* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] CALL [CALL TO ORDER ] THE MEETING OF THE ARTS COMMISSION IN ORDER. I AM CHAIR HOUSTON. CALLING ROLE, UH, COMMISSIONER. KEYS PRESENT. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. COMMISSIONER GARZA. COMMISSIONER. SMALL PRESENT. COMMISSIONER SCOTA. I SEE COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. COMMISSIONER HUSSEI PRESENT. COMMISSIONER POWELL. NOW PRESENT. THERE YOU ARE. COMMISSIONER HINNEY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. COMMISSIONER ME CHARLA. PRESENT, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. WE HAVE QUORUM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ] STARTING OFF WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE SPEAKING TODAY. EACH PERSON IS ALLOWED THREE MINUTES TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS REGARDING ITEMS NOT POSTED. WE'RE GONNA START WITH MAGGIE METER FROM SUMMER BREAK THEATER. I THERE? YES. COME RIGHT THIS MICROPHONE RIGHT HERE. THANK YOU. ACKNOWLEDGING THAT COMMISSIONER GARZA IS PRESENT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UM, SO I AM MAGGIE METTER. I'M WITH SUMMER BREAK THEATER. I AM A VERY PROUD ADMIN FOR MY MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND SO I REPRESENT EDUCATORS VERY PROUDLY. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK UP ABOUT A COUPLE OF CONCERNS THAT WE HAD FOR THE ELEVATE GRANT, UM, APPLICATION PROCESS. UM, MAINLY JUST THAT IT WAS A BIT STRESSFUL AND CONCERNING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE RUBRIC AVAILABLE TO US WHILE WE WERE APPLYING. AND, UH, IT WAS ONLY AVAILABLE AFTER WE FOUND OUT WHETHER OR NOT WE GOT FUNDING. AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND NECESSARY EVEN TO HAVE THE RUBRIC AVAILABLE DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS. UM, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE, BUT I KNOW THAT SEVERAL ARTISTS, FRIENDS OF MINE FELT THAT THAT WAS PRETTY UNFAIR. AND, UH, BORDERLINE SET US UP FOR FAILURE BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS SUCCESSFULLY IF WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO AIM FOR WITH A RUBRIC. UM, ONE OF THE REVIEWERS ON MY PANEL WAS QUITE HARSH, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND I GET THAT AND I'M PLANNING ON DOING THE APPEAL PROCESS, BUT, UM, IT WAS VERY HURTFUL THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN WRITE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. THEY MISSPELLED ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAID IN THEIR COMMENTS. AND I JUST WOULD LIKE THAT, THAT PERHAPS THAT PROCESS COULD HAVE THE REVIEWERS TAKE THEIR COMMENTS MORE SERIOUSLY WHEN THESE GROUPS PUT A LOT OF OUR PASSION AND TIME AND ENERGY AND HEART AND WORK VERY HARD ON THOSE APPLICATIONS. UM, AND THAT PARTICULAR REVIEWER ALSO SCORED US OVER 50% BELOW WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DID. SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S AN OLYMPIC SCORING METHOD AND I GET THAT, BUT WHEN IT'S THAT, UM, DRASTIC BETWEEN THE SCORES, I GET CONCERNED THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT AND INFLUENCE OVER THE OTHER PANELISTS IN THAT CONVERSATION ON THE CALL. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SOLUTION IS FOR THAT. I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT FOR THE PAST WEEK, BUT I JUST, I WOULD LIKE FOR THERE TO BE SOME CONSIDERATION AND THE PANELISTS TO TAKE MORE TIME IN WHAT THEY SAY AND AT LEAST WRITE IN PROPER SENTENCES AND GRAMMAR AND SPELL THEIR COMMENTS CORRECTLY. UM, LASTLY, I DO, I DO KNOW THAT THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AND APPARENTLY DECISIONS WERE MADE THAT, UM, THE STAFF ARE NOT PERMITTED TO GIVE US FEEDBACK ANYMORE ON OUR APPLICATION PROCESS. AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY. UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED TO COME BACK BECAUSE, UH, THE FEEDBACK PROCESS USED TO BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US AND IT WAS OPEN TO EVERYONE. UM, IT WASN'T GIVING ANYONE ANY SORT OF ADVANTAGE. I WAS JUST ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT ENJOYED TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT BECAUSE I REALLY LOOK UP TO WHAT THEY SAY AND I REALLY ENJOY THEIR OPINIONS. THEY'RE VERY WISE. UM, I'VE WORKED WITH JESUS BEFORE, ANNE-MARIE. I REALLY ENJOYED WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY. UM, AND THE FACT THAT THAT WENT AWAY, UM, IT MAKES IT KIND OF DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING FOR US TO KNOW WHERE TO GO SOMETIMES THEN TO GET FEEDBACK ON OUR GRANT PROCESS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? UH, [00:05:01] BECAUSE THEN WE'RE LEFT TO SPEAKING WITH OUR COMPETITORS. THEY MAY NOT ALWAYS BE INCLINED TO WANT TO HELP US OUT. . UM, SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY POINTS OF CONCERN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME. UH, NOW WE HAVE JOEL LA VIOLLET FROM REE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA. I, SO DO I PUSH THE BUTTON? IS IT, OR IT'S JUST ON? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA READ FROM THIS SHEET HERE SO I DON'T MISS ANYTHING. UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS JOEL LA VIOLETTE AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE RATTLE TREE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA AND AUSTIN BASED COMMUNITY ARTS GROUP THAT PRESENTS FREE CULTURAL EVENTS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING CENTERED ON ZIMBABWEAN MUSIC. I'M HERE TO RESPECTFULLY BRING FORWARD WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE MISCLASSIFICATION IN THE RECENT ELEVATE GRANT AWARDS. THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS IN THE ELEVATE GRANT, ASK APPLICANTS TO STATE THE NAME THAT SHOULD BE PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED IF AWARDED, AND TO IDENTIFY THE APPLICANT. TYPE IN THAT APPLICANT. FOR OUR NAME, I PUT THE REE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA FOR OUR APPLICANT TYPE I PUT ARTS GROUP. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN AWARDED AN ELEVATE GRANT. HOWEVER, WHEN THE AWARDS WERE PUBLISHED, THIS PROJECT WAS LISTED UNDER MY PERSONAL NAME AND CATEGORIZED AS AN INDIVIDUAL ARTIST AWARD. BECAUSE THE PROJECT WAS PROCESSED UNDER THE INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY, THE FUNDING WAS CAPPED AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL RATHER THAN THE ARTS GROUP LEVEL THAT WAS REQUESTED. IT ALSO PUBLICLY MISREPRESENTS THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR DELIVERING THIS COMMUNITY WORK. THE RATTLE TREE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA. THIS PROJECT CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF FREE MABU AND MUSIC FESTIVALS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO SERVE AUSTIN RESIDENTS AND VISITORS AS PROPOSED, IT WAS STRUCTURED AND BUDGETED AS AN ARTS GROUP INITIATIVE. THE CURRENT CLASSIFICATION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER TO THE COMMUNITY. I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT I'M NOT QUESTIONING THE PANEL PROCESS OR THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE ARTS. I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION THAT EVERYONE HERE PUTS TOWARDS KEEPING THE ARTS ALIVE. IN AUSTIN, I FOLLOWED THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND I SOUGHT CLARIFICATION IN ADVANCE. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN UNINTENDED ADMINISTRATIVE OUTCOME, THEREFORE I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE COMMISSION TO DIRECT STAFF TO REVIEW THIS CLASSIFICATION SO THAT THE AWARD RECORD ACCURATELY REFLECTS THE REE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA AS THE RECIPIENT AND THAT WE ARE CORRECTLY CLASSIFIED AS AN ARTS GROUP, CORRECT CLASSIFICATION SUPPORTS, TRANSPARENCY, FAIRNESS, AND TRUST IN THE CITY'S CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF AUSTIN'S ARTS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW WE HAVE LAURA ESPARZA FROM ART ALLIANCE AUSTIN. A THREE. OKAY. