[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:03]
AM ON MONDAY, JULY THE 21ST, AND WE HAVE QUORUM.
SO I'M GONNA CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
IF I CAN GET THE PUBLIC COMMENT, SIGN UP, SPRING DOWN WHILE I CALL, ORDER I AM GINA HOUSTON.
SHARON B. ANDERSON, PRESENT NAVAL CHARLA.
AND I SEE COMMISSIONER KEYS JUST POPPED ON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, I JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT, UH, JUST A SECOND BECAUSE THERE WAS AN INTERESTING ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE ART AUSTIN ARTS HALL OF FAME HAS INDUCTED 10 NEW MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INTO THE HALL OF FAME, AND I THINK WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THAT FOR MAKING SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS AND LONG LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY'S CULTURE STRIPS.
AND THEY WILL BE HONORED DURING SEVERAL DISTRICT CEREMONIES DURING THE COMING MONTHS.
THOSE INDUCTEES ARE RAY ANDERSON, COMEDY AND MAGIC, JUAN RA ARCHITECTURE, ROBERT FERRIES, ARTS GINGER, MORRIS THEATER EDUCATION, ANTON NELL, MUSIC EDUCATION, ALISON OR DANCE, DEBORAH ROBERTS ARTS, NANCY SCANLON, PHILANTHROPY AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
DAVE STALEY THEATER AND JOHN YANCY ARTS EDUCATION.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE 12.
AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE COMMISSIONER GRAY, WHO IS IN THE FIRST CLASS OF THE ARTS HALL OF FAME
SO I'M VERY EXCITED THAT IT STARTED AGAIN BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE UPLIFTING THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT GOES ON IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
UM, YOU EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
UH, IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE'S SPEAKING ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS THE ACME DRAFT GUIDELINES.
UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, I'M GONNA SAY WE WANT TO MAKE A MOTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE ITEM FIVE TO BELOW ITEM SIX SO THAT THE STAFF CAN GIVE US THE BRIEFING ON THOSE GUIDELINES BEFORE WE HAVE THE DISCUSSION.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? EVERYBODY LOOKS GOOD.
SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ITEM FIVE UNDER ITEM SIX.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP ITEM SIX FIRST, BUT THEN
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
WE'RE GONNA HAVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.WE'RE GONNA START WITH LAURA ESPARZA.
WE FROM A THREE AUSTIN ART ALLIANCE.
ART ALLIANCE, AUSTIN, AND THEN CAROLYN REC FROM GLASS HALF FULL THEATER.
OH,
YES, I'M GONNA MAKE THE MOTION.
CAN I GET A SECOND? HEIDI? SMALL BOX SECONDS.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU FOR THAT POINT OF ORDER.
SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ITEM FIVE UNDER ITEM SIX.
FIRST, LAURA ESPARZA FROM ART ALLIANCE AUSTIN.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
MY NAME IS LAURA ESPARZA AND I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A THREE ART ALLIANCE AUSTIN AUSTIN'S FIRST NONPROFIT LOCAL ARTS AGENCY.
OUR MISSION IS TO RAISE FUNDS AND RAISE, UH, AWARENESS IN SUPPORT OF OUR AUSTIN'S ARTS ECOSYSTEM.
WHEN I STARTED A THREE, IT WAS IN RESPONSE TO BUDGET CUTS IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT I THOUGHT WERE WITHOUT REGARD FOR THE NEEDS OF ARTISTS TO EARN A LIVING HERE AND TO SHARE THEIR WORK.
I RECOGNIZED THEN THAT AUSTIN HAS NO SAFETY NET FOR THE ARTS IN, UM, UH, FOR ITS ARTS ECOSYSTEM.
AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AS THE FORMER CHAIR OF THE IMAGINE AUSTIN, UH, WORKING
[00:05:01]
GROUP FOR CREATIVE ECONOMY, THAT WE HAVE AN ARTS DEPARTMENT THAT WAS DEMANDED BY OUR COMMUNITY FOR MANY YEARS, AND THAT CAN POSSIBLY PROVIDE SOME SUSTAINABILITY TO OUR FUNDING SYSTEMS AND THE ARTS ECOSYSTEM IN GENERAL.BUT MY CONCERN IS THAT WE MAY UNDERMINE THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE IN POSSIBLY GETTING AN ARTS DEPARTMENT.
MY CONCERNS STEM FROM A CONTEXT THAT IS LARGER THAN US.
WE LIVE IN A FASCIST STATE AND COUNTRY THAT HAS PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THEIR CROSSHAIRS.
I'M WEARING MY PASSPORT HERE TODAY.
OUR ARTISTS ARE AT RISK, AND I DON'T WANT OUR ART DEPARTMENT TO BE AT RISK.
ALSO, SPECIFICALLY, I BELIEVE THAT REVERTING TO THE DEI LANGUAGE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY A PART OF THE GRANTS APPLICATIONS WILL PUT FUNDING FOR ALL OF THE ARTS IN AUSTIN AT RISK BECAUSE OF THE CONTEXT THAT WE NOW LIVE IN.
THIS IS GOVERNMENT FUNDING AFTER ALL, AND THE STATE OF TEXAS ALREADY HAS AN ANTI DEI STRATEGY AT WORK IN OTHER TEXAS GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS.
WE CANNOT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER BECAUSE WE WANNA PUSH BACK AGAINST THE SYSTEM.
IT IS THROUGH THE MESSAGES, THE CONTENT THAT OUR ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS CREATE.
THAT PUSHBACK CAN HAPPEN IF THE STATE SHUTS DOWN ARTS FUNDING AND AUSTIN BY THREATENING THINGS LIKE SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS, OUR ECOSYSTEM COULD NOT SURVIVE IT.
REMEMBER, THERE ARE VERY FEW OTHER FUNDERS FOR THE ARTS IN AUSTIN CITY GRANTS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR ARTS ECOSYSTEM.
I KNOW THAT I MAY BE BRINGING UP A CONTROVERSIAL POINT BECAUSE WE SHOULD RESIST AN OPPRESSIVE FASCIST SYSTEM, BUT WE HAVE TO SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RESIST.
AND PERHAPS IT IS THE ROLE OF ARTISTS TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER THROUGH THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND THE ROLE OF THE CITY TO FUND EVERYBODY.
THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO PHRASE THE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED TO ENSURE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.
WE HAVE TO BE STRATEGIC ABOUT WHERE OUR BATTLES CAN BE WON.
WHEN I HAVE CAROLINE REC FROM GLASS HALF FULL THEATER AND THEN HAVE G SILVA FROM GLASS HALF FULL THEATER.
I'M A CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF GLASS HALF FULL THEATER.
WE ARE A CURRENT THRIVE GRANTEE, AND WE'VE USED THAT SUPPORT TO CREATE CRITICALLY, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED NEW WORK DEVELOPED AND PERFORMED IN AUSTIN.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BECAUSE THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE THRIVE GUIDELINE DIRECTLY AFFECT OUR FUTURE AND NOT FOR THE BETTER.
I DO UNDERSTAND THE COMMISSION DOES NOT DRAFT THE ACME GUIDELINES, AND THAT HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM THE CREATIVE RESET, BUT IT FELT IMPORTANT TO US TO VOICE THESE ISSUES AND TO EQUITY ECHO THE EQUITY ISSUE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN RAISED BY MANY CURRENTLY.
UM, WE JUST WANTED TO, UH, START BY DISAGREEING WITH THE SPACE-BASED FUNDING BRACKETS FOR THRIVE.
SO CURRENTLY THE THRIVE GUIDELINES, UM, PROPOSED RESTRICT THE HIGHEST FUNDING AMOUNTS TO ORGANIZATIONS WITH CREATIVE SPACE.
THIS UNDERMINES COMPANIES LIKE OURS THAT DO NOT ALREADY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES, BUT DO HAVE OTHER LARGE COSTS.
INTEGRAL TO OUR MISSION AS A COMPANY THAT EXCLUSIVELY CREATES NEW WORK WITH GENERATIVE ARTIS IN AUSTIN, WE TYPICALLY EXPEND UPWARDS OF $30,000 PAYING ARTISTS OVER MANY MONTHS TO CREATE A NEW PLAY BEFORE WE EVEN STEP INTO THE TYPICAL COST OF PRODUCING AN EXISTING PLAY.
NEW WORKS ALSO FACE THE ADDED EXPENSES OF MARKETING ORIGINAL WORK WITHOUT THE NAME RECOGNITION GAINED BY PREVIOUS ITERATIONS IN OTHER CITIES.
THE COMPANIES THAT HAVE PUT AUSTIN'S NAME ON THE NATIONAL MAP AS A CREATIVE DESTINATION ARE COMPANIES LIKE OURS AND OUR COLLEAGUES WHO CREATE AND PRESENT ORIGINAL WORK, BUT MAY OR MAY NOT ALSO RUN A VENUE.
THEREFORE, WE SUGGEST THAT THOSE COMPANIES THAT HAVE CREATIVE SPACE RESOURCES AND THOSE WHO DON'T SHOULD BOTH BE ABLE TO APPLY TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF FUNDING, BUT PERHAPS UNDER DIFFERENT CRI EVALUATION CRITERIA.
FOR EXAMPLE, COMPANIES WITH CREATIVE SPACE COULD BE EVALUATED ON ACCESSIBILITY, SHARED USE, AND NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT.
ALL THOSE WITHOUT COULD BE EVALUATED ON ARTIST COMPENSATION VOLUME OF NEW WORK AND COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTION.
THESE, THIS REFRAMING HONORS THE VALUE OF PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND PAY FOR ARTISTS AS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO THE SUSTAINING OF ARTS IN AUSTIN WITHOUT LIMITING THE DEFINITION OF CULTURAL INSTITUTION TO GROUPS WITH REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS.
UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU DO THIS EVERY MONTH AND, UM, MY COLLEAGUE GRISELDA
[00:10:01]
IS SPEAKING NEXT AND HAS A FEW MORE THINGS TO SAY FOR THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE HERE.THANK YOU, MS. REC GRISEL DESILVA FROM GLASS HALF FULL THEATER, AND THEN BONNIE CULLUM FROM THE VORTEX.
GRISELDA, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I'M A CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT GLASS SAPO THEATER, AND I'M GONNA BUILD OFF OF MY COLLEAGUE CAROLINE'S COMMENTS.
UH, WE SUGGEST RETHINKING THE 50% LOCAL ACTIVITY RULE, UH, BECAUSE WE ARE MISSION DRIVEN AND OUR LEADING ARTISTS COME FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, WE DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO INDEPENDENT WEALTH AND TRY TO KEEP COST TICKETS LOW.
THAT REALITY COMBINED WITH THE HIGH QUALITY OF WORK, HAS LED US TO ACCEPT INVITATIONS TO TOUR NATIONALLY, ESSENTIALLY GENERATING EXTRA INCOME OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN SO THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN UNDER THIS NEW MUCH LOWER THRESHOLD OF 75,000 TO STAY WITHIN THE MANDATE OF 51% OF OUR ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE AUSTIN REGION, WE WOULD HAVE TO REDUCE HOW MUCH WE TOUR, THEREFORE REDUCING OUR BUDGET AND CUTTING JOBS AT EMPLOY AUSTIN BASED ARTISTS AND LET THEM PERFORM ON STAGES LIKE THE KENNEDY CENTER.
WE SUGGEST REDEFINING THE LOCAL ACTIVITY ROLE SO IT DOES NOT DISQUALIFY ARTS GROUPS THAT TOUR, GIVEN THAT A COMPANY CAN DEMONSTRATE EMPLOYMENT FOR AUSTIN ARTISTS GENERATION OF REVENUE REINVESTED IN AUSTIN AND BUILDING OF CULTURAL REPUTATION FOR THE CITY.
TO BE CLEAR, WE DO NOT SUGGEST THAT COA FUNDING ITSELF BE SPENT ON THE TOURING, RATHER, THAT A COMPANY SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED FROM COA FUNDING BECAUSE THEY HAVE FOUND CREATIVE WAYS TO DIVERSIFY INCOME THAT DOESN'T RELY ON WEALTHY DONOR ACCESS.
WE SUGGEST ELIMINATING THE BONUS POINT SYSTEM.
THE BONUS POINT SYSTEM IS CONTRADICTORY AS IT CONFLATES UNRELATED ISSUES UNDER THE CURRENT DRAFT.
A COMPANY THAT USED TO RECEIVE SITTING FOOT CITY FUNDING WOULD BE DISADVANTAGED FOR HAVING METCO A'S HIGHEST THRESHOLD OF ELIGIBILITY, YET COMPANIES THAT PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED AND THEN LOST FEDERAL FUNDING WOULD BE ADVANTAGED.
SO BOTH GROUPS ARE MEETING HIGH THRESHOLDS, BUT ONE GETS PUNISHED BY LOSING HALF OF THE BONUS POINTS AND THE OTHER IS REWARDED BY RECEIVING BONUS POINTS.
MANY GROUPS DID NOT HAVE FEDERAL FUNDING TO LOSE, AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE DISADVANTAGED FOR NOT HAVING IT.
IT CREATES A DIFFERENT STARTING LINE OUT OF AN ISSUE THAT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER.
THIS ASPECT OF THE GUIDELINES READS LIKE A BIASED EFFORT TO SERVE SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS WHO FOR YEARS WERE WELL-SERVED BY CITY FUNDING TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF OTHERS THAT HAVE MORE RECENTLY BENEFITED AND GOES IN CONTRADICTION TO THE GUIDELINES STATED GOAL OF RESILIENCE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.
WE ALSO HAVE HANDOUTS THAT OUTLINE THESE PROPOSALS AND OUR THOUGHTS FOR YOU ALL.
AND IF YOU WILL, EXCUSE CAROLINE AND I, WE HAVE A, A REHEARSAL TO GO TO WITH OUR DAUGHTERS WHO ARE QUIETLY HIDING IN THE BACK.
AND IF YOU CAN, UH, LEAVE THE HANDOUTS OR IT'S EVEN BETTER IF YOU CAN EMAIL THEM TO JESUS BARILLA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU YOUNG ONES FOR BEING QUIET AND SUPPORTING THE ADULTS.
JESUS, COULD WE ACTUALLY GET THOSE DISTRIBUTED TO THE DAIS JUST SO WE COULD HAVE THEM? THANK YOU.
AND I DON'T SEE BONNIE, IS SHE VIDEO? NO.
SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA MOVE FORWARD ON THE AGENDA, BUT HOLD, IF, IF BONNIE HAD TO STEP OUT AND COMES BACK, I'LL, I'LL COME BACK AROUND TO HER AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMMISSIONER CHARLA HAS JOINED THE DAES.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.UM, HAVE EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES AND ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR, UM, EDITS? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOMENT.
A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED MINUTES ARE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO OUR DISCUSSION
[2. Presentation on the film “Manifest” by Cecilia Garza-Trevino, Producer-Director]
ITEMS. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A PRESENTATION ON THE FILM MANIFEST BY CECILIA GARZA, TREVINO, PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR.I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA SEE THE FILM AND THEN SHE'S GONNA DISCUSS IT.
IS THAT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? WHATEVER YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT IT, AND IF YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND THEN AFTER WE SEE, I JUST
[00:15:01]
LIKE VERY MUCH, VERY HAPPY.THAT'S WHAT WE, SO GO AHEAD MS. MS, UH, RAZA AND SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE SO WE CAN GET YOU ON RECORD.
THE MOVIE IS, SHOULD BE THE, THE STAR.
MR. GILBERT, WHAT IS IT, JOHN? WHAT'S THE MATTER? IT'S DAVID.
ALRIGHT, PETER, THIS IS NO TIME TO GET UPSET.
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA TELL HIM.
IT'S, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, IT'S ABOUT A TWO HOUR FOOTAGE THAT IS ON THE, UH, POST-PRODUCTION PHASE.
AND, UH, I'M TRYING TO REALLY PRESENT THIS MOVIE THAT IT WAS, UH, AUSTIN COMMUNITY PRODUCTION IN 1982.
EVERYBODY THAT PARTICIPATED WAS IN KIND, NOBODY GOT PAID.
AND, UH, IF YOU VISIT THE WEBSITE, YOU WILL GET THE BACKSTORY THAT IT TOOK ONLY WEEKENDS MORE THAN A YEAR TO SHOOT THIS FILM.
AND EVERYBODY WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AND BELIEVING THE STORY THAT I WROTE.
AND, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, LIFE, YOU KNOW, IT COULDN'T BE, UH, COMPLETED AT THE TIME IN THE EIGHTIES DUE TO SO MANY FINANCIAL CHANGES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS DUE TO THE OIL PRICES.
PEOPLE MOVE OUT OF THE AUSTIN.
AND, UH, UH, YEARS LATER, I TRIED TO REVIVE EVERYTHING.
THE PRODUCER, UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY AT A VERY, YOU KNOW, YOUNG AGE IN 1992.
[00:20:01]
CHANGED AND THE PASSING OF TIME DETERIORATED THE, THE CELLULAR FOOTAGE.AND I HAD TO CLIMB
AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SPENDING YEARS.
AND FINALLY I GOT INTO A POINT THAT I, I'M CALLING THE PATH TO COMPLETION.
YOU KNOW, BEING IN A, UH, POST-PRODUCTION, THERE ARE SOME REALLY KEY ELEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE INVOLVED INTO MAKING IT HAPPEN UP TO FINAL CUT.
AND I'M, YOU KNOW, REACHING OUT.
AND MOST OF ALL I WANNA PRESENT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN BECAUSE AS I SAID BEFORE, AND SOME OF MY COMMUNICATIONS, AND ACTUALLY WHERE IS FELIPE GARZA? HE WAS THE ONE THAT IMMEDIATELY REACHED OUT TO ME BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE IN THE AGENDA FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND HE WAS THE ONE THAT SAW THIS CLIP AND SAID, BY ALL MEANS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE ARE HERE.
BUT WHERE IS HE?
AND, UM, IT IS A HISTORICAL MOVIE IN MANY ASPECTS.
THE PLACES THAT YOU SEE, THE, THE, ALL THE LOCATIONS ARE AUSTIN, IT WAS SHOT ON LOCATION EVERYWHERE IN AUSTIN.
THERE WAS NO STUDIO, THERE WAS NO ANY KIND OF STAGE ANYTHING.
AND EVERYTHING WAS WITHIN THE AUSTIN AREA BECAUSE WE WERE ALL HERE IN AUSTIN.
UH, I VISIT WITH THE TEXAS FILM COMMISSION PRIOR TO I START THE PROCESS OF RESTORATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, THE, THE PERSON THAT IT WAS IN THE PRODUCTION SAID, I'M GONNA OPEN A FILE BECAUSE THIS MOVIE EXISTS.
OUR POSITION, THE COMMISSION CANNOT HELP YOU, UH, FINANCIALLY, BECAUSE OUR INTEREST AND COMMITMENT IS TO BRING THE WORK.
YOU ALREADY HAVE THE WORK, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO FINISH IT.
BECAUSE FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, SOMETHING HAS BEEN SHOT 40 YEARS AGO.
THAT FOOTAGE, THAT FILM IS HISTORICAL AS THEIR POINT OF VIEW.
THE OTHER THING, YOU KNOW, HISTORICAL IS THE, THE PHYSICAL, UH, PLACES.
SOME ARE NOW, UH, REPURPOSED AND THEY ARE DESIGNATED AS HISTORICAL.
AND, UH, THAT'S ANOTHER PART OF HISTORY OF AN AUSTIN THAT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE.
THE OTHER HISTORICAL EVENT IS THE DRIVE AND THE PASSION THAT THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY HAD AT THAT TIME TO SEE A MOVIE MADE IN AUSTIN AND BE PART OF THAT EVENT.
AND, AND IT'S BEEN MY DREAM AND MY GOAL TO COME AND TELL THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THIS IS AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, OF 19 82, 43 YEARS AGO, BUT IT BELONGS TO, TO AUSTIN.
IT BELONGS TO THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN CALLING IT.
IT'S A 1982 AUSTIN COMMUNITY PRODUCTION.
BECAUSE WE HAD ALL THE INPUT FROM NOT ONLY CREW TALENT OR BUSINESSES, THE EVERYWHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY WOULD OPEN THE DOORS, THE, THE AUSTIN HEALTH CLINIC, THE BACK ROOM, THE STUDIO, THE THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS WAS OPEN TO, FOR US, THAT WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THROUGH THE YEARS AND SAID, WHY DON'T YOU WRITE THIS A STORY OR WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT? AND I DECIDED, NO, I WANNA FINISH THE MOVIE.
THE BOOK CAN COME AFTER I FINISH THE MOVIE BECAUSE IT'S REAL.
AND IT'S JUST THREE MINUTES OF A, A WHOLE STORY IN SAGA OF, UH, HUMAN ACTIVITY AND EXPRESSIONS.
AND IT'S A SUSPENSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN OLD FASHIONED, IT'S, AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMEHOW OUT OF PLACE TO WHAT THE, THE, THE INDUSTRY, THE FILM INDUSTRY OF TODAY IS ALL ABOUT.
[00:25:01]
MAKES IT MORE UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT MARKET WISE BECAUSE IT REALLY LOOKS DIFFERENT.AND IT'S WAS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE ARE KIND OF, UH, REALIZING THAT THE ORIGINAL TECHNOLOGY, IT WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL.
AND EVENTUALLY I WILL ADVOCATE THAT WE NEED TO GET BACK INTO SHOOTING THE PRODUCTION PHASE ON, UH, CELLULOID THE ORIGINAL FILM BECAUSE HE BRINGS REALISM, HE BRINGS SOME QUALITY IN THE, IN THE, THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THE VISUALS.
THAT THAT'S WHAT MADE US FELL IN LOVE WITH THE, THE INDUSTRY, WITH FILMS. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THE LOOKS.
AND I THINK THERE IS A WHOLE GENERATION THAT HAS NOW BEEN EXPOSED TO THAT IN ITS TIME THAT WE REINTRODUCE THAT ORIGINAL TECHNOLOGY.
AND THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT I WILL BE VERY MUCH ADVOCATE AFTER I FINISH MANIFEST.
AND I'M TRYING TO, UH, MAKE THE EFFORT TO LET EV EVERYBODY KNOW THAT I'M FULLY COMMITTED TO FINISH IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
I SEND EACH ONE OF YOU A LETTER AND I INVITE YOU TO VISIT THE WEBSITE OF MANIFEST AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BACK HISTORY, THE BACKSTORY OF THE, THAT WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE, THE PRINCIPLES, ACTORS, THE TALENT, THE CREW, ET CETERA.
AND JUST, UH, UH, THE, EVEN THE EQUIPMENT THAT I STILL HAVE AND WE USE FOR ANYBODY TO LEARN ABOUT THIS, UH, INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I, I NEVER THOUGHT WHEN I JUST GOT OUT OF THE FILM, UH, DEPARTMENT, UH, THAT A STORY THAT I WAS JUST, I I JUST WROTE TO SEE IF I COULD MAKE IT INTO A 30 MINUTE MINUTES FOR MY THESIS EVOLVE INTO THIS HUGE PRODUCTION THAT I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT, I NEVER CONCEIVED THAT I WOULD HAVE SOME SUCH INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY AND SUCH AN INCREDIBLE ACTORS THAT THERE, MOST OF THEM, THEY WERE FIRST TIMERS.
THERE WAS JUST ONE THAT ACTUALLY IS PART OF HISTORY HERE IN AUSTIN, BILL ER, THAT, UH, I HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, WRITINGS IN THE, IN THE WEBSITE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATER AND THE, THE PARK CIRCULAR PARK RECREATION MUSICAL.
THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING US TO OUR ATTENTION.
IS THE WEBSITE, THE, UH, VIEW DOT KNOWLEDGE VISION.COM/PRESENTATION/IS IT THE LONG? NO.
UH, IN THE, THE LETTER THERE IS, THERE IS THE, THE CODE FOR THE CLIP, WHICH IS THE, I I PUT TOGETHER, THAT'S, THAT'S THE CLIP.
THE NEXT ONE IN MY LETTER THAT I SAY THE WEBSITE IS JUST AUSTIN MANIFEST.COM CONTINUES AND THAT'S THE WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN FIND ALL THE, YOU KNOW, DETAILS, YOU KNOW, IN, IN A WAY THAT GIVE YOU AN IDEA HOW IT HAPPENED, WHO WAS INVOLVED.
AND, UH, AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, YOU KNOW, THE PATH TO COMPLETION, YOU KNOW, SOME BULLET POINTS OF WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
AND, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, I THINK INTRODUCE, UH, THE, THE LINK TO A FILM INDEPENDENT PAGE THAT I MENTIONED IN MY LETTER THAT GRANTED, UH, UH, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP TO THE FILM MANIFEST FOR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS.
SO THERE IS, UH, UH, A BIG RECEPTION THROUGH THE FILM INDEPENDENT THAT I HAVE FOUND FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THIS WEBSITE, UH, YOU NAME IT.
SO WHAT WE'RE, CAN I JUST, I WAS JUST GONNA SUGGESTION MM-HMM
UM, THERE ARE A COUPLE ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN THAT I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU SHARE THIS PROJECT WITH.
ONE OF THEM BEING PRESERVATION AUSTIN AND THE OTHER BEING THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER.
I THINK, UM, HAVING CAPTURED SO BEAUTIFULLY, A LOT OF THESE LANDMARKS THAT PROBABLY STILL AREN'T AROUND, OR AT LEAST DEFINITELY DON'T LOOK THE WAY THAT THEY DID, UM, IN 1982, IS DEFINITELY WORTH AMPLIFYING AND PRESERVING.
SO I JUST, THOSE ARE THE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS I WANTED TO PASS ALONG TO YOU AS I WOULD TAKE AS THE NEXT STEP FOR THESE PROJECTS.
YOU CAN JUST, UH, UH, EMAIL ME THE LINKS AND THEN WHO I NEED TO CONTACT AND I WOULD
[00:30:01]
LOVE TO SHOW THEM TO WHOEVER'S INTERESTED FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS.I'LL RESPOND TO THE EMAIL THAT YOU'VE SENT.
ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I EXPRESS IN MY LETTER IS THAT IT CAN BRING, ALSO, I WANT TO FEEL THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN REALLY ADOPT, YOU KNOW, AND ACCEPT YEAH.
AND WELCOMES THIS KIND OF PROJECT THAT IS PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
I'LL DEFINITELY SEND YOU THOSE LINKS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
AND, UH, AND, AND THEN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, UH, POSSIBILITIES OF, UH, FOR SOME LOCAL TALENT, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATE IN THE MUSIC AND THE POST-PRODUCTION PHASE AND, UH, SOME DANCING CINEMA, THERE COULD BE A POSSIBILITIES, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS PRODUCT.
PART OF THE POST-PRODUCTION COMMISSIONER CNI IS OUR RESIDENT CINEPHILE, SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK, HI, YES, I RECEIVED YOUR EMAIL TODAY AND I WAS ACTUALLY CHECKING IT OUT AND HEARING YOU SPEAK HERE TODAY.
UM, FOR ME, I'M ACTUALLY AN ANALOG FILMMAKER AND I RUN AN ORGANIZATION IN AUSTIN, AND WE HAVE AN EMPHASIS ON ANALOG ARTS, SO WE TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO SHOOT ON SUPER EIGHT N 16, AND WE USE TRIX, WHICH I THINK YOUR FILM IS SHOT ON TRIX BLACK AND WHITE REVERSAL, SO I COULD TELL FROM WATCHING IT.
UM, WELL THAT AND SOME OTHER OF, UH, INDOORS STAR.
YEAH, THEY'RE, BUT THEY'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, BLACK AND WHITE AND THEN YEAH.
BUT, UM, WELL, I WAS GONNA SUGGEST, UM, I'LL RESPOND TO YOUR EMAIL.
