS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO FOR THAT REASON, WE RECOMMEND A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, ONE, UM, AND I THINK THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN TOSSED OUT, BUT I'M GONNA SAY IT ON THE RECORD, THAT WHEN WE CONSIDER REQUIRING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF CITY FUNDING, THAT WE, UM, CONSIDER THAT THAT MIGHT NOT ALWAYS BE THE BEST OPTION FOR AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST OR CREATIVE OR CULTURAL WORKER WHO ALSO NEEDS TO LEARN, UM, THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIP TO FISCAL HEALTH AND FISCAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT TO MEET SOME OF THE VERY CHALLENGES THAT ARE BEING DESCRIBED AND SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT CAME BEFORE ME. WE CANNOT EXPECT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, CULTURAL WORKERS AND CREATIVES TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE CONTRACT SIZES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN A CITY OF THIS SIZE IF WE ARE NOT ALSO PROVIDING THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN THROUGH AND NAVIGATE THOSE CONTRACTS ON THEIR OWN. SO OUR RECOMMENDATION IS THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED. UM, IN THE EVENT, IN ANY TIMELINE, TIME, SPACE CONTINUUM, IT BECOMES A REQUIREMENT FOR A CITY OF AUSTIN FUNDING PROGRAM. UH, WE RECOMMEND THAT THERE IS, UM, ADEQUATE DUE PROCESS AROUND HOW THOSE FISCAL SPONSORS ARE ENGAGED BECAUSE WE WOULD BASICALLY BE VOTING TO GIVE 10% OF THESE VERY HOTLY, HOTLY DEBATED HOT FUNDS TO PROBABLY A HANDFUL OF ORGANIZATIONS WHO EVEN HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PROVIDE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ON THE LOCAL LEVEL. I'M ONLY AWARE OF A COUPLE, SO IT'S A LITTLE CRAZY TO ME, RIGHT TO, FROM THE BASELINE, SAY 10 UP TO 10% OF ALL PROJECTS COULD GO TO A COUPLE OF ORGANIZATIONS. UM, BEYOND THAT, RIGHT, IF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP EVER DOES BECOME A REQUIREMENT OR IS CONSIDERED A FORMAL PART OF THESE FUNDING GUIDELINES, RECOMMENDING THAT, UM, THERE IS A, YOU KNOW, REQUIREMENT ON WHAT THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT [01:20:01] MIGHT LOOK LIKE, WHETHER THAT'S ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY BUILDING AND ET CETERA. THE SECOND THING THAT I'M HERE, HERE TO CHAT ABOUT IS LOCAL VISITORSHIP AND CULTURAL TOURISM RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS. SO WE'RE IN A WEIRD TIME FOR AUSTIN'S, UH, JUST IDENTITY. AND, UM, IT MAKES ME EXISTENTIAL, I'M SURE IT MAKES EVERYONE HERE EXISTENTIAL. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. SOCIETY IS RAPIDLY DEVOLVING RIGHT, AND CHANGING OR WHATEVER WE WANT TO CALL IT. UM, REGARDLESS OF ALL OF THOSE CHANGES, WHAT REMAINS TRUE IS THAT THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND BE AROUND ARTISTS AND CREATIVES. AND IT CERTAINLY STANDS OUT IN TEXAS'S ECOSYSTEM AS A SPACE THAT DEFINES I THINK, THE STATE LANDSCAPE IN MANY WAYS ACROSS MUSIC, ART, AND FILM. AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO SEE, UM, THAT ARE IMPORTANT IS JUST ENSURING THAT ANY FUTURE GRANT LINE, GRANT GUIDELINES ECHO WHAT IS ESTABLISHED, UM, AS JUST BEST PRACTICE. SO THIS MEANS REQUIRING ORGANIZATIONAL ARTISTS MISSION STATEMENTS AND GOALS, PROPOSED PROJECT GOALS, FRAMEWORKS AND VALUES, DEMONSTRATION OF PROPOSED PROJECT PROGRAMMING, CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PERSONNEL, PAST PROJECT HISTORIES, ADMINISTRA ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES AND BUDGETING, AS WELL AS A DEMONSTRATION OF CONSTITUENTS SERVED AND THE INVOLVEMENT THAT CONSTITUENTS HAVE IN, UM, THE DECISION MAKING PROCESSES AT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. I'M BRINGING THESE ITEMS UP BECAUSE WE'RE IN A WEIRD TIME WITH LANGUAGE, RIGHT? ON A FEDERAL LEVEL, BUT ALSO ON A STATE LEVEL WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE EVALUATING HOW DO WE ACTUALLY ADVOCATE FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT LIVE HERE AND GIVE HERE AND PAY TAXES HERE IF WE CAN'T CALL THEM BY NAME, , IF I CAN'T SAY THE WORD WOMAN ON A WEBSITE, WE'RE IN A WEIRD TERRITORY, RIGHT? SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN HERE ARE, UM, JUST AROUND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE CONTINUED CONSTITUENT, UH, INPUT IN THE FUNDING PROCESS. SO CONSTITUENT VOICE AND COMMUNITY VOICE ARE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING WHEN IT COMES TO NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE POSED BY LANGUAGE CONSTRAINTS ON THE, UH, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. AND THIS SHOULD ENSURE THAT ARTISTS AND CREATIVES AND THEIR DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND CULTURAL HERITAGES AND STORIES CAN CONTINUE TO BE CELEBRATED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ACKNOWLEDGE IN OUR COMMUNITY, EVEN IF THE LANGUAGE DOES NOT ALLOW US TO DO SO. UM, THE SECOND ITEM I HAVE UNDER HERE IS JUST CONTINUING TO PROVIDE FUNDING OPTIONS AT DIFFERENT CONTRACT VALUES. HARKING BACK TO WHAT I SHARED BEFORE, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT CONTRACT VALUES HAVE A RANGE BECAUSE FISCAL HEALTH AND FISCAL ACCESS AND FINANCIAL LITERACY VARIES AND INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE COMMUNITIES DOES NOT MEAN THAT ARTISTS ARE BAD WITH MONEY. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE MONEY THAT THEY ARE GIVEN, AND IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY DON'T SPEND IT WELL, IT JUST MEANS THAT IT'S DIFFERENT. AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR CREATIVE WORKFORCE AS VITAL TO THE ECONOMY, REGARDLESS OF THE CONTRACT SIZE THAT THEY RECEIVED. SO JUST WANNA ADVOCATE FOR PREVIOUS FUNDING GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE ACROSS LIKE NEXUS AND ELEVATE AND THRIVE. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHALLENGES WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OF THOSE PROGRAMS, AND I'M SURE EVERYONE HERE IS QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THEM. I DO THINK THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC TO OFFERING DIFFERENT CONTRACT VALUES WHEN IT COMES TO JUST THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES, AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CREATIVE WORKERS. UM, ALSO IN SPEAKING WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD FUND A MILLION ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ALL YEAR LONG, BUT ARTISTS ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN PROJECTS. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, UPCOMING FUNDING GUIDELINES GIVE EQUAL WEIGHT AND CONSIDERATION TO ATIONAL PROJECTS JUST AS MUCH AS THEY DO TO SEASONAL OR YEAR ROUND PROGRAMMING OR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE PRODUCING THINGS ON A, YOU KNOW, CONTINUED BASIS. SO THE LAST ITEM I WANNA PUT ON HERE, UM, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A STICKY ONE, BUT I GOTTA SAY IT, AND I'M THE PERSON TO DO IT TONIGHT. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ENGAGE IN A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OF ANY KIND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OF ANY KIND OVER THE COURSE OF THREE WEEKS, WHAT WAS ATTEMPTED WITH THE CREATIVE RESET, ALTHOUGH I ACKNOWLEDGE AND AM SO GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE A PUBLIC THAT IS WILLING TO AND ABLE TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE OF PROVIDING THEIR INSIGHT, IT IS NOT FEASIBLE OR ACHIEVABLE. AND I CAN'T SPEAK FOR CITY STAFF, BUT I'M GONNA SAY IT ANYWAY. FOR A STAFF MEMBER, A TEAM MEMBER OF ANY ORGANIZATION, OF ANY INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY THAT'S WORKING IN THE ARTS TO ACHIEVE ADEQUATE PUBLIC PROCESS ON A THREE WEEK TIMELINE. THIS IS ALSO NOT STANDARD ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR IN ANY OF THE PEER MODELS OR CASE STUDIES THAT ARE PROVIDED IN SISTER CITIES OR CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT COMES OUT OF THE CREATIVE RESET SHOULD BE DISCARDED. I WANNA SAY THAT VERY CLEARLY. THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS MEANS AT ALL. WHAT I AM SUGGESTING, HOWEVER, IS THAT IF WE WANT TO ENGAGE INDEPENDENT [01:25:01] ARTISTS AND CREATIVES AND MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE AND NOT HAVE THEM LOST IN A MILLION STRANDED PDFS AND LANDING PAGES THAT REDIRECT TO NOWHERE, WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM TIME AND WE HAVE TO ALLOW THEM TO MEET US HALFWAY. AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO ADVOCATE THAT ANY FUTURE CHANGES TO FUNDING GUIDELINES INCORPORATE ARTISAN CREATIVES FEEDBACK BEYOND JUST CHECKING OFF THE BOX. WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM TIME AND SPACE TO MEET US HALFWAY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER ITEMS THAT I'VE INCLUDED ON THIS THIRD RECOMMENDATION THAT HAVE COME OUT OF OUR OWN IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS. THIS IS REALLY AROUND JUST SCORING IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS THAT COULD BE ACHIEVED, I THINK ON THE STAFF LEVEL AND REDUCE THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS AN ART, IT IS A LIFE, IT IS A RELATIONSHIP. MOST OF MY RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT THREE WEEKS LONG , OR AT LEAST I'M HOPING THEY'RE NOT, BECAUSE THAT'S A MILLION SITUATION SHIPS EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE DON'T WANNA BE IN A SITUATIONSHIP WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS. WE WANT TO HAVE REAL LIFE, UM, TESTIMONY AND INPUT FROM THEM. SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS WE'RE ALSO SUGGESTING THERE THAT COULD BE HAPPENING ON THE STAFF LEVEL OR ON A DURATIONAL TIMELINE IN TERMS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THAT MIGHT JUST HELP REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND, AND BURNOUT. AND SO, UM, YEAH, I'VE GOT A MILLION OTHER THINGS I COULD SHARE. BUT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR LISTENING. I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT EVERYONE HERE DOES. I KNOW WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. AND, UM, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, SO , I'M GONNA LEAVE AFTER THIS. I DON'T MEAN TO LIKE DROP IT IN, OH SHOOT, DROP IT AND BOUNCE. BUT, UM, YEAH, I HAD TO COME EVEN ON MY BIRTHDAY 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF IMPORTANT DECISIONS BEING MADE AND, UM, THE URGENCY IS THERE. AND SO, UH, I HOPE YOU'LL ALL CONSIDER THIS AND JUST THINK OF ARTISTS AND CREATIVES, THOSE INDIVIDUALS EVERY TIME YOU'RE IN THE ROOM AND EVERY TIME YOU'RE MAKING DECISIONS, AND THAT WE DON'T CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE OUR CITY STAFF IS JUST BURNING OUT CONTINUALLY AND CANNOT MAINTAIN ADEQUATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS. SO, THANK YOU. BLESS . THANK YOU. I RATTLE IT OFF. THANK YOU, MS. HERBIE. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER SIMAN, I JUST WAS SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME AND THEN LET ALONE IT BEING A DAY THAT YOU SHOULD BE TOTALLY FOCUSED ON YOURSELF, BUT REALLY APPRECIATE THIS, THE SYNTHESIZED, UM, FEEDBACK THAT YOU HAVE. AND I FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY NEEDED TO SAY IT OUT LOUD, AND I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR IT FROM A COMMUNITY MEMBER, UM, THAT THE BREAKNECK SPEED THAT WE'RE GOING AND TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS. UM, BUT I'LL SAVE THE BULK OF MY COMMENTS FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND FOR SHARING YOUR WISDOM. FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, UM, JANE HAS BEEN A CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS COMMUNITY FOR OVER A DECADE, WELL OVER A DECADE, UM, AND A, A BORN AND RAISED TEXAN. SO, UM, JUST VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU'RE LENDING AND SHARING WITH US. YEAH, THANK YOU. AND I'M ALLOWED TALKER TOO. SO, UM, , MY TONE WAS PROBABLY INTENSE THAT I APPRECIATE Y'ALL . UM, THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL LINKS IN THAT PDF MM-HMM THAT LINK OUT TO OTHER CASE STUDIES, PEER MODELS, UM, THE DEFINITIONS THAT WE'VE ARRIVED AT FOR SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHY. SO, UM, I JUST WANNA LEAVE Y'ALL WITH THAT, IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS TO JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THEM. AND WE ALL KNOW OUR CONSTITUENTS BEST, AND SO I JUST HOPE WE THINK OF THEM ALWAYS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS. HAS CALDER CAYMAN JOINED? I HAVE THEIR PERSONAL INFO. THEY SAID THEY'RE ON NOW. HAVING A LITTLE DIFFICULTY. JUST A SECOND. [3. Discussion on Calder Kamin’s canceled AIPP corridor project ] OH, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW. OKAY. I'M HERE. THANK YOU. HI, AM I PRONOUNCING YOUR NAME CORRECTLY? UH, IT'S CALDER CAYMAN. CALDER CAYMAN. GREAT. OKAY. IF YOU'LL JUST GIVE US A, A A RECAP OF, OF WHAT WE'RE GOING, WE'RE DOING, AND THEN WE'LL, UM, TALK TO JAIME CASTILLO ABOUT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. UH, SURE, CERTAINLY. SO, UM, SINCE I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU ALL, I HAVEN'T, UM, THE ONLY UPDATES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IS, UH, BRIANNA AND I HAVE TAKEN THE PERMITTING PROCESS INTO OUR OWN HANDS. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED, UH, THAT THE ARTIST IS GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT USUALLY THE PARTNERING DEPARTMENT DOES. SO BRIANNA AND I SUBMITTED, [01:30:01] AND BRIANNA, BRIANNA AND GLACIERS IS MY MANAGER. WE SUBMITTED, UH, A SEVEN DAY QUICK TURNAROUND COMMERCIAL PERMIT THAT WAS MISSING. UNBEKNOWNST TO MY KNOWLEDGE, UM, WITH MY PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY, UH, UPDATES ON THE PERMIT. I BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN A WEEK SINCE WE SUBMITTED. UM, SO WAITING TO HEAR FROM THAT. UM, BUT NO RESPONSES FROM THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT OTHER THAN THEY HAVE RECEIVED THEIR GENERAL PERMIT. NO UPDATES ON CONSTRUCTION, UM, NO UPDATES ON, UH, HELPING WITH EXTRA COSTS THAT HAVE BEEN ACCRUED. BUT I HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENT FROM THE CITY FOR THE MILESTONE OF INSTALLING MY PROJECT, UH, IN ORDER TO PAY MY FABRICATORS BECAUSE THE PIECE IS COMPLETE. OKAY. SO ARE ARE, DO WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO START? I'M, I'M SORRY. DID YOU NEED ME TO START FROM THE BEGINNING? YES. START, START AT THE TOP FOR PEOPLE THAT, THAT AREN'T, THAT DIDN'T READ THE BACK UP YET. SO START FROM THE TOP, . THANK YOU. SURE. SO I AM A CONTRACTED ARTIST WITH AUSTIN ART IN PUBLIC PLACES. AS PART OF THE CORRIDOR PROJECT, I HAVE, UM, AN INSTALLATION THAT WAS APPROVED FOR MARY MOORE SEAWRIGHT PARK IN DECEMBER OF 2024. I WAS APPROVED FINAL FOR FINAL DESIGN AND TO MOVE FORWARD WITH BUILDING THE OBJECT. WE MET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CITY TO HAVE THE PIECE 50% COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY, WHICH WE DID. INSTALLATION WAS SET FOR APRIL 15TH BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WORKED FOR ME AND MY FABRICATORS AS WELL AS THE CITY TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TRAVELING TO AUSTIN. I'M CURRENTLY IN KANSAS CITY. UH, THE CORRIDOR SPONSOR PROJECT CANCELED MY PROJECT ENTIRELY, UH, INDEFINITELY. SO TWO, I WAS APP APPRO, AGAIN, APPROVED IN DECEMBER, TWO WEEKS BEFORE INSULT. THEY CANCEL IT, THE COURT A CORRIDOR. THE SPONSORED DEPARTMENT DID NOT SEEK OUT PERMITS ON THEIR END, NOR DID THEY START CONSTRUCTION AND NOTIFY ME THAT EVERYTHING WAS BEHIND. SO I WAS APPROVED, MOVED FORWARD TO MEET THE MILESTONES THAT WERE REQUIRED OF THE CITY. UM, AND YET THE CITY DID NOT INFORM ME. THE SPONSORED DEPARTMENT DID NOT INFORM ME THAT THEY DID NOT GET ALL OF THEIR PERMITS, INCLUDING A COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMIT FOR MY STRUCTURE, UM, OR START CONSTRUCTION AT ALL. UM, SO THE PIECE IS BUILT NOW. WHAT DO WE DO? THANK YOU, CALDER. JAIME, WILL YOU SPEAK TO THIS PLEASE? SO, JUST THE POINT OF CLARIFICATION, THE PROJECT WAS NOT CANCELED. UH, THE INSTALL DATE WAS POSTPONED UNTIL WE COULD CLEAR, UH, CLARIFY WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE PERMITTING. SO THERE WAS, UH, A PERMITTING PROCESS THAT WAS STARTED. UH, NOW AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE CAN SEE THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE PERMITS THAT WERE ACTUALLY NEEDED. UM, AND SO POINTING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION THAT I MADE IS, YOU KNOW, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH DSD, SO WE CAN CLARIFY WHAT THAT, UM, DECISION MAKING PROCESS LOOKS LIKE. UM, SO YEAH, JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, CLARIFY, POSTPONE PROJECT THAT'S NOT, UH, UNCOMMON. UM, I'M, I GUESS WHAT, WHAT OTHER QUESTION IS THERE? THAT, SORRY. THANK YOU THAT, THAT'S THE CLARIFICATION THAT I WANTED, IS THAT WE HAVEN'T, TWO WEEKS BEFORE INSTALLATION CANCELED A PUBLIC PRO A A PP PROJECT. THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED. WE'VE, WE'VE EXTENDED THE INSTALLATION DATE. AM I CORRECT? WE POSTPONED POSTPONED IT, YES. POSTPONED THE INSTALLATION DATE. OKAY. UM, AND AS FAR AS GETTING THE PERMITS THAT ARE MISSING TOGETHER, HOW IS THAT GOING? UH, WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL. I, CALDER IS CORRECT. SHE HASN'T RECEIVED THE UPDATE, BUT WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE PERMITTING PROCESS. THERE'S ONE THING, ONE OUTSTANDING REVIEW, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CONTACTED DSD TO REMIND THEM THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S THE, THAT REVIEW REQUIRES A CERTAIN PERMIT AND THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AND THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENT PERMIT THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO USE. AND SO I'M ANTICIPATING AN UPDATE IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO TO CONFIRM THAT, THAT WE ENCLOSE THAT PERMIT ON, WE'LL HAVE THAT BUILDING PERMIT READY TO GO, AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AS [01:35:01] WELL AS, UH, WE KNOW THAT, UH, THE SPONSOR OR THAT CDS CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICE IS ALREADY PUTTING THINGS IN MOTION FOR, FOR, UH, INSTALLATION, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE LINED UP ONCE WE GET THE OFFICIAL APPROVED PERMIT FROM DSD. SO, AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE AN INSTALLATION DATE AVAILABLE FOR THE ARTIST. CORRECT. WE'RE, WE'RE, THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE THE PERMITS IN HAND AND WE CAN SHOW IT TO EVERYBODY AND WE'RE, BEFORE WE SCHEDULE A DATE. SO THEN HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE ARTIST'S FUNDING? IT DOESN'T, I MEAN, IT'S LIKE, I, LIKE I SAID, SO PAYMENTS WILL STILL BE ON TIME. WE'RE, YEAH, WE'RE EXPECTING THAT MY OBJECT WAS MADE AND I HAVE TO STORE IT NOW. OH, OKAY. UH, IF, IF THIS WOULD'VE, OF COURSE, A DELAY WOULD'VE NOT BOTHERED ME IF WE HADN'T BEEN MOVED FORWARD TO MAKE THE OBJECT. I HAVE TO FIND STORAGE FOR THE OBJECT FOR THE INDEFINITE TIMELINE THAT'S NOT BEING SHARED YET NOW. I SEE. OKAY. IS THERE ANY, ANY, UM, WAY TO ALLEVIATE THIS BURDEN TO THE ARTIST SINCE IT'S NOT THEIR, UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO SUBMIT INVOICES FOR THE INR COSTS. MM-HMM . BUT NO UPDATES. OKAY. SO AS THAT'S CALLED MENTIONED WE'RE, WE ASKED HER FOR SOME INVOICES SO THAT WE CAN START THE PROCESS OF, UM, HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED TO SEE HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THE ISSUE. UM, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS AN EXPECTED PART OF THE, THE PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS OF, OF MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY AND CONTINGENCY TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A DELAY THAT, THAT WE'RE STILL ABLE TO COVER THAT COST. UH, THIS PROJECT IS, HAS BEEN, UH, IN THE WORKS FOR A LONG TIME MM-HMM . SO CONTINGENCY FUNDS HAVE BEEN REDUCED, AND SO WE CAN'T EXACTLY DO THAT RIGHT NOW. AND SO, YEAH. SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE, WE DID ASK CALDER FOR, FOR COPIES OF INVOICES SO THAT WE COULD HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS INTERNALLY. AND SO WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR THAT UPDATE FROM CALDER. OKAY. AND THEN THE, OH, GO AHEAD. CALDER, YOU NEED FROM ME? I'M SORRY. UH, WHAT, WHAT UPDATES DID YOU NEED FROM ME, JAIME? I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE WAITING FOR ANYTHING FROM ME. OH, AS FAR AS I UNDERSTOOD, WE DON'T HAVE YOUR INVOICES YET, BUT I COULD, UH, I'VE SUBMITTED INVOICES FOR MAY AND JUNE. OKAY. WE'RE STILL MISSING THE MAY INVOICE, SO WE'LL, WE'LL CONNECT OFFLINE WITH BRIANNA AND MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THOSE DOCUMENTS. UM, I SUBMITTED THE MAY AND JUNE INVOICE. WHAT I WAS ASKED IS TO, UM, SHOW RECEIPTS. SO I AM WAITING FOR AN INVOICE FROM SRO FOR STORAGE. THAT IS WHAT IS DELAYED. BUT THE INVOICES HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED. I'M BEING ASKED TO CREATE, UH, RECEIPTS TO SHOW HOW THE COSTS, UH, OR YEAH. SHOW THE COSTS. OKAY. AND, AND THEN JAIME, WHAT IS THE POSITION ON NOT REQUIRING THE INSURANCE UNTIL FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL? THAT'S A DEEPER, OH, THAT'S A LONGER CONVERSATION. LONGER CONVERSATION WITH, WITH PROGRAM ASSESSMENT THAT WE'RE CONDUCTING NOW. OKAY. I THINK SO THIS IS PART OF WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON? ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. EVERY ASPECT OF THIS PROJECT IS PART OF OUR LARGER CONVERSATION. OKAY. GREAT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE CAN DO IN THE IMMEDIATE, UM, TIMEFRAME FOR YOU, CALDER? UM, I HAVE, UH, RECEIVED THE FUNDING IN ORDER TO, UM, PAY MY FABRICATOR. UH, JUST AGAIN, WAITING FOR THAT MONEY FOR THE RENT THAT'S BEEN ADDED. AND ANY UPDATES ON TIMELINE OR IF CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. AND WHO WOULD BE HER CONTACT FOR THAT? I MAY, UH, HER A IPP COORDINATOR. OKAY. SO, WELL, UM, WHO IS YOUR COORDINATOR? BRIAN GLE. AND WE'RE IN CONVERSATION, AS I MENTIONED. WE OKAY. WE'RE WAITING FOR THE PERMIT THAT, THAT PERMIT. ONCE WE HAVE THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE GONNA SCHEDULE THE INSTALL DATE. OKAY. GREAT. OKAY. UM, I'M SORRY THAT THIS IS, THIS HAPPENED. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE PERMIT PROCESS IS, IS ONE OF THOSE BIG, BIG HUGE MACHINES THAT TAKES A WHILE TO GET THROUGH. UM, AND WITH THIS RESTRUCTURING AND OVERVIEWING AND GETTING EVERYBODY [01:40:01] IN THE SAME ROOM TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE, WE HOPE TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING TO ANYONE IN THE FUTURE AND, AND GET YOUR SITUATION CLEARED UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. YEAH, JUST IF THERE'S NO FINAL APPROVAL OR TELLING THE ARTIST WHO START BUILDING UNTIL CONSTRUCTION AND PERMITS HAVE OFFICIALLY GONE THROUGH WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL. YES. THAT SOUNDS, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A RATIONAL THING TO DO. AND JAIME, WE'LL PUT THAT IN THE TO-DOS FOR THIS RESTRUCTURING THAT THEY'RE DOING. ABSOLUTELY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. SORRY TO RUSH YOU OUTTA WORK, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GOT HER ON THE RECORD AND WE GOT SOME ANSWERS ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD FOR YOU. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. THANK YOU, JAIME. THANK YOU. NOW [5. Discussion on HOT leftovers transparency request for potential emergency funding. ] WE'RE MOVING TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE, DISCUSSION OF HOT LEFTOVERS TRANSPARENCY, REQUEST FOR POTENTIAL EMERGENCY FUNDING. WE GOT, UM, A HANDOUT THAT ANSWERS A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS. UM, CAN YOU COME FORWARD AND, AND JUST WALK US THROUGH THIS REALLY QUICKLY? HELLO? UH, HI EVERYBODY. MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR OFFICE OF ARTS, CULTURE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. UM, YES, I BROUGHT A PRINTED HANDOUT 'CAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAD IT ACCESSIBLE SINCE WE DID IT SORT OF LATE FOR BACKUP. THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THE QUESTION, SHARON. APOLOGIES ON THE DELAYED ANSWER. IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT, UM, AND WE WANTED TO GET YOU ALL THE CORRECT INFORMATION. SO IF YOU'D LIKE, I'D BE HAPPY TO JUST GO LIKE THROUGH THEM ONE BY ONE IF THAT WORKS FOR Y'ALL. UH, THAT'S FINE. I'D ALSO LIKE TO REQUEST THAT THIS HANDOUT BE PLACED IN THE, IN THE BACKUP OR IT, IT IS IN, IT IS NOW. OKAY, GREAT. YEAH. YES. UM, SO IT'S HERE ON THE, OH, IT WAS HERE ON THE SCREEN, WHICH IS HELPFUL. OKAY, GREAT. SO, UM, I'LL JUST START AT THE TOP FOR YOU. ALL THESE QUESTIONS WERE SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL FROM COMMISSIONER ANDERSON ON FRIDAY JUNE 6TH. WE WORKED LAST WEEK, UM, WITH INTERNAL STAFF AND ALSO WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE LUNG CENTER WHO, UM, PRODUCED THE CONTRACTS. MOST OF THE CONTRACTS IN QUESTION HERE THAT WE'VE ITEMIZED FOR YOU TO JUST ENSURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THE CORRECT DATA FOR YOU. SO THE FIRST QUESTION WAS AROUND HOW MANY HOT FUNDED GRANTS, INCLUDING ALL OF THE PROGRAMS, UM, THAT ACME MANAGES FROM 2022 SLASH 2023 CYCLE, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSED IN THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 2024 ARE COMPLETED AS OF TODAY. UM, AND THERE'S A PARENTHESES ASKING ABOUT THE FINAL REPORT SUBMISSION AND THE LAST 10% THAT WOULD GO UNPAID IF THE PROGRAM GRANTS WERE NOT CLOSED OUT. SO, UM, THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER FOR HELPING US PUT TOGETHER THIS CHART THAT YOU SEE HERE. SO WE WERE ABLE TO ITEMIZE BY EACH PROGRAM, UM, IN A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES, THE COMPLETE NUMBER OF AWARDEES, AND THEN THE THREE AREAS THAT WE BROKE OUT THE INFORMATION IN, UM, TO KIND OF GET TO THE CRUX OF WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT IS, UM, CONTRACTS THAT WERE FORFEITED, CONTRACTS THAT REMAIN OPEN AND CONTRACTS THAT FALL UNDER NON-COMPLIANCE. AND WE DEFINE THOSE KEY TERMS RIGHT UNDER THE, UM, MATRIX FOR YOU, JUST SO WE HAD THE WAY THAT WE TALK ABOUT CONTRACTS. 'CAUSE I THINK SOME OF, SOME OF THE LANGUAGE, UM, THAT WAS BEING USED, LIKE WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU MEANT, BUT IT JUST WAS ISN'T HOW WE LIKE WRITE ABOUT IT. SO, FORFEITED CONTRACTS ARE CONTRACTS MADE TO GRANTEES WHO JUST DECIDE TO PROACTIVELY GIVE THAT UP FOR A NUMBER OF REASON, OR THEY REMAIN UNRESPONSIVE WHEN THE AWARD IS INITIALLY OFFERED. OPEN CONTRACTS ARE FOR, UH, CONTRACTS THAT HAVE BEEN GRANTED AN EXTENSION BEYOND THE ORIGINAL CLOSE DATE OR FOR CONTRACTS THAT ARE STILL WITHIN THE NORMAL TIMEFRAME OF THEIR AWARD THAT THEY RECEIVED. AND THEN NON-COMPLIANT CONTRACTS ARE CONTRACTS THAT HAVE YET TO SUBMIT A FINAL REPORT. THEY COULD BE NON-COMPLIANT, BUT RESPONSIVE WITH US WORKING WITH STAFF TO GET THAT SUBMITTED. THEY COULD BE NON-COMPLIANT AND UNRESPONSIVE, OR THEY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY GRANTED AN EXTENSION THAT WAS EXPIRED. AND SO WE ITEMIZED THOSE. AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE SECOND COLUMN, UM, THE NUMBER OF FORFEITED CONTRACTS ACROSS ALL THE PROGRAMS FROM THE YEARS OF 2022 AND 2023. WE HAVE EIGHT TOTAL THAT WERE FORFEITED. UM, IF YOU GO OVER TO THE NEXT COLUMN, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE 15 TOTAL THAT ARE JUST CONTINUE TO REMAIN OPEN AND GOOD STANDING. AND THEN IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT COLUMN, WE HAVE 70 TOTAL CONTRACTS THAT FALL INTO THE NON-COMPLIANT CATEGORY. UM, AND SO THOSE WERE THE KIND OF THE THREE BIG BUCKETS THAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR IN THE DETAILS. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO PAUSE AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT OR [01:45:01] MOVE ON TO THE, THE NEXT LINE ITEM, WHICH, UM, NUMBER TWO, WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. YEAH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION. THANK YOU. UM, IS THAT OKAY, GINA? UM, IN TERMS OF THE NON-COMPLIANT CONTRACTS, IS THERE A, I KNOW THERE WAS A DEADLINE, BUT THEY MISSED THE DEADLINE AND THEN YOU GIVE THEM A NEW DEADLINE AND IF THEY MEET THE DEADLINE, IS THERE A FINAL DEADLINE EVER WHERE OFFICIALLY THE MONEY THAT'S LEFT ON THE TABLE GETS ROLLED? I UNDERSTAND NOW FROM YOUR DOCUMENT THAT IT GETS ROLLED INTO NEXT YEAR'S HOT BUDGET BASICALLY, RIGHT? OR AVAILABLE FUNDS? YES, THAT'S CORRECT. UM, WE DO HAVE LIKE A 30, 60 90 DAY DEADLINE, AND MR. PANTEL ACTUALLY, UM, PUT THAT IN HIS PRESENTATION ABOUT CULTURAL FUNDING TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH THE CONTRACTING PROCESS IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL MM-HMM . BUT THAT'S CORRECT. UM, SOMETIMES WE GET TO THE INITIAL AGREED UPON DEADLINE, IT'S A 12 MONTH CONTRACT MM-HMM . AND FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, THE AWARDEE, UM, NEEDS A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME. AND AS LONG AS THEY'RE RESPONSIVE AND WORKING WITH STAFF, UM, THE GOAL IS TYPICALLY TO WORK WITH THEM TO GET TO COMPLIANCE, TO CLOSE THE CONTRACT OUT AND KEEP THEM IN GOOD STANDING. BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT, THERE IS A CUTOFF TIME WHERE, UM, WHETHER OR NOT THEY DON'T FULFILL COMPLIANCE OR THEY'RE JUST IGNORING US ALL TOGETHER, THAT IT DOES GET CLOSED OUT AND MOVE FORWARD FOR THE NEXT FUNDING CYCLE. OKAY. SO ARE WE THERE YET FOR, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED IN OCTOBER OF 2024, RIGHT? MOST OF THESE THINGS, IT DEPENDS WHICH, WHICH CONTRACT, WHICH CONTRACT AND WHAT THE EXTENSION, UM, CONVERSATION WAS. GOT IT. BECAUSE HAVE, SO IN THE NONCOMPLIANT CONTRACT COLUMN, WHICH WHICH IS 70 CONTRACTS MM-HMM . THOSE NON-COMPLIANT MEANS YOU'RE DONE. RIGHT. THE NO, NO NON-COMPLIANT MEANS YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED YOUR FINAL REPORT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UM MM-HMM . KEY TERMS, AND IT COULD MEAN YOU'RE EITHER RESPONSIVE, WHICH MEANS WE ARE ARE WORKING WITH YOU ON WHAT YOUR DEADLINE IS. OKAY. OR YOU COULD BE NON-RESPONSIVE. AND IF YOU SEE THE NUMBERS 70 OF THOSE TOTAL 80, UM, OR EXCUSE ME, 60 OF THE TOTAL BELONG WITH THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. I UNDERSTAND. SO MY QUESTION IS, AT WHAT POINT DO THINGS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FINALIZED IN 2024 GET CUT OFF OFFICIALLY? YEAH. THERE'S NO MORE DISCUSSION AND IT DEPENDS WHAT IF THEY WERE RESPONSIVE AND GRANTED AN EXTENSION. IT'S, IT'S INDIVIDUALIZED PER CONTRACTEE DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES I SEE. AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE RESPONSIVE OR NOT. OKAY. IS THERE, AND WAS THERE, OH, SORRY. NO, GO AHEAD. WAS THERE SOME REASON WHY THERE WERE SO MANY LIVE MUSIC GRANTS? I MEAN, I KNOW WE'RE NOT SURE IN CHARGE OF THE LIVE MUSIC, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS SINCE WE'VE GOT THIS DATA IN FRONT OF US, IT'S KIND OF A LOT OF CONTRAST. YEAH, OF COURSE. SO, UM, LIVE MUSIC FUND IS OUR NEWEST PROGRAM THAT WAS LAUNCHED, UM, AS A CITY WHEN THE ORDINANCE WAS CREATED TO SET ASIDE MONEY TO CREATE THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. SO FOR MUSICIANS AND VENUES, IT'S A BRAND NEW PROGRAM TO THEM. UM, GRANTING CAN BE DIFFERENT FOR THAT AUDIENCE. UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT NEWER. AND SO WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION STYLE. WE'RE USED TO DOING ALL OF OUR GRANTEE COMMUNICATIONS VIA EMAIL. AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THEM IS IT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO CHECK EMAILS. I DON'T KEEP UP WITH THAT. ARE THERE OTHER TOUCH POINTS? AND SO WE'RE EXPLORING, YOU KNOW, TEXT MESSAGE PUSHING TO LIKE REMIND PEOPLE OF THEIR DEADLINES. SO OUR STAFF IS LOOKING INTO THAT AND TRYING TO FIND THE BEST WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM TO GET THEM THROUGH THE FINISH LINE. UM, AND AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, FOR MANY OF THESE PEOPLE THEY MIGHT BE FIRST TIME GRANTEES OR THIS MIGHT BE NEW TO THEM GENERALLY. GOT IT. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER GRAY? I'M FINE. YOU SURE? NO, I'M NOT. IF I WANNA GET INTO, OKAY, COMMISSIONER ISMAN IS STAFF ADMINIS HAS, DID STAFF ADMINISTER LIVE MUSIC OR WAS THAT LONG CENTER? SO WE LAUNCHED THE APPLICATION IN PARTNERSHIP. BUT DO YOU MEAN LIKE WHO OWNS THE CONTRACTS? NO, I MEAN, WHO'S SENDING THE EMAILS? OH, RIGHT. SO WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT TOUCH POINTS. SO OUR, UM, THE TEAM AT ACME DOES CONTRACT MONITORING, AND SO THEY DO A LOT OF TOUCH POINTS WITH THE AWARDEES. BUT WE ALSO HAVE A TEAM OF FOLKS AT THE LONG CENTER AND WE HAVE OUR STAFF HERE, UM, TO HELP SUPPORT. SO BOBBY, KEEP ME HONEST, UM, THEY DO A LOT OF THE INITIAL TOUCH POINTS RELATED TO CONTRACT MANAGEMENT, BUT THE TEAM AT ACME DOES MONITORING, WHICH IS TOUCH ANDS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS AND AUDITING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. OKAY. THAT'S, HE'S CHECKING, THAT'S GENUINELY MY QUESTION IS WHO, WHO'S THE ONE THAT OWNS THAT PROCESS THAT LIKE, HEY, DON'T FORGET. HEY, AND THAT'S A PARTICIPANT IN THAT COMMUNITY. UM, YEAH, EMAIL'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE, BUT, UM, LEARNING, RIGHT, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST ROLLOUT. UM, THAT, THAT WAS MY GENERAL QUESTION. HI, I'M BOBBY GODS, I'M THE CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER AT THE LONG CENTER. UM, I THINK COMPLIANCE IS A REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING, UH, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED WITH THE CITY. SO AT THE BEGINNING OF ALL OF, UH, OUR TIME ADMINISTERING THESE CONTRACTS, SOME OF THE ONES THAT WE ADMINISTERED, UH, WERE, WE WERE THE LONG TERM [01:50:01] WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTRACTING AND OTHERS, THE CITY WAS. AND THAT, THAT'S BECOME NORMALIZED A LITTLE BIT OVER THE, THE LAST COUPLE FISCAL YEARS. THIS FIRST FISCAL YEAR HAD HAD BEEN, UH, ONE WHERE WE ISSUED CONTRACTS FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND AND FOR ELEVATE, AND THE OTHER ONES WERE SORT OF HOUSED AT THE CITY. AND SO AS A CONSEQUENCE, UH, OUR TEAM AND, YOU KNOW, CULTURAL ARTS STAFF OR MED HAD DAILY WEEKLY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHO WAS DOING WHAT AND HOW. AND IF WE HAD BETTER TOUCH POINTS, IT WAS WHOEVER HAD THE BEST INROADS TO ALL OF THOSE THINGS. SO IT REALLY WAS A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. UH, OBVIOUSLY LEARNING FROM MISTAKES, KITTEN THERAPY AND ORIENTATION, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST THINKING ABOUT IT BEING A NEW PROGRAM WITH PEOPLE THAT HAD POTENTIALLY NEVER RECEIVED CITY FUNDING BEFORE AND, AND LAYING OUT THE PARAMETERS, LIKE MAJORITY OF THE CONVERSATION AND THE THE REQUIREMENTS ARE GONNA BE COMMUNICATED VIA EMAIL. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO ADD FOR NEXT TIME. SO I, I BELIEVE WE DO A CONTRACT KICKOFF FOR ALL OF OUR, UM, CONTRACT AWARDEES. AND I SAW, UM, ERICA SHAMLEY, UM, DIVISION MANAGER FOR MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT HOPPED ON. SO IF WE HAVE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ABOUT CONTRACT KICKOFF AND MANAGING THEIR EXPECTATIONS, I'M SURE SHE'D BE ABLE TO, TO HELP US AT A MORE GRANULAR LEVEL TO ANSWER THAT IF YOU WOULD LIKE. MY ONLY QUESTION IS, IS THAT MANDATORY? UM, BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE. I BELIEVE IT IS, YES. WE'LL LET ERICA SPEAK TO IT WHEN SHE'S SPEAKING, BUT I, I SEE COMMISSIONERS WITH OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT IF WE COULD JUST PUT A PIN IN THAT, BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE A FIX FOR THE BULK OF THIS COMMISSIONER MOP. UM, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, BECAUSE YOU SAID HELPING PEOPLE STAY IN GOOD STANDING, WHAT IS, AT WHAT POINT DO, DO ENTITIES BECOME NOT IN GOOD STANDING AND WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE FOR NOT BEING IN GOOD STANDING? SURE. SO IT'S, IN MY UNDERSTANDING IS OVER THE HISTORY OF THESE, UM, CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS AND THE NEWLY FORMERLY MUSIC ONES, IT'S INCREDIBLY RARE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. UM, IF YOU DO NOT CLOSE YOUR CONTRACT OUT AND GET THE FINAL 10% BECAUSE YOU REMAIN NON-COMPLIANT OR YOU, UH, FORFEIT AT THE END OF THAT, LIKE YOUR MONEY, YOU DON'T GET IT. THAT MOVES YOU INTO BEING NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE FUNDING AND BAD STANDING. UM, AND I BELIEVE THE TIMEFRAME IS FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS THE TIMEFRAME FOR RECORDS RETENTION IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO TURN OVER FIVE YEARS. COMMISSIONER . THANK YOU. THANK CHAIR. UM, WELL, UH, I WOULD UM, DEFINITELY LIKE TO PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND KIND OF SPEAK MORE IN THAT CONTEXT. UH, UM, WOULD LIKE TO REFOCUS THE ATTENTION OF THIS COMMISSION BACK TO THE CULTURAL GRANTS AND LEFTOVER FROM THESE GRANTS BECAUSE REGARDLESS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE LIVE MUSIC FUND SIDE, UH, IN SOME WAYS IT'S INCONSEQUENTIAL TO THE CULTURAL ARTS GRANTS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT CROSS USE ANY OF THE GRANTS ANYWAY. UM, I THINK IT'S, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M KIND OF GLAD TO HEAR THAT, UH, SOME NUANCES ALSO BEING APPLIED TO THE FACT THAT IT IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS RECEIVING GRANTS FOR, UH, REALLY THE FIRST TIME. UH, A LOT OF, A LOT OF FIRST TIME GRANTEES. UH, THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN THERE ONLY FOR TWO YEARS. IT'S A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY. THE NATURE IS DIFFERENT, UM, OF THE INDUSTRY. SO, UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S, I KIND OF, UM, LIKE THE IDEA THAT YES, WE, WE NEED TO HAVE SOME HARD PARAMETERS, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE THIS IS A, THIS IS A SERIOUS GRANTS PROGRAM AND BOTH THE GRANTOR AND GRANTEES NEED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. BUT, UH, BUT UH, I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE ARE KIND OF LEARNING ON THE GO AS WELL AND ALSO MODIFYING, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR APPROACH TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY BETTER. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, UH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET THIS ADDED TO OUR AGENDA AS WELL FOR NEXT MONTH. THANK YOU. AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO PICK ON THE MUSICIANS JUST AS ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY NOW. I THINK AND, AND A LOT OF CROSS POLLINATION IN, IN WHO'S ADMINISTERING WHAT. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYBODY'S WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL. UM, NO. UNDERSTOOD. AND ALSO I THINK THERE IS, THERE IS THE KIND OF, UH, BEST PRACTICES THAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM BOTH SIDES. RIGHT. SO YEAH. AND ESPECIALLY FROM CULTURAL ARTS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG STANDING PROGRAM. WE'RE SO OLD , WE'RE SO OLD. THERE'S SO MUCH TO TEACH YOU GUYS. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, UH, MORGAN, I JUST HAD A FOLLOW UP QUESTION 'CAUSE YOU MENTIONED WHO OWNS THE CONTRACTS MM-HMM . AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING POINT BECAUSE IN CERTAINLY WHEN ALL THE GRANTS WERE IN-HOUSE RIGHT, THE CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE ARTIST AND THE CITY WERE JUST THAT RIGHT. AND MY UNDERSTANDING THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE AND MM-HMM . THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANTED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE ARE GRAPE VINING LIKE CRAZY ABOUT ALL OF THESE. AND I HEARD GRAPEVINES ABOUT THE MUSIC FUND HAVING, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS AS WELL. SO I WANTED TO JUST GET THAT OUT IN THE OPEN. 'CAUSE I'M, I'M ALL ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND THAT'S KIND OF WHY I'M HERE. SO, UM, I, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT THE CONTRACTS BECAUSE WHEN, NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO WHO GET CITY FUNDING [01:55:01] ARE ACTUALLY CONTRACTED WITH THE LONG CENTER, NOT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. WHY WAS THAT CHANGE MADE? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT AND DOES THAT AFFECT THINGS LIKE PUBLIC REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION? I GUESS NOT 'CAUSE YOU'RE A NONPROFIT OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? LIKE WHY WAS THAT CHANGED? YEAH, THANK YOU. SO I'M GONNA LET BOBBY SPEAK TO MOST OF THIS 'CAUSE THIS IS THEIR, THEIR, UM, HE'S BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME AND I'M NEW THAN HE IS, SO HE'S GONNA HAVE THE BEST INFO. I ALSO WANTED ENOUGH TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE A, UH, STAFF BRIEFING FROM ERICA SHAMLEY WHO MANAGES THE LONG CENTER CONTRACT FROM THE CITY PERSPECTIVE. YEAH. SO, UM, IF WE CAN'T GET EVERYTHING ANSWERED HERE SURE WE CAN, WE CAN COVER SOME OF RELATED AS WELL. YEAH. MM-HMM . UM, BUT YES, YOU ARE CORRECT. THE, THE CONTRACTS WITH OUR GRANTEES, OUR ARTISTS ARE LONG CENTER CONTRACTS AND I'LL LET BOBBY SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IF YOU'D LIKE TO. YEAH, I, IT'S BOBBY GO AGAIN FROM THE LONG CENTER. UM, I, I THINK THE PARTICULAR RATIONALE FOR THAT WAS THAT IF YOU'VE EVER DONE BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, THE CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS ARE, UH, GREAT AND SOMETIMES THEY TAKE A WHILE. SO WHEN WE WERE FIRST HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY ABOUT HOW TO SET SOME OF THIS STUFF UP, IT WAS HOW DO WE GET TO THIS END OF THIS PROCESS FASTER SO WE CAN PAY ARTISAN ORGANIZATIONS FASTER? SO AS A, UH, AGAIN, IT'S A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. WHEN WE, WHEN WE SIGNED THE CONTRACT AND THEN GOT INTO THE NITTY GRITTY WITH STAFF AND LAW AND, AND OTHER FOLKS, IT WAS, WHAT'S THE QUICKEST WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH SOME OF THESE LIKE PAPERWORK PROVISIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN ACCURATELY PAY PEOPLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SO THAT WAS SORT OF THE LOGIC IN INVOLVED WITH THAT. I SEE. SO IT WAS ABOUT EXPEDIENCY NOT ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. AND THE TRANSPARENCY LEVEL IS STILL THE SAME. ANYONE CAN REQUEST A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FOR ANY CONTRACT. YEAH. I MEAN, WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT 'CAUSE IT'S THE CITY'S INVOLVED. RIGHT. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. YEAH, THANK YOU. AND, AND I WOULD MAKE THAT OPEN OFFER TO YOU GUYS IF, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO SEE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE IN, IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN PROVIDE THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ABSOLUTELY HAPPY TO DO AND, AND WE'LL PROBABLY TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT IT THAN YOU WANT. UM, ALSO JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY AND COMPLETENESS WITH OUR PROCESSES, WE'VE INDEPENDENTLY STARTED A THIRD PARTY AUDIT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FINANCIAL PROCESSES IS OUR CONTRACTING PROCESSES AND THE WAY THAT WE STEWARD THE CITY'S MONEY IS, UH, YOU KNOW, UP TO SNUFF. HMM. OKAY. I'M SURE WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. SHOULD WE GET BACK TO THE GIANT WORKSHEET? ? THANK YOU. OF COURSE. SHELLY. MOVE ON TO NUMBER TWO. ALRIGHT, SO, UM, THERE'S DOLLARS ATTACHED TO ALL THOSE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF, UM, CONTRACTING, FORFEITED, OPEN CONTRACTS AND NON-COMPLIANCE. AND SO THE QUESTION WAS HOW MANY TOTAL DOLLARS OF UNCLAIMED HOT FUNDS ARE WRAPPED UP IN THE, IN THE NON-COMPLIANT OR FORFEITED BUCKETS? AND SO I BROKE THOSE OUT INTO TWO CATEGORIES FOR US TO DISCUSS. UM, THE TOTAL COST OF LEFTOVER FUNDS AS OF JUNE 9TH FOR AWARDEES WHO HAVE FORFEITED IS A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TOTAL, 70,000 OF WHICH IS FROM THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, UM, WHICH CANNOT COMMINGLE BY ORDINANCE WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND. UM, THE SECOND BULLET IS CONTRACTS ACTIVELY BEING WORKED WITH TO MOVE TOWARDS FINAL REPORT COMPLIANCE. THOSE ARE THE NON-COMPLIANT ONES. UH, IS TOTALING $847,500. AGAIN, 550,000 OF THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AND, AND NOT ABLE TO BE COMMINGLED WITH CULTURAL ARTS FUND. SO THAT'S AROUND 300,000. THAT'S IN CULTURAL ARTS. 327 5 IS WHAT? 27 5. THANK YOU. OKAY. COMMISSIONER GRAY, I'M JUST REMEMBERING A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOT FUNDS THAT WERE NOT DISPERSED MAYBE TWO FISCAL YEARS AGO THAT IF FUNDS WERE NOT UTILIZED, IT WENT BACK INTO THE FULL HOT FUNDS POT FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT SHOULD BE THE PRACTICE. SO IT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ALLOCATING FROM ONE LIVE MUSIC TO CULTURAL FUNDS. IT'S ALL GONNA BE IN THE HOT FUND. THEY ARE SPECIFIC OR ARE THEY SEPARATE? THEY'RE COMPLETELY, THEY'RE SEPARATE. THAT'S TRUE. IT'S A PERCENTAGE OF THAT TOTAL FUNDING. SO, SORRY. THAT'S RIGHT. BUT IT IS CORRECT. IT WILL GO BACK INTO EACH RESPECTIVE BUCKET AS IT IS, UM, SET ASIDE DURING THE BUDGETING PROCESS. OKAY. I THINK WE CAN MOVE TO NUMBER THREE. ALL RIGHT. NUMBER THREE, PLEASE CLARIFY WHERE THESE LEFTOVER DOLLARS ARE LOCATED. UM, SO THE NATURE OF OUR WORK WITH THE LONG CENTER, WE, UM, DON'T GIVE THEM ALL OF THE FUNDS UPFRONT. SO WE DO OUR WORK IN, UM, INCREMENTAL PAYMENTS. AND SO SOME OF THE FUNDING IS CURRENTLY SITTING WITH THE LONG CENTER AND SOME OF IT HAS NOT BEEN SENT OUT, IS MY UNDERSTANDING YET. AND SO WE OPERATE FROM A FINANCE PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT WE CALL DOS, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THAT STANDS FOR AND [02:00:01] BOBBY DOESN'T KNOW EITHER. WE'RE NOT VERY GOOD WITH ACRONYMS. IT'S, UM, IT'S THE FUNDING MECHANISM THAT WE SEND UP TO THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT TO SAY WE WOULD LIKE TO ENCUMBER THIS CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY. UM, THE LONG CENTER SENDS US AN INVOICE AND SAYS, WE'RE READY TO SEND THESE CONTRACT MONIES OUT, CAN YOU PLEASE SEND THE MONEY OVER? UM, AND THE REASON THAT WE DO INCREMENTAL PAYMENTS IS SO THAT WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, SEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR FUNDING TO SIT IN THE LONG CENTER'S BANK ACCRUING, UM, INTEREST ON MONEY THAT BELONGS TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEN HAVING TO DO TRANSFERS BACK AND FORTH. SO AT THIS TIME, UM, THERE IS A SLIGHT DIVISION OF MONEY, AND THIS IS PRETTY TYPICAL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE DO A TRUET PROCESS, UM, WHEN NEEDED. AND MONEY, LIKE I SAID, WILL BE SENT BACK INTO THE BUDGET FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR FOR EACH RESPECTIVE, UM, BUCKET, WHETHER IT'S CULTURAL ARTS, LIVE MUSIC, OR HERITAGE PRESERVATION OR CSEP, UH, CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS ON THREE? HEY, I THINK WE'RE GOOD. NUMBER FOUR, HOW IS THE CITY SETTING ABOUT TO RETRIEVE FUNDS FOR THE 90% FURNISHED TO GRANTEES WHO DID NOT COMPLETE THEIR CONTRACTS? UM, SO I'LL JUST READ MY ANSWER VERBATIM. UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOES NOT TYPICALLY CLAW BACK FUNDING FOR MONEY SLASH AWARDS PREVIOUSLY DISTRIBUTED, AND ANY PROVISION WOULD HAVE TO BE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN DIRECTLY INTO THE CONTRACT. A BEST PRACTICE FOR CONTRACTING, INCLUDING FOR GRANT CONTRACTS, IS TO DENY PAYMENTS AS MILESTONES ARE NOT MET, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN A CANCELED CONTRACT AND A CONTRACTOR NOT RECEIVING THEIR FINAL PAYMENT, WHICH, AND I DIDN'T WRITE THIS HERE, WOULD MOVE THEM INTO BAD STANDING WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY. THE GOAL OF THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN TO WORK WITH THE CONTRACTORS TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE, WHICH SUPPORTS THE OVERALL PROGRAM GOALS. UM, I DON'T HAVE THE STATS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT LIKE I MENTIONED, IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLY RARE OVER THE COURSE OF CULTURAL FUNDING THAT, UM, A AN AWARDEE HAS NOT MOVED INTO COMPLIANCE AND CLOSED OUT THEIR FINAL AWARD. I DON'T HAVE 2, 3, 3, 3 PEOPLE IN THE HISTORY OF HOW LONG CASES IN 20 YEARS. ANY QUESTIONS? SO, BUT WE HAVE NINE ELEVATE GRANTS THAT ARE STILL IN NON-COMPLIANCE, RIGHT? SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF YOU WORKING WITH THEM, JESUS, TO SAY WHERE'S THE NUMBER FOR THE INSURANCE AND WHERE LIKE YOU'RE HELPING THEM FILL OUT THE BUDGET FORM BASICALLY TEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR? UH, YES, UH, THAT IS CORRECT. UM, AGAIN, IN MY PRESENTATION I'LL HAVE A MORE DETAIL ON THIS, BUT BASICALLY YES, WE ARE WORKING, UH, WITH THE CONTRACTORS. SO AS MORGAN HAS, UH, PREVIOUSLY STATED, AS LONG AS UM, THEY'RE EITHER RESPONSIVE WITH US OR WITHIN, THEY'RE WITHIN THEIR, UM, UM, AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A THREE STEP DELINQUENCY PROCESS, UM, THAT WE, UH, GO THROUGH AND THAT'S HOW THEY ARRIVE AT THE FINAL END WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY DID NOT MEET ANY OF THOSE THREE STEPS IN OUR THREE STEP OPERATING PROCEDURE. AND THAT IS WHEN WE, UM, CLOSE OUT, UH, OR YOU KNOW, THEY BECOME IN, UH, IN BREACH OF CONTRACT AND WE TERMINATE THEIR CONTRACT. GOT IT. OKAY. SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF WORK FOR YOU GUYS, TO HAVE TO DO THAT. UM, OKAY, NOW WE'RE ON TO NUMBER FIVE. OH, DID YOU STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? UM, NO, I WAS GONNA ACTUALLY ASK ABOUT NUMBER FIVE, IF THEY FAIL TO FILL OUT THEIR FINAL REPORT, THEN UM, THE CITY PREVENTS THEM FOR APPLYING FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS, BUT THEN IN NUMBER SEVEN IT STATES THAT SOMEONE DID THAT AND WAS FUNDED THE NEXT YEAR. SO IS THERE LIKE A NO FLY LIST ON THE OFFICE WALL OR, SO, UH, I CAN HOP AROUND IF YOU WANT. APOLOGIES. I'M VERY LINEAR, SO I WILL TRY TO JUMP FORWARD. IT'S OKAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUMP. I JUST GO AHEAD. SO, UM, DO YOUR THING. SURE. SO I'LL, I'LL START AT NUMBER FIVE. IS THAT WHERE WE'RE AT? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT COMPLETING THE FINAL WORD AS STATED, IF YOU DO NOT CLOSE OUT A CONTRACT, YOU WILL GET MOVED INTO BAD STANDING, WHICH WILL PREVENT YOU FROM APPLYING FOR FUTURE FUNDS. THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA BE AT THE POINT AT WHICH THEY'RE NON-COMPLIANT AND NON-RESPONSIVE FOR SOME AS YET, YES, FOR THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT JESUS COULD VERBALLY TELL US NOW AND IS ALSO IN HIS FUTURE PRESENTATION. OKAY. AND ACTUALLY, UM, INSTEAD OF APPLYING FOR FUTURE FUNDS, WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE SAID IS BEING AWARDED FUTURE FUNDS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE FINAL REPORTING PROCESS, UM, TRADITIONALLY, UM, PEOPLE ARE FILLING OUT THEIR FINAL REPORTS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME THEY'RE APPLYING FOR THEIR NEW GRANTS. AND SO WE DO NOT ENTER INTO THE NEW CONTRACT. SO IF THEY DO DO SCORE HIGH ENOUGH TO RECEIVE A, UM, AWARDING, UM, WE HAVE TO CLOSE OUT THEIR PREVIOUS YEAR'S FINAL REPORT BEFORE WE WILL ENTER [02:05:01] INTO THAT NEW CONTRACT WITH THEM. SO JUMPING AHEAD TO QUESTION NUMBER SEVEN AND NOT READING AT IT, READING IT, BUT THAT WOULD BE, UH, THE CASE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS THEY SCORED HIGH ENOUGH. UM, SO WE'RE HOLDING THE MONEY BASICALLY UNTIL THEY DO, UH, COME INTO COMPLIANCE. UM, AND THEN, UM, ONCE THEY'RE IN COMPLIANCE, THEY SCORE HIGH ENOUGH, UH, PER THE REVIEW PANEL TO RECEIVE FUNDING. THEY'RE IN GOOD STANDING, SO THEN WE ENTER INTO THEIR CONTRACT WITH THEM AT THAT TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NUMBER SIX. NUMBER SIX. IF THE GRANTEES WITH DELINQUENT FINAL REPORTS HAD BEEN UNDER FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, THE FISCAL SPONSOR WOULD BE ON THE HOOK FOR REPAYING THE 90% CORRECT QUESTION. UM, SO THIS HASN'T HAPPENED TO US SPECIFICALLY BEFORE, SO WE DON'T HAVE A HISTORICAL EXAMPLE OF HAVING OUR FISCAL SPONSOR CALL THE FUNDS BACK. I THINK THAT IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN, LIKE WE SAID, IT'S ONLY HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN 20 YEARS. UM, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING FOR US TO EXPLORE. AND NOW THAT IT'S BEEN RAISED WE'LL OF COURSE BE LOOKING TO TIGHTEN UP THAT LANGUAGE, UM, IN THIS PROCESS AS WE MOVE TO THE NEXT VERSION OF GUIDELINES AND CONTRACTS THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING. GOT IT. I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT QUESTION JUST FYI, UH, BECAUSE I APPLIED FOR FUNDS WITH, FOR MY NONPROFIT AT ONE POINT AND I WON'T BE APPLYING AGAIN, WHICH IS WHY I FELT FREE TO JOIN THE COMMISSION TO ASK THESE KINDS OF QUESTIONS. UM, BUT WHEN I RECEIVED MY AWARD, I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THE APPLICATION THAT, THAT THE ACTIVITIES THAT I HAD PUT INTO MY APPLICATION WERE NOT, UH, ELIGIBLE TO BE FUNDED AFTER I'D ALREADY RECEIVED THE AWARD, WHICH IS CONFUSING TO ME. UM, BUT SO WHEN I WAS THEN TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO CHANGE MY ACTIVITIES TO FIT THE AWARD THAT I HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN, I ASKED, UM, WHAT IF I DON'T, WHAT IF I DO WHAT I WROTE MY APPLICATION FOR AND WHAT YOU GAVE ME THE FUNDING FOR INITIALLY, AND THEN I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE MONEY BACK. SO JUST ANECDOTALLY, UH, PEOPLE ARE TOLD THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY THE 90% BACK. UM, I WAS, SO I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT, BUT THAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE. SO THAT'S WHERE THE QUESTION CAME FROM. UM, UM, TELE CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR? UH, YES. WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS CORRECT. IF UH, THAT WERE THE CASE, THEN UH, YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT. BUT AGAIN, WE WORK WITH OUR CONTRACTORS TO MAKE SURE, OKAY. ARE YOU, ARE THERE ELIGIBLE EXPENSES THAT MAYBE YOU'RE NOT CONSIDERING? YOU KNOW, THERE'S VARIOUS WAYS THAT WE WORK, UH, WITH THEM, BUT ULTIMATELY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE NOT HAD TO, WE'VE HAD TO DO THAT, UH, THREE TIMES, UM, IN THE PAST 20 OR SO YEARS. UM, BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, EITHER GIVE US A LEGITIMATE EXPENSES OR YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY. WE HAVE HAD, AND I THINK ALSO SPECIFICALLY THE WAY THE QUESTION IS WORDED, WE'RE PAYING THE 90%. I CANNOT REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY, I MAY BE INCORRECT, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD ANYBODY LIKE, HAVE TO PAY US LIKE 90% BACK. MAYBE THEY'VE HAD TO PAY US A LITTLE BIT BACK OR WE DON'T PAY OUT THEIR FINAL 10% OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT, UM, WE'VE NEVER HAD ANYBODY HAVE TO PAY BACK, LIKE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY ALL OF THE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN, UH, RETURNED. UM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE I MAY BE INCORRECT ON THAT, BUT UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE EVER HAD THAT HAPPEN. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. BECAUSE THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE, IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, IT WOULD BE BECAUSE THERE WAS LIKE PRETTY GROSS MISMANAGEMENT HAPPENING, RIGHT? LIKE THROUGH, AND WHAT WE SEE IS TYPICALLY MAYBE THERE'S AN EXPENSE THAT WASN'T ELIGIBLE AND YOU GO BACK WITH THEM AND CORRECT IT. AND THAT'S, EVEN THAT IS PRETTY RARE. IS THAT CORRECT? AND THIS IS WHY WE'RE NOT SEEING, LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE MASS ISSUES WITH PEOPLE TOTALLY MISUSING THEIR FUNDS. IS THAT CORRECT? COR CORRECT. THAT IS BASICALLY CORRECT WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THERE. IF THERE IS ANYTHING, IT'S USUALLY SOMETHING SMALL. IT'S NOT THE FULL, YOU KNOW, COMPLETE AWARD. RIGHT. YEAH, THAT WAS MY REASON, UH, FOR THE QUESTION BECAUSE I WANTED TO JUST BE SURE THAT THERE AREN'T A BUNCH OF UNTRACKED PUBLIC FUNDS BEING GIVEN OUT. AND IF THE FINAL REPORTS AREN'T HAPPENING, LIKE THE 60 THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR THE MUSIC AWARD, WE DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WERE SPENT. RIGHT. SO THAT WAS, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THE QUESTION CAME FROM. I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE THAT, UH, THE, THE MOTIVATION WAS CLEAR. SO GO AHEAD. NUMBER SEVEN. THANK YOU. OKAY. YES. IT BRINGS US TO NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH, UM, TIES TO QUESTION FIVE. WERE ANY OF THE GRANTEES WHO DID NOT FILE A FINAL REPORT FOR THE 2023 CYCLE GRANTED FUNDS AGAIN IN 2024 OR 2025? IF SO, PLEASE PROVIDE A COMPLETE LIST OF THE GRANTEES. OKAY. UM, WE HAD ONE ORGANIZATION AS, UH, JESUS MENTIONED WHO SCORED HIGH ENOUGH TO RECEIVE AN AWARD. AND SO THEY WERE OFFERED AN AWARD, BUT THEY HAD TO CLOSE OUT THEIR PREVIOUS AWARD BEFORE THEY RECEIVED MONEY. SO NO FUNDING HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED. I BELIEVE WE JUST FINALLY, UM, CLOSED THEIR CONTRACT TODAY, IS WHAT I WAS HEARING. STAFF HAD BEEN WORKING WITH THEM. SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR NEXT CONTRACT, NOT THAT THAT IS IN COMPLIANCE. GOT IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND JUST FOR THE RECORD, I'D LIKE TO ALSO SAY THAT THE, THE, THE GENESIS FOR THIS LINE OF QUESTIONS CAME FROM OUR DISCUSSION LAST MONTH ABOUT [02:10:01] THE EMERGENCY FUND. WE, WE HAD A WISH THAT THERE'D BE AN EMERGENCY FUND FOR PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR NEA FUNDING. SO KNOWING THAT THERE IS NO MONEY IN THE GENERAL OPERATING OF THE CITY, THAT, AND THAT OUR REQUEST WOULD PROBABLY BE IGNORED, IGNORED BY, BY COUNSEL. UM, I JUST WANTED TO START GETTING CREATIVE AND, YOU KNOW, UNDER WHAT ROCKS MIGHT THERE BE MONEY. AND I STARTED HEARING ABOUT THE MUSIC FUND, AND MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THERE WAS A REPORTER SNIFFING AROUND ABOUT THAT AS WELL. AND HE WAS ACTUALLY DENIED, UM, THROUGH A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST, THE APPLICATIONS FOR THE MUSIC FUND. SO THAT, THAT WAS PART OF MY QUESTION ABOUT THE CONTRACT. AND IF THAT AFFECTS THE, UM, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST, I DID NOT SEE, SAID PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. SO I WOULD BE CURIOUS WHO THEY SENT IT TO. OKAY. BECAUSE WHEN YOU SUBMIT A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO, LIKE, IT GOES THROUGH DIRECT IT SOMEWHERE. MM-HMM . UM, WE RESPOND TO ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS TIMELY AND WITH ALL THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, REDACTED JUST FOR, UM, PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION WHEN NECESSARY. RIGHT. SO, UH, IF THEY'RE LISTENING, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST. AGAIN, WE'RE HAPPY TO COMPLY. OKAY. I'LL TRY TO FIND OUT MORE. THANK YOU. UM, AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE, THE LETTER THAT, UM, YOU ALL ELEVATED TO THE CITY COUNCIL'S OFFICE, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AT LENGTH INTERNALLY. WE, UM, DRAFTED A MEMO TO THE CITY MANAGER TO, UM, INFORM HIM OF THE CONVERSATION TO LINK TO YOUR, UM, YOUR LETTER, WHICH WAS POSTED ONLINE AND TO JUST, YOU KNOW, SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE TRACKING ALL THE KNOWN LOSSES IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE A SPREADSHEET WE UPDATE OUR LEADERSHIP WEEKLY ON THAT. UM, THANK YOU TO JESUS PANTEL AND HIS TEAM FOR KEEPING TRACK OF THAT. AND IF ANYBODY, UM, HASN'T BEEN CAPTURED WITHIN THAT, WE'RE STILL, WE'RE STILL WORKING TO GET A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE'RE ALSO SHARING THAT WITH TEXANS FOR THE ARTS TO, TO JUST BETTER UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE. SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS AND THE CONVERSATION AND IT REALLY DID, YOU KNOW, ENLIGHTEN SOME THINGS THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN WE'RE TIGHTENING UP OUR POLICIES, MOVING IN, UM, THROUGH THIS PROCESS. SO IT'S A VERY WELCOME CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYBODY'S WORK FOR COBBLING TOGETHER THE ANSWERS. I KNOW IT WAS A, IT WAS A BIG ASK, BUT I KIND OF WENT DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE AND PRETTY QUICKLY BY THE WAY. SO THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER. SO WITH THAT $327,500, CAN WE DO ANYTHING WITH THAT? SO AT THE START OF EVERY FISCAL YEAR, WE DO A REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION AND RCA WHERE WE ASK THEM TO, UM, APPROVE THE FUNDING DISTRIBUTION. SO ANY CHANGE TO HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO USE THE FUNDING WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AS A COUNCIL REQUEST, WHICH WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAPPEN UNTIL THE FALL. UM, AND WE ALSO FULLY EXPECT THESE FOLKS IN NON-COMPLIANCE TO REACH COMPLIANCE AND CLOSE THEIR CONTRACTS OUT, UM, JUST BASED ON, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR GENERAL TRACK RECORD. SO, UM, IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WE COULDN'T JUST, YOU KNOW, MOVE IT. UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO GET PERMISSION FROM COUNCIL TO DO IT BASED ON THE PROCESS THAT'S CURRENTLY IN PLACE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I JUST, COMMISSIONER ZIMAN. YEAH. THANK COMMISSIONER ANDERSON FOR THE CREATIVE THINKING AND, AND SEEING A, A GAP AND WHERE MONEY COULD COME FROM. BUT IT, IT DOES MAKE SENSE AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO WALK OUR RECIPIENTS ALONG THIS PATH, WHICH TO OUR SPEAKER'S POINT EARLIER IS NOT INTUITIVE. UM, WE HAVE BRAND NEW PEOPLE TO THE CYCLE, UM, FROM DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, FOR EVERYBODY'S LIKE FISCAL LITERACY AND JUST UNDERSTANDING HOW TO OPERATE WITHIN WHAT CAN BE A VERY DAUNTING, UM, STRUCTURE, UM, TO KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ACTUALLY ARE ALLIES AND NOT LOOKING TO LIKE REVOKE FUNDS IF, YOU KNOW, A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED OR A DEADLINE HAS BEEN MISSED. SO I KNOW THAT, UM, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK 'CAUSE IT IS, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW TIME CONSUMING THAT IS. UM, AND ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY, LIKE, THANK YOU FOR THAT GRACE AND THE COMPASSION TO LIKE, MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN BE, BECAUSE IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THEY'RE, THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IS, IS DESERVING OF THESE FUNDS AND DESERVING OF THE SUPPORT. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, GOOD IDEAS, VERY CREATIVE THINKING, BUT IT'S ALSO REASSURING TO HEAR THAT WE'RE NOT ABANDONING THEM BECAUSE THEY CAN'T CHECK THEIR EMAIL. COMMISSIONER MBO. YEAH. UH, SECOND THAT, BUT ALSO, UM, TO COMMISSIONER ANDERSON'S POINT ABOUT THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE CALLED IT, BUT THE RUMOR MILL, LIKE WHAT WE HEAR IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THESE GRANTS AND WHY IS THERE SO MANY, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT OVER THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, BUT IF WE COULD GET IN, SINCE WE'VE SEEN THIS NOW, IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATE AT SOME POINT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE ABOUT LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THOSE. 'CAUSE THAT IS A BIG NUMBER OF UNCLOSED CONTRACTS AND THEY ALL KIND OF CAN BLEED TOGETHER [02:15:01] IN THE PUBLIC'S MIND. UM, SO IT'S SORT OF A DISSERVICE TO EVERYBODY IF WE JUST DON'T HAVE CLARITY ON WHAT'S HAPPENING, EVEN IF IT'S NOT A PROGRAM THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY OVER. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO GET IN THE WEEDS ABOUT IT, BUT JUST AN UPDATE ON THAT SINCE WE'VE NOW SEEN THIS NUMBER AND THE, AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT ATTACHED TO IT, WE'D BE HAPPY TO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MORGAN. APPRECIATE IT. READY TO MOVE [7. Staff briefing on the Cultural Arts Division contract with The Long Center by Erica Shamaly, Music & Entertainment Division Manager ] ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, STAFF BRIEFING ON CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION CONTRACT WITH THE LONG CENTER BY ERICA CHALEY WHO'S JOINING US REMOTELY. HELLO EVERYONE. HELLO. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ITEM. I'M GETTING A FEEDBACK. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN DO? BECAUSE I'M JUST HEARING MYSELF. WE CAN HEAR YOU HERE. OKAY. I'LL JUST SEE WHAT I CAN DO. UM, SO IF WE COULD START THE PRESENTATION PLEASE. EXCELLENT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO I WANTED TO GO OVER THE PROCESS OF WHY WE BROUGHT ON THE LONG CENTER TO, UM, I'M GONNA, I'M ONLY HEARING MYSELF RIGHT NOW, SO I'M GONNA, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY WITH MY GOING DOWN? IT GOT A, IT DOES HAVE A STRANGE ECHO NOW. OKAY, WELL I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO, LET ME SEE IF I CAN INTEGRATE GRAHAM AND IT'S THE SAME. NO, THAT'S BETTER. OKAY. SO, UH, GET GETTING INTO THE REASON WHY WE BROUGHT ON THE THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR BACK SEVERAL YEARS AGO WITH THE, UH, ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IN 2019. THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OF AGREEMENTS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. WE ALREADY HAD OVER 600 CONTRACTS, UH, THROUGH THE ARTS PROGRAMS AND WITH THE ADDITION OF BOTH THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AND THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANTS, THAT WAS GONNA ADD TO AN EVEN MORE, UH, KIND OF CUMBERSOME NUMBER OF CITY OF AUSTIN CONTRACTS, UH, TO BE FACILITATED BOTH BY EDD AND THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT. THEY WERE ALREADY, UH, BEHIND IN A BIG WAY WITH JUST THE VIRTUAL ARTS, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN CONTRACTS. AND SO WE HAD TO GET CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE COULD BUILD CAPACITY TO, YOU KNOW, ASSIST WITH THIS. BECAUSE WHAT WAS HAPPENING IS THAT PAYMENT FOR GETTING LATE. SO THAT'S WHY WE DECIDED TO LOOK FOR A THIRD PARTY. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO THIS KIND OF KIND OF SUMS UP WHAT I JUST SAID TO YOU, UM, THAT WE WERE HEADED INTO PAYMENT DELAYS, CONTRACT AGREEMENT, DEGREE, UH, DELAYS. AND WE ALSO HAD RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO, UM, USE A THIRD PARTY TO HELP FACILITATE THE PROGRAM OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. AND SO, UH, WE DECIDED THEN TO DO A SOLICITATION NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO WE DID A SOLICITATION AND THIS WAS COMING OUTTA COVID AND WE WERE STILL KIND OF IN THE PROCESS OF COVID. WE HAD WORKED WITH SEVERAL THIRD PARTIES TO HELP FACILITATE GRANT PROGRAMS, INCLUDING BELONG CENTER AS WELL AS OTHER NONPROFITS TO HELP US FACILITATE GRANT PROGRAMS THROUGH ED. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO DO A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS RATHER THAN A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND FOCUS THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS TO A LIST OF, UM, PRE-QUALIFIED VENDORS THAT THE CITY HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED FOR THIS PURPOSE. AND ALL THIS WAS 3 23 NONPROFITS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEND THIS SOLICITATION TO, TO RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS. THE SCOPE OF WORK WITHIN THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS WAS VERY DETAILED. IT INCLUDED INFORMATION BOTH THE ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSION OF WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AROUND A THIRD PARTY, AS WELL AS JUST WHAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN NEEDED AND FROM A THIRD PARTY IN ORDER TO FACILITATE TAXPAYER FUNDS THROUGH GRANT AGREEMENTS AND THROUGH PAYMENTS THAT ARE BASED ON, UH, AWARDING REPORTING. SO OF THE 23 RESPONDENTS, WE DID HAVE SEVERAL THAT DID GO THROUGH THE PROCESS TO BEGIN THEIR RESPONSE, BUT BY THE DEADLINE, IN FACT, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE AT THE REQUEST OF ONE OF THE RESPONDENTS, UH, BY A WEEK. AND, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ONLY HAD ONE COMPLETE RESPONSE, WHICH WAS A LONG CENTER, AND WE, UH, STILL GATHERED AN EVALUATION PANEL OF SIX, UH, CITY STAFF THAT WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING THE RESPONSE AND THEY SCORED QUITE HIGHLY, [02:20:01] UH, MORE THAN ENOUGH IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, BE AWARDED THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE ENTERED A MASTER AGREEMENT WITH THE LONG CENTER THAT WAS A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT, WHICH IS 12 MONTH CONTRACT WITH FOUR PENSIONS, WITH AN AUTHORITY OF UP TO 1 MILLION BECAUSE THAT BASICALLY WAS A GENERAL AMOUNT FOR EACH FISCAL YEAR FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY SPEND ON GRANTS ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. AND SO THAT, SO THAT WE HAVE THE TOTAL AUTHORITY FOR THE MASTER AGREEMENT, BUT WE STILL WOULD GO BACK TO COUNCIL EACH FISCAL YEAR WITH AN APPROVED BUDGET THAT THEY APPROVED DURING THE SUMMER. AND SO WE WOULD DO AN RCA TO GET THAT APPROVAL. AND SO THE MASTER AGREEMENT, THE SCOPE OF WORK OF ALL POTENTIAL TASKS THAT THE LONG CENTER WILL NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO HELP FACILITATE, UM, ANY PROCESS RELATED TO THIS, UH, TO THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. AND THAT WOULD BE FROM APPLICATION CREATION TO, UH, AGREEMENTS TO PAYMENTS. AND SO THE VERY FIRST YEAR WE ACTUALLY DID THE APPLICATION, UH, THROUGH THE PORTAL SYSTEM AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, AND THE LONG CENTER HELPED FACILITATE THE GRANT AGREEMENTS AND THE PAYMENTS FOR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 23. AND THEN WE LEARNED FROM OUR MISTAKE, WE KNEW THAT WE COULD DO BETTER THROUGH A, UM, A STANDARD SOFTWARE FOR GRANT MAKING. AND SO WE, UH, WORKED WITH THE LONG CENTER TO PROCURE SUBMITTABLE AND THEY WORKED WITH US DIRECTLY TO BUILD OUT THE APPLICATIONS AND THE REPORTING AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS NEEDED. UM, SO EVERY YEAR WE DO AN ANNUAL CONTRACT AMENDMENT BASED ON THE BUDGET THAT WAS PASSED BY COUNCIL, UH, TO LIST OUT EVERY TASK THAT IS NEEDED FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR FOR EACH PROGRAM. IT LISTS OUT THE TOTAL AWARD BUDGETS, THE SUBCONTRACTOR BUDGETS, AND THEN THE COST PER ADMIN TASK. YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY AN HOURLY RATE. AND SO THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY WE GET THIS WILL TAKE 60 HOURS AT THIS RATE TO DO TASK A FOR THIS PROGRAM. AND SO I PROVIDED YOU A LINK TO THE MASTER SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THIS IS BUILT OUT. PLEASE REFERENCE EXHIBIT TWO AS WELL, THE SCOPE OF WORK OF THE MA TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TASKS ARE AND WHAT THE COST PER HOUR IS FOR EACH TASK PER FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE HOW EACH TASK IS, UH, FACILITATED FOR EACH PROGRAM. AND SO YOU SEE AN INDIVIDUAL BUDGET FOR EACH PROGRAM. THIS BUDGET CHANGES EACH FISCAL YEAR BASED ON THE APPROVED BUDGET AND BY THE COST OF THE LONG CENTER BASED ON THEIR UPDATED COSTS THAT ARE HAPPENING FOR THAT YEAR. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE LONG CENTER. THE CITY OF AUSTIN STILL WRITES THE PROGRAM GUIDELINE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE DIRECTIONS THAT THE APPLICANTS MUST FOLLOW, UH, BOTH WHAT IS BEING SCORED, HOW YOU'RE GETTING SCORED, HOW YOU'RE BEING EVALUATED, THAT IS ALL DETERMINATED BY A SYSTEM, BY CITY STAFF. AND THAT THE LONG CENTER IS JUST FACILITATING OUR DIRECTION. SO THEY DON'T HAVE ANY KINDA CREATIVITY TO CREATE SOMETHING. THEY FACILITATE DIRECTION OF THE CITY THAT IS BASED IN PROGRAM GUIDELINES IN EXHIBIT TWO OF THE AMENDMENT FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND THROUGH ONGOING MEETINGS WITH CITY STAFF, BOTH ME AS THE CONTRACT MANAGER FOR JUST THE OVERALL AS WELL AS PROGRAM STAFF FOR EACH PROGRAM TO FACILITATE THINGS NEEDED FOR THOSE PARTICULAR PROGRAMS. SO FOR THE CITY WILL THEN WORK WITH COUNCIL TO DETERMINE THE AWARD BUDGETS. UH, WE CREATE THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES. WE DIRECT THE LONG CENTER ON WHAT TO DO. WE ARE LEAD OF APPLICANT ASSISTANT FOR ANYTHING RELATED TO PROGRAM GUIDELINES. UH, WE ALSO LEAD OUT EVALUATION AND WE ARE LEAD FACILITATOR FOR WHAT THAT EVALUATION LOOKS LIKE, WHETHER IT'S USING THE LONG CENTER TO CHECKPOINTS OR IF IT'S A PANEL THAT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, A PANEL PROCESS. IT IS STILL CITY STAFF THAT IS RUNNING THOSE PROCESSES. AND THEN WE ALSO DO THE AWARD AGREEMENT MONITOR FOR EACH AGREEMENT. SO WE ARE STILL KIND OF LOOKING TO SEE IS THE AWARDEE DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO OR CHECKING THEIR PROGRESS REPORTS AND THEIR FINAL REPORTS IN ORDER TO LIKE KIND OF CHECK OFF WITH THE CITY WITH THE LONG CENTER THAT THEY CAN MAKE A PAYMENT. UM, AND SO THOSE AWARDEE, SO THOSE REPORTING APPROVALS IS WHAT TRIGGER PAYMENTS TO AWARDEES. AND WE ALSO DO AWARDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING, UM, AROUND MARKETING AND DIFFERENT TOPICS [02:25:01] SO THAT WE DO THAT DEVELOPMENT OF OUR AWARDEES AS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, USING THEIR FUNDS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. HEY, THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES CENTER. SO THEY NEGOTIATE ADMINISTRATOR COSTS PER PAST REACH FISCAL YEAR CONTRACT AMENDMENT. AND THIS COULD BE BECAUSE THEIR COSTS ARE GOING UP BECAUSE OF INFLATION OR ANY OTHER FACTOR THAT GOES INTO ANY NONPROFIT OR BUSINESSES, UH, COST PER YEAR. AND THEN THEY ALSO APPLICATION AWARDING REPORTING FOR BUILD OUT BASED ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN DIRECTION. SO THEY HELP US TO BUILD THE SUBMITTABLE APPLICATIONS NOW WITHIN SUBMITTABLE EACH FISCAL YEAR BASED ON WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND SO AGAIN, FOCUSED ON PROGRAM GUIDELINES, IT INFORMS THE APPLICATION SETUP AND THE REPORTING FORMS. THEY ALSO PROVIDE BILINGUAL APPLICANT AND AWARD TYPICAL SUPPORT DURING APPLICATION PERIODS. THEY HAVE A LIVE PERSON ANSWERING THE PHONE THAT IS SPEAKER, UH, CAN SPEAK ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND THEN THEY WILL KIND OF GIVE YOU A WAYS STATION TO DIRECT, UH, ASSISTANCE TO WHERE IT'S NEEDED. OKAY. WHETHER IT'S TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE, WITH SUBMITTABLE, WHICH WILL GO LONG CENTER OR IF IT'S QUESTIONS AROUND PROGRAM GUIDELINES, WHICH WOULD GO TO CITY STAFF. AND THEN APPLICATION REVIEWS ARE BASED ON CITY STAFF DIRECTION. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IF IT IS LISTED IN EACH FISCAL YEAR AMENDMENT AND IN THOSE GUIDELINES AIM THAT WE FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, MEETINGS WITH THE LONG CENTER AND THEN THEY FACILITATE GRANT, UH, GRANTEE AWARD ACCEPTANCE AND FINANCIAL FORMS, THEN SUBMITTABLE SO THAT THEY CAN GET THE GRANT AWARD AGREEMENTS DONE AND THEY CAN FACILITATE PAYMENTS ONCE THEY SEE THAT CITY STAFF HAS APPROVED BASED ON THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF THES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THAT'S IT. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, ALL I HEAR IS MYSELF TALKING BACK AT ME, SO I WILL DO MY VERY BEST, UH, YOU KNOW, TO STAY ON TOPIC HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. ANY INITIAL QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? UH, I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED THE COST OF THE COST INCREASES IN TERMS OF, OF DOING THE ACTUAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE WORK MM-HMM . UM, WHAT WOULD THAT ENTAIL? DO YOU MEAN LIKE COST OF LIVING INCREASES FOR THE SALARIES FOR THE PEOPLE DOING THE ADMINISTRATION OR SOMETIMES IT'S BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE NEED TO BE HIRED. LET'S SAY WE HAVE MORE APPLICANTS. LIKE FOR INSTANCE, UH, FOR THE SECOND YEAR OF LIVE MUSIC FUND WE HAD OVER 3000 APPLICANTS. AND SO THE LONG CENTER IS REQUIRED TO BASICALLY HAVE THE PEOPLE ON HAND TO KIND OF LOOK AT THE MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS AND REVIEW THAT AND COUNT IT UP AND LOOK AT EVIDENCE TO BACK UP THOSE MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS. AND SO THAT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF HOURS. AND SO THE INCREASE COULD EITHER COME FROM AN INCREASE IN HOURS OF HOW LONG THAT'S GOING TO TAKE AND HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW THOSE HOURS ARE DIVIDED AMONGST, UH, DIFFERENT PEOPLE. BUT IT ALSO COULD BE JUST BASED ON THE, THEIR COST LIVING, YOU KNOW, HOURLY RATES THAT THEY ARE PAYING TO STAFF THAT INCREASE YEAR TO YEAR, THAT WOULD SLIGHTLY INCREASE THE HOURLY RATE. SO IT'S JUST, UH, STANDARD, YOU KNOW, INCREASES THAT YOU WOULD SEE, YOU KNOW, IN ANY OPERATING BUDGET. OKAY. FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT. UM, UH, CITY STAFF HAS WHAT, SIX PEOPLE? JESUS, IS THAT RIGHT? ISH? I DON'T KNOW. IT'S OKAY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET OUT. I'M JUST KIDDING. . THE POINT BEING, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THE CITY STAFF. HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU HIRE AT THE LONG CENTER TO ADMINISTER ALL OF THESE GRANTS, WHICH INCLUDES LIVE MUSIC, ELEVATE NEXUS, THRIVE HERITAGE, AND WHATEVER ELSE? SO THE LONG CENTER DOES THEIR HIRING BASED ON THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND I WILL GIVE THAT TO BOBBY TO ANSWER. BOBBY, YOU GOTTA SAY AGAIN, FROM THE LONG CENTER, UM, WE HAVE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR PEOPLE, DEPENDING ON, UH, WHAT TIME OF THE YEAR IT IS, UH, DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO ADMINISTRATION OF THIS PARTICULAR SET OF GRANTS. BUT ALSO WE HAVE A TEAM OF FINANCE PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT PAYMENTS GET DONE. WE DO PROCURE LEGAL ADVICE SOMETIMES CORY WHO'S IN IN THE, IN THE AUDIENCE OVER HERE, OUR CEO, OUR CFO, MYSELF, WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. AND SO AT SOME POINT WE COULD FLEX TO ABOUT 10 OR 12 PEOPLE DEPENDING ON WHAT THE, WHAT THE VOLUME IS. AND ALSO, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT, UH, ERICA KIND OF BRIEFLY MENTIONED, OUR SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES HAS INCREASED ABOUT EVERY YEAR. SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE RETHINK HOW MUCH WE'RE GONNA NEED TO, UM, DEVOTE IN TERMS OF HUMAN RESOURCES, THAT STUFF SHIFTS. I SEE. OKAY. I HAVE A, A QUESTION REALLY QUICK. UM, AND IT JUST LEFT MY BRAIN , IT JUST LEFT MY BRAIN. OH, THE, THE CONTRACT IS, UH, IT'S [02:30:01] A FIVE YEAR TERM THAT'S AMENDED YEARLY WITH A SPENDING PURCHASING AUTHORITY OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS. SO IT'S BASICALLY FOR THE CITY, THE PURCHASING AUTHORITY IS, AND WE HAVE THIS ON LOTS OF MASTER AGREEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, A LARGE PURCHASING AUTHORITY SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY EACH YEAR TO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY THAT WILL BE NEEDED IN ORDER TO EXPEND THE BUDGET THAT IS APPROVED BY COUNCIL. SO IT'S A LARGE PURCHASING AUTHORITY DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE IT ALL. IT JUST IS IS THERE IN CASE IT'S NEEDED SO THAT WE HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY EACH FISCAL YEAR TO FACILITATE THE BUDGET APPROVED BY COUNCIL. OKAY. AND SO EACH FISCAL YEAR, A A DOLLAR AMOUNT IS, IS AGREED UPON OR THE CONTRACT IS AMENDED BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE LONG CENTER AND IT STARTED AT 1,000,003, IS THAT RIGHT? AND THEN IT'S GONE UP EACH YEAR OR? NO, ACTUALLY THE, THE CONTRACT AMENDMENT IS ALL OF THE AWARD BUDGET AS WELL AS THE ADMIN FEES ALTOGETHER. SO IF YOU GO LOOK AT THE MASTER AGREEMENT LINK, UM, YOU CAN SEE KIND OF WHAT THE EXHIBITS WERE. SO IT'S NOT JUST THEIR ADMIN FEES. OKAY. IT'S ALL OF THE AWARD BUDGETS, IT'S ALL OF THE FEES PAID TO PANELISTS, ALL THE FEES PAID TO SUBCONTRACTORS LIKE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, SUBCONTRACTORS PLUS, AND THOSE ARE ALL THE HARD COSTS PLUS, UM, ALL OF THE HOURLY FEES PER TASK, PER PROGRAM, UM, THAT ARE ALL ADDED UP TOGETHER. I SEE. SO, SO WHAT APPROXIMATELY DOES THAT COME OUT TO IN TERMS OF FEES FOR THE LONG CENTER EACH YEAR? IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS ON, AS BOBBY SAID, IT CHANGES YEAR TO YEAR. AND IF YOU GO LOOK AT THAT MASTER AGREEMENT, IT SHOULD HAVE ALL AMENDMENTS THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE AN AMENDMENT ONE THROUGH FIVE IS WHERE WE'RE AT TO SHOW KIND OF THE DOLLAR YOU CAN FOLLOW EVERY PENNY, UH, THROUGHOUT TIME BY LOOKING AT THAT CONTRACT. SO IT JUST DEPENDS. THIS YEAR IT'S A LARGER CONTRACT BECAUSE WE'VE ADDED THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. WE ADDED IN SOME ACTIVITIES AROUND SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST THAT WAS USED FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. UM, AND DOESN'T MEAN THAT AGAIN, THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE ALL THE FUNDS. IT'S A BUDGET THAT'S ALLOWED AND THAT WE COULD USE. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON HOW IT ALL SHAKES OUT, IT'S AN UP TO AMOUNT. UH, THERE MAY BE LESS HOURS USED ON A PARTICULAR TASK OR MORE HOURS USED AT ANOTHER TASK, BUT THE FLEXIBILITY IS THERE ON PURPOSE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. OKAY. AND TO CLARIFY THE, THE FEES FOR THE LONG CENTER AS WELL AS OF COURSE, OBVIOUSLY ALL THE FUNDING IS HOT MONEY? YES. OKAY. EXCEPT FOR THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THAT IS NOT A HOT FUNDED PROGRAM, THAT'S A GENERAL FUND PROGRAM. AND SO, UH, THE CITY HAS THE ABILITY TO USE OTHER FUNDS AS, AS THE MA SAYS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF WORK. IT COULD BE HOT OR OTHER. IT IS, IT, IT'S OPEN-ENDED SO THAT WE CAN BE AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE. LET'S SAY THERE IS A POTENTIAL OF RAISING ADDITIONAL FUNDS THROUGH CORPORATE AUSTIN OR WHATEVER MM-HMM . AND THAT, THAT THOSE FUNDS GO INTO THE CITY SOMEWHERE INTO A FUND, WE COULD THEN USE THOSE FUNDS AS PART OF THIS CONTRACT. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE IT AS, AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE SO IT'S NOT SO DICTATED AROUND ONE FUND. OKAY. I GET THAT. I GET FLEXIBILITY, BUT I ALSO WANNA BE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT COSTS, SO MM-HMM . SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE A LINK TO THE MASTER AGREEMENT CAN SEE, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY PUBLIC INFORMATION OR IS IT SOMEWHERE? IT IS, IT'S UH, IN THE LINK THAT, UH, OF THE PRESENTATION I JUST SHARED WITH YOU, WHICH IS WHICH EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND I'M GONNA NEED HELP NAVIGATING THAT. I WILL PROBABLY SEND YOU AN EMAIL BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND A LIST OF WHAT THE CONTRACT AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN, AND IT JUST SAYS AMENDMENT FIVE. SO IT'S EXHIBIT TWO. YEAH, IT'S EXHIBIT TWO IN EACH AMENDMENT, WHICH SHOWS THE HARD COSTS AND THE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH PROGRAM, AND THEN A BROKEN OUT AS WE GOT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH EACH AMENDMENT AND WE JUST GOT BETTER AT HOW TO ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION. UM, YOU CAN SEE AN INDIVIDUAL BUDGET PER PROGRAM THAT'S INCLUSIVE OF BOTH HARD COSTS, WHICH IS AWARDS, AND THEN ANY KIND OF FEES TO CONTRACTORS OR PANELISTS PLUS FEES. AND I'M HAPPY TO SIT WITH YOU GUYS AND, AND WALK YOU THROUGH IT. OKAY. UM, MY OTHER QUESTION WAS THE, THE IDEA FOR A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION, UH, ADMINISTRATOR ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. HOW DID THE REST OF CULTURAL ARTS GET PULLED INTO THAT? SO WHEN THE LIVE MUSIC FUND STARTED AND WITHIN EDD AS YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF WERE IN SILOS OF HOW WE WERE ORGANIZING OUR PROGRAM GUIDELINES. UM, IT WAS REALLY WITH THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW THAT, UH, LEADERSHIP AT EDD [02:35:01] WANTED US TO START WORKING TOGETHER AS JUST ONE KIND OF CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM. AND SO PRIOR TO THAT, UM, WE WERE ALREADY HEARING THAT, UH, PURCHASING WAS UNDER STRESS, THAT THEY WERE ALREADY HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH FACILITATING THE, UM, CURRENT CITY OF AUSTIN CONTRACTS THEY HAD FOR CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING. AND SO WE ALREADY KNEW THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE DIFFICULT NOT JUST FOR THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, BUT FOR THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. AND SO IT WAS SUGGESTED, WELL, WHY DON'T WE LOOK AT A THIRD PARTY FOR YOUR PROGRAMS? AND THEN AS THE CONVERSATION BEGAN, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF CONTINUED AND AS WE SPOKE WITH OUR FELLOW DIVISION MANAGERS, THEY'RE LIKE, WOW, WE WANNA GET IN ON THAT. AND IT JUST KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, BLOOMED TO INCLUDING EVERYONE BECAUSE THE NEED WAS ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS. AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT EFFICIENCIES, WE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT WE WEREN'T TREATING ONE SET OF GRANTEES DIFFERENTLY FROM ANOTHER. AND FRANKLY, WE JUST NEEDED THE SUPPORT. THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH STAFF WITHIN PURCHASING TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS MANY GRANT AGREEMENTS AND A TIME PERIOD THAT IS NEEDED FOR, TO GET THOSE FUNDS OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT NEEDED IT THE MOST. AND THEN THE LONG CENTER, UM, MR. GARZA, THE, THE LONG CENTER HIRES STAFF BASED ON THE NEED OF THE WHATEVER'S HAPPENING IN THE GRANTING PROCESS, THE NUMBER OF AWARDEES THAT ARE NEEDING THE CONTRACTS IS, IS THAT HOW YOU IT IT'S A, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER OF A PROCESS THAN THAT. WE HAVE FULL-TIME STAFF THAT IS COMPLETELY DEDICATED TO, UH, ADMINISTERING ALL OF THESE GRANTS WHO ARE WITH US YEAR ROUND. UM, AND HOW MANY IS THAT FULL-TIME STAFF? THREE TO FOUR. THREE TO FOUR. SO FULL-TIME STAFF? YES. AND THEN YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE, THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, ET CETERA, ALSO SORT OF KICK IN PITCH IN? UH, THEY, THEY DO ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, PAYMENT PROCESSING THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY DO THROUGH A FINANCE DEPARTMENT. UM, THEY DO OTHER STUFF FOR US, BUT THERE'S A TEAM OF FOUR FOLKS THERE THAT WORK ON THIS ALL DAY LONG TOO. GOT IT. BUT SO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS JUST THE EXISTING LONG CENTER FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE NOT PAID EXTRA FOR DOING THE GRANT WORK, IT'S JUST PART OF THEIR JOB. NO, I, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE, THE WAY THAT WE HAVE APPROACHED THIS AND, AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE RUBRIC THAT'S IN THE CONTRACT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SET OF TASKS THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO COMPLETE AND WE GO BACK AND SAY, HOW LONG DO WE THINK THIS IS GONNA TAKE US? RIGHT? HOW MANY STAFF MEMBERS DO WE THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED? RIGHT. WE KNOW THAT THERE'S 2080 HOURS IN A WORK WORK HERE FOR STAFF AND WE CAN GO BACK AND WORK THROUGH THAT. WHERE WE SOMETIMES EMPLOY, UH, TEMPORARY WORKERS IS WHEN WE HAVE A CRUNCH OF ALL OF THE APPLICANTS. AND WE HAVEN'T REALLY, UH, ANTICIPATED THAT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. I MEAN, I THINK THAT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN THROUGH THE LAST, YOU KNOW, COUPLE OF YEARS IS THAT THERE'S BEEN VARIED LAUNCH POINTS FOR, UH, SOME OF THESE GRANTS, AND WE WANT TO TRY TO BE AS RESPONSIVE AND WORK THROUGH THOSE THINGS AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. MM-HMM . COMMISSIONER MLA, THAT, THAT WAS HELPFUL. AND I THINK MAYBE WE COULD GET A EVEN FURTHER CLARITY IS LIKE, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS AND IT SAYS A RATE OF $300 AN HOUR, THAT'S MULTIPLE, THAT'S MULTIPLE PEOPLE. IT COULD BE, THAT'S NOT A RIGHT, BUT THAT'S THE TOTAL COST OF THE, IT COULD BE. YEAH. SO, SO WE TRY TO LOOK AT IT AND SAY LIKE, HOW MANY FOLKS ARE GONNA BE ON THIS IN ANY ONE PARTICULAR TIME? I MEAN, THERE IS A, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF GUESSTIMATION IN IT, WHICH IS WHY THERE'S ENOUGH TO AMOUNT IN THE CONTRACT AND WE GO THROUGH IT UP AT THE END. GOT IT. I JUST WANNA CLEAR, 'CAUSE AS PEOPLE LOOK THROUGH THIS, THEY MIGHT BE LIKE, WHOA, WHO'S GETTING PAID $300 AN HOUR? RIGHT. AND TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT LIKELY HAS MULTIPLE CORRECT. INDIVIDUALS COUNTED IN THE HOUR. HOURLY RATE IS YES. THE TOTAL FOR AN HOUR. YES. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. HUH. OKAY. AS THE, OH, I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. AS THE SCOPE OF WORK HAS GROWN AND YOU TOOK ON TAKING THE, BEING THE PERSON WITH THE CONTRACTS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU'VE TAKEN ON, HAS THE, THE, THE COMPENSATION FOR THE PEOPLE DOING THAT WORK INCREASED? YES. OKAY. UM, WAS THERE ANY, WAS THERE ANY FEELING THAT PART OF THE REASON LIVE MUSIC, UH, ASKED FOR A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOKING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY? UM, I CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION. MM-HMM . WHAT WE WERE SEEING AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR SISTER DIVISION WAS JUST TRULY, UM, TIME. IT JUST TOOK A LOT OF TIME TO WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS THROUGH OUR CITY PURCHASING DEPARTMENT. AND, UH, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS JUST A REAL, UM, ISSUE THERE. AND SO WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO THINK INNOVATIVELY OF HOW WE COULD ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ME COMING FROM A PLACE WHERE, [02:40:01] YOU KNOW, WE GO FIGURE THINGS OUT, UH, THAT'S KIND OF THE CAREER THAT I HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, PART OF IS GO MAKE IT WORK. UM, AND SO WE HAD A LEADERSHIP AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT ALLOWED US TO LOOK THROUGH AND, UH, EXPLORE INNOVATIVE IDEAS, TO BE FRANK, THAT, THAT A MA LIKE THIS AT THE CITY HADN'T QUITE BEEN DONE BEFORE, BUT PURCHASING UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS WAS VERY MUCH NEEDED BECAUSE IT WOULD BENEFIT THEM AS WELL. THEY WERE JUST DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO FACILITATE ALL OF THE FINANCIAL COMPONENTS THAT WERE NEEDED AROUND THE CITY OF AUSTIN CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS. IT'S JUST A LOT OF WORK. AND SO THEY, I HAVE TO JUST COMMEND THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, UH, FOR WORKING WITH US. THEY WORK WITH US HAND IN HAND, STEP BY STEP ON THIS MASTER AGREEMENT BECAUSE IT BENEFITED THEM AS MUCH AS IT BENEFITED OUR PROGRAMS AND OUR AWARDEES. AND, UM, IN FACT, THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE LONG CENTER IS WITH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT AND THE LONG CENTER. AND, UM, AND WE HAVE A PARTNER IN THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT THAT WORKS WITH US WITH EVERY CONTRACT AMENDMENT TO BE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS, UM, APPROPRIATE. AND THIS, AGAIN, IT IS A INNOVATIVE WAY OF WORKING WITH COMMUNITY, NOT, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH SOMEONE THAT'S OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, BUT WORKING WITH A COMMUNITY BASED GROUP, UH, TO PUT THE DOLLARS WITH THEM TO HELP FACILITATE THESE AGREEMENTS. AND SO IT'S A CAPACITY BUILDER ALL AROUND, NOT ONLY FOR CITY STAFF, BUT UH, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, I, I GUESS I WOULD ADD, IF IF THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF TRANSPARENCY YOU THINK ARE LACKING, WE'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO LISTEN AND SIT DOWN AND WORK WITH YOU TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT MIGHT BE. OKAY. OKAY. AND OF THE, THE 22 OTHER VENDORS THAT YOU INVITED, DID YOU, DID YOU GET ANY FEEDBACK AS TO WHY NO ONE COMPLETED THE RESPONSE? IT COULD BE JUST THE SCOPE OF WORK. IT'S A LOT, IT'S A BIG JOB. AND THERE WERE MANY REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF WORK AND MANY REQUIREMENTS THAT WERE REQUIRED OF THE RESPONSE. AND, UM, SOME FOLKS JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY NECESSARY TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY. AND THEN OTHERS WERE LIKE, WE JUST, WE JUST CAN'T DO IT. WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE STAFF, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T THE FOCUS WE WANNA TAKE. UM, AND SO WE KIND OF HAD LIKE A, YOU KNOW, A SPECIAL SITUATION WITH THE LONG CENTER OF NOT ONLY UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY, BEING PART OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT HAVING THE CAPACITY TO PUT FORWARD A STRONG PROPOSAL, A STRONG RESPONSE, AND FOLLOW THROUGH. OKAY. AND THEN NEXT TO LAST QUESTION, WHAT I, I, I STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT, UH, THIS LINK THAT YOU GAVE ME. SO WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, SALARIES, OVERHEAD, THAT KIND OF THING FOR SPECIFICALLY TO THE GRANT AND THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CONTRACT THAT GOES BACK INTO THE LONG CENTER'S GENERAL OPERATIONS? WHAT IS THE RETURN? GO AHEAD. YEAH, SO THESE ARE HOURLY. SO EACH TASK THAT IS LISTED IN THE SCOPE OF WORK, EACH TASK THAT FROM TASK A TO G, WHICH IS EVERYTHING WE WOULD POTENTIALLY NEED TO FACILITATE ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS, AGAIN, THERE IS A HOURLY RATE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TASK, RIGHT? AND SO WHAT WE SEE IS HOW MANY HOURS WILL IT TAKE TO ACCOMPLISH TASK A THROUGH G FOR THIS PROGRAM, THIS PROGRAM, ET CETERA. AND SO IT DOESN'T RELATE TO US. WE DON'T SEE HOW THE LONG CENTER USES THAT IN TERMS OF HOW THEY PAY THEIR STAFF AND EVERYTHING. WE JUST KNOW THAT THIS HOUR FOR TASK A COSTS X AND IT'S GONNA TAKE 60 OF THOSE HOURS TO GET THIS TASK DONE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM. GOT IT. AND SO WE KIND OF JUST ACCOUNT FOR EVERYTHING THAT WAY DOWN TO THE HOUR, ALMOST DOWN TO THE PENNY OF, UM, OF WHAT IT COSTS TO DO A PARTICULAR TASK. AND THEN I GUESS BECAUSE THE NEED GOES UP AND DOWN DURING THE YEAR, THE LONG CENTER PEOPLE WORKING ON THIS ARE ALSO PAID BY THE HOUR, RIGHT? I CAN'T SPEAK SO THAT WHEN IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF HOURS, THEY GET PAID MORE. IS THAT RIGHT? I I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT IT COMES IN THESE HUGE WAVES, RIGHT. OF WORK. WE, WE HAVE FULL SALARIED STAFF, RIGHT. THAT WE PAY YEAR ROUND REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER THE VOLUME IS. AND WE ALSO HAVE HOURLY STAFF THAT WE'VE EMPLOYED TO HELP US GET THROUGH TOUGH TIMES. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I THINK ANY ORGANIZATION WOULD PROBABLY VIEW IF THEY'RE FACED WITH THE BIG COMPLEX PROJECT. GOT IT. GOT IT. SO THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT CONTRACTORS. SO THEY'RE NOT CONTRACTORS, THEY'RE EMPLOYEES. SO WHEN THE HUGE WAVES HAPPEN, THEY GET PAID THE SAME AS WHEN THEY'RE NOT HAVING A HUGE WAVE. GENERALLY WE, WE'LL BRING MORE PEOPLE ON SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORK AS [02:45:01] MANY LONG HOURS. IT, LIKE, WE TRY TO BALANCE HOW WE TREAT OUR EMPLOYEES WITH HOW WE RESOURCE THE PROJECT AS WELL. AND I GUESS I WOULD POINT OUT BY THE WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A NONPROFIT JUST LIKE A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM. SO WHATEVER MONEY MAY, YOU KNOW, BY INFERENCE GO BACK INTO LONG CENTER COFFERS ACTUALLY GOES BACK TO OUR MISSION. SO OUR MISSION IS TO SERVE ARTISTS IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WE DO THAT IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS OUTSIDE OF THE GRANTS PROGRAM. SO, GOT IT. CHAIR, CAN I JUST SAY, UM, YES. THE LONG CENTER IS NOT THE FIRST THIRD PARTY THAT THE CITY HAS WORKED WITH PRIOR TO THE, UM, CHANGE OVER TO THRIVE NEXUS AND ELEVATE THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WAS A THIRD PARTY, I'M SURE JESUS PENTEL, OUR TENURED VETERAN, COULD TALK AND SPEAK TO THE OTHER THIRD PARTIES THAT WE'VE WORKED TO WITH IN THE PAST. AND SIMILAR FEES HAVE BEEN INCURRED AND IF NOT MORE, THEY WERE MORE EXPENSIVE TO WORK WITH. UM, I THINK LOOKING AT THE TIME AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE A HANDFUL OF OTHER ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO GO TO, INSTEAD OF GETTING INTO THE MINUTIA OF THE CONTRACTS, MAYBE WE COULD SEND AN EMAIL WITH THOSE QUESTIONS. IT'S ALL GOOD. AND CONTINUE TO MOVE ON. UM, 'CAUSE WE WILL BE REMOVED FROM THIS SPACE EVENTUALLY. CHAIR. YES. COMMISSIONER, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, I, UH, THESE ARE PUBLIC FUNDS AND I APPRECIATE THE TRANSPARENCY FROM ALL, UH, ALL PARTIES THAT ARE INVOLVED. UM, PERSONALLY I THINK WHEN I LOOK AT A CO SUBCONTRACT SITUATION, UM, WHAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT IS, IS THE DELIVERABLE, IS THAT COMING IN ON TIME, ON BUDGET, YOU KNOW, UM, SCHEDULE, THAT'S TIME BASICALLY. ARE THERE, UH, GENERAL METRICS AROUND OR, OR, OR FEEDBACK FROM WHAT, WHAT THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY IS LIKE THAT'S ENGAGING, UM, IN, IN, IN, IN THIS INTERACTION? UM, AND, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE GOALS THAT ARE, UH, BEING SET KIND OF AROUND THESE KIND OF PARAMETERS YEAR OVER YEAR? AND IF WE, AS WE FIND, IF WE FIND ANY ISSUES IN YEAR ONE, ARE WE DOING THINGS TO, UH, RECTIFY THOSE OR IMPROVE ON THOSE IN THE, IN THE UPCOMING YEARS? RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT. UH, MY INTEREST IN A SUBCONTRACT SITUATION IS NOT SO MUCH AROUND STAFFING AND WHO'S GETTING PAID WHAT. MM-HMM . I REALLY SEE THAT AS ENTIRELY THE SUBCONTRACTOR'S BUSINESS. AND WHAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT IS, IS WHAT IS THE LIST OF DELIVERABLES AND ARE THEY BEING DELIVERED WELL? AND THAT'S, UH, FOR ME, MY INTEREST KIND OF STARTS AND ENDS THERE ESSENTIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO A SUBCONTRACTING SITUATION. UH, AND I THINK, UH, UH, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS KIND OF WHAT ARE THOSE, SOME OF THOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, MILESTONES, METRICS AND, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE DELIVERED AGAINST THOSE. UH, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'LL, UH, PUT SOME QUESTIONS IN AN EMAIL FOR YOU, UM, UH, ERICA AND GET BACK WITH YOU THIS WEEK AND MAY ADD BACK TO THE AGENDA NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANTED SAY ALSO THIS, THIS CAME FROM COMMUNITY QUESTIONS, RIGHT? SO WE WANTED TO JUST BRING THE CONVERSATION OUT INTO THE OPEN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS, BUT THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY CAN CALL YOU UP AND ASK THEM. SO NO, THEY'RE GREAT QUESTIONS AND PEOPLE CAN CALL ME UP ANYTIME. HAPPY TO WALK. UH, ANYONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, ALL OF OUR NUMBERS ARE PUBLIC. YOU CAN FIND US. WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT I THINK ANYBODY THAT'S EVER CALLED US HAS GOTTEN OUR BEST EFFORT TO TRY TO ANSWER WHATEVER IT IS. SO IF PEOPLE WANNA ASK QUESTIONS, WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. THANK YOU, BOBBY. AGREED. IS THIS PUBLIC INFORMATION? IT, WE, THE LONG CENTER, UH, IS SUBJECT TO PIR REQUESTS, JUST LIKE THE CITY. UH, AND SO YEAH, THIS IS ALL TRANSPARENT PUBLIC INFORMATION AND WE HAVE WORKED REALLY DILIGENTLY TO GET THESE NUMBERS DOWN TO THE PENNY SO THAT ANYONE, IF THEY HAD ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN EXPLAIN IT. OKAY. AND I, I JUST WANT, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS COMES FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT THESE QUESTIONS ARE HAPPENING AND THAT THE WELLBEING OF THE, OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTERED BY THE THIRD PARTY ARE DEPENDENT ON THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS AD ADMINISTRATING THE FUNDS BEING ON SOLID GROUND. AND WHAT WE'RE HEARING IS THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. UM, AND SO WE WERE, THE, THE COMMUNITY GOT BEHIND THE LONG CENTER WITH THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE. AND SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO, TO ALLEVIATE THE COMMUNITY CONCERN THAT THE CITY IS SUBSIDIZING THE MISSION OF THE LONG CENTER, WHICH COULD BE FINE, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION CONTRACT WAS. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO, BUT I'LL SEND YOU AN EMAIL AND, AND GET [02:50:01] DEEPER INTO IT AND MAYBE PUT IT BACK ON THE AGENDA FOR ANOTHER MEETING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER. ANYTHING ELSE? SORRY. YEAH, I JUST WANNA SAY LIKE, IF, IF WE'RE GONNA ASK FOR TRANSPARENCY, I THINK SPECIFICITY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE JUST GOT A VERY ROBUST PRESENTATION THAT DIDN'T SEEM TO ADDRESS THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU GUYS ARE COMING IN WITH FROM PEOPLE THAT WON'T COME AND SPEAK IN PUBLIC COMMENT OR ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, EMAILING THE, THE LONG CENTER DIRECTLY. SO I THINK LIKE, JUST FOR EXPEDIENCY AND, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS THE BEST AND HIGHEST USE OF ALL OF OUR TIME. LIKE, LET'S TRY AND REALLY HAMMER DOWN LIKE WHERE ARE THESE QUESTIONS? 'CAUSE I THINK COMMISSIONER MADLA HAS A GOOD POINT. LIKE THESE, THESE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS DON'T NECESSARILY, UM, IMPACT THE DELIVERABLE, RIGHT? IF THE DELIVERABLES BEING AT WHAT ARE THE GOALS AND WHAT ARE THE DELIVERABLES. SO I JUST THINK LIKE, LET'S TRY AND BE A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENTIONAL WHEN WE'RE ASKING FOR AN UPDATE. WHAT DO WE WANNA KNOW? YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE ANSWER WE'RE LOOKING FOR? AND THE, AND THE PRESENTATION GAVE ME WHAT I WANTED, WHICH WAS THE HISTORY OF THE CONTRACT. GOT IT. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE HISTORY OF THE CONTRACT WAS. NOW THAT I HAVE THE HISTORY OF THE CONTRACT, THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT I WILL AMAZING BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S LABELED AS AN, AS AN UPDATE. AND SO I THINK COMING IN IT'S LIKE, OKAY, IF YOU, IF WE WANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION, LET'S GATHER IT AND THEN HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR STAFF. SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT LABELED AS AN UPDATE ON THE AGENDA, IT'S A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE AGENDA. OKAY. UM, ONE OTHER JUST POINT OF CLARITY, UM, WHEN I BECAME ARTS COMMISSIONER, I WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST ASPECT AND UM, THERE WAS A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST THAT WAS DENIED. SO THAT'S JUST WHY I WANTED TO ASK THAT QUESTION. SO I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST IN THE FUTURE WILL NOT BE DENIED EVEN IF THE CONTRACT IS WITH THE LONG CENTER AND NOT THE CITY. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STARTED THIS LINE OF INQUIRY. SO, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST, UH, CAME IN BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AWARE OF THAT. AND SO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, GIVE US ANY DETAILS AND WE'LL GO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN FIND OUT. YOU BET, SURE WILL. THANKS ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, WE'VE GOT SIX THINGS TO GET THROUGH, SO LET'S NOT TAKE MORE THAN ABOUT 15 MINUTES. ITEM [8. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Matthew Schmidt, Acting Cultural Arts Division Manager ] NUMBER EIGHT, STAFF BRIEFING ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXED BY MATTHEW SCHMIDT. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. MY PRONOUNS ARE HE HIM. UH, WITH THIS PRESENTATION I'LL BE SHARING OUR LATEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBER THROUGH MAY, 2025. I WILL NOTE I WILL HAVE SOME CORRECTIONS ON THIS BACKUP. THEY'LL CORRECT THE DATES, UH, FROM MAY 19TH TO JUNE AND A COUPLE OTHER THINGS I'LL NOTE IN THE PRESENTATION. ALRIGHTY. SO THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION IN MAY WAS 12,926,793. UH, THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR MAY WERE $1,234,509. UH, WITH THESE MAY NUMBERS, WE ARE APPROXIMATELY 69% TOWARDS OUR FY 25 APPROVED BUDGET. AND AS A REMINDER, AGAIN, THERE'S A DELAY IN HOW HOT REPORTING UH, HAPPENS. THIS PRESENTATION IN JUNE SHOWS FUNDS COLLECTED IN MAY FOR THE HOTEL STAYS IN APRIL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ALRIGHT. UH, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN ANALYSIS OF OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS, STAFF HAS BEGUN COMPILING DATA ON SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO INCREASED TOURISM AND LODGING ACTIVITY. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN APRIL, 2025 ARE LISTED ON THIS SLIDE. UH, WHILE THIS LIST DOES NOT CAPTURE THE FULL SPECTRUM OF TOURISM DRIVING AND EVENTS, IT DOES SERVE AS A FOUNDATIONAL STEP IN ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOT REVENUE TRENDS. UH, OF NOTE, ACCORDING TO OUR AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIR REPORTS, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'LL NEED TO CORRECT, UH, TOTAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC IN APRIL, 2025 WAS 1,755,290. UH, THAT NUMBER LISTED ON THERE IS ACTUALLY FROM APRIL, 2024. UH, SO IT DOES REPRESENT A 6.4% DECREASE IN, UH, PASSENGER UH TRAFFIC COMPARED TO APRIL, 2024. UH, FURTHER EVENT SPECIFIC ANALYSIS AND OCCUPANCY TRENDS WILL BE PROVIDED AS ADDITIONAL DATA BECOMES AVAILABLE. UH, OF NOTE SPECIFIC TO SOME OF Y'ALL'S FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, OUR STAFF HAS BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH OUR AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER PARTNERS, UH, TO ATTEND A NEAR FUTURE COMMISSION EVENT OR COMMISSION MEETING TO PROVIDE PLANS ON ENSURING THE STABILIZATION OF HOT FUNDS AS WELL AS GENERAL UPDATES ON THE CONVENTION CENTER. UH, SO WE'LL HOPEFULLY HAVE THEM EITHER IN JULY OR AUGUST. SO IN SHORT ORDER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS GRAPH CONTINUES TO SHOW OUR MONTHLY PROGRESS TOWARDS THE APPROVED BUDGET OF FY 25. I ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY COOL THAT IT WAS A RAINBOW COLORED FLAG [02:55:01] FOR JUNE. SO HAPPY PRIDE. UM, PLUG IN THAT, UH, OUR HOT CULTURE FUNDS ACTUALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 SO FAR ARE $11,263,947. UH, AS A REMINDER, THE FUNDS COLLECTED IN FY 25 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS IN FISCAL YEAR 26. NEXT SLIDE. I AM ALSO INCLUDING OUR CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTIONS BY QUARTER FOR THE PAST FEW FISCAL YEARS. UH, WE'RE CATCHING UP. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY ONLY $5,000 BELOW WHERE WE WERE AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. NEXT SLIDE. AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU'LL HAVE ANY. THANK YOU. SCHMIDT, THAT'S MATTHEW SCHMIDT. THAT'S VERY GOOD NEWS THAT WE'RE CATCHING UP SCHMID TOO, SO THAT'S GOOD. . AWESOME. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU. THANK Y'ALL. I'M, I'M SORRY, I, I, HI, UH, I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, THE, THE DATA ON THE CONFERENCES AND THE TRENDING OVER TIME WAS SUPER INTERESTING TO SEE. I'M CURIOUS, THOSE CONFERENCES THAT YOU HAD LISTED ARE THOSE REGULAR CONFERENCES THAT HAPPEN AND I'M JUST, JUST CURIOUS, IS THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE PULLED THAT? DO WE HAVE IT YEAR OVER YEAR? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'RE GATHERING THIS DATA. UH, COMMISSIONER MACH HAD BEEN REQUESTING US TO START LOOKING AT DOING SOME TREND ANALYSIS ON OUR HOT, SO WE JUST STARTED LAST YEAR TO, OR LAST YEAR, LAST MONTH, TO START KIND OF COLLECTING WHAT ARE THE MAJOR EVENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN OUR CITY. AND SO WE'LL START BEING ABLE TO CAPTURE THAT ON MONTH BY MONTH. UH, FOR THE MOST PART I DO TRY AND AS I'M LOOKING AT EVENTS, WHETHER THEY'RE REGULAR AND WHETHER THEY'RE DRAWING IN, UH, OUTSIDE VISITORSHIP TO, UH, ATTEND IN OUR HOTELS. UH, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO LOOK FOR AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. AND, AND THAT'S WHY I STILL KNOW THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF EVERYTHING THAT CONTRIBUTES TO OUR, UH, TOURISM INDUSTRY, BUT IT IS SOME OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT WE CAN TRACK AND KIND OF DEMONSTRATE AS TO WHAT MAY BE, UH, HELPING OUT. UM, AND I'M ALSO CURIOUS, AND YOU'VE SORT OF ALREADY ANSWERED MY QUESTION AS FAR AS, AND, AND THANK YOU, THAT WAS A REALLY GREAT REQUEST, UM, FOR THE TRENDING OVER TIME, YOUR LITTLE PRIDE CHART. THAT WAS SO LOVELY. UM, SEEING THE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS COME IN MONTH OVER MONTH RIGHT. AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHICH CONFERENCES HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT, IF YOU WILL, SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO LIKE MAXIMIZE WHAT WE'RE DOING. YOU'RE PROBABLY ALREADY THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND UM, I'LL BE QUIET. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING. NO, I, SO I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT TO A CONVERSATION I HAD WITH, UH, ERICA EARLIER TODAY. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR VISIT AUSTIN PARTNERS TO ALSO DO SOME, UH, FURTHER ANALYSIS OF WHAT THOSE HOT TRENDS COULD LOOK LIKE. SO TO YOUR POINT, WE COULD START LEVERAGING, UH, HOW WE CAN MAXIMIZE THAT AND EVERY MONTH OR LOOK TO OTHER MONTHS THAT MAY BE LOWER AND HOW WE CAN START INCREASING TOURISM DURING THOSE MONTHS AS WELL. RIGHT. UM, BECAUSE THE TIMING IS RELEVANT ALSO FOR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AT DIFFERENT TIMES. AND THE LAST THING I WAS GONNA SAY IS IT JUST MADE ME THINK OF THE ITEMS THAT JANE BROUGHT UP EARLIER ABOUT INTEGRATING THE LOCAL ARTISTS, UM, IN THESE OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE OR WHO NEEDS TO CONNECT THOSE DOTS, BUT IF THAT, IF THAT ISN'T ALREADY HAPPENING, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY TACTICAL AND SPECIFIC WAY TO DO THAT AND JUST PLAYING RIGHT? LIKE IT LOOKED LIKE, UH, NOVEMBER WAS A REALLY BIG MONTH, SO IS THAT ONE MONTH WE CAN PLAY WITH, RIGHT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. JUST 'CAUSE IT'S MY, MY DILLO YOU SAID COLLECTION FROM HOTELS AND NOW ALSO FROM SHORT TERM RENTALS, WHICH ARE FINALLY BEING UNIFORMLY COLLECTED AS OF APRIL. RIGHT. SO WE'LL HOPEFULLY START TO SEE THAT SHOWING UP IN OUR NUMBERS BECAUSE THERE'S NO UNIFORM COLLECTION OF THE MUNICIPAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. AND THEN ALSO REVIEWING THAT, UH, THAT INFORMATION, I KNOW LAST UH, MONTH WE HAD KIND OF QUESTIONED WHETHER THOSE FUNDS WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDS AND IT SHOULD BE AS IT IS WITHIN THE HOT, UH, UH, ORDINANCE. AND SO 17% OF THAT JUST HOTEL OCCUPANCY COLLECTION MONTH TO MONTH WILL STILL CONTINUE TO COME TO THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND. I JUST WANNA SAY, 'CAUSE I READ SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY THAT HOUSTON IS, SINCE THEY HAVE START, THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS UNIFORM COLLECTION SINCE LIKE 2019, I THINK FOR THEIR MUNICIPAL HOT, WHICH IS LESS PERCENTAGE WISE THAN OURS IS. AND THEY'RE COLLECTING LIKE 35 MILLION A YEAR JUST FROM STR. SO JUST SAYING, SAYING, SAYING LONG TIME COMING, , WILL YOU CLARIFY REALLY QUICK? WE GET 17% OF HOT OR 10% OF HIGH. I BELIEVE THAT IT'S 17% BY THE ORDINANCE AND WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK. I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I READ AND MAYBE I'M, I THOUGHT IT WAS 10 BASED ON WHAT I RETIRED SIX SPAN TELE FUNDING SUPERVISOR TALKING IN MY CAPACITY OF BEING HERE FOREVER. UM, THE, THE UM, FORMULA IS COMPLICATED. YEAH. WE DON'T HAVE SYNOVIA HERE TO MAKE IT, UH, SIMPLE. OH YES. PERCENTAGE. PERCENTAGE. UM, BUT BASICALLY THE LONG AND [03:00:01] SHORT OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, I FORGET WHAT ALL THE NUMBERS COME. IT'S LIKE 7 CENTS OUT OF 2 CENTS GOES TO WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO IS 15% GOES TO THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND, UM, AND 2% GOES TO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. IT'S, UH, THE WATERFALL FROM, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, WHICH IS WHY THE LIVE MUSIC FUND IS, IS A NEWER THING. SO MATT IS CORRECT IN THAT IT'S 17%, BUT IT'S 15% FOR CULTURAL ARTS FUND, 2% FOR LIVE MUSIC FUND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I THINK WE'RE DONE WITH YOU MATT . ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, UM, ITEM [9. Staff briefing regarding The Creative Reset by Morgan Messick, Assistant Director of ACME] NUMBER NINE, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING CREATIVE RESET BY MORGAN MESS. THANK YOU MORGAN. I LOVE HER BRAIN. NINE SEVEN, WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUTTA HERE. HELLO. UM, MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A NEW COMMISSIONER ON THE DIOCESE SINCE I HAVE RETURNED TO THE OFFICE, SO I'LL GIVE JUST A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF, UM, WHERE WE STARTED EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND THEN MY UPDATE TODAY, I GOT THE CLICKY. DOES IT WORK? IT DOES. OKAY. SO, UM, IN FEBRUARY OF 2025, OUR NEW CITY MANAGER, UM, MOVED SEVERAL DIFFERENT DIVISIONS UNDER ONE UMBRELLA KNOWN NOW AS THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT OR ACME. AND, UM, UPON THE CREATION OF THAT, OUR NEW DIRECTOR WHO WAS APPOINTED DIRECTOR ANGELA MEANS BEGAN TAKING LOTS AND LOTS OF ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS, UH, MANY OF WHICH HAVE HAPPENED WITH YOU OVER THESE MANY MONTHS. AND THAT PROCESS HAS EVOLVED INTO A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UM, THAT EVERY TIME WE HAVE SEEN YOU HAS KIND OF TAKEN ON, UM, NEW FORMS AND NOW IT HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE CREATIVE RESET. AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR A FEW MONTHS, UM, AND REALLY HEAVILY OVER THE LAST MONTH. AND SO I'M HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT WE'VE DONE, UM, WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHAT'S NEXT AND WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US COMING BACK IN JULY TO THE NEXT MEETING. SO OUR FUNDING EVALUATION IS STILL UNDERWAY. UM, AND THIS IS A SIMILAR SLIDE TO WHAT WE LOOKED AT LAST MONTH. THE DIFFERENT POINTS OF ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON HAVE BEEN FOCUS GROUPS ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS, A MEETING IN THE BOX TOOLKIT, WHICH WAS CREATED SO THAT FOLKS WHO WEREN'T ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE OTHER ACTIVITIES MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT, UM, AND FACILITATE THEIR OWN CONVERSATIONS AND SUBMIT INFORMATION FOR US TO USE. WE ISSUED A COMMUNITY-WIDE SURVEY, WHICH CLOSED ON JUNE THE FIFTH, UM, FOR USING INFORMATION FOR THIS PURPOSE. WE HAVE CONDUCTED ONE LISTENING SESSION, WHICH HAPPENED LAST WEEK. WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE TOMORROW, JUNE 17TH, WHICH WILL BE, UM, KIND OF NORTH CENTRAL AT THE PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER IF YOU'RE ABLE TO JOIN US. AND WE HAVE TAKEN FEEDBACK FROM THE ACTIVE COMMISSION WORKING GROUPS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER THIS YEAR. UM, AND SO WE'VE BEEN INCORPORATING ALL OF THAT AND SYNTHESIZING THAT TO INFORM THE UPDATES TO OUR GUIDELINES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. OTHER DATA THAT WE HAVE USED ALONG THE WAY. UM, WE HAVE HISTORICAL COMMUNITY FEEDBACK FROM THE YEARS OF 2020 THROUGH EARLY 2025, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN REFERRING TO AS PRE ACME FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED. SO EVERYTHING BEFORE FEBRUARY THAT HASN'T BEEN A PART OF THIS PARTICULAR PROCESS, WE HAVE, UM, REPORTS AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR THOSE AND I'LL SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE TO GET THAT. WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING BENCHMARKING, UM, HAVING A LOOK AT DIFFERENT PEER CITIES INCLUDING PHONE CALLS WITH, UH, FELLOW COLLEAGUES WHO OPERATE IN THOSE ARTS DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF THAT AVAILABLE AS WELL. UM, WE HAVE INFORMATION AND COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON. AND OF COURSE WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING WITH OUR LAW DEPARTMENTS ON THE DETAILS AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT HAVE BEEN HAVE TAKEN PLACE UP UNTIL TODAY, UM, FOR THE EFFORTS THAT MOSTLY CLOSED AROUND JUNE THE FIFTH. SO OUR SURVEY, WE RECEIVED 1,144 RESPONSES, UM, REPRESENTING 54 ZIP CODES. UM, THERE IS A SELF-IDENTIFYING DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURE ON THAT SURVEY, AND HERE'S JUST A LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE SURVEY OVER 697 WORKING CREATIVES OVER 260 THROUGH THREE CREATIVE ORGANIZATIONAL STAFF AND OVER 183 FOLKS IDENTIFYING AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE HAVE HELD OVER, UH, WE HAVE HELD SEVEN FOCUS GROUPS AND HAD OVER 68 MEMBERS ATTEND THOSE. AND WE HAVE HAD OVER 50 INDIVIDUAL ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS, UH, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN AROUND 200 PLUS TRACKED COMMENTS THAT WE ARE INTEGRATING INTO THIS FEEDBACK. AND THIS PUBLIC INPUT LINK THAT IS VERY LONG IS WHERE YOU CAN ACCESS ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON OUR DASHBOARD WHERE WE ARE SHARING AND LINKING ALL OF THE REPORTS RELATED TO THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. [03:05:01] UM, AND I'LL USE MY WORDS TO SAY IT, IT'S PUBLIC INPUT.COM/A 8 8 7 7 0 AND IT'S ALSO LINKED FROM THE ACME HOMEPAGE SO THAT YOU CAN GET TO IT MORE EASILY. THIS NEXT SLIDE IS ANOTHER LOOK AT OUR, UM, VERY AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED SEVERAL TIMES, UH, STARTING WITH THE PLANNING PROCESS BACK IN APRIL. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MONTH OF JUNE, WHICH IS MARKED AS THE TIME WE ARE ANALYZING AND REVISING FEEDBACK. SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT OUR STAFF HAS BEEN DOING, COLLECTING ALL THIS DATA AND WORKING THROUGH HOW TO INTEGRATE THAT INTO UPDATED GUIDELINES. THIS IS ANOTHER LITTLE LOOK AT OUR ROADMAP IN CASE YOU'RE A VISUAL LEARNER AND WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. UM, WE BEGAN WITH OUR HISTORIC COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, BENCHMARKING AND BEST PRACTICES FROM PEER CITIES. WE LAUNCHED OUR SURVEY, OUR FOCUS GROUPS, ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS, THE MEETING IN THE BOX, THE LISTENING SESSIONS. AND THEN OUR NEXT STEP WILL BECOME, UH, BE TO COME BACK TO OUR DIFFERENT CITY COMMISSIONS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE CREATED. SO THE FIRST DRAFT OF OUR UPDATED GUIDELINES IS IN PROGRESS THIS WEEK, AND OUR NEXT STEPS WILL BE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL DIRECTLY IN THE JULY MEETING. AND ALSO, UM, AHEAD OF THAT, WE PLAN TO ISSUE OUR FIRST DRAFT AND GET SOME FORMAL FEEDBACK. SO THAT WILL BE COMING VIRTUALLY. UM, I'M NOT SURE IF IT'LL BE A MEMO OR JUST A DIRECT EMAIL FROM OUR STAFF LIAISONS. AND WE'LL ALSO BE ELEVATING THAT TO OUR QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS TO TRY TO GET SOME EYES ON IT BEFORE WE WORK TOWARDS THE FINAL VERSION. AND OF COURSE, ACME LEADERSHIP PLANS TO BE BACK AT THE JULY MEETING TO PRESENT OUR FINAL GUIDELINES AFTER WE INTEGRATE ALL THAT FINAL FEEDBACK AHEAD OF OUR JULY 24TH COUNCIL MEETING, WHERE OUR GOAL IS TO GO FORWARD WITH SUPPORT AND GET THESE NEW FUNDING PROGRAMS APPROVED SO THAT WE MAY LAUNCH IN THE FALL TO GET MONEY OUT THE DOOR IN FEBRUARY. SO, UM, WE HAVE JUST SOME HIGH LEVEL THEMES THAT OUR COMMUNICATION STAFF HAS PULLED OUT FOR US. UM, AND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, AGAIN, AS THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE THESE THEMES HAVE BEEN PULLED FROM. UM, SO WE HAVE HEARD LOTS OF FEEDBACK ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, HERITAGE PRESERVATION, PLACE-BASED PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS, COMMUNITY LED EVALUATION PROCESSES, UM, REALLY CENTERING THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE DO THIS ENHANCING PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY, WHICH INCLUDES ENGAGEMENT, BUT ALSO THINGS LIKE TRANSIT AND PARKING AND THESE OTHER THINGS THAT AREN'T SPECIFIC TO THE GUIDELINES, BUT ARE PROGRAMMATIC THINGS WE CAN LOOK AT AS A CITY, UH, LACK OF TRUST, INCREASED AWARENESS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION. ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, UM, IS LINKED ON THAT DASHBOARD FOR PUBLIC INPUT. YOU CAN LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CREATIVE RESET@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV SLASH ACME, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING IN JULY. THANK YOU FOR THAT DASHBOARD. I'VE BEEN SPENDING HOURS LOOKING AT IT, READING STUFF, SO I APPRECIATE THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING THAT. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? SMALL BALL. UM, YES. ON THE DASHBOARD, IF I CLICK ON THRIVE, IT SAYS THE REDLINE COPIES OF, CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT EXACTLY IT SAYS. RED LINES OF EXISTING GUIDELINES. YES. BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM COMMISSIONS. AND THEN LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, I CLICK ON THRIVE AND THERE IS THE RED, ALL THE BLUE HIGHLIGHTS OR THE, WHAT IS THAT? SO I DON'T HAVE IT UP IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I BELIEVE, UH, THOSE WERE MARKED UP WITH TRACK CHANGES. AND SO ANYTHING LIKE A RED LINE THROUGH WOULD BE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM YOU ALL DURING YOUR WORKING GROUP THAT SAID, CUT THIS AND BLUE THINGS OR ADDITIONS THAT WERE ADDED BASED ON FEEDBACK. UH, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT IT, BUT IN THE, I DON'T SEE ANY TRACK CHANGES. WELL, THERE ARE SOME, BUT IT'S NOT IN THE, THE BLUE HIGHLIGHTS ARE LIKE ALL OF THE LANGUAGE ABOUT, UH, CULTURAL ERASURE EQUITY, HISTORIC INEQUITIES, THOSE ARE ALL DIVERSE INTERSECTIONALITY. ALL OF THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED. AND THEN I DO SEE, UM, SOME RED LINES IN OTHER PLACES, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING WHY, WHAT ARE THOSE HIGHLIGHTS FOR? WHAT ARE THEY INDICATING? YEAH. UM, SORRY, I'M LOOKING AT THE VERSION NOW. SO THANK YOU. IF WE MAY BE UPLOADED, IF YOU SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, YOU CAN SEE REDS AND OTHER COLORS. SO I'LL HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH THE TEAM TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT VERSION GOT UPLOADED TODAY. BUT, UM, WITH OUR INITIAL REVIEW THIS YEAR WITH OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS TEAM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE WERE MANY ITEMS ON THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA DICTATING MUNICIPAL RULES AROUND THE USE OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. AND SO EARLY VERSIONS OF OUR DRAFT, WE WERE HIGHLIGHTING THOSE SO THAT THOSE COULD BE EVALUATED AS WELL IN THE PROCESS. SO I'M [03:10:01] GONNA ASSUME THAT'S WHAT THOSE HIGHLIGHTS WERE FROM. OKAY. THOSE CONVERSATION. AND THAT'S HA HAPPENING WITH LEGAL NOW THAT THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS OVER, AND WE ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE REAL POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES ARE TO THE USE OF EQUITY MEASURE. YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. UM, SO I'VE BEEN READING AND HEARING FROM AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS ABOUT WHAT ADVICE, UM, LIKE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS ARE GIVING TO MUNICIPALITIES, AND THEY ARE LOOKING TOWARDS THE SUPREME COURT AT THIS TIME AROUND THINGS THAT ARE ON THE DOCKET THERE, AND DECISIONS THAT WILL BE TURNED OUT THIS SUMMER. THE SUPREME COURT TURNS OUT DECISIONS TYPICALLY IN THE SUMMER, JUNE AND JULY. SO THEY'RE, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE STATE LEGISLATION THAT WILL BE IMPACTING DEI, OUR NATIONAL, UH, LEADERS ARE STILL LOOKING TO THOSE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS TO HELP US BETTER INFORM HOW WE MIGHT MOVE FORWARD. BUT AT THIS TIME, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HASN'T, UM, MADE LIKE A FORMAL STANCE COMMENTING AROUND WHAT OUR PROCESS WILL BE. AND SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AND WHAT WE'LL BE DOING WITH LEGAL AS WE WORK TOWARDS THIS FIRST DRAFT OVER THE NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU. AND I, I DO WANNA ADD THAT I REMAIN CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE OF THE CONFUSION ABOUT THE MEGA WORKING GROUP, AND THEN THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, AND THEN OUR SECOND WORKING GROUP STOPPED MEETING BECAUSE WE WERE GONNA BE, ALL OF THAT IS LIKE, WE STILL HAVE A BUNCH OF UNRESOLVED THINGS. LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE COMMENT ON LIKE THE ARTS COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT CHANGES TO THE FUNDING PROGRAMS, BUT A LOT OF THOSE THINGS WERE, WERE LEFT UNRESOLVED IN THE FIRST GROUP AND WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THINGS THAT THE SECOND GROUP WAS GOING TO TAKE UP. AND THAT HASN'T HAPPENED. SO I JUST LIKE, I FEEL CONCERNED THAT THAT IS, THAT FIRST WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION IS BECOMING THE BASIS WHEN THAT, TO I, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THAT WAS IT WAS INCOMPLETE BECAUSE THERE WERE THINGS THAT WERE NOT, WE DID NOT FIND CONSENSUS ON. SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE AGAIN. AND I ALSO, AND I, THIS ISN'T DIRECTED TOWARDS YOU, BUT ON THE EQUITY QUESTIONS, UM, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE, SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE LOOKING FOR REASONS TO ELIMINATE EQUITY AND THE LANGUAGE AROUND EQUITY. LIKE IT STARTED WITH BEING LIKE, WELL, THE STATE'S GONNA DO SOMETHING, AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. SO NOW WE'RE LOOKING TOWARDS THE SUPREME COURT TO DO SOMETHING WHILE ALSO RUSHING THROUGH, IN MY OPINION, MAJOR CHANGES TO THE GUIDELINES. AND I JUST NEED THAT TO BE IT. IT'S CONCERNING THAT I FEEL LIKE WE, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE LOSING CONNECTION TO THE, THE POINT OF THE FIRST REDOING OF THESE, WHICH WAS LOOKING AT THE DATA, SEEING IT WAS PRETTY GROSSLY INEQUITABLE OVER TIME AND TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO I JUST REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. NOTED. UM, WE, WE HAVE MANY THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATIONS AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE NUANCES WE'RE NAVIGATING. IT'S, UM, IT'S HARD TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS WHEN WE'RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR MORE AT A NATIONAL LEVEL WITH SUPREME COURT DECISIONS AND WITH OTHER COLLEAGUES AT AMERICAN FOR THE ARTS, TEXAS FOR THE ARTS. YOU KNOW, THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS AND BEYOND. UM, AND IT'S NOT AN EASY TASK. SO WE ARE LOOKING TO LEADERS IN OUR CITY TO HELP US UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, CITY PHILOSOPHY. BUT I, I THINK THE CORE AND THE GOALS OF OUR PROGRAMS WILL REMAIN LIKE, WE WOULD LIKE TO SERVE EVERYBODY IN AUSTIN. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT THOSE IMPACT METRICS LOOK LIKE. LIKE WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE AT THE END OF THIS PROGRAM IS A QUESTION. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON THOSE OUTCOMES. SO WE'LL KEEP THAT CONVERSATION GOING, BUT YOUR CONCERNS ARE NOTED FOR SURE. COMMISSIONER GRAY. HI. UM, RELATIVE TO THE TIMELINE OF THE SUPREME COURT, 'CAUSE I CAN IMAGINE IN, UM, LET'S SEE, A VOTE COMES IN ON JULY 28TH AFTER OUR NEXT STARTS COMMISSION MEETING, AND WE HAVE A, UH, APPLICATION POSTING OPENING IN AUGUST. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AS FAR AS HOW TO INCORPORATE YOUR ARTS COMMISSIONERS AND AS FAR AS PUSHING BACK OR KEEPING THE SAME STARTING POINT FOR APPLICATIONS? I DON'T KNOW IF I FOLLOWED THE QUESTION FROM THE BEGINNING. WHAT WAS THE CFO COMING ON JULY 28TH? WHAT WAS THAT? SUPREME COURT RULINGS. OKAY. YES. SO, UM, THE QUESTION IS, HOW WILL WE REMAIN ENGAGED WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION? SO OUR, WELL, THAT'S NOT THE BIG QUESTION. IT IS A BIG QUESTION, BUT I SUPPOSE MY BIGGER QUESTION IS, WHERE WERE THOSE GRANT, UM, GUIDELINES? HOW WILL YOU DECIDE YOUR FINAL VERSION OF THE GRANT DEADLINES BEFORE AN AUGUST POST DATE THAT WILL HAPPEN REALLY CLOSE OR NOT INVOLVING THE ARTS COMMISSION? SO HOW WILL WE DECIDE THE OPENING DATE? WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE LOAN CENTER TO DECIDE WHAT IS POSSIBLE TO BUILD OUT. AND I THINK YOU'RE STILL MISSING MY, MY QUESTION. COULD YOU REPEAT ONE MORE TIME RELATIVE TO THE CHANGES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN TO THE APPLICATION, THE GUIDELINES MM-HMM . [03:15:01] YOUR STATEMENT WAS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU ARE WAITING ON AS FAR AS THE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS BASED ON EQUITY AND WHAT CAN BE SAID AND NOT SAID. AND RELATIVE TO MY, UH, FELLOW COMMISSIONER NEXT TO ME, HOW DEI MAY BE BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS PROCESS IF THOSE DECISIONS COME FROM THE SUPREME COURT AFTER OUR JULY ARTS COMMISSION MEETING, AND THE APPLICATION IS POSTED FOR SUBMISSION TO BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR GRANTS IN AUGUST BEFORE ANOTHER, BEFORE ANOTHER ARTS COMMISSION MEETING, OR FOR THAT MATTER, AFTER. I GUESS COUPLE OF THINGS ARE, ARE THE GUIDELINES POSTED AND FINAL BEFORE ARTS COMMISSION REVIEW? AND IF THAT DOESN'T MATTER, DOES THE APPLICATION DATE OF SUBMISSION STAY WHERE IT IS? SO THE PLAN IS TO OPEN THE APPLICATION IN THE FALL. CORRECT. WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC DATE. RIGHT. UM, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS ON JULY 24TH, AND ONCE THEY APPROVE, THE GOAL IS TO GET THEIR APPROVAL. ONCE THE GUIDELINES ARE APPROVED, THE GUIDELINES ARE THE GUIDELINES. OKAY. SO THE, SO GUIDELINES WILL BE APPROVED WHETHER THE SUPREME COURT HAS, HAS TOLD ANYBODY WHAT TO DO, THE CITY HAS TO MAKE A DECISION. NOW IT'S DEALING WITH DEI. YES. IS THAT, THAT'S TRUE. SO AT THIS TIME, RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AS A DRAFT RELATIVE TO NOT HEARING FROM THE SUPREME COURT. WE ARE HEARING WHAT, WHEN I SAID THE SUPREME COURT, WE ARE HEARING FROM AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS, THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING TOWARDS. MM-HMM . WE ARE TAKING OUR CUES FROM THEM, BUT ULTIMATELY CITY OF AUSTIN LEADERSHIP WILL DECIDE WHAT SURE. OUR STANCE IS. AND SO IT IS, IT'S A NUANCED CONVERSATION WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE RACING TOWARDS A FINISH LINE THAT'S NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S HAPPENING AROUND US. RIGHT. THERE'S LOTS OF EMERGING THINGS, NEA PULLING FUNDS, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING. AND SO IT IS AN IMPERFECT PROCESS. AND OUR GOAL IS TO TRY TO PRESERVE THE OUTCOMES THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY. WE AS A CITY, WE HAVE GOALS IN OUR CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN LEADING TO OUTCOMES FOR DIVERSIFIED FUNDING TO GET MONEY IN THE HANDS OF A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY OF AUSTIN HITTING ALL 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS. RIGHT. THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT METRICS. AND SO WE'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW ABOUT HOW WE CAN PRESERVE THAT AND PROTECT OURSELVES AS A CITY, WHICH IS A CONVERSATION THAT I KNOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES ARE HAVING. OKAY. THANK YOU. BUT BOTTOM LINE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE A GUIDELINE. WE'RE GOING TO GET COUNCILS TO APPROVE IT AND THEN OFFICER RACES WITH WHATEVER HAPPENS AT THE SUPREME COURT. YES. OKAY. AND THE NEXT STEP AFTER GUIDELINES ARE APPROVED IS WE WILL, UM, ONCE THEY'RE FINAL, WHICH YOU WILL SEE BEFORE IT GOES TO COUNCIL, OF COURSE, ONCE THEY'RE APPROVED AND FINAL, UM, THE NEXT STEP WILL BE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, GETTING PEOPLE INTO, SET UP THEIR PROFILES, ALL THAT STUFF THAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY SIT DOWN TO WRITE ANSWERS. AND OF COURSE, ALL THE QUESTIONS WILL BE POSTED AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE GUIDELINES ARE POSTED SO THAT, UM, COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO THAT. BUT OUR TEAM WILL ALSO WORK TO HELP GET THEM READY. AND THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE FEEDBACK WE'VE RECEIVED IS, IS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY AND PREPAREDNESS. SO THAT IS NOT SPECIFIC TO A CHANGE IN THE GUIDELINES, BUT SPECIFIC TO A CHANGE IN OUR PROCESS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THIS YEAR AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HU. UM, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, MY QUESTION IS ALONG THE SAME LINES, UM, NOTWITHSTANDING THE SUPREME COURT, I'M JUST GONNA CALL IT SUPREME COURT SITUATION DECISION, WHATEVER'S COMING DOWN, UM, I REALLY LIKE THE SLIDE THAT YOU SHARED, UM, SAYING WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THUS FAR. I'M INTERESTED NEXT TIME YOU DO AN UPDATE TO SHARE ANYTHING. I UNDERSTAND IT MIGHT BE LIMITED OR INFLUX, BUT AROUND THE DEMOGRAPHICS TO SEE WHO WE ARE HEARING FROM, HOWEVER YOU'RE ABLE TO PULL OUT FROM SELF-REPORTING. AND SECOND, UM, IN ADDITION TO, FROM A, LIKE, TO BE SPECIFIC, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY, RIGHT? DOES THAT GET REPRESENTED THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY? DOES THAT GET REPRESENTED, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DO KNOW WHAT THE MAKEUP OF OUR CITY IS, AND SO I'M CURIOUS WHERE YOU'RE GETTING INPUT FROM WHATEVER WE CAN READ. AND SECONDLY, AS FAR AS DEMOGRAPHICS AND EQUITY GROWS ALSO FROM THE, THERE WERE RESPONDENTS IN THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY. ARE THEY ALL MUSICIANS? ARE THEY PAINTERS? ARE THEY, WHAT, WHAT COVERAGE OR OR REPRESENTATION ARE WE GETTING THERE? I'D BE INTERESTED IN ALSO TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT MAPS TO OUR SERVICES AND COVERAGE, UM, OF, YOU KNOW, I HEARD EARLIER SOMETHING LIKE WE HAVE 17% AND [03:20:01] HOPEFULLY MORE COMING IN FROM SHORT TERM RENTALS, RIGHT? AND SO LIKE, HOW ARE WE DISTRIBUTING FUNDS? BECAUSE LIKE, THE EQUITY GOES IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. SO LET'S AT LEAST SHOW WHAT WE CAN OR CANNOT DO AND, AND USE THAT DATA TO HELPFULLY INFORM. AND MAYBE YOU'RE ALREADY DOING ALL THIS STUFF, BUT THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME ASK THE QUESTION. YEAH, OF COURSE. WE, UM, ON OUR DASHBOARD, WHICH IS AT THAT PUBLIC INPUT LINK, WHICH IS ALSO ACCESSIBLE FROM THE CREATIVE RESET OR THE ACME HOMEPAGE, WE HAVE A TON OF INFORMATION, RAW DATA ABOUT THE WORK WE'RE DOING, BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON MORE LIKE EXECUTIVE LEVEL COMPREHENSIVE REPORTS. UM, 'CAUSE WE KNOW EVERYBODY DOESN'T WANNA DIVE IN AND READ 1200 LINES OF A SPREADSHEET. SO WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS CREATING DIGESTIBLE REPORTS. UM, AND I JUST WROTE DOWN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR QUESTION, SO I'LL CHECK IN WITH MY TEAM TO SEE WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO ADD THERE SO WE CAN TRY TO HIT SOME OF THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. AND I CAN IMAGINE THIS IS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING AND I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO MAINTAIN THAT FOCUS AND BALANCE ON EQUITY BECAUSE WE DO WANNA ENSURE COVERAGE, RIGHT? AND NOT JUST FOR, I DON'T KNOW, A ALLOWED MINORITY OR WHOEVER, RIGHT? BUT LIKE, NOT JUST FOR THE ARTISTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE COMMUNITY AND 'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT OUR ENTIRE CITY, RIGHT? YEAH. COMMISSIONER, MAYOR CHARLA, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SHARE, UM, I, I, I QUICKLY, UM, JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS AROUND THAT FIRST RECOMMENDATION. I ACTUALLY DON'T SEE THAT AS AN INCOMPLETE RECOMMENDATION. I THINK IT WAS A PRETTY COMPLETE RECOMMENDATION. UM, AND, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THE SECOND WORKING GROUP WAS ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BUILD ON THE, ON THE RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? ESSENTIALLY IT WAS NOT GONNA JUST ABANDON THIS RECOMMENDATION AND GO WITH SOMETHING NEW. AND THE, THE REASON I'M NOT PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP, LIKE FISCAL, YOU KNOW, SPONSORSHIP OR MATCHES, I THINK WE CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED THOSE IN, IN YELLOW AND KIND OF CALLED THOSE OUT AS NOT HAVING CONSENSUS. SO IT WAS ESSENTIALLY JUST PRESENTING IDEAS, CERTAIN IDEAS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP IN THAT WORKING GROUP AND SHARING THAT WITH, UH, WITH, WITH, WITH STAFF AND COUNCIL THAT THESE WERE, UH, THERE WAS ALIGNMENT ON THESE SET OF IDEAS. THERE WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT GENERAL CONSENSUS. THERE WAS ENOUGH BALANCE COUNTERBALANCE AS WELL. I THINK ON THOSE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR FOLKS WHO PARTICIPATED, I THINK WOULD AGREE, UM, ON THOSE, ON THOSE SPECIFIC IDEAS AROUND THINGS LIKE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, ET CETERA. AND IT'S VERY WELL UNDERSTOOD THAT IN THAT RECOMMENDATION IT IS THAT, THAT THOSE, UM, POSSIBILITIES OR, OR PARAMETERS WERE BROUGHT UP, BUT THERE WAS, THEY WERE NOT, UH, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, UM, IT WAS NOT UNANIMOUSLY AGREED ON. SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT CONCERNED TOO MUCH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT BEING IN SOME WAY INCOMPLETE AS A FUNDAMENTAL, UH, SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS. I, I FEEL THAT THOSE WERE, THOSE ARE, UH, PRETTY SOLID RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE, UH, PUT OUT FROM THE COMMISSION. UM, OVERALL, THIS, THIS WHOLE APPROACH WITH THE CREATIVE RESET, UM, I'M THINKING OUT LOUD HERE, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT'S AN AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE. I AM STILL, YOU KNOW, SITTING IN THE MIDST OF THIS WITH IN GOOD FAITH, UM, BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT PARAMETERS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED IN THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE LOOKING AT HISTORICAL DATA, YOU'RE LOOKING AT FOCUS GROUPS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT PAST AND PRESENT FEEDBACK. SO EVEN THOUGH IT DOES LOOK LIKE A, A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE AND A THREE, FOUR WEEK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, IT'S ACTUALLY MUCH BEYOND THAT. UH, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S PRETTY BROAD, UH, FROM IF WE ARE GOING TO ACTUALLY LOOK, IF WE ARE LOOKING AT FEEDBACK FROM WHAT WAS TO WHAT WE ARE GETTING IN, IN PRESENT TIMES. UH, SO OBVIOUSLY I'M KEEN TO LOOK AT THE OUTCOMES AND, UH, RESERVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE AN OPINION AROUND THAT. BUT, UM, I'M DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, UH, I WANNA GIVE THIS A CHANCE. UH, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS ANY OTHER PERFECT SOLUTION HERE BECAUSE WE ARE DEALING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, DIFFERENT PARAMETERS IN THAT WE ALSO WANT TO ROLL OUT THESE ONES THIS YEAR. WE DON'T WANT FUNDS TO BE DELAYED. UM, THERE WERE GOOD THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THE GRANTS, UH, IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, UH, SINCE THE LAST, YOU KNOW, TIME, THESE WERE REWORKED, THERE'S ALSO BEEN ENOUGH, UH, COMMUNITY FEEDBACK TO WHERE, UH, IT, IT SEEMS ESSENTIAL THAT THERE ARE CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE. SO THERE IS NO PERFECT SOLUTION IN MY MIND. SO I, I APPRECIATE THIS EFFORT THAT'S BEING MADE TO LOOK AT THIS IN AS MUCH OF A 360, UH, APPROACH AS POSSIBLE. AND, UH, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE, UH, OUTCOMES ON, ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE SEE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT. AND I SEE FEEDBACK AS A CONTINUUM. YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, THIS PROCESS RIGHT NOW IS FOR THE APPLICATIONS FOR THIS YEAR, RIGHT? AND, UM, AND I THINK, AGAIN, BASED ON OUTCOMES, UM, THINGS MIGHT HAVE TO BE TWEAKED. WHAT COMES OUT OF THE SUPREME COURT AROUND EQUITY, UH, DEI AND OTHER PARAMETERS. THINGS WOULD FURTHER NEED TO BE TWEAKED OR NOT. SO I THINK I, I, I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THIS PROCESS RIGHT NOW THAT'S GOING ON, UM, SITTING HERE IN GOOD FAITH. UH, I'M [03:25:01] HOPING FOR SOME REALLY GOOD, UM, OUTCOMES, IF NOT PERFECT OUTCOMES, YOU KNOW? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER ZIMAN, AND THEN SCHAL. I'M JUST CURIOUS. SO WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET THE, THE DRAFT GUIDELINES? THAT'S MY, YEAH. SO OUR VERY NEXT STEP AFTER WE GET A FIRST DRAFT IS TO DISTRIBUTE IT FOR FEEDBACK AS A FIRST DRAFT. AND SO THAT WAS WHAT I WAS MENTIONING. I APOLOGIZE, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW THAT WILL COME FORWARD, WHETHER IT'S A MEMO OR JUST AN EMAIL FROM OUR STAFF LIAISONS OUT TO THE COMMISSIONS WE STAFF, WHICH IS ARTS AND MUSIC, BUT ADDITIONALLY FOR QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS AND BEYOND. SO, UM, THAT'S A PLAN WE'RE REFORMULATING THIS WEEK, BUT OUR, OUR INTENT IS TO HAVE THE DRAFT COMPLETED THIS WEEK, AND THE NEXT STEP WILL BE TO SHARE IT OUT TO YOU FOR FEEDBACK AHEAD OF COMMISSION MEETINGS KICKING OFF IN JULY, WHERE WE WILL COME WITH A FINAL VERSION AFTER WE'VE SOLICITED THAT FEEDBACK AND INTEGRATED. AND FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY, ARE YOU WANTING OUR APPROVAL? DO YOU NEED OUR APPROVAL? YES. THE GOAL, OUR GOAL IS WHEN WE GO TO COUNCIL ON JULY 24TH, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE LOTS OF SUPPORT SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE WERE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, UM, AND WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE OUTCOMES. WE WILL BE ASKING FOR LIKE AN, UH, FOR YOU TO TAKE AN ACTION TO SAY THAT YOU APPROVE IT. SO I, I JUST WANNA BE LIKE SUPER CLEAR. YEAH. LIKE, SO, BUT DO YOU NEED OUR APPROVAL? YOU WANT OUR APPROVAL, BUT DO YOU NEED IT IF WE, IF YOU GAVE US DRAFT AND WE SAID, NO, THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR BYLAWS THAT REQUIRES YOUR APPROVAL, SO I JUST WANT THAT. YES. YEAH. SO IF WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE, IT'S OUR HOPE THAT WE MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE ON YOUR REQUESTS AND THAT WE BUILD A PROGRAM YOU CAN BE PROUD OF. YEAH, WE ARE VERY OPTIMISTIC AND HOPEFUL OF THAT TOO. I HAVE ONE SMALL QUESTION. THERE IS A QUESTION ON THE SURVEY. UM, AND WE KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT 1400 PEOPLE THAT HAVE FILLED OUT THIS SURVEY QUESTION 19, HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THESE PROGRAMS OVERALL? WHAT IS THE, WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS BEHIND, OR THE STATS BEHIND THAT QUESTION? 'CAUSE I'M FROM WHAT BEGAN AS A, LET'S MAKE SOME VERY SPECIFIC TWEAKS TO ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ARE CAUSING THE ROOT OF THESE LARGER ISSUES, LIKE SERVING A BROAD AUDIENCE MM-HMM . OR BETTER PANEL SPECIFICATIONS AND TRAININGS. BA BASED ON THIS QUESTION. I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE WE'VE, IT'S EXPLODED SINCE THEN, RIGHT? MM-HMM . IT, A PHYSIO HAS TURNED INTO A VOLCANO. WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION OVERALL FROM THE 1400 PEOPLE THAT HAVE SUBMITTED? I DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN COMMIT TO FOLLOW UP VIA EMAIL WITH THAT ONE. I CAN CHECK WITH THE TEAM, UNLESS MATT KNOWS IT. HERE HE COMES. DON'T FORGET TO SAY YOUR NAME. , GOOD EVENING. MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER. UH, BASED ON SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE SEEN ON THAT GENERAL PERCENTAGE OF SATISFACTION WITH THE PROGRAMS OVERALL, MOST OF THE PROGRAMS WERE SCORING IN THE 40% OF SATISFACTION WITH DISSATISFACTION RANGING AROUND 20 TO 30%. THE ONLY PROGRAM THAT HAD A NEGATIVE, UM, OVERALL, UH, OVERALL RATE WAS THE NEXUS PROGRAM, UH, WITH A, A HIGHER DIS DISTI DISSATISFACTION RATE COMPARED TO ITS APPROVALS. OKAY. UH, BUT I'LL, WE'LL GET THOSE SPECIFIC NUMBERS TO YOU AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. YEAH. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WASN'T EXPECTING A A, BUT THAT IS MY QUESTION IS LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE ASKING THIS QUESTION, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING IN A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND, AND TO COMMISSIONER CHARLA'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YEARS OF CONTEXT. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO A LOT. IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE COLLECTING EVERYTHING WE NEED IN THREE WEEKS, BUT WE'RE CONDENSING EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED IN THREE WEEKS. SO, JUST A COUPLE THINGS THAT I WANTED, LIKE ON THE RECORD AND BROADCAST, LIKE, I THINK WE ALL WANT, WE ALL WANT PERFECTION, AND WE ALL WANT THE, THE, THAT THIS TO BE THE END ALL, BE ALL, THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE MAKING TWEAKS. WHAT WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANT IS TO HAVE TO BLOW UP THE PROGRAM EVERY SINGLE TIME WE HEAR DISSENT. AND SO THAT 20% IS NOT A BIG NUMBER AND TO ME IS INDICATIVE OF A LARGER CONVERSATION THAT'S MAYBE BEING IGNORED. AND WE'RE GETTING TOO HYPER FIXATED ON FIXING EVERYTHING, WHEN REALLY THESE PILOT PROGRAMS HAD, YOU KNOW, WE CAME UP WITH IDEAS. WE, THIS BODY CAME UP WITH IDEAS AND COULD PINPOINT WHERE THERE WERE ISSUES. I'M ALL FOR BIG IMPROVEMENTS, BUT I DON'T, WE DON'T WANT THE EQUITY PIECE LOST. WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THE BENEFITS OF THOSE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE THAT WERE DRASTIC CHANGES FROM WHERE WE CAME FROM, WHICH HAVE YIELDED THE TRANSFORMATIVE FUNDING, UM, OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAD BEEN SYSTEMICALLY AND HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE WORK OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS AND CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN IT LOST. THAT'S MY FEAR. AND I JUST WANT IT CLEAR THAT WE CAN GET THESE DRAFT GUIDELINES AND DISAGREE AND IT WILL STILL GET MOVED FORWARD WITHOUT US. SO JUST TRANSPARENCY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME, RIGHT? WE'RE ALL HERE AND WE ALL WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. [03:30:01] BUT I AM, I'M HOPEFUL, BUT I AM A LITTLE RETICENT TOO. LIKE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SACRIFICING EVERYTHING AT A BREAKNECK SPEED FOR THE SAKE OF A FABRICATED DEADLINE WHEN WE'RE NOT ROLLING THESE OUT UNTIL THE FALL. YES. AND, UM, JULY 24TH IS THE LAST AVAILABLE COUNCIL DATE TO GET GUIDELINES IN AHEAD OF THE FALL BUDGET SEASON. AND SO THAT WAS, UM, A TARGET THAT WAS SET LONG AGO THAT WE WERE SHOOTING FOR. SO, UM, I, I HEAR YOU. AND I HOPE WHEN YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK AND THAT IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOAL, RIGHT? LIKE HAVE A FIRST DRAFT AND IT'S A DRAFT. YEAH. AND JUST MAKING SURE WE GET THOSE DRAFT GUIDELINES WITH ENOUGH TIME TO SIMMER AND SIT AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEM THE WEEK BEFORE A MEETING IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME IN PARTICULAR. IF IT'S NOT JUST COMING TO US, IT'S COMING TO ALL COMMISSIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. LIKE THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER WORKING GROUP, RIGHT? SO JUST REALLY, YEAH. AND I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE WORKING AT BREAKNECK SPEED, AND THIS IS NOT CRITICISM TO YOU, IT IS SORT OF JUST LIKE, LET IT BE KNOWN. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO GET YOU THE INFORMATION AS TIMELY AS WE CAN. AND WE WILL ALSO MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ONE-ON-ONE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANNA ASK. UM, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE AS AVAILABLE IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF NEEDED, REACH OUT TO ME EVERYBODY'S EMAILS AS FIRST NAME DOT LAST NAME@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T EMAILED WITH US BEFORE, WE'RE HAPPY TO TO WORK WITH YOU. YOU GUYS ARE ROCK STARS AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND I WANT THAT TO BE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, FIRST AND FOREMOST. THANK YOU GUYS. COMMISSIONER MBOT. YEAH, I JUST WANTED A QUICK RESPONSE TO COMMISSIONER CHARLA BECAUSE IT, I, I'M, YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT INCOMPLETE PROBABLY WASN'T THE RIGHT WORD TO USE FOR THAT, BUT REITERATING THAT WE'VE HEARD NOW SINCE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WENT OUT, AND I THINK THE FIRST WORKING GROUP DID EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO, AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS HIGHLIGHTED. THERE WASN'T CONSENSUS ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES. BUT I THINK THAT'S BEEN INTERNALIZED. 