I HAVE A WHOLE ROSTER OF PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH ANALOG FILM, UM, ALL VARYING AGES FROM 25 TO 71, UM, THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
AND THEN I WAS ALSO GONNA RECOMMEND, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY TALKED TO TEXAS ARCHIVE OF THE MOVING IMAGE, THEY'RE A FANTASTIC NONPROFIT HERE.
BUT, UH, YES, I HAVE AND AND UNFORTUNATELY THIS KIND OF MOVIE, IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR AGENDA LIKE IN MANY OTHER PLACES THAT I HAVE KNOCKED MY DOORS ONTO, UH, THEY CARE MORE FOR, FOR FAMILY MOVIES, HOME MOVIES.
HOMEMADE, SOMETHING THAT REFLECTS, YOU KNOW, MORE THE, OF THE, THE, I WOULD SAY THE LIFESTYLES OF TEXAS OR SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE SHOT, YOU KNOW, IN, UH, ANALOG.
WHAT IS SAY, YOU KNOW, I CALL IT CELLULOID AND NO, UH, A FEATURE FILM OF THIS DOESN'T, IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR, THE, THE CATEGORY.
THEY DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR THAT.
AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, I VISITED, UM, I APPLY IN 2020 TO THE AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY.
UH, SOME OF THE FOUNDERS ACTUALLY WERE MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES BACK IN THE DAYS, AND THEY WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE AT THAT TIME, BUT THEY WERE VERY, VERY, UH, OPEN AND SINCERE ABOUT SAYING, THIS IS 16 MILLIMETERS AND EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW IS DIGITAL.
HOW YOU GONNA PROJECT IT? HOW YOU GONNA DISTRIBUTE IT, ET CETERA.
SO THEY HELPED ME TO MAKE THE JOURNEY INTO GO AND CLEAN IT AND RESTORE IT AND SCAN IT INTO DIGITAL.
RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU SAW, EVERYTHING IS DIGITALIZED.
AND THAT'S THE REASON WE'RE ABLE TO USE ALL THE MEDIA, AND THAT'S THE WAY THAT IS GONNA BE DISTRIBUTED, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER MOVIE.
BUT THE VISUALS REMAIN VERY MUCH THE ALL ORIGINAL CELLULOID SAID THAT I APPLIED LAST YEAR AND, UH, THERE WERE SOME MEMBERS OF THE DEN OF THE FILM SOCIETY THAT IT SUPPORTED ME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT AGENDA.
THESE, THIS IS, THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT TO START WITH.
THE JURORS ARE NOT, UH, FROM TEXAS AND THAT'S THE WAY THEY WANT IT.
SO EXCUSE ME, I, I, I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR, UM, PHYSICIAN, BUT THIS IS A SPECIFIC KIND OF ISSUE THAT NOT EVERY COMMISSIONER HAS KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERTISE ON.
SO I'M GONNA CHARGE THE COMMISSIONERS TO, TO READ HER LETTER AND AS YOU HAVE EXPERTISE AND CAN GUIDE HER IN SPECIFIC AREAS TO WHERE SHE CAN SEEK SUPPORT FOR COMPLETION OF THE FILM, PLEASE DO SO.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ASSIST YOU WITH THAT.
I'M GLAD FROM THE DIOCESE AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU SENT ME THE EMAILS ABOUT THE, THE GIVING UP AN OPINION OF THE DRAFT ON
[00:35:01]
THE, UM, UH, APNI ACME ACME UHHUHUH, I GOT A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE, UH, THE, I SEE IN THE WEBSITE THAT THERE IS A 2024, UH, AND THEN THERE IS THIS, THE ONE THAT YOU SEND ME IS A, FOR A 2025.
NOW IN THE, THE WHAT IS POSTED IN THE 2024, THERE IS SOME ROOM FOR ME ON ELEVATE TO ACQUIRE A GRANT.
SO, SO 2024 IS NOT GONNA BE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND ACME IS GONNA GIVE US A PRESENTATION TONIGHT ABOUT WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE GONNA BE GOING FORWARD INTO WHAT'S GONNA BE FISCAL YEAR 2026.
AND I SAW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF LIMITATIONS IN THE DRAFT COMPARED TO THE 2024.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, MAYBE KNOW THROUGH THIS, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT MAYBE IN SOME KIND OF EMAIL OR CONTEXT TO INFORM ME WHAT ARE, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN FOR ME TO APPLY FOR AN ELEVATE, UH, GRANT.
AND, AND THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I'M ASKING, JUST FOR SUPPORT TO GIVE IT SOME, UM, SEEMS LIKE A REALLY GOOD SEGUE.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS, IS WE'RE GONNA HAVE ACME'S GONNA GIVE THEIR PRESENTATION ON THE GRANTING PROCESS, WHICH DOES INCLUDE ELEVATE, AND SHOULD GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS ABOUT WHAT THE ELIGIBILITY IS FOR THOSE PROGRAMS GOING FORWARD AS WE MOVE INTO THIS NEXT FUNDING CYCLE.
UM, BUT THAT'S A SEPARATE CONVERSATION.
WE, WE, WE APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM WHEN MORE TALKING AND I UNDERSTAND MM-HMM
THERE, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A PROCESS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU FOR SEEING MY PROJECT
ITEM THREE ON THE AGENDA WAS GOING TO BE A PRESENTATION FROM LUIS ROSA GUTIERREZ, BUT I DON'T SEE LUIS HERE, SO I'M GONNA TABLE THAT.
I'M GONNA ALSO TABLE ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS GONNA, WAS GOING TO BE A DISCUSSION OF WHAT, UH, THE CITY AUDIT, BUT SINCE WE'RE NOT HAVING THAT PRESENTATION, WE'RE NOT GONNA MOVE INTO THAT DISCUSSION JUST YET.
THAT MIGHT COME UP ON A SEPARATE AGENDA.
[6. Staff briefing regarding an update on ACME funding guidelines by Angela Means, Director and Morgan Messick, Assistant Director, Office of Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment (ACME).]
NOW I DO NOT SEE BONNIE CULLUM, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER SIX, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON ACME FUNDING GUIDELINES BY ANGELA MEANS DIRECTOR MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT ACTING, AND ALSO SEE CANDACE COOPER.GINA, MAY I ASK A QUESTION? YES.
UM, REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE WE MOVE TO ITEM SIX, UM, MS. CECILIA, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PROJECT AND YOUR MOVIE WITH US.
AND I BELIEVE IT'S LIKE THE VIDEO AND THE INFORMATION SHE SHARED, WILL THAT BE ADDED TO THE MINUTES? UM, THE VIDEO SHOULD BE IN THE VIDEO RECORDING OF THE MEETING, AND THEN THE, AND THEN THE ADDRESS FOR THE LINK TO THE VIDEO IS IN THE BACKUP FOR THE MEETING.
SO IN ADDITION TO US REVIEWING HER LETTER AND PEOPLE PROVIDING RESOURCES OR ANSWERING QUESTIONS, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW THAT THIS GOES OBVIOUSLY ON THE RECORD, BUT THEN IT'S REALLY GREAT THAT EVERYBODY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN GETS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROJECT AND THAT IT'S THERE IN THE MINUTES AND YOU HAD AN ASK TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE IN POST-PRODUCTION.
THERE'S DIFFERENT EDITING GOING ON, THERE'S PEOPLE YOU KNOW, WHO COULD CONTRIBUTE IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND SO HOPEFULLY PEOPLE CATCH THAT IN THE MINUTES AND, UH, I THINK YOUR INFORMATION WILL BE THERE AND THEY CAN ALSO REACH OUT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND JUST ACKNOWLEDGE I, I YES.
UH, THANK, LET, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TAKE A MOMENT.
I'LL BRING IT BACK TO ITEM SIX.
MY NAME IS ANGELA, MEANS I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF AUSTIN ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT.
WE ARE FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS NEW.
I LIKE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE IT REALLY HAS ONLY BEEN FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS, BUT IT TRULY IS AN HONOR TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE THE FIRST FORMAL UPDATES, UH, FROM THE NEWLY LAUNCHED DEPARTMENT.
FIRST, LET ME BEGIN WITH A SIMPLE TRUTH THAT MANY OF US HERE, OF COURSE ALREADY KNOW, ARTS AND CULTURE ARE NOT OPTIONAL, THEY'RE ESSENTIAL.
THEY ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR CITY, THE RHYTHM THAT MOVES US, THE STORIES THAT SHAPES US, AND THE SOUL THAT MAKES AUSTIN UNMISTAKABLY AUSTIN, THIS IS GOING TO BE A PRESENTATION.
[00:40:01]
FAMILIAR WITH THE ARTS AND CULTURE HERE IN OUR CITY, BUT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT HERE NATIONALLY, AUSTIN IS RECOGNIZED AS A CULTURAL POWERHOUSE.WE RANK AMONG THE TOP 10 MOST CREATIVE CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR CULTURAL VIBRANCY AND CREATIVE OUTPUT PER CAPITA.
THAT IS NOT BY ACCIDENT, IT, IT IS A RESULT OF DECADES OF VISION, POLICY, GRASSROOTS, CREATIVITY, AND COMMUNITY INVESTMENT.
THE DATA ON THE SCREEN TELLS A POWERFUL STORY.
THIS STORY IS ARTS AND CULTURE CONTRIBUTE MORE THAN $7 BILLION ANNUALLY TO THE TEXAS ECONOMY, BUT THEIR VALUE IS FAR GREATER THAN ECONOMIC.
THE ARTS ENHANCE MENTAL HEALTH, IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES, FOSTER INCLUSION, AND PROMOTE WELLNESS.
WHEN PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH THE ARTS, THEY EXPERIENCE MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AND FEEL MORE DEEPLY, DEEPLY CONNECTED TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.
WE KNOW OTHER CITIES MAY BE DE DEFINED BY THEIR MONUMENTS OR MUSEUMS. AUSTIN IS DEFINED BY OUR MURALS, LIVE MUSIC FESTIVALS AND FIERCELY INDEPENDENT CREATIVES.
OUR CREATIVE CULTURE IS INSEPARABLE FROM CIVIC LIFE AND LOCAL IDENTITY.
THIS IS THE SPIRIT THAT GAVE RISE TO ACME.
OUR WORK IS ROOTED IN COMMUNITY ACROSS ALL DISTRICTS, AGES, CULTURES, INCOME LEVELS, AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS.
WHEN WE SUPPORT THE ARTS, WE SUPPORT THE WELLBEING OF OUR ENTIRE CITY.
AS I STATED, EARLY ACME IS THE RESULT OF DECADES OF ADVOCACY.
THE COMMUNITY CALLED LOUDLY FOR THE ARTS TO BE TREATED AS ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THE CITY ANSWERED THAT CALL IN FEBRUARY.
ACME OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOUGH FUNDING CLIMATE.
WE WERE CREATED AT A TIME WHEN TRADITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES SUCH AS GRANTS, DONATIONS, PRIVATE INVESTMENTS WERE SHRINKING.
OUR MISSION IS CLEAR TO PROTECT, INVEST IN, AND ELEVATE THE SOUL OF AUSTIN.
BECAUSE ART, MUSIC AND CULTURE AREN'T SIDE STORIES, THEY ARE THE VERY IDENTITY OF THIS CITY.
SO HERE I'D LIKE TO SHARE OUR FIRST FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS WE'VE MADE SWIFT MEANINGFUL PROGRESS WITH A CLEAR PRINCIPLE.
LISTEN FIRST, ACT SECOND, BE IT BUILD TRUST THROUGHOUT.
WE ESTABLISHED A COMMUNITY-CENTERED APPROACH, PRIORITIZING TRANSPARENCY, ACCESS, ACTIVE LISTENING AND AVAILABILITY.
WE STOOD UP FOR ARTISTS ADVOCATING DURING THE AIR AIRPORT EXPANSION AND THE CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT TO PROTECT PUBLIC ART AND THE CULTURAL LEGACIES.
WE DUG INTO RESEARCH ANALYZING LOCAL HISTORICAL DATA AND BENCHMARKING NATIONAL STANDARDS THAT WILL GUIDE OUR EVERY DECISION AS WE LAUNCH THE CREATIVE RESET.
A YEAR LONG STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT TO REBUILD AND STRENGTHEN OUR ARTS ECOSYSTEM WITH INTENTION AND IMPACT.
THAT IS WHAT WE'RE WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS.
YOU'LL HEAR ME SPEAK OF THE CREATIVE RESET IN OUR DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT IS OUR SIGNATURE INITIATIVE.
THIS YEAR, IT IS OUR FULL STRATEGIC REBOOT TO THINK HOW OUR PROGRAMS WORK, HOW FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED, AND HOW WE SUPPORT THE ECOSYSTEM IN AN EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE WAY.
OUR FIRST STEP IN THIS RESET IS TO ENHANCE OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS AND MAKE THEM MORE RESPONSIVE, INCLUSIVE, AND ACCESSIBLE.
WE BEGAN WITH FUNDING GUIDELINES BECAUSE, QUITE FRANKLY, ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS WERE BEING DESTABILIZED BY A LACK OF ACCESS AND CLARITY.
ACME ACTED QUICKLY BECAUSE THE STATE OF THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY REQUIRED IT.
ORGANIZATIONS LACKED CERTAINTY.
WE ACTED SWIFTLY BUT NOT RECKLESSLY BECAUSE WE INHERITED A MOMENT OF URGENCY THAT WE TAKE SERIOUSLY.
WE KNEW WE COULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT FIRST LISTENING DEEPLY TO THE PEOPLE WE SERVE.
WE ENGAGED ACROSS THE CITY WITH ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS, SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS IN A CITYWIDE, SEVERAL CITYWIDE, UH, WORK SESSIONS.
THIS LEVEL IN OF ENGAGEMENT IS SOMETHING WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF, AND IT'S SHAPED EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
WITHIN JUST THE FIRST THREE WEEKS, WE COLLECTED OVER 1200 SURVEYS.
WE CONDUCTED NEARLY 10 FOCUS GROUPS WITH OVER 70 FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS.
WE ENGAGED IN TWO CITYWIDE LEAD LISTENING SESSIONS THAT HAD NEARLY 200
[00:45:01]
INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING.WE HELD NUMEROUS, NUMEROUS ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS OR, OR ARTISTS THAT WANTED TO JUST COME IN AND HAVE A, A DIRECT CONVERSATION WITH THE ACME TEAM.
WE WORKED WITH OUR ACME STAFF BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VOICES WERE INCLUDED.
WE PULLED THE LAST THREE TO FIVE YEAR HISTORY BECAUSE WE HEARD THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT WAS DONE BEFORE ACME WAS EVEN CREATED.
AND SO WE WANTED TO HONOR THAT.
AND HERE I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK THIS ARTS COMMISSION FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
IN THIS EFFORT, YOU CREATED A WORKING GROUP EVEN PRIOR TO ACME'S FORMATION, WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY PROPELLED US TO COMPLETE THIS EFFORT.
THE MUSIC COMMISSION ALSO CREATED A WORKING GROUP THAT ALSO AIDED IN THIS EFFORT.
SO I TRULY WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
THE COMMISSIONER'S FEEDBACK THROUGH THE ARTS COMMISSION WORKING GROUP WAS THE FOUNDATION OF THE INITIAL RED LINE DOCUMENTS.
THIS PROCESS SHAPED WHAT BECAME THE COMMUNITY DRAFT, AND I WANT TO REALLY THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT HARD WORK.
IT'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN ANY WAY.
THAT'S THROUGH A SURVEY, A FOCUS GROUP, PHONE CALL, EMAILS, UH, A LOOK THAT SAID WE NEED Y'ALL SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT YOU DID.
AND OF COURSE, THANK THE ACME STAFF FOR THEIR WORK.
OVER THE LAST FOUR AND A HALF, FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS, OUR PURPOSE WAS TO DEMOCRAT THE, TO DEMOCRATIZE ACCESS TO CITY FUNDS.
THE OUTCOME IS SIMPLER, MORE TRANSPARENT SYSTEM ROOTED IN PUBLIC VOICE.
THESE CHANGES WEREN'T DESIGNED IN A VACUUM, THEY CAME FROM COMMUNITY INPUT.
OKAY, THIS IS A LOT ON THIS SLIDE, BUT FIRST I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY THIS.
THE COMMUNITY WAS VERY CLEAR AND HONEST WITH US, AND NOW I'D LIKE TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND PROVIDE SOME DETAILS IN WHAT WE HEARD AS A CITY.
SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MS. CANDACE COOPER.
ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING ART COMMISSIONERS AND COMMUNITY.
MY NAME IS CANDACE COOPER AND I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS THE INTERIM CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTRATION OFFICER, EXCUSE ME, FOR ACME SINCE MARCH, 2025.
IT WAS SO SHORT AGO, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A YEAR OR SO.
UM, I WANNA THANK DIRECTOR MEANS FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND UPON THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE HEARD THROUGH THE CREATIVE RESET PHASE ONE ON ACME'S FUNDING PROGRAMS. BUT BEFORE I SHARE THE COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS, I WANNA TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE CITY'S CORPORATE PIO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM.
I ALSO WANNA THANK CHRIS COLLINS OVER AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, BRITTANY PLATT WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND ACME'S OWN, AND I BELIEVE SHE'S SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY.
UH, SHELBY MITCHELL, IF YOU COULD PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED.
UM, AND ALSO I WANNA REC, INTRODUCE AND RECOGNIZE ONE OF OUR NEWEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS.
I CALLED HER THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GURU THAT JOINED THIS PROCESS IN JUNE OF 2025.
AND THAT'S MISS MARION SANCHEZ.
UM, SHE IS ON LOAN TO ACME FROM CORPORATE PIO FOR ABOUT A YEAR.
SO WE ARE VERY PLEASED AND JUST PRIVILEGED TO HAVE MARION SANCHEZ.
AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE NAMES THAT I'VE ALREADY READ HERE TODAY.
THIS ENGAGEMENT PROCESS REQUIRED MANY HANDS ON DECK, MANY EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD, AND A FEW GOOD PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
WITH THAT SAID, OUR GOAL WITH THIS ENGAGEMENT WAS SIMPLE BUT VITAL TO LISTEN.
WE LIMP, LISTEN DEEPLY AND DIRECTLY TO THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY.
THOSE WHO LIVE, WORK, PERFORM, TEACH AND SHAPE CULTURE IN AUSTIN.
AND WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS ARE SERVING THEM, WHERE THE FUNDING PROGRAMS ARE FALLING SHORT, AND HOW WE CAN DO BETTER.
AS DIRECTOR MEANS MENTIONED, WE TOOK A MIXED METHOD APPROACH, COMBINING SURVEY RESPONSES AND FOCUS GROUPS, ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS, EMAILS, AND LISTENING SESSIONS TO NAME A FEW.
WE MET THE COMMUNITY EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE AND WHEN THE COMMUNITY NEEDED MORE TIME, WE GAVE THEM MORE TIME TO PROVIDE THEIR FEEDBACK.
[00:50:01]
RESPONDENTS INCLUDED ARTISTS, NONPROFIT STAFF, CULTURAL PRODUCERS, AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND PATRONS, LEADERS FOR FOR-PROFIT AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, ARTS AND MUSIC COMMISSIONERS, CITY BOARDS AND AMBASSADOR GROUPS, MANY OF WHOM WE LEARNED WEAR MULTIPLE HATS IN OUR COMMUNITY.THESE INSIGHTS WERE NOT THEORETICAL.
THEY ARE GROUNDED IN LIVED EXPERIENCE.
WHAT WE HEARD WAS BOTH ENCOURAGING AND CHALLENGING.
THERE IS A DEEP GRATITUDE FOR THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN THE ARTS, BUT THERE IS ALSO REAL CONCERN THAT THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS INEQUITABLE, HARD TO ACCESS, DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE, AND IN SOME CASES UNSUSTAINABLE.
THE COMMUNITY IS NOT ASKING FOR MORE FOR THE SAKE OF MORE.
THEY'RE ASKING FOR FAIR PROCESSES, MORE ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES, AND A CULTURAL FUNDING ECOSYSTEM THAT REFLECTS AUSTIN'S VALUES.
WE HEARD FROM A RETIRED COMMUNITY MEMBER, MS. AMY, WHO IS A SENIOR AUSTIN KNIGHT LIVING IN SOUTH AUSTIN, WHO RAISED CONCERNS REGARDING ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY.
MR. HARRELL, WHO SOME OF YOU GUYS MAY KNOW, MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ALREADY SHARED A TON OF FEEDBACK.
AND HE CHALLENGED US TO GO BACK AND REVIEW ALL OF THE HISTORIC FEEDBACK THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS RECEIVED, THAT THE CITY HAS RECEIVED.
OUR LITERARY ARTS COMMUNITY REMINDING US THAT WRITERS, AUTHORS SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS TO NAME A FEW HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY OVERLOOKED.
MUSICIANS AND VENUE OWNERS, OPERATORS SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES FROM A LACK OF PLACES TO PERFORM TO THE EXPENSES OF OPERATING DUE TO RISING INSURANCE AND LICENSING COSTS TO NAME A FEW OUT OF THIS RICH FEEDBACK AROSE 10 COMMUNITY PRIORITIES THAT YOU SEE SUMMARIZED ON THIS SCREEN.
THE 10 MOST FREQUENTLY RAISED ISSUES WERE AFFORDABILITY AND COST BARRIERS, ACCESS TO VENUES AND GEOGRAPHIC EQUITY, EQUITY, DI DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
NUMBER FOUR, COMMUNITY AND OUTREACH APPLICATION COMPLEXITY, FUNDING, STABILITY AND DISTRIBUTION.
TRANSPARENCY AND FAIRNESS, SUPPORT FOR SMALL EMERGING CREATIVES, TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESSIBILITY.
AND NUMBER 10, SECTOR COLLABORATION AND ECOSYSTEM BUILDING.
EACH OF THESE REFLECTS A TENSION BETWEEN VALUES AND PRACTICE AND EACH ONE IS ACTIONABLE.
THESE ARE THE CATEGORIES THAT WE MUST EXPLORE THROUGH OUR YEAR LONG STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.
OF THE 10 PRIORITIES, THERE WERE THREE STRATEGIC THEMES THAT ROSE TO THE TOP.
THOSE WERE NUMBER ONE, AFFORDABILITY IS THE GREATEST THREAT.
RISING COSTS FOR HOUSING, VENUES AND EVEN PARKING ARE PUSHING ARTISTS OUT OF THE CITY AND LIMITING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.
NUMBER TWO, THE PROCESS MATTERS.
COMPLEXITY, LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, AND UNCLEAR REVIEW.
STANDARDS ARE NOT JUST ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES, THEY ERODE TRUST.
NUMBER THREE, EQUITY REQUIRES STRUCTURAL CHANGE.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT TO SEE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
PANEL DIVERSITY AND FUNDING PRIORITIES EVOLVE TO BETTER SUPPORT HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.
WHAT WE HEARD ABOUT EACH PROGRAM, BECAUSE WE DOVE EVEN DEEPER TO ASK SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FOR EACH OF OUR PROGRAMS ACROSS PROGRAMS, FEEDBACK WAS DETAILED AND PROGRAM SPECIFIC.
NEXUS IS PRAISED FOR ACCESSIBILITY, BUT APPLICATION CLARITY NEEDS WORK.
ELEVATE PROVIDES VITAL SUPPORT TO SMALL ORGS, BUT MANY STILL FIND THE PROCESS DAUNTING.
THRIVE RAISES CONCERN OVER ELIGIBILITY BARRIERS THAT MAY EXCLUDE GRASSROOTS.
OUR OUR BIPOC LED ORGANIZATIONS, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND FACES TRUST ISSUES AROUND TRANSPARENCY AND EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.
CSAP NEEDS TO RETURN WITH PREDICTABLE FUNDING AND BETTER OUTREACH ART AND PUBLIC PLACES.
AND HERITAGE GRANTS MUST SIMPLIFY PROCESSES AND EXPAND DEFINITIONS TO TRULY REFLECT AUSTIN'S CULTURAL DIVERSITY.
INTERESTINGLY, NEARLY ONE IN THREE RESPONDENTS
[00:55:01]
RAISE TRANSPORTATION OR PARKING AS A BARRIER.THIS ISN'T JUST A LOGISTICAL ISSUE, IT'S AN EQUITY ISSUE.
IF PEOPLE CAN'T ACCESS CULTURAL SPACES, NO GRANT CAN FIX THAT.
SUBSIDIZE TRANSIT FOR EVENTS, DESIGNATED PARKING FOR ARTISTS AND TRANSIT, TRANSIT EXTENSIONS TO CULTURAL HUBS.
BASED ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED, THREE HIGH LEVEL RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE FOR ACME.
THOSE WERE TWO NUMBER ONE, REFORM PROCESSES TO BUILD TRUST.
NUMBER TWO, EVOLVE EQUITY APPROACHES.
AND NUMBER THREE, INTEGRATE CULTURAL FUNDING WITH CITY PLANNING.
AND I'M GONNA READ A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT ONE.
CULTURE DOESN'T LIVE IN A SILO.
WE MUST COLLABORATE ACROSS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO PRESERVE CULTURAL SPACES AND ENSURE PEOPLE CAN REACH THEM.
IN CLOSING, THIS FEEDBACK ISN'T A CRITIQUE OF INTENT.
IT'S A CALL TO EVOLVE OUR SYSTEMS TO MATCH OUR VALUES.
AUSTIN'S CULTURAL COMMUNITY IS NOT ASKING US TO CARRY THE BURDEN ALONE.
THEY'RE OFFERING PARTNERSHIP PERSPECTIVE AND LIVED INSIGHT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THIS COMMISSION AS WE REFINE POLICIES AND IMPLEMENT CHANGES GROUNDED AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
AND AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO DIRECTOR MEANS.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE START AND REALLY LISTEN TO WHAT OUR COMMUNITY IS SAYING TO US MOVING FORWARD.
WE WILL HONOR AUSTIN'S CULTURAL LEGACY, SIMPLIFY AND STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES, ELIMINATE REAL AND PERCEIVED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, SUPPORT NEW VOICES, AND BUILD TRANSPARENCY.
WE'VE, WE HAVE REALLY REDESIGNED SOME OF THE KEY PROGRAMS TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE.
HERE YOU'LL SEE OUR MAIN PROGRAMS THRIVE ELEVATE NEXUS, UH, A LITTLE LATER, MORGAN'S GOING TO PROVIDE THE DETAILS OF EACH ONE OF THESE, BUT JUST ON A HIGH LEVEL, THRIVE NOW INCLUDES AN EXPANDED COHORT MODEL.
WE HAVE INCREASED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND A SIMPLER APPLICATION PROCESS.
ELEVATE FOCUSES ON COMMUNITY CENTERED PROJECTS, REDESIGNED TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE WITH CLEARER EVALUATION STANDARDS.
AND NEXUS NOW INCLUDES MICROGRANTS REFRESHED WITH LOWER BARRIERS AND ENHANCED SUPPORT.
HERE ARE THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT.
THIS IS THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION, THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND AND OUR CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
AGAIN, APPLICATIONS ARE SIMPLER AND MORE ACCESSIBLE.
WE'VE ADDED MICROGRANTS AND FLEXIBLE FUNDING TIERS.
WE'VE CREATED CLEAR EVALUATION CRITERIA AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS FOR OUR GRANTEES.
WE'VE MADE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, NONPROFITS FOR-PROFITS, COLLECTIVES AND PROMOTERS, MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR FIRST TIME APPLICANTS AND A UNIVERSAL APPEALS PROCESS.
WE'VE ALSO PRIORITIZED INTERNAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WHO IS THIS FOR? REALLY? WHO CAN APPLY EVERYONE? INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND COLLECTIVES, MUSICIANS AND PROMOTERS, NONPROFITS AND CREATIVE BUSINESSES, BOTH LEGACY AND EMERGING ORGANIZATIONS.
PROGRAMS PRIORITIZE INCLUSIVITY, ENSURING ALL COMMUNITIES HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ARTS.
I'D LIKE TO SH BRIEFLY SHARE OUR FUNDING SOURCES.
WE RECEIVE FUNDING FOR THESE PROGRAMS FROM THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAXES, CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND THE GENERAL FUND.
SO AS EXCITED AS WE ARE ABOUT PHASE ONE, OUR WORK IS NOT DONE.
THIS NEXT 12 TO 18 MONTHS, WE WILL MOVE INTO FOUR DIFFERENT PHASES OF ACME.
WE WILL BE BUILDING OUR FIVE-YEAR ROADMAP THROUGH STRATEGIC PLANNING.
PROGRAM EVALUATION PERIOD WILL INCLUDE REVIEWING ALL OF OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS, INCLUDING ALL OF OUR CULTURAL FACILITIES.
ACME HAS ALL OF THE CULTURAL FACILITIES, THE MUSEUMS, THE DOHERTY ARTS CENTER AND OTHERS.
EXPLORING NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND FUNDING STREAMS IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL FOR MOVING FORWARD.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE NEEDS AND THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH FUNDING TO GO TO GO AROUND.
[01:00:01]
HAS TAKEN THE CHARGE TO PRIORITIZE IDENTIFYING ADDITIONAL, UH, FUNDING STREAMS AND OF COURSE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL OF THE THINGS.SO WITH THAT, OUR VISION IS CLEAR.
A CITY WHERE EVERY PERSON IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS ACCESS TO CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION.
WE'VE HEARD YOU, WE'VE ACTED, BUT THE WORK AGAIN, IS NOT DONE.
LET'S CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD THE MOST VIBRANT, EQUITABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE CREATIVE CAPITAL IN THE WORLD.
TOGETHER WE CAN ENSURE THE ARTS REMAIN NOT JUST PART OF AUSTIN, BUT AT THE HEART OF AUSTIN.
AGAIN, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROCESS.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MS. MORGAN MESSICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WHO WILL GO INTO THE DETAILS OF OUR FUNDING ENHANCEMENTS.
WE HAVE THE PART TWO, UM, PDF SLIDE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR OUR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
I NEGLECTED TO ATTACH MY PRESENTATION TO THE END OF DIRECTOR MEANS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR MEANS FOR HANDING THIS OVER.
UM, I'M HERE TO WALK US THROUGH WHAT'S NEW WITH THE CURRENT DRAFT VERSION OF THE GUIDELINES.
SO I, UM, HAD THE PLEASURE OF VISITING WITH YOU ALL LAST MONTH TO KINDA GIVE YOU AN UPDATE OF WHERE WE WERE AT AT THAT TIME.
AND SINCE THEN MUCH HAS HAPPENED, UM, YOU SAW ALL THE DIFFERENT TOUCH POINTS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH DIRECTOR MEANS SLIDE ON THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERWAY.
WE HAD A SURVEY, UM, EXCUSE ME, I HAD A SURVEY.
WE HAD A PUBLIC INPUT FEEDBACK LOOP THAT WAS OPEN UNTIL LAST NIGHT, UM, SUNDAY, JULY 20TH.
AND SO THAT JUST CLOSED, UH, LAST EVENING.
AND SO WE STILL HAVE SOME INFORMATION THAT WE'RE WORKING ON SYNTHESIZING THIS WEEK.
SO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS BASED ON WHERE WE WERE AT FRIDAY, BUT THERE WILL STILL BE MORE CHANGE TO COME AS WE, UM, WRAP UP THAT PROCESS.
SO I'M HERE TO JUST SHARE ABOUT WHAT'S NEW AT THIS CURRENT DRAFT.
AND YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN VIEW ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S NEW@PUBLICINPUT.COM SLASH THE CREATIVE RESET.
WE HAVE A LOT OF DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE ON THERE.
UM, THE TWO MAIN ONES THAT WILL BE RELEVANT FOR THIS CONVERSATION SHOULD ANYBODY WHO IS WATCHING LIKE TO PULL THOSE UP.
UM, THE DRAFT OF THE ACME FUNDING PROGRAM GUIDELINES AS WELL AS THE SECOND PDF CALLED WHAT'S NEW.
AND THIS PDF GIVES YOU A COMPARISON ON WHERE THE PROGRAMS WERE LAST YEAR IN 2024 AND WHAT CHANGES ARE CURRENTLY, UM, SEEN IN OUR CURRENT DRAFT AND A COMPARISON CHART.
SO WE'LL GET THAT UPDATED OF COURSE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE FINAL.
AND THAT'LL BE A REALLY HELPFUL ASSET FOR, UM, FOLKS LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO CAME TO GIVE, UH, PUBLIC INPUT EARLIER WHO WERE SAYING, WHAT'S NEW WITH THIS YEAR? WE HAVE A TABLE FOR THAT.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S A HELPFUL GUIDE.
SO A HIGH LEVEL, SOME OF THE NEW THINGS THAT YOU'LL SEE.
WE HAVE UNIFIED FUNDING GOALS AND IMPROVED USER EXPERIENCE.
SO WE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING OUR PROGRAMS TOGETHER UNDER ONE UMBRELLA AND UNIFIED THE DIFFERENT GOALS THAT CONNECT THEM.
UM, AND JUST MAKING THAT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND STREAMLINED.
SO WE'D STILL HAVE FAMILIAR GRANT PROGRAMS. WE HAVE ENHANCED ELIGIBILITY, TRANSPARENCY AND PROCESSES TO HELP US BUILD THAT COMMUNITY TRUST.
YOU WILL SEE A NEW GUIDELINE FORMAT CREATING ONE SET OF FUNDING PROGRAM GUIDELINES VERSUS WHAT WE USED TO HAVE, WHICH WAS INDIVIDUAL GUIDELINES, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD THAT HAD SIMILAR BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PRIORITIES EMBEDDED WITHIN THEM.
THIS HELPS CREATE THAT ALIGNMENT AND PARITY ACROSS OUR PROGRAMS AND ELEVATE THE GOALS OF ACME.
YOU WILL SEE APPLICATION IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH INCLUDES STREAMLINED INTAKE PROCESSES AND ELIGIBILITY SCREENINGS BEFORE THE APPLICATION ACTUALLY OPENS.
WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER ON THAT AS WE SPEAK.
YOU WILL SEE FUNDING PRIORITIES, WHICH ARE CLEARLY DEFINED TO FOCUS ON CREATIVE SPACE ARTS, NONPROFITS AND ARTISTS, RESILIENCY AMONG OTHERS.
YOU'LL SEE ENHANCED TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY, UH, WHICH WILL BE A FOCUS AS WE MOVE THROUGH OUR APPLICATION PROCESS AND OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING AS A DEPARTMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, FOR ELIGIBILITY, SCORING, EVALUATION AND GRANT AWARDS, WE HAVE WORKED TO GROUP
[01:05:01]
LIKE APPLICANTS TOGETHER IN OUR ELIGIBILITY PROCESS.ON AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS, UM, YOU WILL SEE IN THE THRIVE PROGRAM THE CURRENT DRAFT GROUPS, NONPROFITS WHO HAVE A CREATIVE SPACE TO COMPETE IN A BUCKET FOR FUNDS VERSUS NONPROFITS THAT DO NOT HAVE A CREATIVE SPACE TO COMPETE TOGETHER FOR A BUCKET OF FUNDS.
WE HAVE ADOPTED A UNIVERSAL APPEALS PROCESS.
UM, SO THE APPEALS PROCESS IS FAMILIAR FOR THIS BODY BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD THAT WITH OUR CULTURAL FUNDING.
UM, AND NOW WE HAVE ADOPTED IT ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS FOR PARITY.
WE HAVE STRENGTHENED POLICIES AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THOSE, HELPING US PREVENT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, UH, DOUBLE DIPPING OF GRANT FUNDS AND WILL HELP US ENSURE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO MORE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
WE HAVE AWARD AMOUNTS THAT HAVE CHANGED ACROSS OUR PROGRAMS, UM, WHICH WE'LL GO OVER IN A FEW SLIDES TO JUST HELP US REFLECT THE COMMUNITY AND COMMISSION FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO THIS SLIDE, UH, IS A QUICK HIGH LEVEL LOOK AT THE PROGRAM IMPACTS THAT WE'LL BE MEASURING ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. SO WE COLLECT METRICS AND DIFFERENT PIECES OF INFORMATION AS A DEPARTMENT, WHICH WE REPORT UP TO THE CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN AND TO OTHER STRATEGIC PLANS WE FOLLOW UP UNDER, SUCH AS IMAGINE AUSTIN AND A COUPLE ADDITIONAL ONES ACROSS THE CITY.
SO THE FOCUS THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT, UM, IN THE CATEGORIES ARE REACH AND ENGAGEMENT, PROMOTION, IMPACT, ACCESS, EXPRESSION, AND RESILIENCY.
AND IN THE SECOND COLUMN YOU CAN SEE SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE CITY WILL MEASURE TO, UM, REACH THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT CATEGORY AND THE ACTUAL METRICS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
AND SO AN EXAMPLE FOR REACH AND ENGAGEMENT IS THE GOAL WOULD BE TO LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY REACH AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR PARTICULAR EVENTS.
AND THE ACTUAL METRIC WE WILL USE IN REPORTING FOR OUR GRANTEES IS ATTENDANCE COUNTS AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.
ALL OF THE INFORMATION FOR THESE PROGRAM IMPACTS ARE COLLECTED THROUGH THE REPORTING PROCESS FROM OUR GRANTEES TO OUR CONTRACT ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF.
THIS NEXT, IF, IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS, DO WE ASK THEM NOW OR LATER? OKAY.
UM, THIS NEXT SLIDE IS AGAIN A HIGH LEVEL LOOK AT ELIGIBILITY ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. THIS, UH, PARTICULAR CHART THAT WE'VE CREATED LIVES INSIDE THE WHAT'S NEW DOCUMENT, WHICH IS KIND OF INTENDED TO BE A SORT OF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, HIGH LEVEL LOOK AT ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE IN PERPETUITY, AND IT'LL ALSO, UM, BE A SUPPORTING DOCUMENT WITH OUR GUIDELINES WHEREVER YOU SEE THOSE AVAILABLE.
SO THIS IS, UM, A LOOK AT THE SPECTRUM THRIVE ELEVATE NEXUS, AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, CREATIVE SPACE AND UH, ACCESS PROGRAM.
AND THEN OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND, WHICH AWARDS IN TWO CATEGORIES, CAPITAL PROJECTS AND HERITAGE EVENTS.
OUR GOAL WAS TO LIST EVERY DIFFERENT APPLICANT TYPE ACROSS ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE WHO VISIT THIS MIGHT HAVE A STARTING POINT TO SEE WHERE DO I FIT INTO THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS BECAUSE IT IS A SPECTRUM AND THERE IS SOME CROSSOVER ELIGIBILITY.
SO IN THE CURRENT VERSION OF OUR WORK, OUR DIFFERENT APPLICANT CATEGORIES ARE 5 0 1 C3 ARTS NONPROFITS WITH FEDERAL DESIGNATION ARTS NONPROFITS WITH A STATE DESIGNATION, 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFITS, FEDERAL DESIGNATION.
UM, AND THE DIFFERENCE FROM THAT, AND THE FIRST ONE IS THE ARTS MISSION-BASED WORK.
UM, FOR OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANTS, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE AN ARTS FOCUS TO RECEIVE THOSE FUNDS.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE ARTS GROUPS, INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND PROMOTERS, LIVE MUSIC VENUES, CREATIVE SPACE, WHICH WE HAVE A DEFINITION FOR IN THE APPENDIX OF OUR GUIDELINES, UM, BOTH FOR NON-PROFIT AND FOR-PROFIT.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES AND FISCAL SPONSORED ALLOWANCE TO JUST HIGHLIGHT WHERE THAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.
THE THREE PROGRAMS WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TONIGHT ARE THE THREE, UM, THAT YOU HAVE THE MOST INTEREST IN, THOUGH I ACKNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE A STAKE IN INTEREST IN ALL OF THE PROGRAMS. SO I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE IF YOU HAVE ANY.
BUT THESE ARE THE THREE WE'LL FOCUS ON THRIVE, ELEVATE AND NEXUS.
THE CURRENT APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY FOR THRIVE IS 4 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WHO, UM, HAVE THAT DESIGNATION AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS, THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OF OPERATING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR THE ETJ, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE AN ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET OF 60,000 OR HIGHER FOR ELEVATE.
THE APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY WILL BE FOR NON-PROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE FEDERALLY DESIGNATED AS A 5 0 1 C3 OR ARE REGISTERED AS A NONPROFIT CORPORATION WITH THE TEXAS STATE.
ADDITIONALLY, UM, ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS ARE ARTS GROUPS AND THEY MUST HAVE TWO YEARS MINIMUM OPERATING WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN
[01:10:01]
OR THE ETJ.AND FINALLY, FOR NEXUS, THE APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY IS FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND ARTS GROUPS WITH AT LEAST ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE OR OPERATION.
WE HAVE A DEFINITION FOR THIS AS WELL TO RECEIVE UP TO $5,000.
AND FOR THOSE WITH TWO OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR $20,000.
THRIVE GRANT WILL CONTINUE TO BE OPEN EVERY TWO YEARS WITH A 24 MONTH GRANT AGREEMENT.
UM, THE MAXIMUM TOTAL AWARDS WILL BE UP TO $125,000 PER YEAR FOR A TOTAL AWARD MAXIMUM OF $250,000.
WE HAVE BROKEN IT DOWN IN THE CURRENT VERSION.
TWO HAVE TWO DIFFERENT BUCKETS FOR CREATIVE SPACES AND THOSE WITHOUT CREATIVE SPACE SCORING CRITERIA IS WHAT WE BUILD OUR APPLICATION QUESTIONS OUT OF.
SO THIS IS REALLY THE MEAT OF OUR PROGRAM.
UM, FOR OUR CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS, WE HAVE, UM, PUT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION INTO FOUR CATEGORIES THAT WE ARE SCORING AGAINST CREATIVE WORK ABILITY, DELIVER PUBLIC CONNECTION, AND BONUS POINTS.
UM, I WILL JUST GO THROUGH THE BULLET POINTS HERE.
SO FOR CREATIVE WORK, WE'RE LOOKING AT HIGH QUALITY AND CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES THAT REFLECT TRADITIONS, PRACTICES, AND STORIES RELEVANT TO AUSTIN AND CREATIVE WORK THAT'S LED BY EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY CONNECTED CONTRIBUTORS.
AND YOU CAN GET UP TO 25 POINTS IN THOSE CATEGORIES.
ABILITY TO DELIVER WILL LOOK AT THE ORGANIZATION AND THEIR PLANS, THEIR STAFFING AND BOARD EXPERIENCE, AS WELL AS THEIR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS. FOUR POINTS UP TO 50.
PUBLIC CONNECTION WILL LOOK AT PROGRAMS SERVING RESIDENTS AND VISITORS, ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR CREATIVE JOBS AND PARTNERSHIPS, AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE IDENTITY OF AUSTIN AS A CREATIVE CITY UP TO 25 POINTS.
AND THEN OUR BONUS POINTS ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT APPLICANTS HAVE RECEIVED PREVIOUS, UH, THRIVE FUNDING, WHETHER OR NOT APPLICANTS HAVE HAD FEDERAL GRANTS RESCINDED FROM THEM.
AND, UH, THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
TOTAL BONUS POINTS POSSIBLE UP TO 10 POINTS.
ELEVATE GRANT WILL CONTINUE TO BE OPEN ONCE A YEAR AND WILL BE A 12 MONTH GRANT AGREEMENT TERM.
THE DIFFERENT APPLICANTS WILL BE THE NONPROFIT ARTS ORGS.
UM, AND TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES HERE.
TOP CATEGORY WILL BE WITH BUDGETS GREATER THAN 300,000, AND THEY CAN RECEIVE, UM, AN AWARD UP TO $80,000.
SECOND ONE IS FOR BUDGETS BETWEEN $50,001 TO $299,000, AND THEY CAN RECEIVE UP TO $60,000 IN AWARDS.
THIRD APPLICANT IS ARTS GROUPS WITH AN OPERATING BUDGET, UH, 50,001 TO 299,000, AND THEY MAY RECEIVE UP TO $40,000.
AND THEN FOR OUR FINAL CATEGORY, WE ARE LOOKING AT NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTS GROUPS, BOTH WITH AN OPERATING BUDGET UNDER $50,000 FOR A FLAT, UM, A AWARD AMOUNT OF $30,000.
MOVING ON TO OUR SCORING CRITERIA, IT'S THE SAME BUCKETS FROM THE THRIVE, UM, PREVIOUS SCORING CRITERIA.
LOOK, WE HAVE CREATIVE WORKABILITY TO DELIVER PUBLIC CONNECTION AND BONUS POINTS WITH A SIMILAR SET OF BULLET POINTS.
LOOKING AT THE ARTISTICALLY STRONG AND THOUGHTFULLY CURATED WORK, LOOKING AT THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE, LOOKING AT PUBLIC CONNECTION FOR PROGRAMS THAT ARE OPEN, WELCOMING, AND ACTIVELY PROMOTED.
AND THEN THE SAME BONUS POINTS, NO PREVIOUS YEAR FUNDING.
AND, UM, RESCISSION OF FEDERAL GRANTS FOR THE NEXUS PROGRAM.
WE ARE GOING BACK TO OPERATING THIS PROGRAM TWICE A YEAR WITH 12 MONTH GRANT AGREEMENTS.
AND THE TWO DIFFERENT APPLICATION APPLICANT TYPES.
YOU WILL SEE HERE ARE THOSE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND ARTS GROUPS WITH TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND ARTS GROUPS WITH ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND THE FUNDING IS FROM 2,500 TO $20,000.
AND APPLICANTS WILL SELF-SELECT BASED ON THEIR PROGRAM NEEDS SCORING CRITERIA, HAS THE SAME CATEGORIES, LOOKING FOR THE, THE SAME SORT OF WORK, UM, OPERATIONS, PUBLIC CONNECTION.
AND THEN FOR BONUS POINTS, UM, SINCE THESE APPLICANTS AREN'T ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, WE DROPPED THE RESCISSION OF FEDERAL FUNDING.
BUT YOU CAN STILL GET UP TO 10 BONUS POINTS IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY FUNDING IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT OF BULLET POINTS AND DIRECT RATINGS, SO THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME, Y'ALL.
UM, WE JUST REALLY WANTED TO BRING IT TOGETHER AND SAY OUR GOALS TO SUPPORT THIS ECOSYSTEM ARE REALLY ABOUT REALIGNING OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS. WE ARE CREATING ACCESS FOR ALL IN THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, BRIDGING LEGACY ORGANIZATIONS AND EMERGING CREATIVES.
WE HOPE TORE ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY AS WE DEMONSTRATE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES AND TRANSPARENCY TOOLS TO HELP US CLOSE THOSE GAPS.
AND REALLY, WE WANNA BE OF SERVICE.
WE WANNA OFFER MORE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES.
UM, A 40 PAGE DOCUMENT OF GUIDELINES IS A 40 PAGE
[01:15:01]
DOCUMENT, AND WE REALLY WANNA PUT THAT INTO ACTION AND SHOW SUPPORT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS WE BEGIN TO RULE THAT OUT THIS FALL.UM, SO WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH MORE ON THAT AS ARTS COMMISSION KEEPS COMING BACK MONTH OVER MONTH.
OUR FINAL THOUGHTS TODAY, UM, IS JUST REMINDING EVERYBODY THAT OUR COMMUNITY FEEDBACK JUST WRAPPED UP YESTERDAY.
SO WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING ON A FINALIZED DRAFT THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE VARIETY OF FEEDBACK WE HAVE RECEIVED.
UPDATING PROGRAM DESIGNS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT, UM, PROCESSES WITH INTENTIONAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES BUILT IN.
AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE PLAN ON MOVING TOWARDS A LAUNCH IN THE FALL OF 2025.
AND AS WE KNOW MORE, WE WILL ANNOUNCE THAT DATE AND WE WILL ROLL OUT FINALIZED GUIDELINES, QUESTIONS, AND ALL THE INFORMATION ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION WORKSHOPS AND MORE.
OUR CALL TO ACTION TONIGHT IS TO, UM, PLEASE ENGAGE WITH US IN CONVERSATION, ASK US YOUR QUESTIONS, PROVIDE US YOUR FEEDBACK, IF YOU HAVE ANY FINAL ONES TO HELP US SHAPE THE FINAL VERSION OF THESE AS WE WORK ON IT OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
AND OF COURSE, WE HOPE TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BRIEFING CITY LEADERSHIP ON OUR UPDATES AND ENHANCEMENTS.
AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP ALONG THE WAY.
WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
WE CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE OVER THESE FEW MONTHS.
WE KNOW THAT IT WAS A, IT WAS AN EFFORT.
I FIRST WANNA TAKE A POLL OF HOW MANY PEOPLE COMMISSIONERS HAVE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS AND THEN HOW MANY COMMISSIONERS HAVE STATEMENTS THAT THEY WANNA MAKE.
SO WE'RE GONNA SEPARATE THOSE TWO THINGS.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO LIMIT OUR STATEMENTS TO ABOUT TWO TO THREE MINUTES SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO GET OUTTA HERE BEFORE NINE O'CLOCK
OKAY? SO FIRST THINK ABOUT YOUR CLARIFYING QUESTIONS THAT YOU JUST HAVE A QUESTION TO SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND X, Y, Z.
WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME, UM, I'M GONNA START WITH COMMISSIONER ZIMAN, COMMISSIONER SMALL.
UH, YOU CAN APPLY AS A FISCAL SPONSOR OR NOT.
'CAUSE IT SAYS TWO DIFFERENT THINGS IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES.
SO THE PREVIOUS VERSION THAT WE WERE WORKING ON, WE DID ALLOW FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF, UM, FEEDBACK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE.
SO IN THE VERSION THAT'S CURRENTLY POSTED, WHICH IS REFLECTIVE OF THE ELIGIBILITY AT A GLANCE I SHARED, IT'S CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AS A FISCAL SPONSOR.
SO YOU CAN APPLY WITH A FISCAL SPONSOR AS A FOR-PROFIT ENTITY USING A NON-PROFIT FISCAL SPONSOR FOR THE HIGHEST AMOUNT AS A FOR-PROFIT ENTITY.
UNDER THE CURRENT VERSION, YES.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK PERHAPS FROM YOU AS WELL.
AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
COMMISSIONER GRAY, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YOU HAVE A COMMENT? OKAY.
UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL TRY TO LIMIT THEM.
UM, SO ONE THING THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN, AND I THINK THAT'S UH, REALLY IMPRESSIVE IS, UH, 1200, UH, FOLKS PUT IN FEEDBACK IN THAT BOX, RIGHT? AND SO I WENT AHEAD AND I WENT TO THE LINK, UH, DURING THE PRESENTATION BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, THE VISUAL DATA OF THAT.
I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE ANECDOTES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO HARD DATA.
SO HOW IS THE DATA, I, I READ THAT IT'S BEING DATA, UH, BEING LEVERAGED WITH CHAT GBT.
SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU'RE TAKING DATA, PUTTING IT INTO CHAT GBT AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FOR A, LIKE, ACTUAL NUMBERS, LIKE 40% OF APPLICANTS SAID THIS, 20% OF APPLICANTS SAID THIS, OR FEEDBACK OR WHATEVER.
I'LL, I'LL LET CANDACE WEIGH IN, BUT I DID WANNA CLARIFY THE 1200 WAS THE SURVEY THAT WE ISSUED, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UH, REPLIED ON PUBLIC INPUT.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE FINAL NUMBER ON THAT, BUT IT WAS CLOSER TO A FEW HUNDRED, NOT, NOT LIKE THOUSANDS.
AND ALSO, JUST TO FURTHER CLARIFY, THE 1200 PLUS OCCURRED WITHIN THREE WEEKS.
AND SO IT WAS ACTUALLY FOR OUR SURVEY.
SO IT WAS ACTUALLY MORE THAN THAT THAT WE ENDED UP RECEIVING.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IN THE VERY BEGINNING, UM, I CALLED OUT AN INDIVIDUAL BY THE NAME OF CHRISTOPHER COLLINS.
I ALSO CALLED OUT OUR CORPORATE PIO TEAM.
SO IT'S NOT JUST CHAT GPT, WE'RE USING, UM, TOOLS SUCH AS CHAT, GPT, POWER BI, AND ADDITIONAL TOOLS TO CREATE WHAT YOU WILL SEE AS A, UM, MICROSITE IS WHAT I BELIEVE.
IS THAT THE CORRECT TERM? YES.
SO WE ARE TAKING ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE COLLECTED
[01:20:01]
IN THE VARIOUS METHODS AND WE HAVE, UM, SYNTHESIZING THEM INTO A MICRO SITE.I HOPE IT WAS GONNA BE READY FOR TODAY, BUT IT WAS NOT.
IT, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT IT WILL BE READY IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
AND SO EVERYTHING THAT I TALKED ABOUT AND THROUGH THE WIN-WIN DOCUMENT, WHICH I'M SURE YOU MAY SEE, THAT LONG SPREADSHEET OF ALL THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED IS OVER A THOUSAND DIFFERENT LINES OF FEEDBACK.
YOU WILL SEE THAT IN THIS MICRO SITE.
SO ONCE WE ROLLED OUT THOSE FINAL GUIDELINES, YOU WILL ALSO SEE THE ANALYSIS AND TRULY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE UTILIZED OUR PARTNERS WITHIN CORPORATE PIO AND THEN ALSO CHRISTOPHER COLLINS O AND I WANNA GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO HIM IN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT HIS ASSISTANCE.
UM, WITHIN ACME AS A NEW DEPARTMENT, WE JUST DID NOT HAVE THAT CAPABILITY, BUT HE JUMPED RIGHT IN TO ASSIST US.
AND SO, UM, WE ARE HAPPY THAT WE HAVE A PRELIMINARY, WHICH I READ TONIGHT, BUT YOU WILL SEE THE FULL FINAL VERSION IN A MICROSITE THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD INFORMATION TO PUT ON THAT LINK, BECAUSE THE ONLY REASON I MENTIONED CHAT, GBT IS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S LISTED ON HERE.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.
AND THEN, UM, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO TO ITEM FOUR, THE ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE MEASURES, IF YOU CLICK THAT LINK, UM, YOU HAVE TO REQUEST ACCESS TO THAT.
UM, SO THERE'S A SECURITY CHECK AND YOU HAVE TO ASK PERMISSION FOR THE REPORT.
SO IF WE WANT THAT TO BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MAKING IT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE.
UM, SO JUST GOING BACK TO THE DATA, UM, THE SURVEY IS GOING, ARE THOSE RESULTS AVAILABLE FOR THE COMMISSION TO LOOK AT THE SURVEY DATA? SINCE THOSE ARE HARD QUESTIONS? YES.
YES, WE HAVE THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA THAT WILL ALSO, THAT CAN, IS 100% AVAILABLE.
I DO HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA PASS IT AND THEN I'LL COME BACK.
COMMISSIONER CHARLA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I DIDN'T HAVE A QUESTION.
WELL, WHAT'S THE COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER KEYS, DID YOU HAVE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS? I'M READY TO GO WITH MY QUESTION IF WE'RE STICKING WHEN THE QUESTIONS BUCKET.
STILL ON CLARIFYING? STILL ON CLARIFYING.
UM, SO I'VE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TEXAS NONPROFIT AND A FEDERAL NONPROFIT.
CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THE, THE THINKING THERE? 'CAUSE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FEDERALLY, THEY'RE VIEWED AS AN LLC AND WE DO A LOT OF PRIORITIZING OF NONPROFITS IN THIS SPACE.