'CAUSE WE'VE HEARD FROM NUMEROUS FOLKS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE COME TO SPEAK, YOU KNOW, IN OPPOSITION TO SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTED THINGS, RIGHT? THAT THEY ARE SAYING ARE THE ARTS COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS. AND SO THAT IS A DISCOMFORT THAT I HAVE BECAUSE OUR ASSUMPTION, MY ASSUMPTION MAYBE I WAS TOTALLY OFF BASE, WAS THAT THE SECOND WORKING GROUP WAS GONNA PICK UP WHERE THAT LEFT OFF, GET A LITTLE MORE IN THE WEEDS ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DO BECAUSE YOU WERE ON A TIMELINE AS WELL, IF I RECALL AND DIG INTO SOME OF THOSE NON-CONSENSUS ITEMS. AND I DO NOT LIKE THAT IT HAS BECOME LIKE OUR VOICE, THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION THAT THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE APPROVE THE THINGS, INCLUDING THE HIGHLIGHTS. BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GETTING MISSED IS THAT A LOT OF THE STUFF THAT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IS, IS THE STUFF ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND MATCHING, RIGHT? AND THE THINGS THAT A LOT OF US FEEL REALLY NOT A LOT OF US, I, AND I KNOW A COUPLE OTHER COMMISSIONERS FEEL VERY STRONGLY AGAINST REINTRODUCING. SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I MEANT BY IT GOT THE PROCESS GOT INTERRUPTED, THE PROCESS THAT WE HAD TAKEN ON AS A COMMISSION WAS INTERRUPTED BY THIS PROCESS. AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, AND IT'S, IT IS WHAT IT IS AND IT'S, I HOPE IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME, BUT I WANNA BE REALLY CLEAR THAT THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT THIS COMMISSION DID NOT AGREE WITH ON MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION DID NOT AGREE WITH IN THERE. AND SO I DON'T WANT THAT TAKEN IN WITHOUT NOTING THE HIGHLIGHTS AS OUR WORD. UNDERSTOOD. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, UH, I AGREE WITH YOUR, UH, SUMMATION TO SOME EXTENT, HEIDI, IN TERMS OF IT, IT FELT LIKE THE SECOND WORKING GROUP KIND OF FIZZLED BECAUSE WE, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT WE WERE DOING SOMETHING WITHOUT ME. BUT, UM, I WOULD JUST ARGUE THAT WE SHOULD ALL GET OUR BUNNIES TO THE MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE PDC. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T SEE THE ADDRESS OF THE PDC, IT'S ON MIDDLE FISKVILLE ROAD BEHIND A CC HIGHLAND. SO, UM, IF A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY PDC, PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT, YES, I THINK I USE MY WHOLE WORDS, BUT YES. TYPE INTO YOUR GOOGLE MAPS PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, UM, ACROSS FROM THE LINK. IT, YES, IT IS NEAR THE LINK WHERE THERE IS THE EASY TIGER AND MANY OTHER RESTAURANTS AND AUSTIN CREATIVE REUSE, ET CETERA. YEAH, RIGHT UP THERE. SO, UM, WE'LL, AND A C WE SHOULD ALL SHOW UP IF WE WANNA VOICE. RIGHT? I WILL BE THERE. I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE TOO. THANK YOU. I WILL BE THERE. WE HAD OVER 77, UM, PEOPLE SIGN IN AT THE LAST ONE AND WE ESTIMATE, UH, CLOSER TO A HUNDRED FOLKS ACTUALLY ATTENDING. UM, SO IT WAS A REALLY GOOD TURNOUT. WE WERE, UM, WE HAD A LOT OF GREAT CONVERSATIONS, SO WE, WE WELCOME THAT AND WE HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE. OKAY, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU MORGAN. APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK [10. Staff briefing regarding update on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor ] YOU. OKAY, ITEM 10, JESUS [03:35:01] ELL ON UPDATE ON CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS. THIS IS GONNA BE FAST. I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE FAST. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS AS SPENT CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR, UM, LATINO MALE WITH, UH, LONG GRAY HAIR AND A SALT AND PEPPER BEARD, UH, WEARING A BLAZER AND A RED SHIRT. 'CAUSE IT'S COLD IN HERE. MY PRONOUNS ARE HE, HIS. UM, AND I WILL BE SPEAKING, UH, TODAY ABOUT, UH, CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS, CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING UPDATES, GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES, UH, CONTRACT AND PAYMENTS. I THINK I'M GONNA GO OVER VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE WE BASICALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER IN ITEM FIVE. UM, AND WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY, UH, NEW UPDATES AS THE CREATIVE RESET HAS BEEN OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, UH, RIGHT NOW. SO, UM, BUT WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING UPDATES, AND LET ME DON'T GO TOO FAST WHERE I DON'T HAVE MY NOTES. UM, SO, UH, WHAT HAPPENS WITH OVERDUE FINAL REPORTS, UM, SINCE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT IN ITEM NUMBER FIVE. SO, UH, THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAM, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, DOES HAVE A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE TO HANDLE FINAL REPORTS. UH, THE FINAL ACTIVITY, UM, IN ANY PARTICULAR GRANT, UH, KICKS OFF THE FINAL REPORT PROCESS. AND SO THE FINAL ACTIVITY, UM, IS WHAT KICKS IT OFF OR THE END OF THE GRANT PERIOD. UH, UH, WHICHEVER, UH, COMES FIRST. SO THEY HAVE TO HAVE THEIR GRANT ACTIVITIES. THE LATEST THEY CAN HAVE 'EM IS THE, THE, THE LAST DAY FOR ELEVATE IN PARTICULAR. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE PROGRAM I KNOW BEST. UH, THAT'S DECEMBER 31ST OF, UH, THIS YEAR. AND SO FINAL REPORTS THEN ARE DUE 30 DAYS AFTER THAT FINAL ACTIVITY ROUNDED TO THE END OF THE MONTH. SO SAY SOMEONE DID SOMETHING ON, UM, JULY 15TH WAS THEIR FINAL ACTIVITY, 30 DAYS LATER WOULD BE AUGUST 15TH, WE ROUND TO THE END OF THE MONTH. SO AUGUST 30TH IS WHEN THEIR FINAL REPORT WOULD BE DUE. UM, SO THEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, UM, A DELINQUENCY LETTER. SO I MENTIONED EARLIER WE'VE GOT LIKE A THREE STEP, UM, PROCESS, UH, FOR WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE DOES NOT TURN IN THEIR FINAL REPORT. I WILL SAY WHAT WE NORMALLY DO, UM, IS TRADITIONALLY WE'VE, UH, STARTED SITTING OUT THE DELINQUENCY LETTERS IN, UH, LATE JANUARY OR EARLY FEBRUARY. THAT'S, UH, USUALLY, UM, THE TIME THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, STAFF HAS AVAILABLE. WE'VE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CLOSED OUT PHONE REPORTS THAT HAVE COME IN. SO ALL THE ONES THAT ARE IN ON TIME, WE'RE ENTERING INTO, UM, THE NEW CONTRACTS INTO THE NEW PAYMENTS. UM, SO WE'RE GETTING ALL OF THAT STUFF DONE. UM, ACME WAS FORMED IN, UH, LATE FEBRUARY. SO, UH, WE ARE, UM, A BIT, UH, FURTHER BEHIND, UM, UM, BY A, A LITTLE BIT, UH, THAN WE NORMALLY ARE AT THIS POINT. UM, BUT WE ARE FOLLOWING OUR PROCESS. UH, WE'VE, UM, SENT A DELINQUENCY LETTER ONE AND TWO OUT. AGAIN, LIKE MORGAN WAS MENTIONING EARLIER, IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON HOW RESPONSIVE THEY ARE TO US. IF WE ARE GETTING, UM, ANYTHING, UM, BACK FROM THEM, UH, WHEN THE FIRST DELINQUENCY LETTER IS SENT OUT, THEY HAVE, UH, FIVE BUSINESS DAYS, UH, TO, UH, CORRECT THAT. AND SO IT COULD BE, UM, AND WHEN I SAY CORRECT, IT COULD BE THEY HAVEN'T TURNED ANYTHING IN, SO THEY NEED TO TURN SOMETHING INTO US. IT COULD BE THEY HAVE TURNED SOMETHING IN, BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT CORRECT. SO, UM, IT'S INELIGIBLE EXPENSES. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH EXPENSES. UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD A $30,000 AWARD AND ONLY PROVIDED US $20,000 IN EXPENSES, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. UH, SO THEY HAVE FIVE BUSINESS DAYS TO CORRECT THAT. UM, IF WE DON'T GET IT WITHIN THAT FIVE BUSINESS DAYS, UM, WE THEN MOVE ON TO THE DELINQUENCY LETTER. NUMBER TWO, THEY HAVE 10 BUSINESS DAYS, SO TWO WEEKS, UH, TO CORRECT THAT. UM, AND SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, UH, WORK WITH THEM TO, UH, GET THAT IN. AND WHEN THESE DELINQUENCY LETTERS ARE SENT, BY THE WAY, ALSO, THIS IS AFTER, YOU KNOW, UM, DAYS, WEEKS, YOU KNOW, UH, MULTIPLE TIME PERIODS, YOU KNOW, TALKING WITH THE, UM, UH, THE GRANTEE TO HELP THEM COME INTO COMPLIANCE. SO IT'S NOT JUST LIKE WE SEND THE LETTER RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UM, THIS IS, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THEM. THEY, YOU KNOW, HAVE EITHER BEEN IGNORING US, THEY'VE BEEN SENDING US, YOU KNOW, INCOMPLETE INFORMATION CONSISTENTLY. UM, SO THEN WE GO TO, UM, DELINQUENCY LETTER NUMBER TWO. THEY HAVE 10 DAYS CORRECT AFTER THAT. UM, AND THE LETTERS KIND OF BILL AS WELL. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, A, A BIT OF A RELATIVELY STERN WARNING IN LETTER ONE. UH, LETTER TWO IS A PRETTY STERN WARNING SAYING, YOU KNOW, FIRST ONE IS LIKE BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN DANGER OF, UM, YOU NOT BEING IN COMPLIANCE WITH YOUR CONTRACT. LETTER TWO IS JUST LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THIS, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR CONTRACT IS GONNA BE TERMINATED. AND THEN LETTER THREE IS IMMEDIATE DETERMINATION. AND IT'S RARE THAT WE GET TO LETTER THREE AND IT'S BEEN, UM, A WHILE, BUT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH IT IS IMMEDIATE TERMINATION, SOMETIMES WE HAVE SENT THAT LETTER OUT AND THEN THEY RESPOND TO US IMMEDIATELY. UM, OR, YOU KNOW, WITHIN A DAY OR TWO, UH, WE'LL STILL WORK WITH THEM AND JUST LIKE, OKAY, YOU GOT THE THIRD DELINQUENCY LETTER. YES, WE KNOW WE SAID IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH THEM. UM, AND SO THEY GET THAT CLOSED. SO IT IS EXTREMELY RARE. AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, WE HAVE HAD, UH, THREE TERMINATED CONTRACTS IN THE 20 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. [03:40:01] UM, I STARTED IN THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, SO I'VE BEEN IN HERE THE WHOLE TIME. I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE JANUARY OF 2004. UH, SO DO WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE DATA GOING BACK TO, I HAD, YOU KNOW, BROWN HAIR BACK THEN, NOT GRAY HAIR. UM, UH, SO WE DO HAVE, UM, DATA GOING BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 2005. UM, AND THE DATA PRESENTED HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR 23 AWARDS, SINCE WE ARE LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FISCAL YEAR AT LEAST FOR ELEVATE, UH, 24 AWARDS. UM, AGAIN, THE END OF DECEMBER. UH, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF JUNE RIGHT HERE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FY 24 AWARDS. SO FROM FYO FIVE TO FY 23, AND I DON'T REMEMBER THAT WE HAD ANY, UH, DELINQUENT OR TERMINATED CONTRACTS IN FYO FOUR. WE'VE HAD THREE TERMINATED CONTRACTS IN THAT 20 YEARS OUT OF 6,093 CONTRACTS, UM, IN THE TIME PERIOD THAT I HAVE BEEN HERE, UH, WHICH IS LESS THAN A HALF OF, UH, HUNDREDTH, SO 0.0 0.049%, UM, OF OUR CONTRACTS OVER 20 YEARS HAVE BEEN, UM, IN BREACH OF CONTRACT. UM, AND THOSE WERE ALL RELATIVELY SMALL AWARD AMOUNTS AS WELL. SO ALL TOLD, UM, I'D SAY IT WAS PROBABLY AROUND $10,000. UM, I DON'T REMEMBER, UH, SPECIFICALLY. UM, 'CAUSE SOME OF THEM WERE, YOU KNOW, YEARS BACK. UM, AND THAT'S OUT OF OVER $136,197,269 SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE THAT WE HAVE AWARDED OUT. AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT COUNTING FY 24, WHICH IS PROBABLY LIKE ANOTHER 12 MILLION OR SO. SO, UM, AND SO IN THAT TIME PERIOD THAT $10,000 OVER THAT $136 MILLION PLUS IS 0.0073% OF AWARDED FUNDS HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OF BREACH OF CONTRACT. UM, AND SO THE NEXT THING I WANT TO ADDRESS IS ANALYZING FEEDBACK. DURING THE CREATIVE RESET. WE HAVE COME ACROSS SOME MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT HOW THE FINAL REPORTS ARE REVIEWED. UM, ALL FINAL PORTS ARE REVIEWED. SO, UM, SOME PEOPLE WERE THINKING THAT WE ONLY REVIEW, UH, 10, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAME ACROSS A COUPLE OF COMMENTS, UM, THAT ONLY 10% ARE REVIEWED. UH, YOU KNOW, THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE LIKE, OH, YOU SHOULD REVIEW ALL THE FINAL REPORTS. WE DO REVIEW ALL THE FINAL REPORTS. UM, AND SO IN THAT REVIEW, UH, WE LOOK TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, THEY PROPOSED THEIR ACTIVITIES, DID THEY DO THE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO? WERE THEY ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES? UM, THERE ARE REQUIRED QUESTIONS, UH, THAT THEY HAVE TO FILL OUT AS PART OF THE FINAL REPORT. UH, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY USE THE CORRECT LOGO AND PUBLICITY STATEMENT. AGAIN, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS, SO WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE LOGOS AND PUBLICITY STATEMENTS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE TIME PERIOD. UM, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE POSTED THEIR EVENT TO VISIT AUSTIN. SO THAT IS A CONTRACT REQUIREMENT. UH, SO WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO THAT. UH, THEY HAVE TO COMPLETE MILES PARTNERSHIP, UH, TOURISM VIDEOS. THEY HAVE TO WATCH AT LEAST, UH, TWO VIDEOS ON TOURISM OUT OF, UM, I WAS GONNA SAY SIX, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S SIX LAST YEAR AND I HAVE FIVE OR SIX THIS YEAR. SO OUT OF 12 VIDEOS THEY HAVE TO WATCH AT LEAST TWO. UM, AND WE LOOK AT THEIR EXPENSE DOCUMENTATION FORM. NOW ALL FINAL REPORTS ARE REVIEWED. SOME OF THEM ARE KIND OF A SPOTS CHECK. SO WE'RE JUST LIKE, LOOKING AT THIS STUFF. DID THEY FILL IT OUT? 10% ARE AUDITED AND THIS IS AN INTERNAL AUDIT. IT'S NOT LIKE THEY GO TO THE CITY AUDITORS. IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A FULL REVIEW. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE DO SITE VISITS. YOU KNOW, WE DO ADMINISTRATIVE SITE VISITS, SO WE GO TO THAT, UM, GRANTEE'S OFFICE. IF THEY DON'T HAVE AN OFFICE SPACE, WE'LL MEET 'EM IN A COFFEE SHOP. WE'VE DONE ZOOM MEETINGS, SO, UM, WE'LL MEET THEM WHERE, WHERE THEY'RE AT FOR THOSE SITE VISITS. WE ALSO DO ARTISTIC SITE VISITS. SO WE'LL GO AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE DOING, UM, THE ARTS ACTIVITIES THAT THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE DOING. UM, AND THEN THE WAY WE KIND OF, UH, PICK THOSE, WE'VE GOT FOUR CRITERIA FOR WHO WE DETERMINE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WHO IS, UM, GONNA BE SELECTED FOR A FULL REVIEW, IS WHAT WE CALL THAT. SO IT'S NOT TO SCARE, UH, ONE OF Y'ALL MENTIONED SOMETHING EARLIER ABOUT HOW WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA SCARE THEM, BUT IT IS BASICALLY AN AUDIT. UM, BUT WE CALL IT A FULL REVIEW AND WE'RE SPEAKING WITH THEM. AND SO IF IT'S A NEW GRANTEE AS ONE OF OUR CRITERIA FOR, UH, PICKING WHO GETS A FULL AUDIT OR A FULL REVIEW, WHO GETS AN AUDIT? UM, IF IT'S A NEW STAFF PERSON, SO MAYBE THEY'RE AN EXISTING GRANTEE, BUT THEY HAVE NEW STAFF THERE, UM, THERE COULD BE PRIOR OVERSIGHT CONSIDERATIONS. SO, UM, WE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR FINAL REPORTS IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE REVIEW PANEL BROUGHT UP SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THEIR APPLICATION. UH, WE HAVE CONTRACT KICKOFF MEETINGS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER. SO MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING THEY I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. SO VARIOUS WAYS THAT COULD BE, UH, PRIOR OVERSIGHT CONSIDERATIONS. AND THEN RANDOMLY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE ACTUALLY USED RANDOM. 'CAUSE USUALLY WE CAN GET ENOUGH WITH OUR 10%, UH, WITH THOSE FIRST THREE, BUT WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF, UH, RANDOM, UM, AS WELL FOR PICKING WHO GETS, UM, AUDITED, UH, FOR THAT 10%. SO AGAIN, ALL FINAL REPORTS ARE REVIEWED. UH, WITH THE 10% THEY GET A, A MORE FULL REVIEW. SO IN THIS EXPENSE DOCUMENTATION FORM HERE, WHICH I'M BRINGING UP, UM, BOTH TO KIND OF ILLUSTRATE THAT POINT, BUT ALSO, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE COME ACROSS MISUNDERSTANDINGS ON KEEPING AND TURNING IN, UH, RECEIPTS WITH YOUR FINAL REPORTS. SO AGAIN, WE DO A SPOT CHECK, WE LOOK, OKAY, DOES, [03:45:01] YOU KNOW, IN ALL FINAL AWARDS WE LOOK, DOES THE COA AWARD DOWN AT THE VERY BOTTOM, DOES IT MATCH UP WITH WHAT THEIR AWARD WAS? AND THEN WE KIND OF GLANCE, YOU KNOW, DO THEY, DO THEY FILL THIS OUT WITH THE FULL REVIEW, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET AND IT, YOU KNOW, UM, ADDS IT UP FOR YOU. WE, YOU KNOW, UH, COUNT, WE ADD THESE OUT, MAKE SURE THAT THE FORMULAS ARE CORRECT. YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT ALL THAT STUFF. UM, AGAIN, ONE OF THE OTHER MISCONCEPTIONS IS, UM, ABOUT, OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS IS ABOUT, UH, RECEIPTS. UM, SO, UM, AND SPECIFICALLY THIS COMMENT WAS ABOUT NEXUS, THAT NEXUS GRANTEES WERE NOT REQUIRED, UH, TO TURN IN RECEIPTS. UM, AND TECHNICALLY THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO TURN IN RECEIPTS. SO I THINK IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN A MISUNDERSTANDING OF AT THE CONTRACT KICKOFF MEETING, UH, BECAUSE WHAT YOU SEE HERE, THIS IS MODELED AFTER A QUICKBOOKS REPORT. SO IT HAS ALL OF THE INFORMATION, UM, THAT WE NEED IN THE EVENT. YOU KNOW, THIS WAS AUDITED BY THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE. UM, AND SO THE PAYEE AND IF THERE'S A PAYEE THERE, IF THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, ADMINISTRATIVE FEE AND SO SOMEONE'S PAYING AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSON, WE WANNA SEE EACH PAYMENT THAT WAS MADE THERE. WE DON'T WANNA SEE THAT THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, PAID 20,000, $30,000, YOU KNOW, $10,000, WHATEVER IT IS OVER THE COURSE OF THE CONTRACT PERIOD. WE WANNA SEE EVERY SINGLE PAYMENT. WE WANNA SEE THE DATE THE PAYMENT WAS MADE. WE WANNA SEE THE FORM OF PAYMENT. WAS THAT A CREDIT CARD? WAS THAT PAYPAL? WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, IF IT WAS A, A CHECK, WHAT WAS THE CHECK NUMBER? YOU KNOW, WAS IT AN ELECTRONIC PAYMENT? UM, AND SO WE LOOK AT ALL OF THAT. UM, IF IT'S, UH, CASH, THAT IS REALLY THE ONLY TIME THAT THEY ARE REQUIRED, UH, TO TURN IN A RECEIPT. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE CASH APP, I'M TALKING ABOUT COLD HARD CASH. UM, THAT IS WHEN THEY NEED TO, UH, TO TURN IT IN A RECEIPT. WE ENCOURAGE THEM, UM, IN THE EVENT THAT THEY DO GET AUDITED, THAT THEY KEEP THEIR, UH, RECEIPTS. UM, AND SO THAT WAY IF WE HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION, HEY ON, YOU KNOW, JUNE 16TH, UH, 2025, YOU PAID A THOUSAND DOLLARS, UM, IN CHECK NUMBER 1, 2, 3, 4 TO, UM, YOU KNOW, BILL SMITH FOR MARKETING. UM, SO, UH, WE WANNA SEE THAT CHECK. WHAT WAS THIS FOR? SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE INFORMATION, UH, THAT, THAT WE CAN LOOK FOR. UM, AND SO WHILE NO MATCH, UM, IS, IS REQUIRED, UM, WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DO HAVE A MATCH, THEY CAN PUT THAT IN THE CASH COLUMN. UM, IF THEY HAVE IN KIND, THEY CAN ACCOUNT FOR THEIR IN KIND. AND THEN THE TOTAL IS BOTH OF THE COA AWARD, THE CASH IN THE IN KIND. UM, AND AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED WITH IS, UH, THE COA AWARD AMOUNT. UM, AND SO THAT'S THAT, UH, WE'LL GO OVER GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES. AND NORMALLY WHEN I'M KIND OF GOING THROUGH THESE, I READ THROUGH THE NAMES. I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO DO THAT. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, THESE ARE IN YOUR BACKUP AND I AM, OH, THERE'S A THIRD ONE. UM, OH, I'M LOOKING AT MY THING AND I'M NOT HITTING FORWARD. AND ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM? , THANK YOU FOR THAT SPEED RUN. JESUS, WE APPRECIATE IT. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JESUS. ITEM 15, [15. Appoint new representative to the Downtown Commission. ] WE NEED TO APPOINT A NEW REPRESENTATIVE TO DOWNTOWN COMMISSION. I'LL SEND AN EMAIL OUT THIS WEEK TO TRY TO GET SOMEBODY TO VOLUNTEER TO DO THAT, SOMEBODY THAT HAS TIME. I WILL SEND AN EMAIL OUT FOR THAT. ITEM [16. Update from joint Arts/Music Commission Working Group on Urban Core Issues with Commissioners Gray, and Schmalbach (chair).] 16, UPDATE FROM OUR MUSIC COMMISSION WORKING GROUP AND CORBIN ISSUES. SMALL BOX CHAIR MEETING ON MEETING [17. Update from the Community Feedback on most recent release of the Cultural Funding Programs Working Group with Commissioner’s Schmalbach, Houston, Keys, and Anderson (Chair)] ON THURSDAY. ITEM 17, UPDATE FROM COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. ANDERSON CHAIR, THIS WORKING GROUP HAS PAUSED, SO THERE'S NO UPDATE. GOODNIGHT , THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT IS 9:54 PM PLEASE BE ON YOUR EMAIL THIS WEEK. A LOT OF EMAILS GOING OUT. THE COMMISSION MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * 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.