IN MY SIX YEARS HERE, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT BE A NONPROFIT THAT'S PRIORITIZED, WHICH IS WHY ELEVATE, I'M SORRY, THRIVE WAS EXCLUSIVE.
SO HEARING THAT TEXAS DESIGNATED NONPROFITS AND FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS ARE NOW ELIGIBLE IN A BUCKET THAT WAS REALLY PROTECTED FOR FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED NONPROFITS SEEMS CONTRADICTORY TO WHAT HAS THE CONVERSATION'S BEEN DIRECTED IN.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE SOME BACKGROUND ON THE THOUGHT PROCESS, BUT IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENCES, I'LL HAVE TO ASK ONE OF MY FRIENDS TO COME OVER.
I THINK MATTHEW IS STILL HERE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU THE, THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THAT.
SO AS WE, UM, STARTED, DIRECTOR MEANS LET YOU KNOW, WE STARTED WITH THE RED LINE VERSION OF GUIDELINES.
WE TOOK THE 2024 GUIDELINES, STARTED WITH WORKING GROUP FEEDBACK FROM OUR DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS THAT WE MANAGE.
AND THEN WE STARTED LOOKING AT ALL OF THE FEEDBACK WE WERE GETTING AND LAYERING THAT IN ON TOP OF THAT.
AND SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST SORT OF PROCESSES THAT WE WENT THROUGH AS A TEAM IS WE SAT DOWN AND WE IDENTIFIED WHO IS BEING LEFT OUT OF EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES.
BECAUSE THE GOAL, THE CALL FROM OUR CITY LEADERSHIP AND THE CALL FOR OUR DEPARTMENT WAS TO MAKE SPACE FOR EVERYBODY.
AND SO OUR GOAL WAS TO SAY, WHO IS NOT INCLUDED IN THESE DIFFERENT ESTABLISHED FUNDING ELIGIBILITY CATEGORIES THAT WE SEE? AND SO, UM, WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE FROM ORGANIZATIONS WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA PURSUE 5 0 1 C STATUS.
WE HEARD A LOT OF ANECDOTAL INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
AND SO WE LOOKED TO CREATE SPACE FOR THEM.
AND SO THE DRAFT THAT YOU SEE ONLINE WAS THE MODEL THAT WE BUILT.
LIKE HOW CAN WE MAKE SPACE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T PURSUE FEDERAL DESIGNATION BUT HAVE IT AT A STATE LEVEL.
BUT THAT WAS IN ELEVATE TO BEGIN WITH THAT.
I MEAN, THAT WAS VERY INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED WITH THE PILOT WAS TO INCLUDE AND BRING WITH US INTO THE REDESIGN OF THE PILOT PROGRAMS THAT THRIVE, ELEVATE AND NEXUS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WERE AMAZING ORGANIZATION ARTS GROUPS DOING WORK THAT HAD NO INTEREST IN PURSUING 5 0 1 C3.
THEY WERE BARRED FROM THRIVE MM-HMM
BUT THEY WERE ELIGIBLE AT A LOWER FUNDING BRACKET
[01:25:01]
AND ELEVATE MM-HMMWE ALSO TOOK AN APPROACH TO CENTRALIZE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND TO NEXUS.
AND SO WE WERE SORT OF JUST PIVOTING THE PROGRAMS IN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT DIRECTION TO CAPTURE OUR AUDIENCES, BUT WE'RE OF COURSE OPEN TO THE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO HELP SHAPE THAT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
I'M JUST, YEAH, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, OH, IF YOU LOOK AT, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU.
WELL, I JUST WANNA, I WANNA NO, GO AHEAD.
BE RESPECTFUL OF CHAIR AND THEY'RE TRYING TO KIND OF COORDINATE THE CONVERSATION TO HELP SHARE RESPONSE.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER, AND YOU'RE SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE THRIVE PROGRAM.
I'M ASKING WHY TEXAS LEVEL NONPROFIT TEXAS IDENTIFIED NONPROFITS, WHICH IS A VERY NOMINAL FEE AND IS NOT REQUIRED TO THE STRINGENT, UH, FEDERAL MANDATES THAT 5 0 1 THREES ARE, ARE BEING ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN MORE COMPETITIVE FUNDING WHEN THE TIME ON THE COMMISSION.
AND WHAT WE HEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM COMMUNITY IS THAT THAT 5 0 1 C3 SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED.
THEY DO MORE WORK TO GET THAT STATUS.
THEY HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT, THEY HAVE REPORTING OBLIGATIONS THAT FOR-PROFIT AND, AND I'M FOR, FOR-PROFITS BEING ABLE TO RECEIVE MONEY.
I'M, I'M TRYING TO, EXCUSE ME.
I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY, WHY NOT JUST SAY FOR-PROFIT THAT, THAT YOU CAN DO FOR-PROFIT.
LIKE, IT JUST DOESN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND LIKE BY ALLOWING FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS TO APPLY AND THRIVE, WHICH AGAIN, LIKE AS DESIGN WAS MEANT TO REALLY SERVE 5 0 1 C THREES AT A SPECIFIC CAPACITY BUILDING FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
IT WAS CAPACITY BUILDING FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, LIKE, I UNDERSTAND PLACE FOR EVERYBODY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MAYBE THIS IS DIPPING INTO STATEMENT CATEGORY OR I'M SORRY GINA, BUT WE KNEW THAT THESE PROGRAMS WERE GONNA, LIKE, WE'VE BEEN ASKING AS A COMMISSION TO COUNCIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LIKE LARGE SCALE INSTITUTIONS NEED THEIR OWN SUPPORT.
THEY SHOULDN'T BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, BIG INSTITUTION MUSEUMS SHOULD NOT BE PITTED AGAINST TWO, THREE PERSON OPERATING NONPROFITS.
SO I GET WHY YOU'RE TRYING TO KIND OF BRIDGE THAT GAP.
BUT THEN MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THRIVE AND ELEVATE AND HAVING A $20,000 BUCKET IN NEXUS WHEN A $2,500 IS OPTIONAL? LIKE, I JUST DON'T, WITH THE ORIGINAL PILOT PROGRAMS, IT WAS VERY CLEAR DELINEATION OF WHO WAS FITTING INTO WHAT BUCKET AND NOW IT FEELS VERY AMORPHOUS.
AND I DO WANT TO CLARIFY, I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION AND JUST WHAT, WHO IS QUALIFIED FOR THRIVE AND WHAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY CORRECTED IN THE CURRENT GUIDELINES, THOUGH, THAT SHOULD ONLY BE RESTRICTED FOR FEDERALLY DESIGNATED 5 0 1 C THREES AND THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, WE JUST HAVEN'T KEEPING UP WITH MULTIPLE DOCUMENTS.
THAT WAS THE QUESTION IN THE GRAPH.
THE DEMONSTRATES THAT IT SHOULD ONLY BE ALLOWABLE FOR ELEVATE AND NEXUS PROGRAMS. UH, AND WE HAVEN'T HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE IT ALLOWABLE FOR THE THRIVE PROGRAM.
SO THAT ONE WILL BE JUST OUR 5 0 1 C3 DESIGNATIONS.
AND TO YOUR POINT, ELEVATE IS THAT PROGRAM WHERE WE WILL HAVE BOTH FEDERAL AND THE STATE OF TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE PROGRAMS, UH, TO PROVIDE THAT, UH, CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES.
'CAUSE THAT, I THINK THAT WAS, WE READ ONE THING WE'LL IN THE GUIDELINE 2018 AND WE'LL CLARIFYING THAT LANGUAGE.
'CAUSE WE'VE GOT, AS MORGAN HAD ALLUDED TO, WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK AROUND JUST THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, UH, LANGUAGE AND, AND WHAT WHAT IT APPLIED TO SPECIFICALLY TO PROGRAMS. WONDERFUL.
COMMISSIONER GRAY, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING THAT, THAT MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW AND IT CAN BE ABUSED.
UM, AND PERHAPS PROPERTY TAXES IS AN EXCLUSION TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY, BUT NONPROFIT STATUS IS LIKE A MARRIAGE LICENSE.
THERE'S THE PAPERWORK AND THEN THERE'S THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE OR WHEREVER YOU'RE GONNA GO TO GET MARRIED.
IT'S A TWO STEP PROCESS TO BE A 5 0 1 C3 OR A NONPROFIT, MEANING THAT PEOPLE CAN CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO YOU AND IT IS TAX EXEMPT.
I DO BELIEVE THAT IN ANY OF THIS FUNDING CYCLE, IF NONPROFIT OR NOT FEDERALLY DESIGNATED NONPROFIT SETS UP A HORNET'S NEST OF SAYING SOMEBODY IS A NONPROFIT, WHICH I DO BELIEVE IS ALREADY HAPPENING, THAT PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE AND GET THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TAKEN OFF THEIR TAXES, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE.
AND I THINK IT'S A DANGEROUS TERRITORY.
AND IT'S, UH, IF WE WERE A STATE THAT THERE WERE STATE TAXES, WHICH IS IN ANY OTHER STATE THAT HAS STATE TAXES, THEN STATE TAXES IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING, THEN WE'D BE LOOKING AT A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING.
BUT IN TEXAS IT'S A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE.
BEING A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, IT'S A TWO STEP PROGRAM.
OUR PROJECT, OR TO BE A CORPORATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IRS DETERMINATION THAT NEEDED TO BE REALLY, REALLY CLEAR IN THE GUIDELINES.
[01:30:01]
A STATE REGULATED NONPROFIT IS ANYWHERE IN THESE GUIDELINES, THANK YOU TO THAT POINT WITH ELEVATE, I DON'T THINK IT'S EQUITABLE TO HAVE A FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED 5 0 1 C3 GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH A STATE RECOGNIZED NONPROFIT.SO ARE THERE THREE TIER BUCKETS? YOU HAVE LIKE A FOR-PROFIT WHERE THERE'S NONPROFIT STATUS AND THEN YOU HAVE A STATE NONPROFIT STATUS AND A FEDERAL NONPROFIT STATUS.
LIKE I'M, I'M JUST CURIOUS LIKE YEAH, I, WHERE THAT CAME INTO PLAY.
'CAUSE WE'VE NEVER INCORPORATED STATE RECOGNIZED NONPROFITS AS THEIR OWN BUCKET OF PEOPLE.
IT'S EITHER YOU'RE A NON 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT, OR YOU'RE A FOR-PROFIT, CORRECT, MM-HMM
WELL, THAT'S TO ME FOR-PROFIT.
SO IT CAME, IT CAME INTO PLAY FROM COMMUNITY FEEDBACK WHERE PEOPLE SAID THIS PARTICULAR GROUP IS, IS NOT SEEN.
UM, AND SO WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR EXERCISES TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE HEARING FROM THE FOLKS TAKING THE SURVEYS, SHOWING UP, DOING THE ONE-ON-ONES, THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SAYING, I DON'T SEE MYSELF THERE, WE WERE ACTIVELY DOING EXERCISES TO FIND A PLACE FOR THEM.
UM, AND OUR GOAL WAS, YOU KNOW, TO THROW IT OUT THERE AND SAY, THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND TO GET FEEDBACK ON IT.
SO THI THIS CONVERSATION IS VERY VALUABLE AND SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER ESMAN ABOUT WHAT'S CURRENTLY IN ELEVATE, THE CURRENT MAKEUP IS NON-PROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH HAS A DEFINITION IN THE APPENDIX, UM, THAT IS NOT FEDERAL DESIGNATION.
UM, OPERATING BUDGET GREATER THAN 300,000.
AND THEN SAME THING, BUT WITH AN OPERATING BUDGET BETWEEN 50,200 99,000, THE NEXT TIER WOULD BE ARTS GROUPS WITH AN OPERATING BUDGET 50,000 TO 299.
AND THEN THE BOTTOM TIER IS THOSE TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS WHO HAVE A, A BUDGET BELOW 50 K.
UM, AND TO JUST CLARIFY THE LANGUAGE ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP SEEMS TO INDICATE YOU CAN HAVE ONE IF YOU WANT ONE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ONE.
SO HOW WILL THE LEVEL OF, UM, I GUESS THE LEVEL OF REQUIREMENTS THAT, THAT FEDERALLY RECOGNIZE NONPROFITS, UH, HAVE TO COMPLY WITH? HOW WILL, HOW WILL THE STATE RECOGNIZED NONPROFITS, UH, BE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE THE SAME KIND OF INFORMATION? BECAUSE A FISCAL SPONSOR WOULD KIND OF DO THAT FOR THEM, RIGHT? THE FISCAL SPONSOR KIND OF TURNS THEM INTO A NONPROFIT WITH THE AMOUNT OF OVERSIGHT THAT COMES WITH THAT RELATIONSHIP.
SO IS IT JUST SEND US YOUR PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENTS? OH, YOU'RE SAYING LIKE HOW DO THEY DETERMINE HOW CAN THEY SHARE THEIR STATUS? WELL, YES.
AND IF THEY'RE BEING, UH, CONSIDERED SIDE BY SIDE, WHEN IN FACT THERE'S A MORE RIGOROUS REPORTING STRUCTURE MM-HMM
FOR FEDERAL, UH, 5 0 1 C THREES, HOW DO THE STATE LEVEL PEOPLE MATCH THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL? OKAY, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE OKAY.
SO YOU WANNA KNOW, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE SAY YOU HAVE TO FIT INTO A BUCKET, YOUR OPERATING BUDGET IS 50,000 TO 300,000.
AND HOW ARE WE DETERMINING THAT? RIGHT? BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A, THERE'S NOT A, THERE'S NOT A, A 10 99 YOU CAN GO.
UM, I CAN PULL IT UP UNLESS YOU KNOW THE ANSWER.
I MEAN, WE DO HAVE SOME DEFINITIONS.
THE GUIDELINES WHERE THE FEDERAL DESIGNATED, WE ARE REQUIRING NINE 90 AND THEN OUR STATE DESIGNATED, TO YOUR POINT, PROFIT LOSS STATEMENTS AND BOARD APPROVED BUDGET DOCUMENTS TO APPROVE THOSE BUDGETS.
SO WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS NOT SIMILARITIES, BUT AGAIN, AS MORGAN WAS ALLUDED TO, BASED ON OUR FEEDBACK, WE DID INCLUDE THOSE AT THE ONSET OF THIS FIRST INITIAL DRAFT GUIDELINES, WAS THAT THOSE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS WERE ALL IN THE SAME BUCKET JUST BASED ON THE IMPACTS THAT THEY COULD HAVE ON THE CITY OF BOSTON'S CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM.
UM, MY FIRST QUESTION, UM, IS THERE WAS A MENTION OF IT BEING ONE SIMPLE APPLICATION.
UM, BEFORE YOU ANSWER
IT'S REALLY HARD TO DELINEATE THE GUIDELINES WITHOUT SEEING A DESCRIPTION OF WHO THE GRANT IS FOR IN DETAIL.
UM, AND ALSO THE QUESTIONS AND LAST THRIVE ROUND, YOU BASICALLY ANSWERED AN EXTRA QUESTION AND THEN THAT PUT YOU IN THE THRIVE BUCKET AND THEN IT PUT YOU AGAINST THE ELEVATE BUCKET, WHICH HAD A LOT OF ISSUES.
SO I'M A BIT CONCERNED CONSIDERING THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT.
HEARD, I, I HEAR YOUR CONCERN.
UM, SO THE GOAL FOR WHAT WE'RE BUILDING OUT IS, IS IT IS ONE SIMPLE ENTRY POINT
[01:35:01]
INTO AN APPLICATION AND IT'S GONNA BE A STEP TO PROCESS.SO IT WILL ESSENTIALLY BE, WE, WE BUILT OUT A CROSSWALK THAT SAYS LIKE I AM ENTERING INTO THE APPLICATION PROCESS AS AN INDIVIDUAL ARTIST.
AND ONCE YOU PUT IN ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION, YOU WILL SEE WHAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR.
UM, AND WE KNOW THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT ALLOWABLE AS FAR AS LIKE RECEIVING THE LIVE MUSIC FUND AWARD AND LIKE AWARDS FROM THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND.
AND SO THE GOAL IS TO BUILD IN WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU AND HELP WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS TO MAKE IT MORE CLEAR AS AN APPLICANT INSTEAD OF SAYING, HERE ARE SEVEN DIFFERENT ENTRY POINTS AND MAYBE YOU HAVE FILLED THIS ONE OUT WITH ONE EMAIL, YOUR WORK EMAIL AND OOPS, I FILLED THIS OTHER ONE OUT, THIS OTHER THING.
WE HAD A LOT OF ISSUES, UM, ON THE BACKEND WITH, WITH PEOPLE IN THE PAST AND TRYING TO HELP THEM KEEP THAT INFORMATION STRAIGHT AND ALSO TO JUST STREAMLINE IT TO ONE PROFILE, LIKE, LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE.
UM, MATT AND HIS TEAM, MATT AND TEAM, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MANAGING THE GRANTS ARE WORKING WITH THE LONG CENTER TO CURRENTLY BUILD THAT OUT.
SO WE HAVE A DRAFT OF HOW WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THE STEPPED APPLICATION PROCESS.
IT DOESN'T EXIST AT THIS POINT, BUT UM, AS WE GET READY TO DO TESTING, IT'LL BE RULED OUT TO DIFFERENT FOLKS TO HELP US TEST IT AND MAKE SURE IT IS ACHIEVING WHAT WE HOPE FOR IT TO ACHIEVE.
MY FOLLOW UP TO THAT IS, UM, AND THAT MAKES SENSE.
I THINK THAT THE EFFICIENCY OF THE GRANT PROCESS HAS BEEN, UM, TERRIBLE.
YOU KNOW,
SO IF THE GOAL IS TO CENTRALIZE LIKE ALL OF YOUR APPLICATIONS FOR ALL OF YOUR PROGRAMS ELIGIBILITY, ALL OF THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME LOGICALLY IN MY BRAIN.
MY FOLLOW UP IS THEY ARE GONNA BE SEPARATE APPLICATIONS WITH DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, RIGHT? YES.
BECAUSE THRIVE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT CULTURAL INSTITUTION STATUS IS KIND OF STILL THE GOAL OF THRIVE OF, OF AN ORGANIZATION TRYING TO ACHIEVE THAT, RIGHT? AND THERE WAS LIKE A DEFINITION OF WHAT THAT MEANT.
AND THEN ELEVATE WAS ALWAYS PRESENTED AS A A, A EVENT OR PROJECT PROGRAM-BASED GRANT, KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GAP GRANT.
SO JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NO DESCRIPTIONS GOING ALONG WITH THIS, IT'S KIND OF LIKE THROWING DARTS AT THE WALL AND WE'RE PICKING IT APART 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION.
SO, UH, IT WILL BE ONE KIND OF INTAKE PROCESS, ONE ELIGIBILITY SCREENING TO SEE LIKE HOW ARE YOU APPLYING LIKE IN AN ELIGIBILITY CATEGORY.
AND THEN YOU'RE RIGHT, IT WILL BE SEPARATE APPLICATIONS FOR THOSE DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE TO APPLY FOR.
AND I WAS JUST CHECKING WITH MATT, HOW MANY QUESTIONS.
AND SO FOR THRIVE, IF YOU CHOOSE TO APPLY FOR THAT, THAT'S SIX QUESTIONS.
ELEVATE WILL BE A SEPARATE APPLICATION WITH FIVE QUESTIONS.
AND THEN NEXUS WILL BE FOUR QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, YOU ENTER AND FILL OUT EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE.
AND THEN THE ACTUAL QUESTIONS FOR THE PROGRAMS ARE SEPARATE.
JUST, SORRY, ONE, ONE MORE FOLLOW UP TO THAT.
SO LET'S SAY I'M AN APPLICANT.
I GO IN, I'M A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, I APPLY FOR THRIVE, AND THEN IN TANDEM I CAN ALSO APPLY FOR ELEVATE AND THEN IT'LL PUT ME IN BOTH BUCKETS.
SO IF I DON'T GET ONE, I COULD GET THE OTHER POSSIBLY.
AND IF YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY TO GET BOTH, YOU WOULD JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE YOU WOULD LIKE.
SO SIMILAR TO THE LAST PROCESS.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, UH, ANDERSON.
UH, REAL QUICK CLARIFICATION, YOU MENTIONED THAT ELEVATE, OR I GUESS WE'VE KIND OF MENTIONED THAT ELEVATE USED TO BE A PROJECT GRANT.
IN THE DESCRIPTION OF IT, IT DOES STATE THAT IT CAN SUPPORT THE PRODUCTION, OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION OF CULTURALLY RICH PROGRAMMING.
SO IS IT REALLY STILL A PROJECT GRANT OR IS CAN IT BE AN OPERATIONAL GRANT? IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE HYBRID.
SO WE'RE STILL GETTING FEEDBACK ON THOSE GOALS THAT WE SET.
I WILL SAY OUR GOAL AT THE ONSET WAS TO, TO OPEN UP THE POSSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU COULD DO.
'CAUSE A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED EARLY ON WAS THAT OUR PROGRAMS WERE TO PRESCRIPTIVE LEAVING FOLKS OUT OF ANY PARTICULAR CATEGORY.
SO THAT'S HOW WE, WE, WE BROADENED IT AT THE START.
AND THIS, UM, PROCESS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IS HELPING US NARROW DOWN WHAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND JUST TO SAY LIKE, OPERATIONS ARE PART OF PROGRAMS. SO NEA GAP YOU HAVE OPERATIONAL, LIKE THAT'S INHERENTLY PART OF RUNNING A PROGRAM, BUT IT'S PROGRAM SPECIFIC I GUESS IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO CONVEY IN MY THOUGHTS.
I'M GONNA ROLL US ALL THE WAY BACK TO FASO'S ORIGINAL QUESTION.
UM, I GUESS THERE'S TWO PARTS OF THIS QUESTION.
UH, WE DEFINE COMMUNITY VERY BROADLY AND WE HAVE SEVERAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE SERVE, RIGHT? THE ARTIST
[01:40:01]
COMMUNITY, THE GENERAL COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN.THERE, THERE'S SO MANY WAYS TO DEFINE THAT.
UH, FIRST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE MICROSITE.
AND THEN SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE METRICS.
SO TWO PARTS OF THE SAME CON CONVERSATION.
I'M CURIOUS ON THE MICROSITE, CONSIDERING WHERE OUR LAWS AND WHERE WE ARE IN LIMBO, WHAT ARE YOU ABLE TO REPORT ON IN THE MICROSITE FROM A DEMOGRAPHIC STANDPOINT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT COVERAGE OF THE ARTIST COMMUNITY, LIKE I HEARD SOMEBODY EARLIER SAY, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH REPRESENTATION FROM AUTHORS, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND SO LIKE, HOW DO WE HAVE DEMOGRAPHICS SHOWING UP WHERE IT'S UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARTISTS, BUT ALSO, UH, REPRESENTATION FROM THE COMMUNITY OF THOSE ARTISTS.
WHAT ARE WE ABLE TO TRACK WHEN YOU SET SOMETHING UP ON THE MICROSITE? THE SECOND PART OF THE MICROSITE QUESTION, ALSO NOT HAVING TO DO WITH DEMOGRAPHICS HAS TO DO WITH, UM, THE PHASE ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE INPUT THAT WE GOT, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT.
I'M INTERESTED IN BEING ABLE TO DRILL DOWN ON THE GAP ANALYSIS.
AND SO I'D JUST LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MICROSITE AND THEN I'LL ASK MY SECOND QUESTION TO MEGAN AFTER YOU ANSWER.
AND WAS YOUR NAME? IT'S MORGAN.
AND WE USED TO HAVE A MEGAN AND THIS IS GONNA BE MY LEGACY FOR FOREVER.
WELL, I'M NEW, I'LL GET IT RIGHT.
AND YOUR NAME IS CANDACE? CANDACE, YES MA'AM.
AND, AND THANK YOU TO SELENA FOR TELLING ME YOUR NAME WAS CANDACE.
'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW
NO, I I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE NAME THING, BUT CANDACE, UH, COOPER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF THE, UH, DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE AS A NEW DEPARTMENT, WE ARE STILL TRYING TO ESTABLISH IN TERMS OF WHAT, AND WE OF COURSE HAVE TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY TO COLLECT TO SEE QUITE FRANKLY WHAT DEMOGRAPHICS WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT.
AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IN FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS WE STILL HAVE NOT NAILED DOWN YET.
UM, WE WILL NAIL IT DOWN EVENTUALLY.
SO IN TERMS OF THE WHO WE HEARD FROM, HOWEVER, WE DID HAVE ON THE SURVEY THERE WAS A QUESTION THAT, UM, THAT ASKED INDIVIDUALS WHO THEY REPRESENT.
AND SO OF COURSE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE MICRO SITE.
UM, WE ARE STILL BUILDING OUT THE MICRO SITE.
AND SO YOU WILL SEE, I KNOW THAT THERE IS, I CAN TALK ABOUT KIND OF SOME OF THE EARLIER VERSIONS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT IT'LL EVEN LOOK FROM A GEOGRAPHIC STANDPOINT BECAUSE WE DID ASK LIKE WHAT COUNCIL DISTRICT INDIVIDUALS WERE FROM, UM, WHAT AREA TOWN IE ZIP CODE, RIGHT? WE DID COLLECT THAT.
SO WE'LL SEE SOME HEAT MAPS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
BUT, UM, AS WE BUILD OUT THE MICRO SITE, WE WILL ALSO, I THINK YOUR QUESTION ALSO HAD TO DO WITH SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED.
SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO BELABOR THE POINT.
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I WORK IN TECH AND I WORK AND I SEE A LOT OF ANALYTICS.
AND SO I HEARD Y'ALL SAY, AND BY THE WAY, I LOVED HEARING THE PRIDE THAT YOU ALL SPOKE ABOUT WITH THE WORK YOU'VE DONE IN ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY.
THOSE ANALYTICS ARE IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THE SPREAD, TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THAT PLANNING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I UNDERSTAND IT'S GOING TO TAKE YOU SOME TIME TO BUILD UP THE REPORTS AND THE WAY YOU NEED IT.
AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT YOU PLAN IN CHECKPOINTS OVER TIME TO CHECK IN ON THE MATURITY OF THOSE REPORTS AS THEY DEVELOP SO THAT YOU CAN ADJUST YES.
AND NOT LIKE GO A WHOLE YEAR AND REALIZE, OH, AND, AND I'M NOT SAYING THIS WOULD HAPPEN, BUT IT'S LIKE, WOW, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN DOING ALL OF OUR WORK FOR VIOLINISTS AND EVERYBODY ELSE WAS LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
BUT, UH, I JUST WANTED TO CALL THAT OUT BECAUSE THE REPORTING TELLS A REALLY GREAT STORY AND I WANT YOU TO HAVE THAT POWER BEHIND YOU.
I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH YOU.
AND WE, THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT INTERNALLY WE WERE RECEIVING THE INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.
WE JUST DID NOT HAVE THE SITE TO SHARE THE, THE, UM, COMPLETION OF ALL OF THAT.
AND TO MORGAN, MY SECOND PART OF MY QUESTION ON THAT SLIDE WHERE YOU WERE SHARING METRICS, THERE WAS ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE FIRST ROW YOU HAD REACH AND ENGAGEMENT AND YOU HAD CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHICS LISTED OR METRICS LISTED.
THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE HAS TO DO WITH HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE DEFINE SUCCESS? BECAUSE UNDERSTANDING WHO WE REACH IS ONE THING, BUT ARE WE DOING A GOOD JOB? IS A DIFFERENT PART OF THE, THE QUESTION THAT I THINK IS PROBABLY MORE RELEVANT THAN JUST MEASURING WHO WE REACHED OUT TO, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND, UH, I, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE REPORTING, IT HELPS US SHARPEN WHAT WE DO AND HOW EFFECTIVE WE ARE.
[01:45:02]
THANK YOU.UM, SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
HOW ARE WE DEFINING SUCCESS? THAT'S A QUESTION WE'RE ASKING AS WE GO INTO OUR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AS WELL.
UM, 'CAUSE WE REALLY WANNA LOOK AT THE IMPACTS.
WE HAVE HAD A HABIT OF KIND OF JUMPING FROM ONE THING TO THE NEXT AND NOT HAVING ENOUGH DATA TO REALLY HELP US TELL THAT STORY.
SO I, I WOULD SAY CANDIDLY, THIS IS SORT OF OUR, OUR BASELINE, OUR STARTING POINT.
THIS WAS OUR FIRST VENTURE OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK SOME OF THE BIGGEST METRICS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM WITHIN THE CITY IS JUST THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE AS FAR AS THEIR GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD.
ARE WE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM EVERY CITY, SINGLE COUNCIL DISTRICT? UM, WHAT ARE THE MAKEUP OF DISCIPLINES THAT FOLKS ARE REPORTING? LIKE, DO WE HAVE FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ENJOY THE ARTS BUT ARE NOT PRODUCING THE ARTS? RIGHT? WE WANNA GET THE FULL SPECTRUM.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO HELP BENEFIT TOURISM BECAUSE THAT IS A KEY PART OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
SO THIS IS A REALLY GOOD BASELINE FOR US.
AND, AND I WOULD SAY FOR ME CANDIDLY, THAT'S HOW I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT.
JUST SEEING WHERE WE'RE AT, JUST WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY OVER THE NEXT YEAR, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE ENGAGEMENTS THAT WILL HELP BRING MORE CLARITY TO THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO SAME COMMENT I MADE TO CANDACE IS THAT AS THE PICTURE COMES INTO FOCUS, RIGHT, LIKE, LIKE YOU JUST MENTIONED, THERE ARE SO MANY PIECES OF DATA MM-HMM
UM, DO NOT OVERDO IT AND KILL YOURSELF.
START WITH WHAT YOU KNOW AND THEN MOVE TO BETTER.
AND I JUST WANTED TO CALL THAT OUT 'CAUSE IN, IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT YOU ARE STARTING IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THIS WILL BUILD AND GET BETTER OVER TIME.
UM, START WITH LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS OF LET'S START WITH THIS.
WE KNOW THIS, HERE'S WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
AND, AND THOSE BIG GAPS WILL BECOME OBVIOUS TO YOU.
BUT WITH THAT FOCUS ON EQUITY, UM, IF WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT IT THEN, THEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS CALLED OUT.
'CAUSE THOSE FELT LIKE TWO AREAS THAT WERE REALLY EASY TO, TO START LOOKING AT IN MORE DETAIL.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU BOTH HAVE ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE PIECES.
UM, I THINK BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE LACK OF CLARITY IN THE DIFFERENCE, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE THRIVE AND ELEVATE, AT LEAST IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME WHAT THE LIKE SUBSTANTIVE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THOSE TWO PROGRAMS. WHEREAS IN THE OLD VERSION IN THE PILOT PROGRAMS, IT WAS VERY CLEAR.
NOT THAT THERE WEREN'T ISSUES WITH THAT, BUT IT SEEMED OBVIOUS WHAT THE FOCUS AND LIKE, UH, DIRECTION OF THOSE TWO, TWO PROGRAMS WERE.
CAN Y'ALL TELL US HOW YOU SEE THOSE TWO PROGRAMS BEING DIFFERENTIATED FROM EACH OTHER? BECAUSE THEY DO SHARE A PRETTY SIMILAR, AND THIS WILL COME BACK AND I TRIED TO DIFFERENTIATE MY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
'CAUSE I THINK, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S CLEAR AND I'VE HEARD FROM OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT FEEL A LITTLE IN THE DARK ABOUT WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS.
UM, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL OF THE SAME CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION JUST WEIGHTED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY.
SO, UM, BECAUSE OF THE, A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THE BUDGET CAPS, AND WE'LL GET BACK TO THAT.
'CAUSE I, I WOULD ALSO, MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER WITH THIS TOO, IS LIKE, WHY DID WE RETURN TO, UM, BUDGET CAPS AS A, AS A DETERMINING FACTOR FOR WHAT PEOPLE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR.
UM, SO MAYBE YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU EXPLAIN LIKE WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR MIND BETWEEN THRIVE AND ELEVATE.
AND I WANNA SAY, I THINK I MUDDIED THE WATER BECAUSE I BUILT THIS PRESENTATION ON FRIDAY AND UM, THINGS ARE SWIFT MOVING.
I WAS HOPING TO SEE IF MATT COULD COME AND HELP SHARE FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE SINCE HE'S BEEN IN THE WEEDS A LITTLE MORE THAN I HAVE.
UM, AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE CAN TALK ABOUT THOSE PERCENTAGE CAPS TO HIM.
HAPPY TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THAT.
JUST TO ADDRESS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THRIVE AND ELEVATE, UH, THE WAY WE'VE LOOKED AT IT, AND IT IS NUANCED, BUT REALLY, OF COURSE THRIVE IS SUPPOSED TO, UH, FOCUS ON THAT ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
AND OF COURSE THAT'S BASED ON THE TWO YEARS OF FUNDING OFFERINGS, UH, SO THAT YOU HAVE MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANNING EFFORTS BASED ON KNOWING YOU MAY HAVE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO YOU OVER TWO YEARS.
AND THEN ALSO IN OUR SCORING OF COURSE, UH, WE REALLY DID TRY AND, UH, LOOK AT THOSE QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCORING AND THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED IN THE SPECIFIC THRIVE PROGRAM, WERE FOCUSED ON YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL, UH, ABILITIES TO DELIVER YOUR PROGRAMMING TO, UH, DIVERSE AUDIENCES, UH, ACROSS THE CITY.
WHEREAS IN ELEVATE, AGAIN, IN THE SCORING, YOU'LL SEE THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE GEARED TOWARDS THE DELIVERY OF AN ACTUAL SPECIFIC PROJECT THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE AUSTIN ECOSYSTEM.
DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE BLENDED MAINLY BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING AS, AS MORGAN ALLUDED TO EARLIER, TO JUST OPEN UP THE, UH, EXPENSE CATEGORIES SO THAT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS AND APPLICANTS CAN CHOOSE HOW THEY NEED
[01:50:01]
TO SPEND THEIR FUNDS TO SUCCESSFULLY DELIVER THOSE SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.UH, BUT DEFINITELY RECOGNIZE THAT THERE, THERE'S STILL SOME VERY SIMILARITIES AND SOME DECISION POINTS FOR THOSE APPLICANTS TO MAKE DEPENDING ON WHAT APPROACH THEY'D LIKE TO LOOK AT FOR THEIR PROGRAMS. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I THINK, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER THE BUDGET PERCENTAGE QUESTION, AND THAT JUST REMINDED ME, UM, DO WE KNOW YET, OR WHEN MIGHT WE KNOW WHAT, UH, HOW MUCH OR HOW MANY GRANTS ARE DIVIDED INTO EACH CATEGORY? BECAUSE I, THE REASON WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT, WELL, FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, BUT ONE IN THIS, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW IS IT USED TO BE THAT THRIVE WAS THE MOST COMPETITIVE, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS THE HIGHEST, IT WAS TWO YEARS, IT WAS THE HIGHEST THRESHOLD.
NOW WITH THE BUDGET, UH, FLOOR OF 60,000 AND THE F 50% OF OPERATIONAL BUDGET MAX.
IF, IF I HAD A $60,000 BUDGET, WHY WOULD I EVER TRY TO COMPETE AND THRIVE? YES.
SORRY, I WAS LOOKING FOR THE DOCUMENT.
WE DO HAVE, UM, A PRELIMINARY SCORING BREAK OR, UM, FUNDING BREAKDOWN THAT TELLS US BASED ON THE CURRENT PROGRAM, HOW MANY EXPECTED AWARDS DO WE HAVE.
SO LET ME, IT'S, WE HAVEN'T PUBLISHED IT SO I CAN TRY TO FIND IT AND GIVE YOU, GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, SO BEAR WITH ME WHILE I GET THAT.
AND THEN I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE CAPS THAT YOU MENTIONED.
UM, SO WE HAD HEARD FROM BOTH PAST RECIPIENTS, UM, AND, AND PEOPLE MAYBE WHO DIDN'T GET THE GRANTS THAT THE, THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING WE WERE GIVING OUT AND THRIVE, WHILE FANTASTIC AND GROUNDBREAKING AND LIKE MOVING ORGANIZATIONS ALONG WOULD ABSOLUTELY DESTROY AN ORGANIZATION IF THEY DIDN'T RECEIVE IT THE NEXT YEAR.
AND SO WHEN, LIKE IF YOU GET $85,000 ONE YEAR AND YOUR BUDGET IS THE $90,000 AND THEN NEXT YEAR OR THE TWO YEARS LATER YOU GET $0 BECAUSE YOU, IT'S A COMPETITIVE GRANT AND PERHAPS YOU DON'T RECEIVE IT, UM, THAT, THAT COMPLETELY SIDELINES YOUR ORGANIZATION.
YOU MIGHT MIGHT HAVE TO LAY PEOPLE OFF, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CUT PROGRAMMING, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO KIND OF START FROM THE GROUND UP AGAIN IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO, UH, DIVERSIFY YOUR INCOME STREAMS AND DO THINGS LIKE THAT IF YOU WERE USING THE FUNDING FOR PROGRAMMING.
UM, AND SO WE WERE LOOKING AT HOW OTHER CITIES HANDLED THAT.
WE SPOKE TO MANY COLLEAGUES IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ADDING A FUNDING, UH, CAP ON OPERATING BUDGET WAS A WAY THAT THEY, MANY OF THEM EXPRESSED WAS A TOOL THAT THEY WERE USING TO HELP PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO PEOPLE TO HELP THEM GROW AT, AT A PACE THAT WAS SUSTAINABLE FOR THEM.
SO THAT'S THE PRIMARY WAY THAT WE BROUGHT IN THAT IDEA.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT WAS IN THIS DRAFT VERSION AND REFLECTIVE OF THE PEER BENCHMARKING, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE TOOLS WE WERE USING.
DID WE CHECK IN WITH THRIVE RECIPIENTS ABOUT THAT SPECIFICALLY? 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'VE HEARD FROM RECIPIENTS OF THRIVE FROM THE FIRST ITERATION THAT YES, DIDN'T WANNA SEE LIKE CAPS ON HOW OFTEN THEY COULD GET THAT, BUT I'M CURIOUS LIKE THAT'S A PERCEIVED THREAT.
WHERE'S THE DATA TO BACK THAT UP? SO WE DID HEAR FROM THEM THAT THEY, THEY DIDN'T WANT US, SO A PREVIOUS RULE THAT WE HAD WAS LIKE, IF YOU GOT THE FUNDING I THINK TWO YEARS IN A ROW, THEN YOU WOULDN'T BE ELIGIBLE.
AND WE REMOVED THAT, UM, ON THE REQUEST OF THRIVE RECIPIENTS AND ALSO A GOAL OF CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM LOOKING AT OUR PEER CITIES, THIS IS A TOOL THAT THEY WERE USING.
SO I WOULDN'T SAY THERE WAS A THREAT.
IT WAS A WAY TO HELP US ENHANCE OUR GOALS OF SPREADING THE FUNDING AROUND IN A WAY THAT WE THINK MIGHT BE MORE SUSTAINABLE.
I JUST CAN'T HELP BUT REMEMBER THE AWARD THAT CAD STAFF GOT FOR THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING THAT THEY PUT INTO PLACE.
SO WHILE WE'RE LOOKING AT PEER CITIES, THEY WERE ALSO LOOKING AT US AT THE BARRIERS THAT WERE BEING BROKEN.
AND I HAVE A LIST HERE OF THE, UM, I JUST, THE, I'M, I THINK 50% IS SEVERE.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S A NUMBER THAT THE MIDDLE GROUND IS SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE LEGACY ORGANIZA, I WON'T SAY LEGACY 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT'S LIKE A COIN TO TERM AT THIS POINT.
THERE WERE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE SEVENTIES THAT WERE RECEIVING $10,000, $20,000 YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.
THEY'RE JUST STUCK BECAUSE WE HAD THAT IN PLACE BEFORE.
THAT WAS, BUT 50% OF YOUR BUDGET WAS ALL YOU GOING TO EVER BE ELIGIBLE FOR.
AND IT KEPT THEM, IT WAS PART OF THE SYSTEM THAT WAS LIMITING OUR, OUR ORGANIZATIONS PARTICULARLY OF COLOR.
UM, AND SO TO SEE THAT BACK IN THE FUNDING GUIDELINES IS FRANKLY SHOCKING.
UM, WHEN IT HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN FROM THIS DAIS THAT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT.
WE'VE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY WANT.
AND IT JUST TO ME, SETS THESE PROGRAMS ALL THE WAY BACK TO PRE PANDEMIC.
LIKE THERE WAS WORK DONE, MARGIE REESE'S REPORT ALL THE SURVEYING.
LIKE I, SO I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO BREAK IN COMMISSIONER
[01:55:01]
JUSTMAN BECAUSE IT, IT'S, IT'S ALSO BEEN STATED FROM THIS DIOCESE THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO SET ORGANIZATIONS UP FOR FAILURE.AND WHEN WE'RE, AND WHEN WE'RE GIVING A TWO YEAR GRANT THAT'S 75% OF YOUR BUDGET AND IN THE THIRD YEAR FOR WHATEVER, WHATEVER MISSTEP HAPPENS AND YOU DON'T GET IT, THEN THAT'S THE END OF THE ORGANIZATION.
SO, SO THIS IS FOR CLARIFICATION OF THE GUIDELINES AS THEY ARE PRESENTED RATHER THAN FOR GIVING FEEDBACK.
THE FEEDBACK OPTION WAS AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC INPUT.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHEN, WHY DID THAT COME BACK WHEN IT WAS KIND OF RESOUNDINGLY CLEAR FROM WHERE I'M SITTING THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T WANT AND WE WERE BEING APPLAUDED FOR THAT BEING REMOVED.
AND SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT CITIES, I MEAN AGAIN, LIKE THE CITY OF AUSTIN RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR THE PRO FOR THE THRIVE ELEVATE AND NEXUS PROGRAM, AND NOW IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE BACKTRACKING AND GOING BACK TO PROGRAMMING THAT WE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET AWAY FROM.
AND COULD I JUST ADD ON REALLY SMALL TO THAT IT, WHICH IS, ESPECIALLY IN EL LIKE I COULD UNDERSTAND, I GUESS I DISAGREE WITH IT, BUT I COULD UNDER, I UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE OF THE 50% ON AN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT GRANT IN ELEVATE, IF IT IS, AND I GUESS THAT COMES BACK TO THE QUESTION OF IS IT A PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT? BECAUSE IF IT IS A PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT, THEN THE UNIT OF ANALYSIS SHOULD BE THE PROJECT BUDGET.
AND IF A $20,000 ORGANIZATION IS ORGANIZING A $50,000 PERFORMANCE AND THEY'RE PAYING $30,000 OF THAT TO ARTISTS AND PAYING 10,000 OF IT TO A LOCAL VENUE, WHY DO WE CARE WHETHER THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF MORE THAN 50% OF THEIR OPERATIONAL BUDGET? SO I I I HEAR THE RATIONALE.
AGAIN, I DON'T AGREE WITH THE CAPS.
I THINK I AGREE THAT SEEING THEM COME BACK, LIKE THAT'S BEEN A CONVERSATION AND EQUITABLE GRANT MAKING FOR LIKE MORE THAN A DECADE IS NOT TYING GRANT AMOUNTS TO, TO BUDGETS.
UM, I DO UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE FOR A PROJECT OR FOR AN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT GRANT, BUT IT MAKES EVEN LESS SENSE IN MY OPINION AND ELEVATE.
YEAH, I WAS, I WAS TRYING TO FIND, I ALSO, WE, UM, SORRY, I WAS TRYING TO RACK MY BRAIN.
WE, WE'VE RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK IN A NUMBER OF WAYS AND I WAS LIKE, I REMEMBER GETTING A PDF FROM SOME MEMBERS OF THE ARTS COMMISSION AND I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR IT WHILE YOU WERE TALKING, SO I WAS LISTENING.
UM, BUT THE, THE DOCUMENT THAT I RECEIVED WAS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ELEVATE AND IT SAYS NO THERE, THE RECOMMENDATION WAS NO MORE THAN 60% OF YOUR PROJECT BUDGET CAN BE COVERED BY ELEVATE FUNDS AND THE 2026 CYCLE.
SO I THINK THIS ALSO WAS A PART OF THE CONVERSATION, THIS FEEDBACK WE GOT DIRECTLY FROM A FEW MEMBERS OF THE ARTS COMMISSION MIXED IN WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER PIECES OF FEEDBACK.
SORRY, THAT'S WHY IT'S LIKE HARD FOR ME TO LIKE, LET ME GET MET CHARLOTTE.
AND THEN, AND THEN ANDERSON, I THINK YOU SHOULD, I JUST HAD A QUICK COMMENT.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FEEDBACK, UH, UH, LOOP WAS AVAILABLE TILL JULY 20TH, BUT WE ARE, WE ARE HERE AT THE COMMISSION, SO I HOPE THAT WE DO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK ON, ON THE GRANTS AS, AS IS HAPPENING.
UH, BUT YOU COULD STACK IT LIKE YOU SUGGESTED EARLIER FIRST WITH CLARIFYING QUESTIONS AND THEN WHEN THE STATEMENTS COME IN, I'M TRYING TO GET QUESTIONS OUT FIRST.
AND ACTUALLY THAT'S HELPFUL, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'LL INFORM, MAYBE ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT COME UP ALREADY.
UM, I, UM, UH, JUST QUICKLY SINCE WE ARE ON THIS TOPIC, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, I, I AGREE WITH CAPS ACTUALLY BECAUSE I THINK IT, IT, IT GIVES INCREMENTAL SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONS, UH, IN TERMS OF BUDGETS AS OPPOSED TO HYPOTHETICALLY IN THEORY YOU COULD TAKE AN ORGANIZATION WITH A THOUSAND DOLLARS BUDGET AND STILL OFFER 85,000 OR ONE 50 K, UH, IN HOW THE GRANTS WERE DESIGNED BEFORE, BUT, UM, THEY COULD POTENTIALLY BE TIERED BASED ON, UH, OPERATING BUDGET, EVEN IF WE ARE BASING IT ON OPERATING BUDGET.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE 50%? COULD IT START WITH A HUNDRED AND GO DOWN AS THE OPERATING BUDGET GOES UP TO KIND OF GIVE SOME MORE SUBSTANTIVE SUPPORT, UH, IF IT'S, UM, IF IT'S A, AN ORGANIZATION WITH SMALLER BUDGET AND ALSO PERHAPS, UH, REDUCE THE AVERAGE BUDGET, UH, AMOUNT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF YEARS WE ARE CONSIDERING FROM THREE TO THE LAST YEAR OR THE LAST TWO YEARS AS OPPOSED TO AVERAGE OF LAST THREE YEARS.
AND THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY INCREASE THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS TO ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE SIZE OF THE BUDGET HERE IT AS OPPOSED TO, UH, UH, KIND OF A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC LATER, BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER ANDERSON.
UM, SIMILAR, SIMILAR IDEA THERE TO ME, THE, THE, THE NAME OF THE, OF THE GRANT ELEVATE INDICATES YOU'RE TAKING, IT'S A GROWTH, IT'S A GROWTH PROGRAM, RIGHT? IT'S FOR, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT ARE ATTEMPTING TO STABILIZE INTO THRIVE WORTHY, RIGHT? SO I'M WONDERING IF, SINCE YOU'VE ELIMINATED THE 50% REQUIREMENT FOR THE BOTTOM TIER, WHICH I THINK IS FANTASTIC, IF THE MIDDLE TIER COULD BE MIDWAY, IF IT COULD BE 70% OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA KEEP THE, THE BUDGET CAPS, UH, IT COULD BE STEPPED TIERED.
[02:00:01]
THAT, SO THAT GROWTH IS ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED RATHER THAN YOU'RE STUCK DOWN HERE UNTIL, UNTIL YOU CAN, UH, MATCH 50%.I WILL, I WILL SAY, UM, I FLOATED TO DIRECTOR MEANS THAT I NEED THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO, TO GET THIS FINALIZED BETWEEN STAFF BEING OUT OF OFFICE AND BUDGET, UM, WORK SESSIONS GOING ON OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
IT, IT'LL PROBABLY BE AUGUST 1ST BY THE TIME WE ARE IN A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO CALL THIS FINAL AS WE TAKE IN ALL THE FINAL PIECES OF FEEDBACK.
I'M GONNA TAKE FOR, AND THEN GRAY.
SO I HAD A, I HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION ON THE, UH, TIMELINE, UM, FOR THE GRANTS TO ROLL OUT.
SO KIND OF PIGGYBACKING OFF OF THAT, UM, ARE ALL OF THE GRANTS GOING TO BE ROLLED OUT AT ONE TIME? BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT THIS LIKE NEW PORTAL, RIGHT? WHERE, WHERE FOLKS ARE GONNA GO TO AND IT'S GOING TO GIVE YOUR ELIGIBILITY.
SO LET'S SAY I'M AN APPLICANT AND THEN I DO IT AND THEN MY GRANTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR LIKE SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR OR WHATEVER.
LIKE WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT TIMELINE LOOK LIKE? YEAH, SO OUR GOAL IS TO ROLL OUT ALL.
SO WE ARE, WE'RE BEHIND FOR THIS YEAR, RIGHT? NORMALLY WE WOULD'VE HAD A SPRING LAUNCH AND THEN, YOU KNOW, A FALL LAUNCH KIND OF ON THE HEELS OF THAT.
SO OUR PLAN FOR THIS YEAR, WE ARE, WE'RE TRYING TO ALIGN ALL OF OUR FUNDING TIMELINES SO THAT IT IS, UM, MORE RELIABLE THAN IT'S BEEN IN YEARS PAST.
AND ALSO HOPEFULLY EASIER FOR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO EXPECT DIFFERENT THINGS BEING AVAILABLE.
SO THIS FALL, OUR GOAL IS TO ROLL OUT THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANTS ALONG WITH ELEVATE NEXUS, UM, CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.
SO WE WILL HAVE FIVE, UH, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES OPENING ALL AT ONCE.
AND THEN IN THE SPRING WE'LL REOPEN, UM, NEXUS BECAUSE IT WILL BE A TWICE A YEAR PROGRAM.
AND THEN NEXT FALL, UM, COME BACK TO THIS ALIGNMENT SEPARATELY, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES RUNS ON THEIR OWN, UM, SORT OF LAUNCH CALENDAR PROCESS BASED ON THE, THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON IN CONSTRUCTION.
SO THOSE WILL ALSO BE, WE'LL ALSO BE ROLLING THOSE OUT, UM, THIS FALL, ANOTHER CHUNK OF THOSE, BUT IT'LL BE ON THE ART PUBLIC ARTIST.ORG, WHICH IS A SEPARATE PLATFORM FROM SUBMITTABLE WHERE WE'RE RUNNING THESE.
AND WHAT ABOUT THRIVE? TH OH, SORRY.
THRIVE IS, UH, JUST ENTERING ITS FIRST YEAR, SECOND YEAR.
SO IT WILL COME NEXT 27 FALL? YES.
I'M SORRY I DIDN'T DO THE MATH.
I BELIEVE IT COMES, COMES NEXT FALL 'CAUSE IT'S EVERY TWO YEARS AND WE DID IT IN 2024.
SO FOLLOW UP TO THAT, IF I WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WANTED TO APPLY FOR, I DON'T, I DON'T REMEMBER IF YOU SAID LIVE MUSIC VENUE FUND, BUT LET'S SAY I WANTED TO APPLY FOR CSAP ELEVATE, IT WOULD BE FOR 2025 FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN I WOULD GET OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES IN 2026.
SO, UM, WE, SINCE WE ARE BEHIND ON OUR FUNDS, WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA CAPTURE A BIGGER PART OF OUR BUDGET FOR THE FALL LAUNCH.
THE FUNDING THAT WE WILL BE USING FOR THE FALL PROGRAMS WILL INCORPORATE FUNDS FROM 2025 AND THE BUDGET THAT'S BEING APPROVED FOR 2026.
SO WE WILL HAVE A BUMP IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY AVAILABLE NOW, AND THEN NEXT FALL WHEN WE OPEN, THAT WILL BE ENCUMBERING 2020 $7 BECAUSE WE COLLECT OUR HOT TAX AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, PLAN A YEAR AHEAD.
SO JUST TO RECAP THIS FALL, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE GRANTS EXCEPT FOR THRIVE.
AND THEN NEXT FALL IT'LL BE ALL OF THE GRANTS AT ONE TIME? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND WILL THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME DEADLINE? LIKE WILL EVERYBODY BE RACING TO THE MASSES TO DO LIKE FIVE GRANTS AT ONE TIME? YEAH, THAT SOUNDS TOUGH, RIGHT? UM, THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, THAT'S THE PLAN AND WE'RE OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK.
I WILL SAY NEXT YEAR WE WILL HAVE A MUCH LONGER RUNWAY TO PREPARE.
SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO, TO OPEN THINGS WAY AHEAD OF TIME.
UM, WE OF COURSE ARE ON A, ON A MORE CRUNCH TIMEFRAME THIS YEAR.
SO IF OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS IN THE EARLY PART OF 2026.
'CAUSE THE GOAL IS TO GET MONEY OUT THE DOOR AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, RIGHT? SO THIS YEAR IT'S ABSOLUTELY GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT OF A FIRE DRILL AND A RACE.
UM, NEXT YEAR OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE EVERYBODY MORE TIME, BUT I, I CAN'T DEFINE WHAT MORE TIME LOOKS LIKE.
I, I'D LOVE TO HEAR SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT WHAT MAKES SENSE, IF THAT IS THE MODEL.
AND THEN I NOTICED ON THE GUIDELINES OR THE CRITERIA, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WORD TO USE, THAT THE FINAL REPORT CHANGED FROM 10% OF THE AWARD.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE WATCHING, WHICH IS PROBABLY NOT MANY, BUT WHATEVER
SO YOU'RE ACTUALLY LIKE, IF YOU GET A $5,000 GRANT
[02:05:01]
THAT 20% YOU'RE ACTUALLY HAVING TO PAY OUT OF POCKET AND THEN YOU'RE GETTING REIMBURSED.SO THAT'S KIND OF PROBLEMATIC TO ME.
UH, THE STANDARD ACROSS MOST GRANTS IS 10%.
ANY A TCA, UM, IF WE'RE LIKE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL MODELS, UM, IT'S A HUNDRED, YOU GET A HUNDRED PERCENT UPFRONT AND THEN YOU JUST DO YOUR FINAL REPORT.
I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT THAT'S COOL FOR LIKE ARTISTS BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY WORKING ON VERY THIN MARGINS.
I ACTUALLY DON'T THINK IT'S COOL FOR ANYBODY TO HAVE TO FRONT 20% OF A PROJECT COST OR, OR AN ORGANIZATIONAL COST.
SO WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? SO, UH, AGAIN, WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK AND SOME OF THE CRITIQUES THAT WE'VE RECEIVED OVER OUR PILOT PROGRAMS IS OUR ABILITY TO CLOSE OUT CONTRACTS IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM LEADERSHIP AROUND WHAT INCENTIVIZES OUR GRANTEES TO CLOSE THIS OUT.
UM, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT HERE.
WE DID A PRESENTATION, UM, SO THIS WAS AN EFFORT TO WORK TOWARDS SECURING THOSE FINAL REPORTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THE FUNDING IS ACCOUNTED FOR.
UH, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AROUND HOW MIGHT WE CHANGE OUR PROCESSES TO CLAWBACK FUNDING AND WE'VE HAD A VERY LAX POLICY AS A CITY ON THAT.
AND SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF EXPLORING MECHANISMS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE THAT DOESN'T LEAD TO CLAWBACKS OR, OR LEGAL DIS YOU KNOW, LEGAL DISPUTES OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT WAS A TOOL THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.
I THINK THAT'S JUST LIKE SO INTERESTING BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE DATA ON HOW MANY APPLICANTS ACTUALLY DIDN'T DO THEIR FINAL REPORTS.
WE GOT THAT PRESENTATION LAST TIME.
OH, I WASN'T HERE, BUT IT WAS A NUMBER, NOT A LOT.
IT'S NOT A LOT FOR ART AND WE HAD NEVER CLAWED BACK A GRANT.
SO WAS IT LIKE LESS THAN 10%? I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE DATA IN FRONT OF ME.
I THINK IT WAS LIKE 0.03 IN THE LAST 10 YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW, ONE OF THE JOSES.
SO COULD WE, COULD WE DOCUMENT YOUR FEEDBACK IN SAYING, HEY, THAT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE WE HEARD VERY LOUDLY FROM PEOPLE WHO DO THINK IT'S A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S REALLY JUST COMICAL.
THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA SAY
MS. UH, COMMISSIONER C UH, COMMISSIONER GRAY, DO YOU HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION? I DO.
IS THAT OKAY? BECAUSE I KNOW, I JUST DON'T WANT A FEW THINGS TO, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH THE, THE, UH, FLOORBOARDS AS THEY MAY SAY.
BEFORE YOU START, I DO WANNA SAY I, I, I WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY BREAK AWAY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS.
TO WHERE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS SPECIFIC THING.
CAN YOU GIVE US THE ANSWER FROM, I HAVE A DIFFERING OPINION FROM WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THANK THOSE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS FOR SURE.
UM, FIRST CLARIFYING QUESTION.
WHAT WAS THE LOGIC BEHIND THE, UH, INEL INELIGIBILITY INELIGIBILITY? OH, I DID IT OF NO TRAVEL EXPENSES THAT TENDED TO BE DEFINED EVEN FURTHER IN THIS LAST DRAFT.
UH, I'LL HAVE TO PULL UP THE SPECIFIC BULLET POINTS, BUT YOU'RE SAYING WE LISTED NEW INELIGIBLE EXPENSES? WELL, I THINK IT WENT, IT JUST ADDED A FEW MORE THINGS LIKE TOLLS AND PARKING.
IT IT, BUT THE BIG THING IS TRAVEL EXPENSES, WHICH INCLUDED HOTEL AND, UH, PRETTY MUCH ALL TRAVEL EXPENSES JUST GOT BROADER.
SO WE, WE ARE LOOKING ON THOSE PARTICULAR KINDS OF EXPENSES WITH OUR LAW DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW.
UM, 'CAUSE THAT, THAT IS KIND OF A QUESTIONABLE GRAY AREA AS FAR AS, UM, HOW TO SPEND HOT TAX AND THAT.
AND I THINK THAT WE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONABLE EXPENSES COME UP IN FINAL REPORTS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.
AND SO AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO JUST CLARIFY LIKE WE HAD HEARD FROM LAW THAT THIS WAS MAYBE NOT AN OKAY EXPENSE OR SOMETHING THAT REQUIRED A FURTHER LOOK AT, AND SO WE JUST LISTED IT AS AN ELIGIBLE.
ALL OF OUR, OUR ENTIRE PRODUCT WILL GO THROUGH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AS A FINAL REVIEW BEFORE IT'S FINALIZED, AND THEY PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO, UM, THE WORK THAT WE DO AROUND ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S THEIR JOB TO KIND OF SAY LIKE, IS THAT TRUE OR NOT? UM, GREAT.
SO WE, WE, WE LEAN ON THEM TO SAY YES OR NO FOR THOSE THINGS.
I JUST WANNA ADD, MANY ARTISTS DO TRAVEL IN FOR MANY.
UM, IS THE FRAMING STATEMENT OPTIONAL, OR IS THAT A MAIN LINE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL? YES.
SO THAT IS A NEW THING THAT WE ADDED THIS YEAR.
UM, THE FRAMING STATEMENT WAS ADDED IN RESPONSE TO APPLICANTS WANTING A WAY TO KIND OF HUMANIZE THEIR PROJECTS AS THEY'RE BEING EVALUATED BY PANELISTS OR TO GIVE DEEPER INSIGHT, PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.
AND SO WE WERE MAKING THAT AS MANDATORY, THE CURRENT DRAFT THAT WE HAVE LISTED, OPTIONAL WAYS THAT YOU MAY
[02:10:01]
PROVIDE THAT FRAMING STATEMENT.UM, WE'VE RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT OF FEEDBACK EVEN JUST THIS WEEKEND AROUND HOW, HOW THAT SHOULD PLAY OUT.
UM, SO THAT IS WHERE IT CAME FROM.
UH, IS THAT IN ADDITION TO A NARRATIVE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND OR A NARRATIVE OF YOUR PROJECT AND ELEVATE, OR DOES IT TAKE THE PLACE OF IT WOULD, I WOULD SAY TO, UH, BASED ON MY RECOLLECTION OF THE QUESTIONS, IT WOULD, IT'S A SEPARATE STATEMENT THAT GIVES MORE CONTEXT TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
THERE'S STILL A SPECIFIC QUESTION ASKING WHAT THAT PROPOSED PROJECT IS, BUT THIS WOULD GIVE THE MORE OVERARCHING CONTEXT, UH, FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION OR YOUR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.
SO IT COULD BE SEEN AS AN ATTACHMENT, AN OPTIONAL ATTACHMENT, AND NOT THE MAINSTAY OF THE APPLICATION ITSELF.
SO IT'S NOT REQUIRED OF ALL WE TRY, WE WOULD MAKE IT SURE THAT IT'S REQUIRED BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S AS, AS EVEN ACROSS ALL OF OUR APPLICANTS, BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT SOME THAT WOULDN'T SUBMIT, THAT WOULD SEE THAT IT'S BEING POTENTIALLY DETRIMENTAL TO THEIR APPLICATION.
UH, BUT IT IS A NONS SCORING QUESTION, BUT WE WILL BE REQUIRING THAT AS SOME KIND OF STATEMENT TO THEIR, UH, TO THEIR EXPRESSION, WHETHER IT'S NARRATIVE OR THE VIDEO.
UM, WE'VE GOTTEN OTHER, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHETHER IT'S JUST SAMPLE WORK, OP, UH, WORK SAMPLES ESSENTIALLY INSTEAD OF THE, UH, THE STATEMENT AND OR VIDEO.
SO WE'RE STILL EVALUATING WHAT IS THE BEST OPTION TO GIVE EVERYONE KIND OF THAT, UH, FLEXIBILITY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UH, NOT SCORED, BUT DEFINITELY PART OF IT.
UH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UM, I THINK I DO UNDERSTAND THIS, BUT I DO WANNA TO HEAR FROM YOU, WHAT IS THE, UM, THE THOUGHT BEHIND AN OWNED VENUE NOT BEING ELIGIBLE FOR CSAP? SURE.
SO, UM, CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WAS KIND OF BORN OUT OF DIFFICULTIES THAT WE SAW IN OUR COMMUNITY.
FOR FOLKS WHO ARE LEASING SPACES, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER TRIPLE NETS, UM, RISING, YOU KNOW, UH, LEASE COSTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR LEASES TERMINATED THERE.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF ISSUES AND CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BEEN ELEVATED TO US.
AND SO YEARS AGO, THE PROGRAM WAS CREATED TO HELP COMBAT SOME OF THAT.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY, UM, HAD AN INVESTMENT OF $500,000 A YEAR, WHICH WE HAD ROLLED INTO 1 MILLION EVERY OTHER YEAR TO MAKE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO CAPTURE, UM, EVEN SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT CREATIVE SPACES.
SO THERE WILL BE A MUCH BIGGER BUDGET FOR IT THIS YEAR, AND OUR GOAL WILL BE TO GROW THAT MOVING FORWARD.
BUT THAT WAS THE RATIONALE BEHIND WHY, UH, LEASED BUT NOT OWNED.
I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMMISSIONER ANDERSON HAD TO LEAD THE DAAS, UH, COMMISSIONER MABA, DO YOU HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION? YOU LOOK LIKE YOU DON'T TRUST ME.
UM, HOW WILL IN KIND CONTRIBUTIONS BE CALCULATED FOR THE PURPOSES OF MINIMUM BUDGET IN LIGHT OF THE CAPS AND ELIGIBILITY BEING BASED ON BUDGET SIZE? THE WAY THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY EVALUATING IS THAT WE'RE ASKING THAT IT'S INCLUDED IN THOSE NINE 90 FORMS OR IN THOSE BUDGET DOCUMENTS, SO THAT IT CAN BE, UH, EVALUATED WITHIN THEIR OVERALL OPERATING BUDGET, UM, WITHIN THEIR, THE CONSIDERATION OF THEIR AWARD AMOUNTS.
IN THAT CASE, COULD SOMEONE, 'CAUSE I, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I FILED THE NINE 90, BUT I DIDN'T PUT MY ALL OF MY IN KIND STUFF ON THERE, SO I DON'T THINK, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S STANDARD PRACTICE AND WHAT YOU SEE AS NET REVENUE.
UM, CAN THEY SUBMIT A NINE 90 ALONG WITH A SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET THAT DEMONSTRATES IN KIND CONTRIBUTIONS TO UP THAT MINIMUM BUDGET? AND I KNOW THIS IS, THIS IS ME CLARIFYING SOMETHING.
DOES THAT COUNT? BECAUSE I THINK, I THINK, MORGAN, WHEN YOU WERE, UM, AT SOME POINT, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THIS 60% PROJECT BUDGET IN ELEVATE WAS IN RESPONSE TO, IN OUR WORKING GROUP, SOMEWHAT LIKE CONSIDERATION OF INCO, LIKE, ONE, AGAIN, THIS IS NOT MY OPINION, BUT WANTING TO SEE BUY-IN, EITHER IN CASH CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY DONORS OR, OR IN, IN KIND, LIKE SHOWING THAT IN, IN KIND.
SO AGAIN, LIKE I JUST THINK THAT THE PROJECT BUDGET AND OPERATIONAL BUDGET IS DIFFERENT, AND WE DEFINITELY NEED A CLEAR, UH, IF WE'RE STICKING WITH THE, YOUR MAXIMUM GRANT BEING BASED ON YOUR BUDGET, THEN WE NEED A VERY CLEAR WAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT IN KIND CONTRIBUTION AS PART OF THEIR BUDGET.
[02:15:03]
OKAY.NOW WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO COMMENTS.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK COMMISSIONERS TO KEEP THEIR COMMENTS TO TWO MINUTES OR LESS, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
JUST LET US KNOW WHAT YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE GUIDELINES ARE AT THIS POINT.
UH, COMMISSIONER CHARLA, I BELIEVE YOU SAID YOU HAD SOMETHING.
UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, TO DIRECT AND, AND THE TEAM HERE, UH, FOR, UH, THIS REALLY AMAZING EFFORT IN, UH, UM, COLLECTING BROAD PUBLIC FEEDBACK.
I REALLY SEE THIS AS A PRETTY 360 EFFORT IN, IN, IN TRYING TO ADVANCE THESE GRANTS.
UM, SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIMITED TIME HERE, JUST A QUICK NOTE ON THE THRIVE COMMENT THAT I MADE EARLIER.
I MEAN, YOU COULD HEAR IT, YOU COULD ALSO JUST INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE AMOUNT TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY AN UPPER CAP THAT WILL NATURALLY CAP IT.
UM, AND THERE IS ALSO A, A THRESHOLD OPERATING BUDGET OF 60,000 THAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO FIRST EVEN APPLY FOR IT IN THE FIRST PLACE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? SO IF THOSE STATE, THEN MAYBE EVEN THE PERCENTAGE COULD JUST BE FLAT ERASE, BUT VERY QUICKLY, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE.
MY, UH, PRIMARY CONCERN IS WITH THE BONUS POINTS, I, UH, NOT A HUGE FAN.
I KNOW THIS WAS PART OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON, UH, THE PENALTY FOR IF YOU WERE A PREVIOUS RECIPIENT.
UM, NOW WITH THE LIMITATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN, UH, WITH, WITH THE PERCENTAGE OF OPERATING BUDGET AND, UH, THERE'S, THERE ARE CLEAR UPPER CAPS, THERE'S A CLEAR, UH, ENTRY CRITERIA FOR OPERATING BUDGET AT 60 K FOR THRIVE.
AND, UH, SOMETHING, I THINK ANOTHER AMOUNT FOR ELEVATE, I THINK THERE ARE KIND OF ALREADY CONTROLS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE.
SO LETTING PEOPLE COMPETE, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY EVERY YEAR BASED ON WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS MIGHT BE FINE WITHOUT THE PENALTY OF, YOU KNOW, DID YOU GET A GRANT BEFORE? AND SO YOU'LL GET LOOSE SOME POINTS THERE IF YOU DID.
UH, MY BIGGER CONCERN IS WITH THE NEA CRITERIA.
SO LOCAL GRANTS SHOULD BE AWARDED BASED ON HOW WELL AN APPLICANT SERVES THE COMMUNITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, CULTURALLY ECONOMIC AND, AND, AND CIVIC GOALS, RIGHT? SO, UM, I THINK, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I, I SYMPATHIZE AND I EMPATHIZE WITH, WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE LOST THE GRANTS.
AND IF THE CITY IS ABLE TO FIND ANOTHER POOL OF MONEY, UH, OF DOLLARS THAT CAN SUPPORT, UH, THESE, UH, THESE ORGANIZATIONS AS A ONE TIME THING, BECAUSE THEY HAVE, THEY HAD GRANTS THAT GOT RESCINDED.
I I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT AND SUPPORT THAT, MAKING THAT A CRITERIA, UH, FOR GETTING BONUS POINTS, UH, FOR CITY GRANTS THAT SHOULD JUST PROVIDE A LEVEL PLAYING GROUND FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, I THINK IT, YES, IT SERVES THE IMPACT THAT ORGANIZATIONS, AND AGAIN, I, I DO SYMPATHIZE WITH THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S A DISSERVICE TO EVERY OTHER APPLICANT THAT HAS, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT IS APPLYING FOR THESE GRANTS, UH, AND ALREADY KIND OF PRESENTS A STACK DECK IN SOME WAYS BECAUSE THEY'RE LOSING POINTS FOR WHAT IF IT'S A HYPER-LOCAL ORGANIZATION THAT DOESN'T APPLY FOR ANY GRANTS OR, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T QUALIFY IN SOME WAY.
ALSO IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE, WITHIN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND AS I'M SEEING THESE GRANTS EVOLVE, WE ARE SEEING THAT THE CRITERIA IS EVOLVING AS WELL, RIGHT? A LOT OF THE ASK FROM, FROM, UH, FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT CAME IN WAS, WE WANT THESE, UH, THIS CRITERIA TO KIND OF LOOK SIMILAR TO, OR LIKE TCA GRANTS OR NEA GRANTS ALREADY, RIGHT? SO IF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ALREADY QUALIFY, I THINK I WOULD EXPECT THAT THEY WOULD DO VERY WELL WITH HOW THESE GRANTS ARE BEING REDONE, RIGHT? SO NOW TO GIVE A BONUS ON TOP OF THAT, UM, I THINK REALLY, UH, STACKS THE DECK AGAINST A LOT OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UH, THAT MAY NOT HAVE APPLIED OR MAY NOT HAVE QUALIFIED.
SO I, I REALLY THINK THAT IT SKEWS FAIR COMPETITION.
A LOT OF TIMES A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK WE'VE GOTTEN IS ESSENTIALLY BEEN AROUND FAIR COMPETITION.
SO, UM, I THINK IT, IT REALLY DOES NOT, DOES NOT BELONG HERE.
THESE ARE CONFLATING TO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ISSUES.
UH, AND, AND CITY GRANTS SHOULD BE CITY GRANTS AND HAVE ITS OWN CRITERIA ON THEIR OWN.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT ACROSS.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHARLA, UH, ANY OTHER COMMERS HAVE COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER GRAY, AND THEN COMMISSIONER SCHACH.
I WOULD LIKE TO SECOND THAT AS WELL, AND OUR SPEAKER EARLIER THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE NEA SHOULD BE BONUS POINTS AND LOSS FOR THOSE THAT DID GET NEA.
I FEEL REALLY STRONGLY THAT, UH, ABOUT THE 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT SITUATION, I BELIEVE THAT THAT, UH, EXCUSE THE WATERS AND I THINK IT COULD BE ABUSED, UH, AS FAR AS STATING AS A NONPROFIT TO OUR PUBLIC.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY OPINION WITH THAT.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER, SAY SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOUR, WHAT YOUR ISSUE IS.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT A STATE REGULATED NONPROFIT SHOULD BE A STATUS, UH, ON THE GRANTS,
[02:20:01]
ON THE GUIDELINES.I BELIEVE YOU ARE A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT, OR YOU'RE NOT A NONPROFIT.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THIS HARD WORK, YOU GUYS.
YEAH, I, UM, I, SECOND COMMISSIONER CHARLAS, I APPRECIATE THE, THE, LIKE, NOD AT TRYING TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE FOLKS WHO LOST ANY A GRANTS, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THAT.
I REALLY DO WISH THAT THE CITY WOULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING FOR THAT, BUT I AGREE THAT, THAT THIS ISN'T THE PLACE FOR THAT.
UM, AND, UH, GENERALLY IT'S BEEN HARD TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO ASSESSING THE GUIDELINES BECAUSE, I MEAN, DIRECTOR MEANS YOUR PRESENTATION WAS GREAT, THE VISION IS AWESOME.
I THINK WE ALL GET BEHIND, LIKE THE THINGS WE, WE KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE, WE CAN ALL GET BEHIND WHAT WAS EXPRESSED.
IT'S SORT OF HARD TO DO THAT WITHOUT THE QUESTIONS, THE APPLICATION QUESTIONS.
AND SORT OF LOOKING AT A GENERIC IDEA OF WHAT WE MIGHT BE MEASURING IS WE CAN SAY LIKE, YEAH, MAYBE, OR THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
BUT WITHOUT THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING USED TO ACTUALLY EVALUATE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE THE THINGS THAT A, THAT A PANELIST IS LOOKING AT TO ASSESS HOW WELL AN APPLICANT IS RESPONDING TO THE THINGS WE SAY ARE A PRIORITY HAS BEEN REALLY HARD.
SO I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION OF LIKE, WHEN IN THIS PROCESS WILL WE GET TO SEE THE ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND WILL THE PUBLIC GET TO SEE THAT AND HAVE SOME WEIGH IN ON THAT PROCESS AS WELL? UM, I HAVE A REALLY STRONG REACTION TO ABILITY TO DELIVER AS COUNTING FOR TWICE AS MANY POINTS AS, UH, COMMUNITY CONNECTION OR HOW, WHATEVER WE'RE CALLING IT, AND, UM, ARTISTIC ACTIVITY, PUBLIC CONNECTION, AND ARTISTIC ACTIVITY.
AND I THINK I, I REALLY WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD ON THAT ONE.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EVERYONE AGREED WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT WITH THE LAUNCH OF ACME WAS, UH, INSTEAD OF BEING JUST UNDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WAS SORT OF BROADENING, UM, THE VALUES THAT WE'RE USING TO EVALUATE, LIKE WHY ARTS AND CULTURE ARE SO CRITICAL AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I FEEL LIKE HAVING ABILITY TO DELIVER, UM, COUNTING FOR TWICE AS MANY POINTS AS THOSE TWO OTHER CRITERIA IS, IS KIND OF GOING BACKWARDS ON THAT.
AND IT AGAIN, FEELS LIKE SUBORDINATING FISCAL HEALTH OR WHATEVER TO, AND NOT SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT, BUT IT, IT'S OFFPUTTING TO ME WHEN IT'S COUNTING FOR DOUBLE THE POINTS OF COMMUNITY CONNECTION OR, UM, ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES.
I, NO, BONUS POINTS I DON'T LIKE, I DON'T, I AGREE.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER CHEN? YES.
I'M GOING TO FORTH THE
UM, I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF THESE BONUS POINTS.
I THINK, UM, YOU EXCLUDE A LOT OF GROUPS THAT, UM, ARE EMERGING OR NEW OR MAYBE NOT AT THE LEVEL OF APPLYING FOR NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
AND I THINK THAT THAT FEEDBACK GOES IN TANDEM WITH THE ABILITY TO DELIVER.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE CENTERING ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITIES, WHICH IS LIKE THIS REALLY LIKE OLD SCHOOL WAY OF GRANT MAKING THAT REALLY DOES ALIENATE FOLKS THAT ARE DOING GREAT WORK, BUT MAYBE THEY'RE TRYING TO BUILD THEIR BOARD AND MAYBE THEY'RE TRYING TO BUILD THEIR BUDGET AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE APPLYING FOR GRANT FUNDING, RIGHT? AND SO KIND OF LOOKING AT IT HOLISTICALLY I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, I REALLY WANT US TO LOOK AT THE DATA FROM BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE, BUT LOOK AT THE WAY THAT THE GRANTS WERE STRUCTURED AND HOW LARGE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAD, YOU KNOW, BUDGETS OVER, UH, HALF A MILLION DOLLARS KEPT GETTING THE MAJORITY OF THE MONEY.
AND THEN ORGANIZATIONS, I WOULD SAY BETWEEN LIKE 150,000 AND 500,000 WERE PERPETUALLY STUCK THERE.
AND SO THRIVE WAS THIS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE, I'M GONNA SAY LIKE MIDDLE CLASS OR LOWER MIDDLE CLASS TO ACTUALLY GET A LEG UP.
IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLASS SYSTEMS, WHICH WE KIND OF ARE WITH THESE GRANTS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLASS SYSTEMS, OKAY? IF YOU'RE A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR ORGANIZATION, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO DONORS THAT HAVE BIGGER POCKETS.
NINE TIMES OUT OF 10, IF YOU'RE AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS A BUDGET OF $150,000, YOU MAY HAVE A DONOR BASE THAT'S LESS THAN 5% OF YOUR BUDGET.
AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE YOU AREN'T TRYING, IT'S BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE SERVING ARE WORKING CLASS AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GENERATIONAL WEALTH.
AND I, I, I, I REALLY LOVE THAT MEASURE STUDY THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY TOOK INTO ACCOUNT
[02:25:01]
INTERSECTIONALITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WAS SPOKEN ABOUT WHEN THESE GRANTS ROLLED OUT IN THE PRIVATE PILOT PROGRAM.WE ACTUALLY HAD A DEFINITION OF WHAT INTERSECTIONAL WAS.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY IS GONNA BE HAPPY RIGHT IN IN THIS PROCESS.
THERE'S, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
SO MY MAJOR, MAJOR FEEDBACK IS THAT, UM, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE MOVING IN AN ALL OR NOTHING CAPACITY.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE KIND OF WHAT, UM, THE NEWEST COMMISSIONER SAID, I FORGOT YOUR NAME, ONA, UM, ON, WE KIND OF KNEW WHAT THE BIG PROBLEMS WERE BECAUSE WE KEPT HEARING THEM OVER AND OVER.
AND SO IF WE STARTED WITH THE, LIKE, BIG PROBLEMS AND THEN STARTED MOVING STRATEGICALLY BASED ON DATA, WE WOULD BE MOVING AT A PACE.
I FEEL THAT'S MORE MANAGEABLE, BUT TAKING KIND OF EVERYTHING AND THEN ESSENTIALLY STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
EVEN THOUGH WE SAY WE AREN'T, WE KIND OF ARE.
AND THEN DOING THIS LIKE THING WHERE EVERY SINGLE WEEK WE'RE GETTING NEW GUIDELINE UPDATES LIKE THAT, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THAT FOR THE STAFF AND THE SANITY OF THE STAFF IS, IS CONCERNING TO ME.
AND ALSO, IT'S SO CONFUSING FOR THE PUBLIC, IT'S SO CONFUSING IS IF ON JULY 7TH AT 4 55 OR JULY 3RD AT FOUR 50 BEFORE A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, YOU'RE GETTING UPDATED GUIDELINES AND THEN YOU'RE FREAKING OUT AND THEN THEY CHANGE A WEEK LATER.
LIKE, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PRODUCTIVENESS OF THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT A LOT MORE CONVERSATIONS NEED TO HAPPEN BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST, IT'S VERY EMOTIONAL AND TRAUMATIC TO A GROUP OF, UM, PEOPLE IN AUSTIN THAT ARE ALREADY WORKING ON VERY THIN MARGINS.
AND THERE ARE DEEP SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING BEYOND ARTS FUNDING
SO IT'S ALL IMPORTANT, BUT I JUST REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING REALLY FAST AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY KIND OF SCARING ME.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I, I WANNA SAY THAT I, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S, IT'S SHOCKING FOR CHANGES TO BE HAPPENING SO QUICKLY.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE IN A TIGHT TIMEFRAME AND WE HAVE TO GET SOMETHING OUT, GET THE FEEDBACK, MAKE CHANGES SENSITIVE TO THE FEEDBACK, AND GET A FINAL PROJECT.
WE'RE NEVER GONNA SATISFY EVERYONE.
IT'S JUST NOT GONNA BE POSSIBLE TO SATISFY EVERYONE.
BUT WE HAVE TO AT SOME POINT GET TO A FINAL PROJECT WE JUST DO.
AND COMMISSIONER KEYS, I SEE YOU UP THERE.
I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M NOT MISSING YOUR HAND.
ARE YOU GOOD? NO, UM, NO, YOU'RE GOOD.
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD WERE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS WERE ALREADY ANSWERED.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS LIKE FEEDBACK, I AGREE, I I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BONUS POINT SYSTEM.
THAT DOESN'T, YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THAT.
YEAH, JUST CLOSING COMMENTS, I GUESS.
UM, YEAH, REALLY FEEL STRONGLY, UM, IN SUPPORT OF WHAT COMMISSIONER CHARLA HAS CONVEYED.
UM, COMMISSIONER GRAY AND COMMISSIONER SCHOCK, UM, AND OBVIOUSLY WITH COMMISSIONER CURING, 'CAUSE I DO SEE YOU AS ONE OF THE MAIN BOOTS ON THE GROUND, PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY WORKING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE FUNDING PROCESS PRE COVID IN THE EARLY DAYS.
UM, AND TO ME, THE THINGS THAT WERE REMOVED, WHICH WE IDENTIFIED EARLY ON IN THE MARGIE REESE DAYS WERE BUDGET TIED, UH, FUNDING AMOUNTS, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IF THERE'S A HAPPY MEDIUM THERE, THEN LET'S WORK ON THAT.
BUT TO COMMISSIONER, UM, ANDERSON'S POINT, LIKE LET'S MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS GONNA FACILITATE GROWTH AND EXPANSION.
UM, AGAIN, SOME OF THE, I JUST WANNA READ SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE FUND THAT WERE HISTORICALLY UNDERFUNDED, AND I'LL SAY UNDERFUNDED BECAUSE THEY WERE CAPPED AT BELOW $20,000, $30,000 WHERE THEIR COUNTERPARTS WERE GETTING $85,000 A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.
THOSE ARE ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FEST, ASLAN DANCE COMPANY, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN THE SEVENTIES.
CAPITAL VIEW ARTS, C LAS AMERICAS COLOR ARC PRODUCTIONS IS TANGO, IMAGINE ART, LA LATINITAS, OUTSIDER ART FEST, PUERTO RICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE AND COM, UH, INCORPORATED.
RED SEMINAR,
THERE'S A THREAD, RIGHT? UM, THERE'S STAFF STILL HERE THAT HAS THAT CONTEXT, SOME OF WHICH ARE IN THE ROOM THAT USED TO HOLD THIS SPOT.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, LIKE, ARE WE REALLY, MAX? I KNOW PUBLIC FEEDBACK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
MORGAN PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE REALLY LOUD.
[02:30:01]
AT ME FOR SIX YEARS ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY'RE NOT HAPPY WITH, AND I GET IT.AND YOU'RE DOING AN AMAZING JOB.
YOU ALL ARE, AND WE ARE ALL AS MUCH CRITICISM AND HEAT IS YOUR FEELING.
LIKE WE ADORE YOU GUYS AND ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU.
AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE MOMENTUM OF EVERYTHING, REALLY, TRULY, WE JUST WANNA GET IT RIGHT.
'CAUSE TWO YEARS AGO, THREE YEARS AGO, WE THOUGHT WE WERE PRETTY CLOSE, AND THEN WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE ISSUES AND WE IDENTIFIED THEM AND WE WANTED TO FIX THEM, AND THEN WE WERE T-BONED AND GOING IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.
AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE'VE, WE STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN.
SO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONVEYING TO YOU WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT BECAUSE THEY, WE WORKED REALLY HARD TO REMOVE THEM THE FIRST TIME.
WE WORKED REALLY HARD TO LISTEN TO COMMUNITY AND LISTEN TO THE CONSULTANTS THAT WE WERE BROUGHT IN TO SHOW US OUR BLIND SPOTS.
AND THAT HISTORICAL DATA SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
SO BUDGET TIDE AWARDS, MATCHING GRANTS, WHICH I DIDN'T SEE IN THE SEVEN 18.
UM, AND, UM, REQUIRED FISCAL SPONSORSHIP.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, MAYBE STILL GETTING THE FINE PRINT RELIED ON THAT, BUT THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE REALLY LOOKED AT CLOSELY BEFORE THEY'RE PUT BACK.
'CAUSE I KNOW EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE HEARING 1200 SURVEY RESULTS, WE'VE HAD PEOPLE COME INTO THIS ROOM AND TELL US THAT THOSE THINGS ARE DANGEROUS FOR THEM AND ENDANGER THEIR ORGANIZATION.
UM, I DO WANNA MAKE THE POINT THAT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED.
BUT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT BEFORE.
SO IT'S AGAIN, LIKE THE THINGS THAT ARE BACK AND FORTH, BUT I'M JUST SAYING IT'S NOT REQUIRED.
SO SAYING REQUIRED FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IS A MISNOMER TO THE CURRENT GUIDELINES TO AS OF SEVEN 18 AS OF RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? BUT IT WAS, BUT MY POINT IS, LIKE, TO FAY'S POINT, THINGS ARE MOVING REALLY QUICKLY.
WHO HAS WHAT VERSION OF WHAT, WHO'S ON FIRST? SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, UM, YEAH, IT, SORRY, I'VE LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AT THIS POINT, BUT I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
WE ALL KNOW THAT NOT EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE HAPPY AND THAT THIS MONEY ISN'T GONNA SERVE EVERYBODY.
AND WE'VE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE THE LEVELS OF SUPPORT THAT IS REALLY NEEDED.
BECAUSE A LARGE ORGANIZATION, EXCUSE ME, WOO, A LARGE ORGANIZATION LIKE KARATE 85 GRAND IS NOT GONNA HELP THEM NECESSARILY THE SAME WAY THAT IT WOULD HELP.
IT WAS STILL GONNA HELP, IT'S STILL A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT THAT WAS FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT IN THAT MOMENT.
THAT THEY'RE A LARGE INSTITUTION THAT'S NOT GONNA BE SIGNIFICANT FOR THEM, BUT IT IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR A MID TO, TO SMALL TO MID-SIZE ORGANIZATION.
SO REALLY LOOKING AT WHO WE'RE SERVING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE BEING INTENTIONAL WITH HOW WE'RE SUPPORTING THEM AND NOT JUST DOING LIKE A GESTURE, RIGHT? WE HAVE INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY THAT NEED OUR SUPPORT.
WE ARE AN ARTS CITY TO YOUR POINT, RIGHT? SO LET'S BE SIGNIFICANT.
LIKE, LIKE, LET'S MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUPPORT THEM IN A MEANINGFUL WAY THAT'S ONGOING INSTEAD OF PITTING OUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.
BUT THANK YOU AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
LIKE TRULY TO STAFF, TO EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE, TO EVERYBODY THAT'S NOT HERE.
WE'RE ALL MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
LET'S JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE CONTINUING TO KEEP ALL EYES UP.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON IS BACK ON THE DIVES.
UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
I FEEL LIKE THE RESPONSIVENESS TO THE COMMENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST HAPPENING WITHIN THE LAST WEEK HAVE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSIVE AND, UM, AMAZING.
UH, I DO FEEL LIKE IT'S GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TOO.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE, I'M STILL KIND OF STUCK ON THE, UM, FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES OR RATHER TEXAS NONPROFIT KIND OF THING.
I'M STILL STUCK THERE A LITTLE BIT.
AND I THINK ONE CONVERSATION THAT MAYBE CAN HELP US AS THIS ART CITY BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE SOPHISTICATED AND KIND OF CATCH UP WITH OTHER BIG CITIES IS, UM, WHAT IS TRULY THE BENEFIT OF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND, UH, OUR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS ASIDE.
I FEEL LIKE MAYBE WE COULD USE A PRIMER ON HOW FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IS AMAZING AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND KIND OF WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE HERE, AND THEN WE CAN MAKE IT WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE.
IT COULD BE SUCH AN INCREDIBLE TOOL FOR EXTENDING THE OVERSIGHT OF THE CITY, UM, INTO GROWING GROUPS THAT NEED A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE.
IT CAN BE ALSO SUCH A ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, ASSET FOR THE CITY, UH, FOR GROUPS THAT ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, FINDING THEIR FOOTING.
SO I, I, UH, WOULD LOVE TO OFFER TO BRING IN A FISCAL SPONSOR PROFESSIONALS FROM OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN TO BRING THAT PERSPECTIVE IN AT THE NEXT, UH, ARTS COMMISSION MEETING.
IF THAT WOULD BE, UH, ALLOWABLE, I'D LOVE TO PUT THAT ON THE SECOND AGENDA.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY, THANK YOU ACME.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR HEAVY LIFT.
[7. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Matthew Schmidt, Acting Cultural Arts Division Manager]
TO ITEM NUMBER[02:35:01]
SEVEN, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BY MATTHEW SCHMIDT, CULTURAL ARTS CITIZEN MANAGER.I JUST WANNA SAY SORRY FOR CALLING THE JESUS'S JOSES.
OH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I'M MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER.
UH, WITH THIS PRESENTATION, I'LL BE SHARING THE, OUR LATEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBERS THROUGH 20, UH, JUNE, 2025.
UH, THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION IN JUNE WAS $575,476.
UH, THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND NUMBERS, UH, WERE JU FOR JUNE WERE $57,730.
UH, WITH THESE JUNE NUMBERS, WE ARE APPROXIMATELY 70%, UH, TOWARDS OUR FY 25 APPROVED BUDGETS.
AND AS ALWAYS, AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A DELAY IN HOW, UH, HOT REPORTING HAPPENS.
THIS PRESENTATION IN JULY SHOWS FUNDS COLLECTED IN JUNE FOR OF COURSE, HOTEL STAYS IN MAY.
UH, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN ANALYSIS OF OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX COLLECTION STAFF HAS BEGUN COMPILING DATA ON SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO INCREASED TOURISM AND LODGING ACTIVITY.
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN MAY, 2025 ARE LISTED ON THIS SLIDE.
UH, WHILE THIS SLIDE, UH, WHILE THIS LIST DOES NOT CAPTURE THE FULL SPECTRUM OF TOURISM DRIVING EVENTS, IT SERVES AS A FOUNDATIONAL STEP IN ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOT REVENUE TRENDS.
UH, A KEY NOTE IS ACCORDING TO THE AUSTIN BERGER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, UH, REPORTS TOTAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC IN MAY, 2025 WAS ABOUT 1.9 MILLION.
UH, AND THAT REPRESENTED ABOUT A 6.4% DECREASE IN COMPARED TO MAY, 2024.
UH, THIS GRAPH CONTINUES TO SHOW OUR MONTHLY PROGRESS TOWARDS THE APPROVED BUDGET FOR FY 25.
OUR HOT CULTURAL ARTS, UH, ART FUND ACTUALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 SO FAR ARE $11,321,678.
AS A REMINDER, THE FUNDS COLLECTED IN FY 25 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2026.
I'M ALSO INCLUDING OUR CULTURAL ARTS FUNDS HOT COLLECTIONS BY QUARTER FOR THE PAST FEW FISCAL YEARS, UH, BASED ON OUR, UH, JUNE COLLECTIONS.
WE ARE CURRENTLY 67,000, UH, BELOW WHERE WE WERE AT AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
AND WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY LAST HOT UPDATE PRESENTATION AS YOUR ACTING CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION MANAGER, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE SERVING IN THIS ROLE.
AND I, AS A RETURN TO MY WORK AS OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, OVERSEEING OUR BUSINESS INCENTIVES AND DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, UH, I WANT Y'ALL TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT I'LL ALWAYS CONTINUE TO BASE MY PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL APPROACH TO MY WORK WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT CULTURE IS FOUNDATIONAL.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
DO WE KNOW WHO'S, WHO'S COMING INTO YOUR POSITION? NO, I DON'T.
I DON'T, I THINK THAT'S STILL, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S HOPING TO REPOST FOR THE POSITION FULL-TIME.
MORGAN MASSEK ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
WE ARE WORKING WITH HUMAN RESOURCES RIGHT NOW TO GET THE JOB POSTED.
SINCE WE'RE A BRAND NEW DEPARTMENT, WE'VE HAD TO REQUEST NEW JOB TITLES THAT DON'T EXIST IN THE SYSTEM.
UM, UH, MEGAN WELLS, LAURA ODEGAARD, THE TITLE THEY HELD FORMERLY IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION MANAGER.
SO WE HAVE REQUESTED AN ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION MANAGER JOB TITLE.
SO AS WE BUILD OUR DEPARTMENT OUT, WE CAN TRANSITION, UM, JUST SOME BUREAUCRACY BEHIND THE SCENES COMING SOON.
YOU'LL BE VERY AWARE AS THE POSTING COMES LIVE.
UM, IT'S A BIG JOB FOR US TO HIRE FOR OF COURSE.
SO MORE WILL THAT, WILL THAT BE AN INTERIM POSITION OR THAT'LL BE, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA POST A PERMANENT POSITION.
A PERMANENT POSITION, AND THEN WHEN LAURA ODEGAARD RETURNS, BLESS IT, UH, HER, SHE'S GONNA STEP RIGHT BACK INTO THAT ACTING ROLE AS WE HIRE
AND THEN I, I SEE MEGAN WELLS ON THE ORG CHART, UHHUH, BUT I DON'T SEE HER HERE.
SO, UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THERE'VE BEEN A FEW REORGANIZATION AND THE BEHIND THE SCENES HUMAN RESOURCES IS STILL WORKING TO OFFLOAD THOSE, UM, POSITION NUMBERS.
SO WE STILL OWN THE POSITION NUMBER, WHICH AGAIN IS JUST A BUREAUCRACY THING, BUT SHE IS NOT PHYSICALLY ON OUR TEAM.
SHE JUST LIVES ON THE ORG CHART.
SHE'S STILL WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES WORKING ON THE RALLY AUSTIN CONTRACT.
[02:40:01]
STILL VERY MUCH IN THE CITY, JUST NOT WITH US.AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT TRANSITION BY THE NEW FISCAL YEAR.
AND WILL SOMEONE FROM ACME STAFF BE DOING REPORT FOR AUGUST IN THE CASE THAT IT'S NOT FILLED? WE'LL JUST, WE'LL JUST HAVE SOMEONE WHAT HE JUST DID.
UH, COMMISSIONER HUSAIN AND THEN COMMISSIONER.
I ACTUALLY HAVE TWO QUESTIONS ON THE PRESENTATION, WHICH YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER TO.
I'M HOPING WHOEVER'S DOING THIS NEXT FIRST, THANK YOU, MATT, FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, BUT WHOEVER DOES THE PRESENTATION NEXT, AND I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP OFFLINE IF WE NEED SOME CLARIFICATION.
'CAUSE I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT GRAPHS, WHICH MAY NOT MAKE ANY SENSE IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT IT.
UH, THAT LAST SLIDE, WHICH WAS STACKED QUARTERS, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AS A LINE GRAPH WITH THE QUARTERS ON THE X AXIS SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE CHANGE OF THE YEARS OVER TIME.
UM, SECOND REQUEST HAD TO DO, OH GOSH, I'M FORGETTING.
I WILL LOOK AT THE CHART OR IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST PULLING IT UP AND THEN I, I'LL MAYBE I'LL REMEMBER MY QUESTION.
UM, AND MY NERDINESS HERE,
SO THIS, THIS ONE, IT SHOWS US THE QUARTERS STACKED, BUT FOR ME IT WAS MORE INTERESTING TO SEE WHERE WE ARE YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND SO IF THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS OVER EMAIL, BUT HOPEFULLY, UH, IT, IT WAS JUST MORE HELPFUL.
SO GO BACK TO THE FIRST, UM, MAYBE ONE MORE BEFORE THIS, ONE MORE
UM, SAME COMMENT HERE IS GOOD TO KNOW WHAT THE BUDGET IS, BUT MY QUESTION WHEN I SAW THIS IS HOW ARE WE MAKING PROGRESS OVER TIME? ARE WE AHEAD, ARE WE BEHIND? I APPRECIATE THAT YOU SAID THERE WAS A LAG, BUT LIKE, UM, IF WE'VE BUDGETED SOMETHING FOR THE YEAR AND YOU MADE THAT COMMENT THAT WE'RE LIKE 1.9 BELOW WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR.
SO IF WE JUST UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE TRENDING TOWARDS BUDGET, WHERE WE'RE ABOVE OR BEHIND, LIKE THAT'S, THAT'S MORE THE POINT I WAS HOPING TO SEE, WHICH IS WHY THE LINE GRAPH IS HELPFUL.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY TO INDICATE THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
WE DO NOTE THAT IN OUR, OUR NOTES.
SO WE ARE CURRENTLY 67,000 BELOW WHERE WE WERE TRENDING FOR LAST YEAR.
AND LIKE YOU SAID, WE CAN EASILY ADJUST THAT CHART INTO A LINE GRAPH SO IT SHOWS THAT AND THEN DEMONSTRATE IT VISUALLY BECAUSE IT, IT'S MORE MEANINGFUL THAT WAY.
'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY CONTEXT KNOWING LIKE WHAT THE NUMBER IS OR HOW FAR WE'RE BEHIND BECAUSE BEING BEHIND BY 67 GRAND IN FEBRUARY IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING BEHIND BY 67 GRAND IN NOVEMBER.
AND, AND ALSO, UM, THE, THE MONEY THAT WE'RE USING FOR GRANT FUNDING THIS YEAR, THE MONEY GOING OUT THE DOOR IS NOT THE MONEY WE'RE ACTUALLY COLLECTING.
WE COLLECT, THE MONEY WE'RE COLLECTING IN THIS YEAR WILL BE USED IN A FUTURE YEAR.
WE DO KEEP A RESERVE OF HOT FUNDS.
WE DON'T EXPEND EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR THAT WE COLLECT SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO KEEP, UM, PARODY YEAR OVER YEAR SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE GIANT SPIKES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSING ON THE HORIZON.
SO THEN THIRD POINT THEN BECOMES, I'D LOVE TO SEE WHERE WE ARE WITH THE RESERVE, IF YOU WILL.
AND, AND WE USUALLY TAP INTO THE RESERVE AT BUDGET TIME, SO THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO LIKE HAVE A, A GLANCE AT IT AND THEN SEE WHERE WE GO FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
I WAS STILL CONFUSED ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.
SO YOU'RE LEAVING SAD
WE ARE WORKING ON A, ON A STOPGAP SOLUTION.
WE WE'RE HAVING INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE JUST NOT PREPARED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON LIKE WHO WILL STEP INTO MATT'S SHOES ON AUGUST 1ST WHEN HE FORMALLY TRANSITIONS BACK TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT WE CAN SHARE THAT AS, AS IT BECOMES FINALIZED.
BUT THERE WILL NOT BE A PERMANENT PERSON UNTIL WE PHYSICALLY POST AND HIRE FOR THAT.
SO, BUT YOUR INTERIM FOR LAURA, SO WHEN LAURA COMES BACK IN OCTOBER, IS SHE YEAH, HE'S ACTUALLY INTERIM FOR MEGAN TOO, SO, OH MY GOD, LAURA.
SO THE WAY, THE WAY THAT IT WORKS IS WE HAVE A DIVISION MANAGER.
THE PERSON CURRENTLY OCCUPYING THAT POSITION IS MEGAN WELLS.
SHE HAS BEEN SENT ON A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
LAURA ODEGAARD OCCUPIES THE POSITION OF A PROGRAM MANAGER THREE ON OUR TEAM.
SHE WAS ELEVATED TO THE ACTING, UH, DIVISION MANAGER ACTING MEGAN WELLS, BUT THEN SHE GOT HER FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO AS SHE TRANSITIONED OUT, THAT JOB IS JUST EMPTY.
WE HAVE NOBODY FILLING THE SUPPORT THAT LAURA ODEGAARD WAS PROVIDING IN BOTH OF THOSE ROLES.
AND MATTHEW SO GRACIOUSLY STEPPED OVER FROM CULTURAL ARTS,
[02:45:01]
UM, CULTURAL DISTRICTS TO HELP FILL IN THE GAP FOR US.AND THEN THE CITY MANAGER CREATED A BRAND NEW DEPARTMENT.
SO ARE YOU GOING BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT YOU CAME FROM ORIGINALLY? CORRECT.
I'LL BE GOING BACK TO ECONOMIC DISTRICTS.
NOW IN OUR CULTURE, OUR BUSINESS INCENTIVES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR SCHMIDT BEFORE YOU LEAVE US? YOU WERE A GOOD LONER.
I SEE BONNIE CULLEN FROM THE VORTEX HERE.
WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR THREE MINUTES MA'AM? I
WHAT'S THAT? SOMEBODY CACKLED? YES.
WITH ALL THESE, UM, THINGS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, WE'RE JUST THRILLED I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH MELISSA AT THE VORTEX TODAY AND WE JUST WANTED TO BRING A COUPLE OF THINGS AND I'M GONNA GO ON AND PUT THESE IN WRITING AND SEND THEM TO THESE FOLKS.
UM, ONE THING IS WE THINK THAT NEA THING IS JUST A BANDAID AND NOT YAY.
UM, I STILL AM CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY AND SAFETY OF OUR VENUES IN AUSTIN, UH, IN THE COMING YEARS.
AND I'D REALLY LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT CSAP MONEY.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S A CONVOLUTED RELIC OF SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING ON A FEW YEARS AGO AND IT'S NOT REALLY ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF WHAT'S GOING ON NOW.
AND IT LEAVES US TO, WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WE'RE IN CRISIS AND WE'VE BEEN KICKED OUT AND WE HAVE NO, WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE IN CRISIS BEFORE WE CAN QUALIFY FOR SOME KIND OF, UM, CREATIVE SPACES FUNDING.
SO WHEN I READ THAT, I'M READING THE VORTEX HAS RECEIVED THIS FUNDING TWICE BEFORE, UM, A NUMBER OF YEARS BACK.
WE DIDN'T APPLY THE LAST ROUND, BUT I REALLY DO THINK THAT WE NEED IT EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THE CRISIS IS ONGOING AND TO HAVE IT BE EVERY TWO YEARS.
I MEAN, WE REALLY NEEDED IT THIS YEAR.
WE NEED A NEW ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
WE REALLY, WE, I DON'T WANT THE THEATER TO BURN DOWN, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S LIKE BY GIVING IT EVERY TWO YEARS, IT DOESN'T GIVE IT THAT SAFETY AND STABILITY.
AND JUST READING THROUGH THE CSAP CRITERIA, I WAS LIKE, NOBODY'S REALLY TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S NOT FRESH.
IT'S, IT'S THE OLDER STUFF THAT WE WERE DOING.
LIKE THAT'S THE SAME CRITERIA I APPLIED WITH SIX YEARS AGO.
SO IS THAT REALLY SPEAKING TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE IN AUSTIN AND WITH THE VENUES THAT ARE ENDANGERED? UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE REALLY SAVING THESE ENDANGERED VENUES AND NOT JUST THE VORTEX, BUT ALL OF THEM.
I'M VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE, THE RENTS AND THE COST AND THE ELECTRICITY AND UM, WE'RE PROVIDING HOMES FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT ARTS GROUPS.
SO WE'RE SERVING LOTS AND LOTS OF GROUPS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE AND WE CAN BARELY MAKE ENDS MEET.
AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE IN A PRIVILEGED POSITION 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT A BAR.
SO I'M LIKE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT ALL THESE VENUES IN TOWN THAT DON'T, WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING.
WE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING, WE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING.
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THE BAR? SO I'M JUST SAYING LET'S REALLY LOOK AT THAT C SAP STUFF AND SEE IF THAT'S REALLY SERVE, IF THOSE CRITERIA ARE REALLY SERVING WHAT WE NEED THAT CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO BE DOING FOR OUR, FOR OUR, OUR VENUES.
SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND, AND THIS WAS GREAT.
I WAS REALLY GLAD TO, UM, HEAR ALL THIS GREAT DIALOGUE.
I'M SO GLAD YOU COULD BE HERE TODAY.
UH, BONNIE, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE FORWARD THAT INFORMATION TO ANGELA MEANS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR BEING HERE.
NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT,
[8. Staff briefing regarding update on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor]
STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING UPDATE ON CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BY JESUS PANTEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.ALRIGHTY, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
JESUS PANTEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.
MY PRONOUNS ARE HE, HIM, I'M A LATINO WITH LONG GRAY HAIR SALT AND BI UH, PEPPER BEARD AND I'M WEARING A RED SHIRT TODAY.
UM, I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT, UM, A SHORT AGENDA TONIGHT AS, UM, WE HAVE BEEN SPENDING MOST OF OUR TIME ON THE CREATIVE RESET.
SO I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS AND GRANT
[02:50:01]
FUNDED ACTIVITIES, UH, THIS EVENING.UM, SO EVEN WITH FOCUSING ON THE CREATIVE RESET, WE WERE STILL ABLE TO WRAP UP THE FY 23 NEXUS AND FY 23 THROUGH 24 THRIVE PROGRAMS. UM, SO I WILL NOT BE REPORTING ON THOSE NEXT MONTH.
AND ALSO CLOSED OUT A COUPLE OF FY 23 ELEVATE FINAL REPORTS.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE FINAL FY 23 NEXUS AWARDEE NEVER RESPONDED TO NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THEM IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, INCLUDING VIA PHONE, VARIOUS EMAIL ADDRESSES, UH, SNAIL MAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND CHECKING WITH COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE INTERACTED WITH THEM IN THE PAST.
SO THEY ARE NON-COMPLIANT NOW AND ARE UNABLE TO APPLY FOR FUTURE FUNDING UNLESS AND UNTIL THEY REMEDY THE SITUATION.
THIS BRINGS THIS TO A GRAND TOTAL OF SOMEONE WAS ASKING EARLIER, I GAVE THE PRESENTATION LAST MONTH.
UM, SO THIS BRINGS IT UP TO FOUR TERMINATED CONTRACTS OUT OF 6,093 IN THE 20 YEARS THAT I HAVE BEEN HERE, OR 0.066% IN BREACH OF CONTRACT.
SO, AND FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE OTHER THREE WERE, THE EXACT AWARD AMOUNTS.
THIS ONE WAS NEXUS, IT WAS 5,000, SO IT WAS AROUND $15,000 OR SO.
OUT OF $136,197,269 OVER THAT TWO YEARS OR 0.01 0.011%.
SO JUST TO, WE, WE, AS YOU HEARD, WE TRY AND WORK WITH THEM, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS, UH, DOESN'T HAPPEN.
UM, BUT SOMETIMES, UH, THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIVE AFTER NUMEROUS WAYS OF TRYING TO GET THAT.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE THREE-TIERED, UH, PROCESS WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY IT'S ESCALATORY, UH, UH, CORRESPONDENCE EACH TIME, UH, WARNING THEM THAT THEY COULD BE IN BREACH OF CONTRACT AND AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR FUNDING, UM, UNTIL THEY REMEDY THE SITUATION.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES.
NEXT, UH, SINCE WE HAVE A BIT OF TIME, I'LL GO BACK TO SOMETHING I HAVEN'T DONE IN A FEW MONTHS.
NO, JUST GO, KEEP GOING THROUGH IT.
ALRIGHT, SO THIS IS HERE IN YOUR BACKUP.
THE GROUPS THAT RE UM, HAVE AWARDS, OR EXCUSE ME, SHOWS COMING UP, OUR EAST AUSTIN CREATIVE COALITION, REALLY SMALL MUSEUM KICK THE BUCKET PODCAST, LANAYA DRUM AND DANCE.
UM, WE HAVE IMPACT ARTS HOST PUBLICATIONS, GIRLS ROCK AUSTIN, AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY, UM, INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC CIRCLE OF AUSTIN STAR BANDIT FOUNDATION, PERFORM A DANCE AND BEAT FOR BEAT.
AND THAT IS MY PRESENTATION, SO I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE.
I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THERE ARE FOUR OF THE 2023 ELEVATE OUTSTANDING.
UM, I, I BELIEVE THERE'S FIVE OR SIX STILL OUTSTANDING.
SO, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM, UH, TO GET THOSE REMEDI WE WERE ABLE TO GET, AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN CREATING, UH, FOCUSING MAINLY ON THE CREATIVE RESET AND WE STILL DID GET TWO OF THOSE CLOSED OUT, UM, IN THIS, UH, IN THE LAST MONTH SINCE I WAS HERE.
I JUST WANNA NAME IT SO THAT WE'RE CLEAR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT STATISTIC.
UM, THAT OR THAT PERCENTAGE, I GUESS THAT'S A STATISTIC.
UM, I WOULD LOVE, IN THE FUTURE, I'M GONNA DO SOME RESEARCH AND MAYBE I'LL ADD IT AS A LITTLE EMAIL ON, UH, NATIONAL GRANTS BECAUSE THAT IS LIKE INCREDIBLE THAT OVER 20 YEARS OR WHATEVER, HOW MANY YEARS THAT IT'S LE LESS THAN 1%, UH, THAT, I MEAN, THAT'S SHOCKINGLY LIKE AMAZING.
I MEAN, LOOK AT THE SBA, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT TRENDING TOO HOT.
HEY SU, WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR WORK.
[9. Staff briefing regarding an update on Art in Public Places by Jaime Castillo, Art in Public Places Manager]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER NINE.WHO I, I THOUGHT JAIME, WE WERE GONNA GET OUT OF HERE AND I'M SO SORRY.
I GOT YOU HERE TILL THE END OF THE EVENING.
STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON ART AND PUBLIC PLACES BY JAIME CASTILLO, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES MANAGER.
HI, MIKE CASTILLO, A IPP MANAGER.
UM, THIS MAY LOOK FAMILIAR, WE'VE GOT A SHORT UPDATE FOR Y'ALL.
UH, BUT AS A REMINDER, COUNCIL PASSED RESOLUTION, UH, MARCH 6TH, ASKING A IPP TO DO A PROGRAM ASSESSMENT.
AND WE GOT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY WITH THE A IPP PANEL GUIDELINES, WORKING GROUP, LOOKING AT HISTORICAL DATA, UM, LOOKING AT OUR POLICIES, UH, I GUESS I SHOULD, LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
WE, WE PHASED OUT OUR, OUR APPROACH.
UH, AND SO IN PHASE ONE IS WHERE WE GOT TO WORK WITH THE A IPP PANEL, UH, GUIDELINES WORKING GROUP.
WE IDENTIFIED, UH, PHASE TWO AS A TIME FOR US TO REALLY WORK WITH THE CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUPS.
SO REALLY TAKING THE WORK THAT
[02:55:01]
WE'VE DONE AND, UM, HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY.PHASE THREE IS WHEN WE ARE PLANNING TO PRESENT OUR UPDATED ORDINANCE AND, UM, LAUNCHING NEW LAUNCHING CALLS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT ON HOLD, BUT REFLECTING THE CHA CHANGES, UM, FROM THE WORK FROM PHASE ONE AND TWO.
AND THEN LOOKING AT PHASE FOUR BASICALLY NEXT YEAR, 2026.
AND, UM, INTRODUCING SOME NEW PROGRAMMING BASED OFF OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE COME ACROSS.
UH, I FORGOT I HAVE THIS CLICKER.
UH, SO THAT WAS STARTING TO SAY PHASE ONE, UH, WAS WORKING WITH THE IPP PANEL, UH, LOOKING AT THE RESOLUTION ITEMS, DOING PROGRAM ASSESSMENTS, UM, FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AGAIN, THIS IS A, THIS IS A REMINDER I PRESENTED THIS LAST MONTH.
BUT AS A REMINDER, THE THEMES THAT CAME OUT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LOCAL ARTIST PARTICIPATION, LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM, AND, UH, LOOKING FOR GREATER ART ARTIST ASSISTANCE WITH PERMITTING, STORAGE AND OTHER, OTHER DELAYS, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT, OR ACTUALLY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ORDINANCE, INCLUDING P THREE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, CLARITY ON, ON SUPPORT, SPONSORED DEPARTMENT SUPPORT, BUT, UH, FLEXIBILITY ON THE USE OF FUNDS REGARDING MAINTENANCE, FLEXIBILITY, USE OF FUNDS, OR NOT USE OF FUNDS, BUT FLEXIBILITY ON THE PLACEMENT OF ARTWORK IN RELATION TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
AND SO, UH, PHASE ONE WAS A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE A IPP PANEL WORKING GROUP.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, WORKED WITH STAFF AND THEN WE STARTED OUR FOCUS GROUP IN PHASE ONE.
UH, BUT IT WAS REALLY IN PHASE TWO WHERE WE KICKED THAT UP A NOTCH.
MET WITH ARTISTS THAT EX EXPERIENCED REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK.
THIS WAS BOTH ARTISTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED DEACCESSION FROM THE A IPP COLLECTION AND ARTISTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
UH, WE FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH ANOTHER FOCUS GROUP WITH, UH, FABRICATORS, CURATORS AND, UH, DEVELOPERS.
UH, BUT THE MAIN, THE MAIN WORK THAT WE ACCOMPLISH OR THAT WE ARE DOING IN PHASE TWO IS WORKING WITH THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL, UH, WORKING GROUP.
SO WE'RE MEET, WE'VE BASICALLY, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS PAST MONTH, MEETING WITH ALL THESE DEPARTMENTS AND INTRODUCING THE WORK THAT WE DID WITH THE PANEL WORKING GROUP, GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK, ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS, GAINING CLARITY, UM, AND FINDING, UH, BETTER LANGUAGE AND BETTER RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WE'RE CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS THROUGH THE REST OF THE MONTH AND INTO AUGUST SO THAT WE CAN PREPARE FOR, UM, A MORE FINALIZED DRAFT OF THE ORDINANCE UPDATE AND INTRODUCING THAT IN THE ORDINANCE PROCESS AND PRESENTING THAT TO COUNCIL, UH, IN SEPTEMBER.
AND, UH, WHAT, WHAT ELSE DID, WHAT DID I MISS HERE FROM PHASE TWO? OH, SO THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE HEARING, WE'RE ALREADY GETTING, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS OF HAVING CLEAR CLARITY AROUND OUR POLICIES AND BEING, AND OUR PROGRAM, BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT BETTER.
SO TRANSPARENCY OF OUR PROCESS AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE A FLOW CHART SO THAT ANYONE, REGARDLESS OF VANTAGEPOINT, WHETHER IT'S AN ARTIST OR COMMUNITY MEMBER OR A DEPARTMENT, UM, ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT, UM, THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE IN THAT STEP OR IN THAT PHASE OF THE PROCESS.
YEAH, THAT WAS REALLY MY UPDATES.
I SAID WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SPONSOR DEPARTMENTS, HAPPY TO TAKE ANSWER QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CROSS COLLABORATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND GETTING THOSE, THOSE BUMPS AND HICCUPS SQUARED AWAY.
WE KNOW THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA KEEP US MOVING FORWARD.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU, JAIME.
ITEM 10 IS APPOINTMENT TO NEW REPRESENTATIVE TO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
UH, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETS ON THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 5:30 PM GENERALLY IN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANYONE WHO AT THIS TIME CAN FEEL LIKE THEY CAN BE APPOINTED TO THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION? I'M GONNA CHARGE EACH COMMISSIONER TO CHECK THEIR CALENDARS, LOOK IN THEIR, IN THEIR CAPACITY
THEY HAVE FIVE VACANCIES ON THEIR COMMISSION, SO THEY ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE BUMPED TO NEXT MEETING.
ITEM 10, WORKING GROUP UPDATES, UPDATE FROM JOINT MUSIC COMMISSION, ARTS MUSIC COMMISSION WORKING GROUP ON URBAN COURT ISSUES.
COMMISSIONER, GRAND SMALL BOX, SMALL BOX CHAIR.
I BELIEVE THERE'S NO REPORT, BUT CAN YOU, THERE IS NO REPORT BECAUSE WE DID NOT MEET IN JULY, BUT I AM ACTUALLY NOW ACTING CHAIR SINCE ABOUT TWO MEETINGS AGO.
[03:00:01]
SO IF THAT COULD BE, UM, FIXED IN THE NEXT REPORT OR A NEXT AGENDA.[12. 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 THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON MOST RECENT RELEASE OF CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS WORKING GROUP.THIS WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN, UM, ON HIATUS AND I BELIEVE IN OUR NEXT MEETING WE NEED TO VOTE ON, WE NEED TO VOTE ON SUNSETTING THAT WORKING GROUP UNTIL IT'S NECESSARY AT ANOTHER TIME GOING FORWARD.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT AT THE NEXT, UM, MEETING WE HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OFFICIAL ROLE OF THE COMMISSION.
UM, AND AS A POTENTIAL WORKAROUND TO THE ISSUE OF, UH, THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST OF COMMISSIONERS RECEIVING CITY FUNDING.
RATHER THAN REMOVE ALL OF THE OVERSIGHT, UH, RESPONSIBILITIES THAT THIS COMMISSION HAS TYPICALLY HAD IN TERMS OF VOTING ON GUIDELINES, ET CETERA, RATHER THAN JUST REMOVING THAT WHOLESALE, PERHAPS WE COULD COME UP WITH A HYBRID SOLUTION WHERE THE WORKING GROUP COULD ASSEMBLE AROUND ISSUES OF GUIDELINES OR GRANT ISSUES.
UH, AND THAT GROUP COULD BE MADE UP OF COMMISSIONERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE CITY FUNDING.
SO IT'S JUST AN IDEA RATHER THAN SUNSETTING THE GROUP, PERHAPS, UH, MAKING IT SEASONAL OR WHENEVER IT'S NEEDED.
UM, IT'S JUST A, THAT WAS A HYBRID IDEA I HAD BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT THE, UM, THE OVERSIGHT JOB OF THE COMMISSION WAS ERODED, UM, YEARS AGO WITH THE MEMO, UM, AS WE DISCUSSED IN THE MARCH MEETING.
UM, AND IT SEEMS THAT IT IS BEING ERODED AGAIN AND NO ONE KIND OF SPOKE TO IT AT ALL.
SO I JUST THINK WE NEED TO SAY, HEY, IF, IF WE'RE NOT BEING CONSULTED ON THINGS, WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A COMMISSION
IF WE HAVE A WORKING GROUP THAT IS COMPOSED OF COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE NOT APPLYING, WHO AGREE TO NOT APPLY FOR FUNDING, THEN THEY CAN HAVE ACCESS TO AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THAT INFORMATION WITHOUT THE PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST THAT A COMMISSIONER WHO WOULD BE APPLYING IS WRITING THE QUESTIONS FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT.
SO, UM, AND I WELL I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING COMPLETELY, RIGHT? I THINK YOU'RE OPENING UP A CAN OF WORMS OF IF YOU SERVE ON A BOARD OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS APPLYING TO THE GRANT BASED ON YOUR LOGIC, YOU SHOULD ALSO NOT BE A PART OF THAT WORKING GROUP.
THAT IS WHAT LEGAL, THAT'S FROM LEGAL SO THEN, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
SO IT'S NOT THAT YOU'RE DIRECTLY APPLYING, RIGHT.
IF YOU ARE ON A BOARD, IF, IF YOU ARE ON A BOARD OR IF YOU ARE ON A BOARD, OR IF YOU HAVE AN ORGANIZATION THAT RE REPRESENTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE APPLYING TO THAT GRANT, THAT NEEDS TO BE DEFINED.
BECAUSE IF WE CAN'T JUST LIKE PICK AND CHOOSE WHEN WE'RE GOING TO ENFORCE CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
AND SO I THINK, I THINK IT'S, IT'S VALID THAT WE HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE COMMISSION AND HOW CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IS VIEWED ALONGSIDE THAT ROLE.
UM, PERHAPS ALSO WE SHOULD INCLUDE OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THIS CONVERSATION.
I KNOW THAT THEY CERTAINLY, UH, RELY ON US FOR SOME MEASURE OF REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND WE'RE KIND OF EXTENSIONS OF THEIR EYEBALLS IN A WAY.
SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, WE AREN'T JUST HERE 'CAUSE IT'S FUN.
WE'RE HERE BECAUSE THEY APPOINTED US TO BE HERE.
SO, UM, I GOT A LETTER FROM MY CITY COUNCILMAN AND IT HAS BEEN, UH, SENT I THINK TO JESUS VA.
DID YOU GET IT FROM, FROM MARK DUCHEN? YEAH.
SO, UM, AND YOU RECEIVED IT AS WELL.
SO IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO CHAT WITH THEIR COUNCIL MEMBER AND GET THEIR COUNCIL MEMBER TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN, IN LETTER FORM OR COME HERE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT THING TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION NEXT MONTH.
I DO JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, I DID RECEIVE THE, UH, LETTER FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DUGAN'S OFFICE, BUT, UH, WE WERE INFORMED BY BOARDS OF COMMISSION THAT IT, WE WERE NOT TO SEND IT TO THE REST OF THE, TO THE, TO THE BOARD TO ADD IT TO BACK UP SO YOU CAN SEND IT TO EVERYONE.
BUT THAT WASN'T WITHIN OUR, OUR DIRECTIVE.
UH, COMMISSIONER ANDERSON CAN FORWARD THE LETTER FROM COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN TO THE ENTIRE COMMISSION WITHOUT CREATING A WALKING FORM FORM.
[03:05:01]
NEEDS TO SAY BECAUSE WHO'S PLEASE DISTRIBUTE TO, BUT HE CAN'T JUST SO SHE, SO SHE'S JUST GONNA, SHE'S GONNA REQUEST THROUGH YOU THAT IT GOES TO EVERYONE.WE ARE, WE'RE AT THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
UM, I HAD A THINK, OH, HOW MANY OF US, I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A QUORUM WITHOUT PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHO'S ON WHAT BOARD.
OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED AND STILL PARTICIPATING IN THE GRANTS, BUT WE'VE GOT A QUORUM THAT WOULD SATISFY A VOTE.
SHOULD IT COME TO IT IF WE GET THE PRIVILEGE AGAIN TO VOTE ON SOMETHING.
UM, AND SO WOULDN'T WE JUST RECUSE OURSELVES IF WE'RE PLANNING OR IF WE'RE AFFILIATED? THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
IT'S JUST SO IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE IF STAFF IS WORKING ON QUESTIONS AND THEY'RE WANTING FEEDBACK ON THE QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION, PEOPLE WHO HAVE ANY PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST CANNOT GIVE THAT FEEDBACK.
AND YOU'RE SAYING MAKING A, MAKING A STANDALONE GROUP THAT WOULD SATISFY THAT ASK? THEY CAN GIVE THE FEEDBACK, BUT THAT'S A HYPOTHETICAL ASK.
ARE WE BEING ASKED TO LOOK AT QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE KEEP ASKING FOR QUESTIONS, WE'RE NOT BECAUSE OF THE PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
SO THAT, ARE WE PROPOS IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, THEY'RE SAYING WE ARE ONLY ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT, YES OR NO, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR YOUR DIRECT FEEDBACK.
WE WERE NOT ASKED FOR DIRECT FEEDBACK AS A COMMISSION ON THESE GUIDELINES BECAUSE OF THE PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
IN ORDER TO GAIN THAT AUTHORITY, WE HAVE TO CREATE A GROUP THAT IS SEPARATE FROM COMMISSIONERS WHO MIGHT APPLY FOR FUNDING.
UH, COMMISSIONER SMALL AND THEN CHARLA.
UM, THAT IS A BRILLIANT INFERENCE.
BUT DO WE KNOW THAT FOR A FACT? LIKE I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM ANYONE THAT THE REASON THAT WELL, WHEN WE DISCUSS IT, AND I DON'T WANNA DO IT TONIGHT,
SO THAT'S PART OF THE DISCUSSION AND I THINK THAT THAT I GUESS WOULD BE IN OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. RIGHT? RIGHT.
THAT WE WANNA KNOW AS WELL FROM WHOEVER IS MAKING THE DECISION THAT WE'RE NOT CURRENTLY BEING ASKED TO WEIGH IN, IN ANY OFFICIAL CAPACITY ON GUIDELINES.
IF THAT IS HAPPENING BECAUSE OF A PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST, I, OR SOMETHING ELSE I KNOW FOR, I KNOW FOR A FACT I CAN SAY FOR A FACT THAT WE ARE NOT BEING ASKED FOR SPECIFIC FEEDBACK OR APPROVAL BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT BY ACNE STAFF.
THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST, CANNOT BE PERCEIVED, CANNOT BE SEEN TO HAVE HAD CONTROL OVER ANY OF THE GUIDELINES OR THE QUESTIONS THAT'S FROM LEGAL.
WELL WE DIDN'T TAKE A VOTE ON ANYTHING, SO WE DIDN'T THAT'S TRUE.
IT WOULD BE LIKE, JUST FOR TRANSPARENCY, I KNOW THAT ACNE LEADERSHIP'S, WELL MORGAN'S STILL HERE.
UM, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW, LIKE IF THAT'S AN OFFICIAL DOCTRINE FROM LEGAL THAT ALL OF THE SUDDEN, 'CAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS HAD REPRESENTATIVES, OR AT LEAST AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE HAD REPRESENTATIVES THAT'S NOT ALWAYS, IT'S GOING ON FIVE YEARS.
WE HAVE HAD REPRESENTATIVES OF ORGANIZATIONS AND IT HAS NOT COME UP THAT WE COULDN'T VOTE ON THINGS.
UM, OF COURSE YOU RECUSE YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST ON THE THING BEING VOTED ON.
BUT IF THAT IS NEW INFORMATION THAT IS COMING DOWN, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO KNOW THAT AS DOES THE, OUR, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS DOES THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
BECAUSE IN, IN YEARS PAST, IT'S THE, WE PRESENTED GUIDELINES, BUT WE COULDN'T APPROVE AN AWARD OR WE COULDN'T, YOU KNOW, SAY YAY ON A PROJECT THAT WAS WITH AN ARTIST THAT WE WORKED WITH DELIBERATELY THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE MONEY FROM.
BUT WE'VE VOTED ON GUIDELINES AT THE DAWN OF TIME.
I'LL, I'LL SEND YOU BACK TO THE EMAIL FROM ACME THAT SAID, WE WERE ASKED TO GIVE OUR INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK THAT THERE WOULD BE NO COMMISSION ACTION ON THE GUIDELINES.
BUT WHAT HEIDI'S SAYING IS THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE FORMALLY STATED AND PUT ON THE RECORD AND DISTRIBUTE, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'VE GOT VACANCIES ON THIS COMMISS CAN, WE CAN COMMISSION DO THAT.
WE CAN DO THAT IN THE CONVERSATION THE NEXT MEETING.
I MEAN, I, I ALSO JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION, UM, THERE'S A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HOW THE COMMISSIONS ARE OPERATED THIS YEAR.
I, I THINK MAYBE IN JANUARY ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS PUT FORWARD, UM, AN I AN IFC AN ITEM FROM COUNCIL TO LOOK AT HOW THE COMMISSIONS ARE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT THAT AREN'T OPERATING LIKE THEY'RE IN CORE REGULARLY.
SO JUST KIND OF LOOKING AT THE STRUCTURE OF THAT.
AND ALSO WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT PARTICULAR BYLAWS AND THE RULES, UM, AS WELL AS OPINIONS FROM OUR LEGAL COUNSEL
[03:10:01]
ON HOW THAT SHOULD OPERATE.AND WE ALWAYS CHECK WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE BEFORE WE MAKE ANY DECISION.
'CAUSE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE BODY THAT OVERSEES.
SO, UM, ANYTHING THAT WE'VE SHARED, THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THE EMAIL WHERE WE SHARED ABOUT THE LEGAL, UM, THAT WE HAD RECEIVED, THE LEGAL OPINIONS WE HAD RECEIVED.
BUT WE ALWAYS CHECK WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND TRY TO FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE AROUND WHAT THE BYLAWS SAY THE RULES ARE, BECAUSE THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY RULES THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW.
ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE BYLAWS IS JUST LIKE CASUALLY HOW WE'VE DONE THINGS.
AND SO, UM, I'M, I'M SURE THERE HAS BEEN DISCREPANCY OVER THE YEARS BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NOT WRITTEN IN STONE MAD.
UM, I THINK, YEAH, I MEAN, JUST SAY EARLIER IDEA WAS BECAUSE, BECAUSE COMMISSIONERS WERE NOT, UM, APPROVING INDIVIDUAL, UH, APPLICATION.
SO, UM, THAT I THINK THAT'S BEEN THE STANCE EARLIER.
UM, CURRENTLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE OBVIOUSLY, I MEAN WE ALL SHARED FEEDBACK TODAY, UH, FROM THE DIOCESE AS A COMMISSION.
SO, UH, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS BEING PERCEIVED AS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS ESSENTIALLY AS APPROVING THE GUIDELINES AS A COMBINED BODY IS THE ONLY THING THAT'S KIND OF REALLY BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS PARTICULAR PROCESS.
UH, NEITHER DID THE MUSIC COMMISSION, UH, KIND OF APPROVE THE ACME GUIDELINES.
AND, UH, THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE HAS BEEN DONE ESSENTIALLY TO AVOID CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND TO KEEP ALLOWING, UH, COMMISSIONERS TO REPLY.
UM, I'M, YOU KNOW, FINE WITH, UH, YOU KNOW WHAT IT, IT'S THE APPROVAL AND THE QUESTIONS YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER SMALL BLOCK ASKED ABOUT.
WE, WE'VE BEEN TOLD WE'LL SEE QUESTIONS.
WE WON'T SEE QUESTIONS AS LONG AS IT'S A PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
WE WON'T SEE THE QUESTIONS, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE QUESTIONS AS LONG AS THERE'S A PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
SO NEXT MEETING WE'LL CREATE A, A BODY BUILT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY GRANT, POTENTIAL GRANT, AND THOSE WILL BE THE PEOPLE THAT GET TO SEE THE QUESTION.
WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
SO LET'S PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, IS THE CONSENSUS.
YEAH, I JUST, YEAH, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET IT CLEAR IN MY, ON MY OWN MIND IS LIKE, IN SO FAR AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE TILL NOW IN THE PROCESS, THE ONLY THING THAT WE HAVE NOT HANDLED, ESSENTIALLY IN VIEW OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST ISSUE IS THAT WE DON'T VOTE ON THESE GUIDELINES AS A BODY.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS BEEN, HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY IN SOME WAY OR THE OTHER TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK EITHER FROM THIS DIET OR INDIVIDUALLY OR THROUGH, YOU KNOW, FOCUS GROUPS OR WHATEVER.
BUT THE QUESTION BECOMES IF THE BODY ISN'T MAKING AN ACTION, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE BODY? CORRECT.
UH, THE, WE, WE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE NECESSARILY, UH, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE ARTS COMMISSION, BUT I DON'T THINK WE HAVE, EVEN IN THE MUSIC COMMISSION ALWAYS APPROVE THE FINAL GUIDELINES.
WE HAVE PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE VOTED ON THROUGH THE WORKING GROUPS.
UM, BUT I DON'T THINK WE HAVE NECESSARILY YEAH.
IN, IN THE PAST THE ARTS COMMISSION MIGHT HAVE.
BUT HERE, WHAT I'VE SEEN, UH, IS THROUGH WORKING GROUPS, EVEN IN THE MUSICAL MISSION, WE HAVE PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN VOTED ON.
UH, BUT WE DON'T, UH, OF COURSE THE TWO BODIES DO OPERATE A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, BUT WE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY VOTED ON APPROVING THE FINAL GUIDELINES.
IT WAS MADE RESOUNDINGLY CLEAR IN THE MORE RECENT HISTORY AFTER WE'VE DONE A LOT OF APPROVING THAT OUR JOB AS A, AS A BODY IS TO ADVISE COUNSEL.
AND THAT WAS MADE VERY, VERY CLEAR TO US.
AND TO ADVISE COUNSEL, IN MY MIND, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A VOTE AND SAY, I AGREE THAT THIS IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY.
AND IF, IF WE CAN'T TAKE A VOTE AS A BODY, THEN WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? I AGREE.
OTHERWISE, IT'S JUST REACTIVE TO SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED.
AND THAT'S, THAT I THINK WAS THE SENSE OF THE COMMUNITY ANYWAY, IS WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PILOT.
IT WAS LIKE REACTIVE COMMENTS 'CAUSE DECISIONS WERE MADE AND THERE WAS NO, UH, OKAY.
SO, UH, THE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WANTED TO MENTION IS OUR BYLAWS ARE REALLY DUE FOR AN UPDATE.
NUMBER ONE, THEY SAY EDD INSTEAD OF ACME.
SO WE SHOULD MAKE THAT CHANGE.
BUT THE OTHER THING IS THEY STILL SAY THAT WE OVERSEE ALLOCATION, WHICH I BELIEVE CAME FROM BACK IN THE DAY WHEN THIS COMMISSION ACTUALLY REVIEWED THE GRANTS AND DECIDED WHO WON THEM.
WE NEED TO CLARIFY WHAT OUR JOB IS AND WHAT OUR, WHAT OUR COUNCIL PEOPLE WANT OUR JOB TO BE AND WHAT WE'RE READY TO DO AND WHAT ACME WANTS US TO DO.
AND I THINK WE ALL NEED TO, YOU KNOW, GO TO LUNCH AND TALK ABOUT IT FOR
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AGREE WE NEED TO BE ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT, NEXT MONTH THE ROLE OF THE ARTS COMMISSION, INCLUDING UPDATE OF THE BYLAWS.UM, I WANT, I'M GONNA HAVE COMMISSIONER ANDERSON REACH OUT TO LUIS GUTIERREZ
[03:15:02]
ABOUT HIS PRESENTATION TO SEE IF HE WANTS TO RESCHEDULE HIS PRESENTATION FOR AUGUST.WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION ON FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, ITS PROCESSES AND, UH, BENEFITS.
WE ARE GOING TO GO ONCE AGAIN BACK TO ARCH PRIORITIES.
AS ACME MOVES INTO STRATEGIC PLANNING, WE NEED TO GIVE SOMETHING FROM THE COMMISSION THAT SAYS THIS IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAYS THE PRIORITIES AND ARTS ARE.
UM, UH, WE STILL, COMMISSIONER SMALL HAS FOR MONTHS BEEN ASKING FOR FORECASTING ON THE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSURE AND WHAT THE HOT TAX IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
SO IF WE CAN SEND ANOTHER INVITATION TO SOMEONE FORECASTING FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER ABOUT THE, THE IMPACT ON HOT TAX, WE, UH, WE WILL BE AT THE END OF JULY SUBMITTING AN ANNUAL REPORT TO COMM, COMMIT TO COUNCIL ON WHAT THE ARTS COMMISSION HAS DONE.
IT DIDN'T MAKE THIS MEETING'S AGENDA, SO IT WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN SENT.
BUT I DO WANT TO REVIEW IT AS A BODY SO THAT WE SAY PUBLICLY ON THE RECORD, THIS IS WHAT WE DID IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR COMMISSIONER DISMAN? I WOULD LOVE A PRESENTATION ON ST AND IT MIGHT BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER, BECAUSE I THINK THE ONLY REASON WE'RE NOT ALL HAVING A LIVE PANIC ATTACK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE A CONVENTION CENTER IS BECAUSE ST SHOULD BE HITTING AT SOME POINT.
OH, AND I WOULD ALSO, MAYBE BECAUSE THIS ISN'T FOR AUGUST 'CAUSE IT'S SOUNDING LIKE WE HAVE A PRETTY BIG AGENDA.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM RALLY FROM RALLY AUSTIN.
WE USED TO GET A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THEM.
OUR DELEGATE IS NO LONGER SERVING ON THAT BOARD.
UM, BUT THEY'VE BEEN REAL QUIET.
I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEY GOT GOING ON, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND CSAP AND SPACE NEED BEING NEEDED.
SO I THINK WE'RE LONG OVERDUE FOR A PROPER UPDATE FROM THEM.
SO CAN WE EXTEND AN INVITATION TO RALLY AUSTIN FOR SEPTEMBER? OKAY.
COMMISSIONER MABA, UM, PRESENTATION ON THE 2026 BOND PROCESS, WHICH IS A STAFF THAT IS ALREADY ON THE, IT'S ALREADY ON THE AGENDA.
JESUS, THAT'S ALREADY ON THE AGENDA, CORRECT.
FOR AUGUST FROM BARBARA SHACK.
BARBARA SHACK SENT AN EMAIL WITH THE, WHO'S THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR? YEAH, ERIC.
JUST WANNA, IT'S IMPORTANT ONE, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE IT GETS ON THERE.
AND THEN, UM, DO WE NEED NEW A IPP REPRESENTATION? OH, SORRY.
WHY WOULD WE NEED COMMISSIONER MALDONADO IS NO LONGER ON THE DIOCESE.
OH, WE HAVE A VACANCY ON, ON, UH, WE HAVE A VACANCY, A VACANCY IN DISTRICT FOUR.
SO WE HAVE TO PUT SOMEBODY ON A IPP.
WE COULD JUST, CAN WE JUST ADD IT? IT'D BE QUICK.
SO A IPP AND DOWNTOWN COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS.
RIGHT? THAT'S THE MOTIVATIONS.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE, UH, COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, STRATEGIC PLAN, ARTS PRIORITIES.
AND THAT'S NOT PROGRAM RELATED.
ACME, UH, ANGELA MEANS SAID THAT THE NEXT PHASE AFTER WE GET THE GUIDELINES SOLIDIFIED IS TO DO A STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND SO THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE OVERALL GOALS FOR THE, FOR THE CITY ARE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH LADIES,
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER KEYS FOR BEING WITH US AT HOME.
WE ARE ADURING THE MEETING AT 9:19 PM