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. UH, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. MY NAME IS LAURA ESPARZA. I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A THREE ART ALLIANCE AUSTIN, AND I'M HERE TO INVITE YOU TO THE BIG WE, UH, A CREATIVE CONVENING TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. FRIDAY FROM 12 TO EIGHT. SATURDAY FROM NINE TO 12, UH, THE CREATIVE, UH, COMMUNITY THAT, UM, PUT THIS TOGETHER WAS MADE UP OF A NETWORK OF NETWORKS, UH, THAT WE CALLED OURSELVES, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, A CREATIVE CONGRESS. AND, UH, THIS CREATIVE COMMUNITY, UH, CAME TOGETHER PRETTY SPONTANEOUSLY, UM, TO ASK A SHARED QUESTION, HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS SOMETHING GREATER THAN OUR DIFFERENCES? FROM THESE CONVERSATIONS, UH, THE CREATIVE CONGRESS EMERGED ACROSS SECTOR COALITION OF ARTISTS, ORGANIZERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND CULTURAL LEADERS FROM ALL GENRES OF, UH, CREATIVE PRODUCERS WORKING TO STRENGTHEN COHESION ACROSS AUSTIN'S CREATIVE COMMUNITY. UH, A THREE IS THE PRODUCER OF THE CONFERENCE HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND, AND THE GATHERING IS DESIGNED TO FOSTER COLLABORATION, SHARE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND GENERATE COMMUNITY DRIVEN SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES FACING AUSTIN'S CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM. I WANNA THANK, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN ACME, UH, FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UM, NOT ONLY THROUGH THE ELEVATE GRANT, WHICH PARTIALLY SUPPORTED, UM, THIS EVENT, UH, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE USE OF THE SPACE AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER. UM, WE ALSO RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON [00:10:01] THE ARTS, UH, HEB, UM, AND, UH, A NUMBER OF, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO SUPPORTED THIS EFFORT. SO WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL JOIN US. I'LL LEAVE SOME FLYERS FOR ANYONE IN THE ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE AND, UH, AT, AT THE VERY LEAST, COME FOR THE PARTY. IT'LL BE A GREAT PARTY ON FRIDAY NIGHT, UH, AT SEVEN O'CLOCK, UH, AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, UH, WHERE WE WILL BE NETWORKING AND, UH, TALKING ABOUT ISSUES, UM, THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN ADDRESS. WE WILL, WE WILL BE FEATURING SIX FLASH KEYNOTE SPEAKERS. THESE ARE PEERS IN OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE DONE SOMETHING REMARKABLE, UH, WITH THEIR TIME, WITH THEIR MONEY, WITH THEIR EFFORTS, UH, TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO. UH, AND WE'RE CELEBRATING THEM AND WE HOPE THAT YOU'LL BE THERE. THANK YOU. IS IT AT THE US ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER ON BOTH DAYS? YES. OKAY. IT SURE IS. THANK YOU. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LISTENING. CAUGHT THAT. ALRIGHT, THANKS. THANK YOU, ESPARZA. NOW WE HAVE MARIA LUISA GUTIERREZ. UM, DO WE HAVE ANYONE THAT CAN INTERPRET FOR HER? LUIS, DO YOU MIND? I WILL RESTART THE TIME ONCE LUIS. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARIA GUTIERREZ REPRESENTING CASA. I'M HERE BECAUSE IT, I FEEL IT'S VERY UNFAIR THAT I WAS LEFT OUT OF THE FUNDING CYCLE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MY HIGHEST APPLICATION SCORE TO DATE. I KNOW THAT SCORING CHANGED AND THOUGH IT CHANGED, I STILL FEEL THAT IT IS A BASIC RIGHT FOR INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION. I'M HERE REPRESENTING MY LATINO COMMUNITY. I COULD APPLY IN ENGLISH BECAUSE I KNOW IT, BUT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE I AM OLD AND BECAUSE I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE SPEAKING IN SPANISH. IF I'M HERE AND I KNOW A LITTLE ENGLISH, THEN WHAT ARE OTHER SPANISH SPEAKERS THAT DON'T KNOW ENGLISH? EXPERIENCING THIS PROGRAM IS ALSO FOR MY SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY. SO WHY ISN'T THERE ADEQUATE TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE APPLICANTS? THERE WERE A LOT OF ERRORS THAT I FOUND IN THE PANEL REVIEW. I WON'T GO INTO DETAIL BECAUSE IT'LL EAT AWAY AT MY THREE MINUTES. AND I FEEL THAT MY PROJECT IS ONE OF A KIND [00:15:01] MY COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ASKS FOR THIS PROJECT. NO, I NOT, HOW CAN I TELL MY COMMUNITY THAT THERE IS NO FUNDING THIS YEAR? THANK YOU MS. CORTIER. THAT'S YOUR TIME. WE WILL, WE WILL TAKE NOTE OF ALL YOUR ISSUES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW I HAVE, IS THERE SOMEONE HERE WHO DIDN'T GET TO SIGN UP ON THE SHEET FOR SPEAKING? OKAY. HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT, GINA? HOW DO WE HANDLE SOMEONE THAT DIDN'T GET TO SIGN UP? UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE LUIS RAMIREZ COME NEXT. I SUPPOSE IT IS UP TO THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR, BUT THE RULE IS THAT, UM, PEOPLE NEED TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION BY THE TIME THE MEETING STARTS. UM, AND SO, UM, I'M NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE RULES. IF YOU HAVE DISCRETION TO ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE TO SIGN UP IF YOU'D LIKE. WERE YOU PRESENT AT THE START OF THE MEETING? UH, FOR THE FIRST SPEAKER? YEAH, BUT NOT, I DON'T, I MEAN, I I WAS, I CAME IN JUST, WERE YOU PRESENT? BUT BEFORE I CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER? NO, I WAS NOT. SO YOU'LL HAVE TO BE HERE BEFORE WE CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER TO SIGN UP. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU MR. RAMIREZ. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. I WANNA START THIS EZ LUIS RAMIREZ, DIRECTOR LATINAS INTERPRET PAY. AND AGAIN, I'LL RESTART THE TIME. JESUS, LATIN AMERICA. AUSTIN, WHEN WE'VE, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE, YEAH, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU ON YOUR MIC. TRY IT ONE MORE TIME. THERE YOU GO. IT WAS GREEN . THERE WE GO. UM, LATIN, WHEN MOSES LATINAS, MY ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED, WE STARTED THE LATIN AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL OF AUSTIN. THE MISSION OF THE FESTIVAL IS TO REUNITE AND JOIN VISUAL ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, THEATER MAKERS, DANCERS, AND FILMMAKERS. THE MISSION OF THE FESTIVAL IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT IMMIGRANTS AND LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS SHARE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN SPECIFICALLY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IN TODAY'S CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'RE ALL LIVING AT A NATIONAL LEVEL. RE EL WE WERE AWARDED FUNDING BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN THROUGH CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING IN 2015 AND 2016. IN THAT TIME, WE SUBMITTED THE APPLICATIONS IN ENGLISH WITH JESUS'S ASSISTANCE. ONE OF THE, JESUS. THIS YEAR WE FELT EMPOWERED TO APPLY IN SPANISH BECAUSE IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT HAD NOT BEEN THERE BEFORE, AND THAT WE FELT THAT WE COULD EXPRESS OURSELVES BETTER THROUGHOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS. WE FLAGGED A LOT OF GRAMMAR ERRORS AND A LOT OF TRANSLATION ERRORS THAT REALLY CONFUSED, UH, THE QUESTIONS FESTIVAL. AND NOW WE REALIZE, OR WE FOUND OUT THAT WE WERE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR FUNDING. [00:20:01] AND EVEN THOUGH MISTAKES AND ERRORS DO HAPPEN, IN THIS CASE, THE IMPACT IS GRAVE BECAUSE IT'S 70% OF THE ARTISTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THIS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL ARE ALL LOCAL ARTISTS. SO WHAT WE ASK IS FOR YOU ALL TO PLEASE SUPPORT THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE'S RECOMMENDATION FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR IMPACTED LATINO ARTISTS THAT WERE NOT, UM, ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS THIS YEAR, WHICH THANK YOU MS. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. NEXT WE HAVE RAQUEL RIVERA, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE HECTOR CERVANTES. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. UM, I'M APOLOGIES IN THAT ADVANCE IF I SNEEZE. I'M GOING THROUGH REALLY BAD ALLERGIES TODAY, BUT MY NAME IS JACQUE RIVERA. I AM A FOUNDER OFS DANCE COMPANY AND, UH, MOST RECENTLY SICO HAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR ELEVATE AS WELL, UM, ALONGSIDE MY COLLEAGUES IN SUPPORT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, AND ALSO THE SPANISH TRANSLATION. I AM A BILINGUAL LATINA ARTIST, SO I BOTH KNOW BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. ALTHOUGH SPANISH IS MY FIRST LANGUAGE AND IT IS THE DIRECT POPULATION THAT I SERVE AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT I WORK WITH DOING THIS APPLICATION PROCESS AND JUST THE WHOLE PART AFTER THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND RECEIVING THE EMAILS AND THE COMMUNICATION WAS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL AND WRONG. BEING THAT I KNOW ENGLISH AND SPANISH, A LOT OF THE WORDS THAT WERE BEING TRANSLATED WAS DID NOT MEAN THE SAME THING. UM, ALSO NOT KNOWING WHAT I COULD OR COULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR WAS NOT VERY UNDERSTANDABLE. ONE OF THE VIDEOS THAT TRANSLATES WHAT, UM, ACME POSTED TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IN SPANISH WAS, UH, WHEN YOU TRANSLATED ACME, WHICH IS AUSTIN'S ART, CULTURE, MUSIC, AND ENTERTAINMENT IN SPANISH WOULD BE TRANSLATED TO , WHICH MEANS TRAINING, AUSTIN'S ART, MUSIC, CULTURAL TRAINING, NOT ENTERTAINMENT. UM, NOT TO MENTION THAT EVERY SINGLE DOCUMENT THAT AUSTIN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS STATED IN ENGLISH, IN SPANISH IT SAYS, WHICH MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT AND EXPRESS MY SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES AND ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, APPLY IN SPANISH AND THAT STILL DON'T HAVE EQUITABLE APPLICATION PROCESSES. AND JUST HOPING WE CAN MOVE THAT CONVERSATION FORWARD INTO REALLY HAVING SOMETHING BETTER FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE MY REMAINING TIME, IF POSSIBLE, TO LUIS ORES. THANK YOU. HECTOR CERVANTES. IT ALWAYS HAS TO BE THE SAME ONE. YEAH. HI, THIS IS HECTOR CERVANTES, AND IF IT'S POSSIBLE, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE MY THREE MINUTES TO LUIS ORS PLEASE. SO I HAVE LUIS ORS NEXT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE GOT 3, 6, 7 MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. GOOD EVENING COMMUNITY. UM, I WILL BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE. I'M HERE, UM, AS YOU CAN ALREADY TELL, TO SUPPORT OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS, UM, COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN. I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF APPLYING IN ENGLISH AND BEING FUNDED. AND SO THIS IS NOT INDIRECT BENEFIT OF MYSELF OR OUR YOUTH ACADEMY BECAUSE WE WERE, UH, THANKFULLY FUNDED. BUT THIS IS FOR ALL OF THE SPANISH APPLICATIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED THAT DID NOT RECEIVE FUNDING EVEN THOUGH THEY SCORED HIGH EIGHTIES OR EVEN IN THE NINETIES. I JUST WANT TO SHARE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE SPANISH COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES. AND THIS IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US, COMMISSIONERS, ACTIVISTS, AND APPLICANTS AS WELL. FOR THOSE OF, JUST AS A REFRESHER, I BROUGHT, UM, I'M A THEATER MAKER, SO I BROUGHT PROPS , 30% OF AUSTIN'S POPULATION IDENTIFIES AS LATINO. 30% OF AUSTIN'S POPULATION SPEAKS ANOTHER LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, PRIMARILY SPANISH. SO JUST LET'S [00:25:01] IMAGINE AND LET'S HAVE THAT FIGURE OF HOW MANY SPANISH SPEAKERS ARE IN THIS CITY, HOW MANY SPANISH SPEAKING ARTISTS WE HAVE THE GIFT OF HAVING. AND THEN LASTLY, 46% OF AUSTIN'S UNDER 18 POPULATION IDENTIFIES LATINO. SO HALF OF AUSTIN'S CHILDREN NEARLY IDENTIFY AS LATINO OR HISPANIC. NOW, I SHARE THIS IN CONTEXT OF WHAT SPANISH SPEAKING LATINO APPLICANTS GO THROUGH AND WENT THROUGH IN THESE LAST THREE MONTHS. FOR EXAMPLE, APPLICANT LR. AND AS I'VE BEEN HERE EVERY OTHER MONTH, SHARING WHAT THESE APPLICANTS HAVE GONE THROUGH. THIS PARTICULAR CASE IS NOT ISOLATED. THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT AN APPLICANT SENDS IN THEIR INTAKE OR THEIR APPLICATION. AND WHEN A COMMUNICATION OR A MESSAGE IS RETURNED, APPLICANT LR SENT THESE, THESE ARE ALL SCREENSHOTS, SENT HIS INTAKE ON DECEMBER 4TH. HE DID NOT GET HIS ELIGIBILITY DECEMBER 19TH AT 10:00 AM THE DAY THE APPLICATION CLOSED, HE WAS GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT TO APPLY THE HARDEST APPLICATION OUT OF ALL OF THEM. HE WAS GIVEN SIX HOURS TO APPLY APPLICANT. MV. AND I'VE REDACTED NOT TO SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT HERE. UM, APPLICANT MV V SUBMITTED ELIGIBILITY DECEMBER 4TH, THE DATE OF THE DEADLINE NOTIFICATION OF INELIGIBILITY DECEMBER 19TH AT 10:00 AM THEY WERE NOT ABLE. AND THEY MESSAGED IMMEDIATELY, HEY, I HAVE BEEN FUNDED FOR OVER 10 YEARS. HEY, I'M AN ARTIST OF 30 YEARS IN AUSTIN. CAN, THERE'S, THERE'S AN, THERE'S A MISTAKE, THERE'S AN ERROR, NO ONE TO DATE, AND IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS. AND HE CAN STILL, HE STILL MESSAGES SUBMITTABLE. HE STILL HAS NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING. NOT EVEN A, HEY, WE GOT YOUR MESSAGE, APPLICANT S THIS APPLICANT MADE IT TO THE REVIEW. BUT IF WE LOOK AT THE MESSAGING THAT THEY GOT, NOT ONLY IS THE ACME DIVISION OF FINANCE WRONG, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE DIVISION OF FINANCE LAST I CHECKED, THEY'RE GONNA DEBATE THEIR APPLICATION AND THEY'RE GONNA CELEBRATE. THIS IS THE TRANSLATION THAT SAYS, WE WILL CELEBRATE AND DEBATE YOUR APPLICATION. IMAGINE SOMEONE WHEN YOU, YOUR, YOUR APPLICATION IS GONNA BE CELEBRATED AND DEBATED. THAT IS NOT WHAT A PANEL REVIEW IS. FURTHERMORE, WHEN I REACHED OUT TO CITY COUNCIL, THE MAYOR, EVERYONE TO SAY, HEY, WHAT IS GOING ON? THE CITY SAYS THAT THERE WAS A SPANISH LANGUAGE WORKSHOP. SO WE WENT IN AND DID A LITTLE RESEARCH. SO WE JUST TOOK SIX WORKSHOPS OUT OF THE MONTH LONG OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE CITY GAVE. THERE'S CODING IN EACH WORKSHOP THAT SAYS WHEN EACH WORKSHOP WAS CREATED. AND THIS IS AGAIN, JUST FIVE EXAMPLES BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TIME. ALL OF THESE WORKSHOPS WERE CREATED OR POSTED PUBLICLY. OCTOBER 16TH, THEY WERE IN PUBLIC ROTATION 29 DAYS, 31 DAYS, 31 DAYS. WHY WAS THE SPANISH WORKSHOP ONLY CIRCULATED PUBLICLY AND NOT EVEN CIRCULATED? WHY WAS IT IN PUBLIC REALM ONLY EIGHT DAYS, 2012 DAYS, 35 DAYS? WHY DID NO ONE SHOW UP TO THE SPANISH LANGUAGE APPLICATION WORKSHOP? BECAUSE NO ONE KNEW ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS CREATED A WEEK BEFORE IT WAS EVEN PUBLICLY TO DISSEMINATED. AND BY DISSEMINATED, I LIE BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL THE SCREENSHOTS OF EVERY SINGLE NEWSLETTER THAT WENT OUT THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN FROM SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER. NOT ONE MENTION I RAN OUTTA MONEY, SO I COULDN'T PRINT OUT THE FACEBOOK AND THE INSTAGRAM SCREENSHOTS. BUT YOU CAN GUESS THAT YES, NO, THE SPANISH LANGUAGE WORKSHOP DID NOT MAKE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. NO ONE KNEW LUIS RAMIREZ, WHO RECEIVED FUNDING IN 2015 AND 2016 DID NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY. I HAD A PERSONAL REACH OUT, WHICH IS WHAT I DO EVERY CYCLE. HEY, DO YOU KNOW THAT FUNDING IS OPEN? HEY, DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN APPLY IN SPANISH? SO ALL OF THIS IS SO HEARTBREAKING [00:30:02] WHEN YOU OPEN UP WHO WAS AWARDED TO FIND OUT THAT A HOUSTON BASED CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY, WHICH I LOVE, BASED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, WHO COMES TO PERFORM ONCE A YEAR AT THE LONG CENTER, A A A VENUE THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS, WAS AWARDED FUNDING THROUGH ELEVATE. THE ONE PROGRAM THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE APPLICANTS HAVE ACCESS TO, THEY CANNOT ACCESS THRIVE. THEY'VE BEEN DENIED NEXUS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT EMERGING BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS. SO IF THEY CAN'T APPLY FOR THRIVE AND THEY CAN'T APPLY FOR NEXUS AND ELEVATE IS THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE, BUT YET THIS HOUSTON, TEXAS BASED ORGANIZATION IS FUNDED. WE CAN'T EVEN GET A DECENT WORKSHOP. WE HAVE TRANSLATIONS THAT ARE BUTCHERED. WE HAVE INCONSISTENT MESSAGING. WE HAVE APPLICANTS RECEIVING A GREEN LIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE APPLICATION IS OVER AGAIN. I RAN OUTTA MONEY TO PRINT OUT WHAT DID WE ALL AS A COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER IN 2022 TO RECREATE AN EQUITABLE RESPECTFUL FUNDING PROCESS. AND SO WHAT WE ARE ASKING, THANKS TO THE GRASSROOTS EFFORTS OF SO MANY ARTISTS, THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE IS SUBMITTING A RECOMMENDATION FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR IMPACTED ARTISTS, SPECIFICALLY SPANISH LANGUAGE AND LATINO ARTISTS THROUGH THE UH, STABILIZATION FUND, UM, TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN THIS YEAR. WE WILL FORWARD THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU ALL AND TRULY HOPE THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT THESE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, LISA. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK UP FOR ITEM EIGHT ON THE AGENDA. AND THEN I HAVE TED OR OR THOSE DOWN FOR ITEM SEVEN ON THE AGENDA. THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. NEXT WE'RE GOING TO [APPROVAL OF MINUTES ] APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? I'LL ENTERTAIN A NOTE, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. SO MOVED BY COMMISSIONER CHARLA. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SCHWA. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR HAND. ANY OPPOSED SAYING NO OPPOSITION IN MINUTES ARE PASSED AS WRITTEN. NEXT WE [2. Update on actions taken at the March 2, 2026 Art in Public Places Panel by Commissioner Schmalbach.] HAVE ITEM NUMBER TWO, UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN OF THE MARCH 2ND, 2026 ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL BY COMMISSIONER SCH SMALL. HELLO EVERYONE. UM, THE, WE HAD A RELATIVELY SHORT MEETING LAST TIME. WE HEARD THE TEMPO ON THE TRAIL PRESENTATION THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA GET TONIGHT. HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, IT WAS NOT AN ACTION ITEM. UM, WE HEARD THE STAFF REPORT A, A SHORT REPORT ON THE PROGRESS, UM, REGARDING THE UPDATES TO THE A A PP ORDINANCE AND OTHER RELATED ISSUES. AND WE WILL ALSO BE GETTING A FULL UPDATE ON THAT TONIGHT. SO I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE, UM, DEEPER DISCUSSION. AND THEN WE GOT MID DESIGN PRESENTATIONS FROM TWO ADDITIONAL CONVENTION CENTER PROJECTS AND HAD SOME FEEDBACK ON THAT. UM, AND THEN WE APPROVE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO APPROVE THE FOUR ITEMS THAT, UH, ARE IN OUR BACKUP THAT WE WILL HOPEFULLY THAT WE'LL BE VOTING ON, UM, TONIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? COOL. I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MACH. APPRECIATE IT. ITEM NUMBER THREE, [3. Update on actions taken at the March 11, 2026 Downtown Commission meeting by Commissioner Houston. ] UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE MARCH 11TH DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING BY COMMISSIONER HOUSTON. UM, AT DOWNTOWN COMMISSIONER. THEY'RE TRYING TO GET MORE, UH, BODIES IN DOWNTOWN. THEY'RE TRYING TO INCREASE THE DOWNTOWN POPULATION TO 25,000 AND DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO GET THAT DONE. NOTHING SPECTACULAR COMING OUT OF DOWNTOWN COMMISSION RIGHT NOW. ITEM FOUR, [4. Discussion of the TEMPO on the Trail 2025-2026 Artist Final Designs Presentation by Mandi Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, The Trail Conservancy. ] DISCUSSION OF THE TEMPO ON THE TRAIL. 25 26 ARTIST FINAL DESIGNS PRESENTATION BY MANDY THOMAS, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY. CAN I DO A QUICK INTRO? HEY, ABSOLUTELY. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. JAIME CASTILLO, MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. IS THE MICHAEL K OKAY. I DON'T THINK SO. LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN. I THINK YOU JUST HAVE TO GET CLOSE TO THAT ONE. HOW ABOUT THIS? THAT ONE'S BETTER. YEAH, THAT'S WHY WE GOT MULTIPLE MICS. UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. JAIME CASTILLO, MANAGER FOR [00:35:01] ART IN PUBLIC PLACES FOR CITY OF AUSTIN, ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. UH, I JUST WANTED TO DO A QUICK INTRO. UH, AS A REMINDER, WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY FOR TWO YEARS NOW, UM, WHERE THEY HAVE HOSTED, UH, OUR TEMPO PROGRAM. IT IS STILL A CITY OF AUSTIN PROGRAM AND WE HAVE BEEN, UH, HAVING A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP. UH, TRAIL CONSERVANCY GIVEN US A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK. UM, AND THEY'VE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB. AND I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, SOME GREAT ARTWORKS THAT WE'RE GONNA CHECK OUT TONIGHT. AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, CHARLOTTE LER FROM THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. MANDY THOMAS WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT, BUT I'M CHARLOTTE TANZER. I'M THE CHIEF PROJECTS OFFICER WITH THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY. SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND TURNOUT TONIGHT FOR THIS UPDATE. UM, ON THE TEMPO PROJECTS. UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE, AS HE JUST SAID, TRAIL CONSERVANCY PARTNERED WITH A IPP TO HOST THE 25 26 TEMPO PROGRAM. AND I'M GONNA SHARE THE PROGRESS OF THE INSTALLATIONS THAT ARE ALMOST COMPLETE, UM, OVER THE TRAIL. UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE, UH, JUST A REMINDER OF THE TIMELINE, WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE LAUNCHED A OPEN CALL FOR QUALIFICATIONS IN AUGUST, UM, MIRRORING A IPPS ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS. WE HAD 113 APPLICANTS, THAT'S MORE THAN DOUBLE THE APPLICANTS WE HAD FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR. UM, THE BUTLER TRAIL ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE SELECTED NINE ARTISTS AND TWO ALTERNATES, UH, PENDING FINAL DESIGNS. THE FINAL DESIGNS WERE DISCUSSED AND APPROVED BY OUR TAG, OUR TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP THAT CONSISTED OF REPS FROM AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION, AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, UH, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES AND OTHERS BASED ON THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THEIR INSTALLATION. UH, FEEDBACK WAS SHARED WITH THE ARTIST AND SOME OF THEM MADE MINOR CHANGES, UH, TO MEET THOSE, UH, COMMENTS AND SITE SPECIFICITY. AND AS A PARTNER, UH, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, ALSO KNOWN AS TTC, HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO KEEPING BOTH THE A IPP PANEL AND THIS COMMISSION UPDATED ON OUR PROCESS. UH, A IPP STAFF HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL, UM, AND INVALUABLE PART OF THIS PROCESS, SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE A MAP OF THE, UH, LADY BIRD LAKE AND THE BUTLER TRAIL. AND WE MATCHED THE ARTIST AND THE DESIGNS TO NINE LOCATIONS AROUND THE TRAIL. UM, A FEW OF THESE LOCATIONS WERE FIRST TIME LOCATIONS FOR US, UH, SO WE HAD SOME FUN AND INTERESTING CHALLENGES THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH FOR THOSE. UM, NEXT SLIDE. UH, THE ARTIST WILL SHOW YOU THE TIMELINE. THEY WERE GIVEN DIFFERENT WINDOWS TO INSTALL THEIR INSTALLATIONS. UM, WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE PIECES GOING IN, YOU CAN SEE FOR THE LAST MONTH. UM, SO I'M EXCITED TO SHOW SOME PHOTOS AND SNEAK PEEKS TO THOSE, UM, INSTALLATIONS THAT YOU CAN NOW VISIT, UH, AROUND THE ROY BUTLER HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. UH, SO THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE FIRST INSTALLATION I'LL SHOW TONIGHT. THIS IS SETH PRESTWOOD. HE PAINTED PASSAGES UNDER THE FIRST STREET OR THE DRAKE BRIDGE, UH, PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, AND HE DECIDED HE WAS GONNA COVER THE ENTIRE 110 FOOT LONG UNDERPASS. UH, AND THE COLUMNS ON THE OTHER SIDE UNDER THE BRIDGE PASSAGES CELEBRATES THE DIVERSE TERRAIN ACTIVITIES, FLORA AND FAUNA ALONG THE TRAIL, SHIFTING THROUGH PORTALS AGAINST THE TWILIGHT GRADIENT. THAT IS PASSAGES THE NEXT SLIDE. UH, THE ARTIST IS IN FOLD COLLECTIVE MEGAN ECOL AND DANA WHITE. THIS IS CALLED SUN CLIPS. IT'S A SCULPTURE IN PFLUGER CIRCLE. AND I'LL SAY, I'VE WORKED ON THIS ONE TOO. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN FIGURING OUT WHERE, HOW WE'RE GONNA HANG THAT WITH THE ARTIST. UM, THIS PIECE IS CONSTRUCTED OF THIN CANVAS TENT, LIKE STRIPS THAT ARE LIGHTWEIGHT AND FLOW IN THE BREEZES. THE STRIPS ARE ATTACHED TO A STEEL PIPE, UH, SUSPENDED, UH, WITH HELIX RAMP. WITHIN THE HELIX RAMP. THE COLORS ARE REFLECTIVE OF AUSTIN SKY, LAND AND WATER DYNAMIC SHIFTING WITH THE VIEWER'S MOVEMENT, THE WEATHER AND THE TIME OF DAY. SO THAT IS SUN CLIPS. THE NEXT SLIDE IS WING TRACE. THIS IS SNA WOODARD'S SCULPTURE, AND IT'S JUST OUTSIDE, UH, THE SEA HOME WATERFRONT INTAKE BUILDING THERE ON SCISSOR CHAVEZ. UH, THE PANELS ARE FOUR FOOT BY SEVEN FOOT. THEY'RE CONSTRUCTED OF THE SAME MATERIAL USED ON PLAYGROUNDS WITH MIRRORS IN SET INTO THE FRAME. THE SEQUENCE OF PANELS TRACES THE MOTION OF THE GOLDEN [00:40:01] CHEEKED WARBLER, AN ENDANGERED SONGBIRD NATIVE TO CENTRAL TEXAS. I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT. GOLDEN CHEEK WARBLER FRAME BY FRAME ORIENTED TOWARD HIS EXCLUSIVE NESTING GROUND IN, UH, THE HILL COUNTRY. THAT IS WING TRACE. THE NEXT DESIGN IS COFFS. THIS IS TJ LEMANSKI. IT'S THE LATEST IN AN ONGOING SERIES OF SCULPTURES, WHICH BEGAN IN FALL OF 2020. THIS IS OVER AT THE ENTRANCE TO HOLLY FISHING PIER, NOT FAR FROM THE HOLLY UH, WAREHOUSES. EACH COLUMN STANDS AS A MEMORIAL TO LOCAL FLORA. DEAD AND FALLEN. LIMBS AND PLANTS TAKEN FROM THE TRAIL WERE CARBONIZED INTO THE CONCRETE BLOCKS, THE FIVE COLUMNS, SOME ARE FIVE FEET, AND THEY GO UP TO EIGHT FEET TALL. NOW, STAND AT THIS ENTRANCE, AS I SAID, NEAR THE OLD POWER PLANT. THAT IS CENO TOS. THE NEXT IS REVERIE UNDER ARCH. AND THIS IS ON THE SOUTH SHORE UNDER LAMAR. THIS IS DONE BY VICTORIA MARQUEZ, THE WHIMSICAL AND VIBRANT MURAL, DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE TRAILS, ANIMALS, AQUATIC LIFE INSECTS, AND NATIVE PLANTS. THIS MURAL CREATES AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE ON THE WATER'S EDGE AND AN UNDERUTILIZED SPACE. AND THAT IS REVERIE UNDER ARCH. LET'S KEEP GOING. THE NEXT IS GHOST HARPS. THIS IS OVER RIGHT BY THE HOLLY WAREHOUSES, BY THE DECOM POWER PLANT. THIS IS JC KING. AND THESE, UM, SIX OLIAN HARPS, ANCIENT WIND ACTIVATED INSTRUMENTS PRODUCE NATURAL ETHEREAL SOUNDS, INVITING MEDITATION ON THE SITE'S, HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL ANCESTRY, AND CREATING GRATITUDE FOR THE ANCESTRAL STEWARDS OF THE LAND. AND THAT IS GHOST HARPS. WHERE IS THAT ONE LOCATED? THIS, UM, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE DECOMMISSIONED HOLLY POWER PLANT IS? YEAH, THE WAREHOUSES. YOU'LL KIND OF SEE THOSE RIGHT IN THE BACK THERE. RIGHT NEXT TO THE YELLOW WAREHOUSES. OKAY. YES, ON THE EDGE OF THE LAKE. AND THE NEXT UH, SLIDE IS ALL BOATS BLOOM. THIS IS V NOSE, UH, IT'S LOCATED NEAR THE DOG PARK AT AUDITORIUM SHORES. THERE, UH, THIS PIECE EXPLORES COMMUNITY MIGRATION AND OUR SHARED CONNECTION TO NATURE THROUGH BOATS, WHICH SYMBOLIZES PASSAGE PROTECTION AND POSSIBILITY. THIS ONE SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF FOUR BOATS RANGING FROM 10 FOOT TO SIX FOOT IN LENGTH, ALL ABOUT THREE FEET TALL. THE BOATS ARE CONSTRUCTED OUT OF BAMBOO AND BRANCHES SOURCED FOR THE TRAIL DRIED, UM, ALL FETCHED TOGETHER IN PLACE. AND SHE WILL PLANT THOSE WITH NATIVE PLANTS, CAUSING THE INSTALLATION TO EVOLVE THROUGH GARDENING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THAT IS ALL BOATS BLOOM. THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS JAMAL HUSSEIN'S NEW LIGHT. THIS GIVES THE AGING AND SOMEWHAT NEGLECTED ODOM PAVILION. NEW LIFE. THE ODOM PAVILION IS THE STRUCTURE JUST WEST OF THE SEA HOME INTAKE BUILDING THERE ON CAESAR CHAVEZ. IRIDESCENT ACRYLIC PIECES HANG FROM A STEEL BRAIDED ROPE MOUNTED ON THE STEEL BEAMS OF THE PAVILION. THE EVOLVING LIGHT THROUGHOUT THE DAY BATHES THE PAVILION IN A DYNAMIC PLAY OF COLOR, INVITING VIEWERS TO LOOK UP THAT IS NEW LIGHT. AND OUR LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, IS KAMI, WHICH MEANS IN THE HEART OF THE SUN. THIS IS BY PRISCILLA LUE AND EF CHROMEBOOK. THIS IS AT INTERNATIONAL SHORES, UM, OVER EAST OF 35, UH, OFF LAKE SHORE. IT'S A 65 FOOT BY 65 FOOT QUILTED STRUCTURE THAT OFFERS SHELTER FROM THE TEXAS SUN THROUGH COLORFUL FABRIC PLANES THAT INTERACT WITH THE SUN'S MOVEMENT ACROSS THE SKY. CASTING SHOWS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND SEASONS, THE POLES ARE ALIGNED TO THE CARDINAL DIRECTIONS, INVITING VISITORS TO PAUSE AND BE MINDFUL OF OUR PLACE IN THE VAST COSMOS OF HERE AND NOW. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN, UH, ON FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM FINISHING THE INSTALL. IT IS NOW COMPLETE. AND THEN TO CELEBRATE ALL THESE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE ARE HAVING, UH, AN OPENING CELEBRATION THERE ON APRIL 11TH AT THAT SEA HOME, THE WATERFRONT INTAKE BUILDING. SO WE INVITE YOU AND ALL THE COMMUNITY IN TO MEET THE ARTIST, LEARN ABOUT THE PIECES, AND JOIN OTHERS IN CELEBRATING THE PUBLIC ART ON THE BUTLER HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. [00:45:01] THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SHEPHERDING THESE BEAUTIFUL WORKS. THANK YOU. UH, NOW WE'RE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE. REPORT FROM MAYORS PUBLIC. SHE, OH, HEIDI HAS A QUESTION. HEIDI, WHAT'S THIS DISCUSSION? THIS, UH, ARE WE, CAN, CAN ARE, ARE WE ABLE TO HAVE DISCUSSION ABOUT OH, YES. WE CAN DISCUSS. I'M SORRY. OKAY. OKAY. AWESOME. I JUST, I HAVE A COMPLIMENT SANDWICH. UM, I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A SUPER EXCITING COLLABORATION. I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR US TO WORK WITH TTC. UM, IT'S SUCH A PUBLIC SPACE I DO HAVE, AND THE THE PROJECTS ARE BEAUTIFUL. I HAVE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF ARTISTS WHO, UM, EXPRESSED SOME CONCERNS THAT, AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE BEFORE, THAT WERE TEMPO, YOU KNOW, IS DESIGNED TO BE A CAPACITY BUILDING, UM, PROGRAM FOR ARTISTS WHO ARE NEW TO PUBLIC ART AND MAKING THE LEAP FROM, IN MANY CASES, FROM A STUDIO PRACTICE TO LIKE THEIR FIRST OR OR SECOND, UM, PUBLIC ART PROJECT. AND OBVIOUSLY THAT REQUIRES LIKE, SUPPORT AND SCAFFOLDING AND HANDHOLDING. AND I, I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME FRUSTRATION. I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME FRUSTRATIONS EXPRESSED THAT LIKE THE COMPRESSED TIMELINE, AND I THINK WE SAW IT IN THE, IN THE OVERVIEW OF THE TIMELINE WHERE, YOU KNOW, ARTIST SELECTION TO FINAL DESIGN WAS LIKE OCTOBER 29TH TO NOVEMBER 14TH. SO FOR AN ARTIST WHO'S LIKE PRETTY NEW TO PUBLIC ART AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LIKE ALL THE INS AND OUTS, UM, OF HOW THE PROCESS WORKS, THAT'S A REALLY SHORT TIMELINE TO FIGURE OUT A LOT OF CHALLENGES. AND SOME OF THEM HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY'VE NOW BEEN IN PROBLEM SOLVING MODE AS THEY'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, INSTALLING WHEN, IF THEY HAD HAD MORE TIME AND A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT, UM, IN THE PROCESS, THAT SOME OF THOSE THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF EARLIER ON. SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING I WANNA FLAG, I THINK WE SHOULD FLAG NOW. 'CAUSE I DO THINK THE TEMPO PROGRAM IS SUPER IMPORTANT AND WE HEAR SO OFTEN, WE ALL WANT MORE OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY THE BIG OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, GO TO LOCAL ARTISTS AND TO HAVE THEM BE COMPETITIVE. BUT PART OF OUR JOB IN PREPARING OUR LOCAL ARTISTS TO BE COMPETITIVE IS TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THEY'RE REALLY LEARNING ALONG THE WAY. SO, UM, I THINK THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE GOT ARE GREAT. UM, I JUST WANNA FLAG THAT FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF THIS IF WE ARE PARTNERING ON THIS AGAIN OR WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT WITH TEMPO. UM, AND THEN I DID HAVE ANOTHER, I, IN ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THERE WAS A SPECIFIC COMPLIMENT GIVEN TO GRADY REED ON YOUR TEAM THAT HE'S BEEN LIKE, SUPER HELPFUL, UM, IN HELPING NAVIGATE SOME OF THE ISSUES. SO I JUST WANTED TO CALL THAT OUT, THAT, UM, THEY WERE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. THANK YOU. AND IS IT THAT YOU THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TIME IN THE PROCESS? UM, TIME FOR SURE. AND I THINK IT'S CHALLENGING THAT TTT, TTC DOESN'T CURRENTLY HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S, LIKE, FOR A WHILE THERE WAS SOME, A STAFF MEMBER THAT WAS SORT OF OVER, UM, THE ART, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HELPING TO STEWARD THE, I THINK THE TTT TT C STAFF CAN SAY MORE ABOUT IT, BUT, UM, THERE WAS A POINT OF CONTACT AND SO THERE WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS REALLY KIND OF THE, THE PRIMARY STEWARD OF THAT. AND THEN I KNOW THAT WE HAD A, A CONTRACT, UM, FOR A LITTLE WHILE WITH SARAH FROM DORF, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE EXACTLY, BUT I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TOO, IS LIKE, I WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, THERE JUST NOT BEING SOMEONE ON STAFF IF TTC IS GONNA CONTINUE TO STEWARD THIS PROGRAM ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND A IPP, LIKE THAT, THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE MORE CLARITY ABOUT THE KIND OF SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE ARTISTS THAT ARE NAVIGATING THIS, YOU KNOW, LEAP INTO PUBLIC ART IN SOME CASES FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THE ARTISTS WHO I'VE SPOKEN TO ARE COMFORTABLE LIKE GIVING LIKE A, A LIKE ENUMERATED LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS, WE CAN DEFINITELY ASK FOR THAT. UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY ARE, BUT, SO I'M, YOU KNOW, UM, SPEAKING ON THEIR BEHALF. BUT, UM, I COULD ALSO SUMMARIZE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, FOR THE NEXT ROUND. AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS HAD CONVERSATIONS THAT THEY COULD SHARE. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, IS THERE, THERE'S NOT A PROJECT COORDINATOR. AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS, AND HEIDI, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS. SO IF, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, THE TEMPLE PROJECTS DO NOT GO THROUGH A IPP AS FAR AS LIKE MID DESIGN OR ANY REVIEW OR ANY INTERACTION WITH THE ARTISTS, IS THAT CORRECT? WHAT YOU MEAN? YEAH, UM, I, [00:50:02] SORRY. SO THIS, THIS IS CHARLOTTE WITH A TRAIL CONSERVANCY. UM, NO, WE DO HAVE A DIRECT CONTACT. SO MANDY, MANDY THOMAS WAS IS IS THE DIRECT CONTACT, UM, FOR THE ARTISTS. UM, AND I DO JUST WANNA SAY, UM, TO, UM, HEIDI MACH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. I HEAR THEM AND I WILL DEFINITELY GO BACK TO MY TEAM AND WE WILL DISCUSS THOSE AND WE WILL LOOK AT TIMELINES AND, AND CONNECTIONS AS WELL. UM, I'M SORRY, THE SECOND QUESTION WAS, MY SECOND QUESTION WAS JUST WHETHER, IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, AND I KNOW WE HAVE NEW ART COMMISSIONERS, IS WITH THE TEMPO PROJECT NOW BEING SOURCED OUT, THE PROJECTS NO LONGER, THE ARTISTS DO NOT PRESENT THEIR PROJECTS TO A PP. IS THAT CORRECT OR NOT CORRECT? THAT THAT IS CORRECT. WE DIDN'T GET, THEY, YEAH, THEY ARE PRESENTED TO, UM, THE TR CONSERVANCY, BUT WE DO HAVE THAT TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP WHERE WE DO, UM, HAVE MEMBERS, I BELIEVE WE HAD A MEMBER FROM A IPP ON THAT AND THEN OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY. SO SOMEONE FROM A IPP IS STILL INVOLVED IN THAT. THE, THE, THE MAIN KIND OF RUNS NOW THROUGH TRAIL CONSERVANCY, SO, CORRECT. AND, OKAY, THANK YOU. I WOULD JUST ADD TOO THAT, UM, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE IS A POINT OF CONTACT WHO ALSO HAS LIKE A BUNCH OF OTHER JOBS, OF COURSE, AT TTC. UM, AND I THINK THAT IT, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT LIKE ARTS ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC ART ADMINISTRATION, AS WE KNOW FROM OUR A A PP STAFF IS A, IS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL SKILLSET. LIKE THERE, THERE IS A, IT'S NOT JUST, UM, ANYBODY WITH ANY PROFESSIONAL SKILLSET CAN STEWARD THESE PROJECTS. SO IT, I WOULD JUST LIKE ADVOCATE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION, PARTICULARLY LIKE HELPING TO STEWARD PUBLIC ARTS ADMINISTRATION SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE TEMPO IS SO IMPORTANT, AS WE SAID, WITH THE CAPACITY BUILDING. SO IT FEELS ALMOST EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS THAT EXPERIENCE IS LIKE REALLY INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT. AND WHETHER THAT PERSON IS A TT STAFF MEMBER OR AN A IPP STAFF MEMBER OR A, UM, YOU KNOW, A CONSULTANT THAT'S BROUGHT IN, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT MATTERS SO MUCH, BUT I DO THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT THEY, WE, WE PROVIDE THAT SCAFFOLDING FOR THE ARTISTS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THEY'RE GONNA COME OUT OF IT WITH THE, WITH THE CAPACITY BUILDING THAT I THINK IS INTEN, I, I BELIEVE IS INTENDED BY THE TEMPO PROGRAM. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER FOR THOSE COMMENTS. UM, I'LL ADD THAT TO SHARING THAT WITH MY TEAM AS WELL. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION OVER HERE? COMMISSIONER GARZA? IS MY MIC ON? OH, IT IS. OH, COOL. OH, SO WAS THERE, WAS THERE A PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE ARTIST FOR THE APPLICATION PROCESS ON TEMPO? THERE WAS. OKAY. COOL. COOL. NEXT QUESTION. UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WISHBONE PROJECT. ARE THERE ANY PROJECTS EAST OF THE WISHBONE PROJECT? THERE ARE NOT BECAUSE OUR BOUNDARIES FOR THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY KIND OF END THERE, JUST RIGHT WHERE THE TUNNEL COMES OUT. SO IT'S MORE JUST TOWARDS THE WEST PART? CORRECT. OKAY. UH, I ALSO NOTICED, UH, WAS THERE ONLY ONE APPLICANT THAT WAS APPROVED WHO WAS HISPANIC? IJI JUST SAW ONE NAME AND LOOKED HISPANIC. I'M NOT SURE ANY OF THE OTHER ONES WERE. UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN ANSWER THAT. I WOULD JUST BE GOING OFF THE NAMES. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING OFF THE NAMES, BECAUSE DURING THE NAMES, UH, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S 12.5% OF ALL THE APPLICANTS WERE HISPANIC. UH, I THINK, UH, LUIS WAS POINTING OUT THAT 30% OF AUSTIN IS HISPANIC AND SO ARE WE, UH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT, BUT MAYBE A BROADER LENS OF, UH, MAYBE THE, THE PANELIST. I'M NOT SURE WHO, WHO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT DEMOGRAPHICS THEY REPRESENT, BUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW, IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO JUST FEEL RIGHT FOR SOME REASON. YEAH. OKAY. NOTED. I'LL TALK WITH MY TEAM ABOUT THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER, UH, JAIME? GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I JUST WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. UH, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND Y'ALL, SINCE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TWO YEAR PARTNERSHIP, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE'VE, WE'VE DONE ASSESSMENT OF HOW THE PROGRAM WENT. UM, BUT I DO WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT THAT TEMPO IS AN A IPP PROGRAM. AND SO THAT IS, UH, IN TERMS OF THE, THE COMMENTS REGARDING THE SCAFFOLDING AND SUPPORT FOR THE EMERGING ARTISTS, THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, UM, CONSIDERING IN RELATION TO THE UPDATE THAT I'M GONNA GIVE IN TERMS OF THE ORDINANCE, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT, [00:55:01] IT'S NOT, UH, A SINGLE THING THAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT IT IN A HOLISTIC WAY AND ALSO TOUCHING ON THE DEMOGRAPHICS, RIGHT? WE, WE FOLD THAT INTO THE WHOLE PUBLIC ART COLLECTION. UM, BUT WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE, WE CAN DO BETTER OUTREACH AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, UH, THE WHOLE CITY OF AUSTIN IS, IS BETTER REPRESENTED IN OUR PUBLIC ART COLLECTION. SO PARTNERS AS WELL. ABS ABSOLUTELY. INFORMATION. YEAH. SO IT'S JUST A CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS IS A, UM, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT IT IS, IT DOES FOLD INTO A LOT OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, REVIEWING THIS PAST YEAR IN RELATION TO THE RESOLUTION. SO, UH, YEAH, ALWAYS WELCOME TO, TO YOUR FEEDBACK, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'LL JUST ADD ONE THING, COMMISSIONER HUSSAIN, UM, TO THE POINT THAT COMMISSIONER GARZA MADE, I'LL JUST SAY THAT I NOTED THERE WAS ONE PERSON WHO WAS INDIAN, ONE PERSON WHO IS VIETNAMESE, AND ONE, I DON'T KNOW, I MIGHT BE MAKING THIS UP PARTNERSHIP THAT SEEMED TO BE EASTERN EUROPEAN. SO I DID NOTICE A FEW, UM, DIVERSE NAMES IN THERE. AND I, I DID APPRECIATE THAT AND I APPRECIATE THE CALL OUT COMMISSIONER COR PAID. AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR CITY IS GENERALLY DIVERSE, RIGHT? SO, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS? I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMMISSIONER CHENEY AND COMMISSIONER ANDERSON ARE BOTH ON THE DIETS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. NOW WE'RE [5. Report from Mayor’s Public Places Task Force by Commissioner Garza. ] MOVING TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE, REPORT FROM MAYOR'S PUBLIC PLACES TASK FORCE BY COMMISSIONER GARZA. I HAVE NO REPORT AT THIS TIME. COMMISSIONER GARZA HAS NO REPORT AT THIS TIME. UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX, [6. Update on meeting with Acting Director of Austin Convention Center, Katy Zamesnik, by Commissioner Anderson.] UPDATE ON MEETING WITH ACTING DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN CONVENTIONS. SENATOR KATIE SNICK BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. NO REPORT AT THIS TIME, NO REPORT ON ITEM SIX. MOVING ON TO ITEM [7. Discussion on creating technical workshops at Cultural Centers. ] SEVEN, DISCUSSION ON CREATING TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS AT CULTURAL CENTERS IS MY ITEM, AND I HAVE NO MOVEMENT ON THAT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SICK. I DO APOLOGIZE. SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE THAT ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, [8. Discussion on The Long Center contract review. ] DISCUSSION ON THE LONG CENTER CONTRACT REVIEW. WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT ITEM. UM, LUIS, OR YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. IS LUIS STILL HERE? HERE HE IS. QUICK QUESTION. UM, HECTOR SIGNED UP FOR NUMBER SEVEN. I KNOW THAT, CAN HE STILL SHARE HIS STATEMENT ON NUMBER SEVEN? UHHUH? UHHUH? DID HE WANNA MAKE A GENERAL STATEMENT AS WELL? YES. OKAY. YEAH, WE'LL GIVE HIM TWO, THREE MINUTE THINGS. OH, I'LL MOVE AWAY. HECTOR ZA, THIS IS YOUR GENERAL STATEMENT. UH, YES. ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS. OH, SO WE HAVE IT. OH, YOU WANTED TO TALK ON TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS, SO, YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT. GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. YES. OKAY. UM, WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, GOOD EVENING. UM, I GUESS KIND OF WHERE TO START, UH, OBVIOUSLY TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S OBVIOUSLY A GREAT IDEA, UH, BUT IN ALL HONESTY AND CANDIDNESS, UM, I'M JUST FRUSTRATED WITH, WITH, I WOULD SAY LIKE THE LEVEL OF INCOMPETENCE WITHIN ACME. UM, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL GETTING NOWHERE. UM, I MEAN, I, I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE AWARE AND THE PUBLIC IS AWARE, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE ACME AND IT'S A NEW DEPARTMENT, IT'S STILL COMPRISED OF FOLKS TRANSFERRING IN FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. SO WE STILL HAVE FOLKS TRANSFERRING IN, YOU KNOW, FROM PARD THAT COME WITH THAT MENTALITY AND THAT CULTURE OF WORK. THEY'RE NOT CULTURAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS NOR ARTS MATTER EXPERTS, WHICH IS THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD EVEN BEFORE M WAS CREATED. AND WE HAVE THE SAME SITUATIONS AND THE SAME CHALLENGES. UM, WE KNOW THAT MIME DOESN'T HAVE ANY MONEY, UH, FOR PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING. YOU KNOW, NOTHING NEW BECAUSE ACME'S BUDGET IS COMPRISED OF THE BUDGETS. ONCE AGAIN, THAT WAS TRANSFERRED IN FROM LAST YEAR, AND THAT SEEMS TO BE THE CASE FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR AS WELL. SO HOW DO WE PROPOSE TO HAVE TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS IF THERE'S NO MONEY? UM, WE RECENTLY TOURED THE MAC OF YOU. AS YOU GUYS KNOW, THE MAC IS STILL NOT OPEN BECAUSE OF ALL, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL CHALLENGES. UM, BUT IT'S, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE WORDS FOR IT. YOU KNOW, THEY SPENT, WELL, THE PHASE [01:00:01] TWO OF THE MAC IS NOT BEING COMPLETED AS EXPECTED BECAUSE OF BUDGET CUTS. UH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED ALONG THE WAY, BUT THERE'S SEVERAL, UH, RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONS AND INCLUDING FROM CITY COUNCIL, UH, THAT DIRECTS, YOU KNOW, STAFF TO CONTINUE THE PROJECT, THAT CONTINUE THE SCOPE OF PROJECT WITHOUT CHANGES OR CUTS. HOWEVER, THAT WASN'T THE CASE POINT IN THAT I WANT TO MENTION IS THAT IF YOU GO INTO THE MAC AS IT'S GONNA BE OPENED, THERE IS A MUSIC WING. UM, MUSIC SUPPOSED TO BE A, UH, SORRY, SUPPOSED TO BE A RECORDING STUDIO AND A PRACTICE, UM, STUDIOS. BUT YOU GO IN THERE AND THERE'S NO EQUIPMENT WHATSOEVER ANYWHERE. WHY IS THERE NO EQUIPMENT? BECAUSE THERE WAS NO MONEY. SO LIKE, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? AND THEN WE CAN'T TOUCH THE BUILDING BECAUSE THE CITY WILL BE ACCEPTING THE BUILDING. AND THEN ONCE IT ACCEPTS IT, THERE'S A YEAR OF WARRANTY, AND IF ANYTHING IS DONE TO IT WITHIN THAT TIMEFRAME, IT VOIDS THE WARRANTY. SO WE JUST SIT THERE FOR A YEAR AND NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THE ROOM. DO WE BRING IN OUR OWN EQUIPMENT? DO WE SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE IT WORK? BUT WE'RE BEYOND THIS, LIKE, WHY ARE WE STILL TRYING TO MAKE THINGS WORK? AND ALL OF THAT IS NOT GONNA CHANGE UNTIL WE SEE SOME CHANGE. LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT ACME'S CULTURE, YOU KNOW, THEY RECENTLY HIRED A PRODUCTION MANAGER AT THE MAC THAT HAS NO EXPERIENCE WITHIN PRODUCTION. AND IT'S LIKE, HOW DO WE, HOW DO, HOW DO WE KEEP DOING THAT? HOW, HOW, HOW DO WE KEEP STUMBLING ON THE SAME, EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE MY, MY, MY, MY LANGUAGE, BUT THE, THE SAME F*****G ROCK. LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES WE'VE COME HERE, HOW MANY YEARS WE'VE COME HERE, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SIT FOR ANOTHER YEAR BECAUSE WE CAN'T TOUCH THE MAC AND WE MAKE, WE CAN'T MAKE ANY CHANGES. THEY INVESTED, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY ON SOME, UM, RETRACTABLE SEATING TRIED TO GET IT TO OPEN AND IT WAS BROKEN, AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY INVESTED, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY INTO THIS SYSTEM, WHICH IS THE ONLY SYSTEM TO GET INTO THE TECHNICAL BOOTH AT THE AUDITORIUM AT THE MAC, YET IT'S SUPPOSED TO OPEN IN LIKE A MONTH OR TWO. I MEAN, IT'S JUST LIKE BEYOND, YOU KNOW, JUST IMAGINABLE CIRCUMSTANCES. THE, THE STATE OF DISPAIR DISREGARD THIS, EVERYTHING AS IT STANDS. UM, SO WE'VE ASKED, I'VE ASKED, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS TO REALLY LIKE, PUSH AND REALLY DO SOMETHING BECAUSE THAT'S NOT JUST AT THE MAC. IT'S THE SAME THING AT THE ASIAN, UH, AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER. IT'S THE SAME THING AT THE CARVER. LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON? YOU KNOW? AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT IT, THE COMMON DENOMINATOR, IT'S STILL BEING MANAGED BY THE SAME PEOPLE ON THEIR PAR THAT CAN'T ADVOCATE FOR US BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE AND THEY'RE NOT, UH, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN CULTURE OR ARTS. YOU KNOW? SO WE JUST, I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, IT'S, I JUST, I I JUST HAVE NO WORDS. I MEAN, I, I, I HOPE I REALLY ASK FOR YOU GUYS TO, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND CHANGES, YOU KNOW, TO RECOMMEND MEETINGS, TO RECOMMEND WORK GROUPS. I MEAN, IF THEY DON'T KNOW, THAT'S FINE. AWESOME. GREAT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, JUST REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. THEY KEEP SAYING, OH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA ENGAGE COMMUNITY. WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET A BETTER, MAKE IT BETTER. BUT THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, TO THIS DAY I STILL HAVEN'T MET WITH ANYBODY FROM ACME, EVEN THOUGH THEY PROMISED TO GET TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS. THAT WAS ACTUALLY BEFORE COVID, AND I'M STILL WAITING FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY. UM, SO YEAH. UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. I APPRECIATE THE TIME. I HOPE, YOU KNOW, MY WORDS MEAN SOMETHING, COMMUNITIES MEAN SOMETHING TO Y'ALL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, IT'S JUST DISHEARTENING. IT'S SAD. THANK YOU, MR. OROZ. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THIS, THIS, BECAUSE HE'S IN THE AGENDA, BECAUSE OF THE NEW, UH, TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, WE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON IN THE AGENDA. SO ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CHAIR, COMMISSIONER CHARLA? YEAH. UM, I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC HUBS, UM, ACROSS THE PO CENTERS, UH, THE MAC, UH, NATION, AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, AS WELL AS, UH, POTENTIALLY HAVING ONE IN THE FUTURE AT, UH, THE CARVER OR THE MILLENNIUM CENTER. UM, IT IS AN INITIATIVE THAT STARTED, UH, WHEN, UH, MRS. BARZA HERE WAS, UH, IN PART, UM, I, UM, HAVE THE, UM, PRIVILEGE OF CHAIRING THE BOARD OF A NONPROFIT CALLED [01:05:01] EQ AUSTIN AS A VOLUNTEER. AND WE HAVE WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS, EVEN, UH, DATING BEFORE I JOINED, OR I HAD THE DIRECT ASSOCIATION WITH THIS ORGANIZATION ON THIS IDEA OF CREATING CREATIVE MUSIC HUBS AT THE CITY OWNED CENTERS, ESSENTIALLY TO SERVE AS A PORTAL OF ENTRY FOR ARTISTS FROM DIVERSE DIASPORA ACROSS, UM, AUSTIN AND GREATER AUSTIN INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. OF COURSE, UH, AROUND THIS WAS ALSO THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD SERVE LARGER PURPOSES ACROSS, UM, YOU KNOW, FILM, TECHNOLOGY, MUSIC. HOW DO THEY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW DO THEY COHESIVELY BUILD SOMETHING, UH, AROUND THAT? SO THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS HAPPENING AT THE MAC WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE WALLS FOR THE RECORDING STUDIO, UM, AND SOME REHEARSALS, RACES, ET CETERA. AND THE IDEA THERE, UM, IS I DO UNDERSTAND THAT RIGHT NOW I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF BUDGET CITI HAS TO ACTUALLY EQUIP, UH, THE PLACE, BUT THE IDEA THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO ENGAGE INDUSTRY, UH, BECAUSE THE PURPOSE OF THESE HUBS WOULD BE TO, FOR EDUCATION WORKSHOP PURPOSES, BUT ALSO, UM, REALLY FOR, FOR YOUNG ARTISTS FROM THE COMMUNITY OR OR OTHER, EVEN ANYBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY TO COME IN AND BE ABLE TO RECORD A DEMO, BE ABLE TO, UM, ESSENTIALLY FIND THE RESOURCES, FIND THE CONNECTIONS TO GET INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? SO THE IDEA IS ALSO TO BUILD SOME CENTER OF COMPETENCIES AROUND, UH, PERHAPS DO A TECHNOLOGY CENTRIC CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AT A RC, UH, DO YOU KNOW, A MUSIC CENTRIC FOCUS AT THE MAC? UH, EITHER THE COVER OR MILLENNIUM CENTER DO, UH, A FILM FOCUS ALONG WITH HAVING A CREATIVE MUSIC HUB. SO THAT IS THE IDEA AROUND HAVING THESE MUSIC HUBS. AND WHAT WE AT RN ARE WORKING ON IS TO GET INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT AND GET RESOURCES FROM THE PRIVATE INDUSTRY SO THAT THAT COLLABORATION EXISTS WITH THE, WITH THE CENTERS AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW. SO IT, IT HAS TO BE A MIX OF A, IT MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BE OUR NONPROFIT, BUT IT HAS TO BE A MIX OF, UM, YOU KNOW, CITY, NONPROFIT, PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO REALLY MAKE IT WHAT, UH, THESE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE. AND ESSENTIALLY, AGAIN, UH, THESE ARE CITY RESOURCES. THEY CAN BE AVAILABLE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY TO EVERYBODY. BUT THE IDEA IS ALSO THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY EMERGING ARTISTS FROM THE DIVERSE DIASPORAS, WHICH ALREADY CALL THIS HOME, IT, IT'LL BE A HOME FOR THEM, ESSENTIALLY. THEY CAN COME THERE, GET THE RESOURCES AND FIND THEIR WAY INTO THE INDUSTRIES. SO THAT WAS THE IDEA AROUND THIS MUSIC HUB. I'M AWARE OF THE WHOLE CONCEPT SIMPLY BECAUSE I, I ACTUALLY RAN SOME OF THE TOWN HALLS, UM, FOLKS FROM EQ AUSTIN, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, MR. VALLEJO AND OTHERS RAN FOCUS GROUPS TO PRESENT, UH, UH, A PROPOSAL TO THE CITY, TO THIS END, UH, AS TO WHAT THIS HUBS COULD LOOK LIKE. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE SOME BACKGROUND AROUND WHY THAT RECORDING STUDIO EXISTS THERE. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, NOW WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE CITY, UH, AND SEEING HOW WE CAN, UH, BRING THE RESOURCES IN FROM THE INDUSTRY TO BE ABLE TO EQUIP THESE SPACES. AND, UH, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS, UH, THE STAKE OFF BECAUSE IF THEY BELONG TO THE CITY THAT IS, UH, UH, A STAKE IN THE GROUND FOR ALL THE DIVERSE DIASPORAS ACROSS AUSTIN TO BE A PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, UM, IT ALLOWS, UM, REALLY FOR, AGAIN, YOUNG ARTISTS TO COME IN AND, AND FIND RESOURCES. SO THAT'S THE CONCEPT AROUND WHY THAT EXISTS THERE. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER KEYS, AND THEN COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. UM, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THE GENTLEMAN GENTLEMAN'S NAME, BUT, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING. AND I JUST HAVE TO SAY THAT, I MEAN, I, I AGREE. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS AT CULTURAL CENTERS WHEN WE REALLY HAVEN'T EVEN ADDRESSED THE MILLENNIUM NOT EVEN BEING OPEN CONSISTENTLY. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN BE RUNNING MUSIC PRODUCTION OUT OF A FACILITY THAT ISN'T PROPERLY STAFFED. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT AT THE CARVER WHEN I'VE ADDRESSED HOW THERE WERE PERSONNEL AT THE CARVER THAT BULLIED ARTISTS, AND I'M, I'M LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER WHEN THESE ARTISTS WENT OVER MONTHS UNPAID AFTER WE WERE ALREADY IN NEW FISCAL YEARS. AND THAT WAS NEVER ADDRESSED PUBLICLY IN WHAT, WHAT RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WOULD HAPPEN AND HOW WE COULD AVOID THAT IN THE FUTURE AT THE CULTURAL CENTERS. AND SO IN THAT SAME PERSON, I ALSO GOT FEEDBACK FROM HAVING, UM, [01:10:01] SITUATIONS AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER AS WELL. AND SO IT'S NOT ONLY JUST BEING A CAPACITY ISSUE, IT'S OF COURSE A MONEY ISSUE. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HONESTLY JUST LIKE THE ARTISTS DON'T, LIKE I'M GETTING, ARTISTS DON'T FEEL SAFE AT TECHNICAL, AT THE CULTURAL CENTER. SO HOW ARE WE DOING ANY PROGRAMMING AT THESE CENTERS WHEN THEY DON'T FEEL SAFE ACCESSING THEM? THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING AT THE MILLENNIUM WHEN WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHO IS RUNNING THE MILLENNIUM RIGHT NOW. LIKE, THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING TO ME. I, AND I, I'M SORRY, BUT I'M LIKE, I'M MISSING A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BECAUSE I'M LIKE, WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT CULTURAL CENTERS? LIKE WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN LIKE AD NAUSEUM. I'VE SENT IN AT LEAST 30 DIFFERENT IDEAS IN WAYS THAT WE COULD ACTIVATE THE MILLENNIUM. I'VE SENT, LIKE, WE, WE'VE HAD AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE CARVER SINCE WHEN, AND I'VE NOT HEARD A NEW PLAN OF ACTION BE ROLLED OUT. ANY PROGRAMMING, ANY CAPACITY BUILDING IN ANY RELIEF FOR THE STAFF THAT'S WENT WITHOUT AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OVER A YEAR? I, I JUST, I, I DON'T UNDER, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. UM, AND I KNOW I'M STILL, MAYBE I'M CONSIDERED STILL NEW AS A COMMISSIONER, BUT I, I, I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE ARE, WE'RE STILL TALKING IN CIRCLES ABOUT THESE THINGS THAT SEEM, IF WE REALLY CARE, LIKE I, I MEAN THEY, THEY SEEM A LOT EASIER TO SOLVE AND RESOLVE. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON? YEAH, HI. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. UH, COMMISSIONER CHARLA'S STATEMENT. ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE SHELL OF RECORDING STUDIOS WAS BUILT AT THE CITY'S EXPENSE, BUT THE GUTS OF THEM ARE EXPECTED TO BE DONATE DONATED BY SOMEONE FROM THE INDUSTRY? THAT IS NOT DETERMINED AND THERE IS NOT A STAFF TO RUN THE EQUIPMENT? UH, WHEN WE PROVIDED THE PROPOSAL, UH, WE ASKED FOR TWO STAFF AT THE, AT THE MAC, UM, ALONG TO, TO, TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. WE SUGGESTED THAT WE, THERE'D BE TWO STAFF MEMBERS, UH, OKAY. YOU KNOW, UH, HIRED AND THAT WAS APPROVED. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT. OKAY. YEAH, I ONLY ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE WITH THE THEATERS, THE THEATER SPACES AND, UH, THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOMS THAT ARE USELESS THEATERS, UM, THERE'S OFTEN NOT BEEN A TECHNICAL DIRECTOR. AND IT'S THE SAME KIND OF SITUATION. YOU HAVE AN AMAZING SPACE, IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE, BUT THE LIGHTS DON'T WORK BECAUSE THEY'VE NEVER BEEN REPLACED BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE TO MAINTAIN THEM, THAT KIND OF THING. SO THIS SEEMS LIKE KIND OF A REPEATING PATTERN, AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT ONCE AND FOR ALL, HONESTLY. YEAH, I MEAN, WE HAVE DEFINITELY STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING, UM, APPROPRIATE STAFF TO RUN SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, UM, AT LEAST FROM, UH, THE, UH, THE ASPIRATION THERE IS TO HAVE IT FOR BOTH EDUCATIONAL BUT ALSO FOR PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES. RIGHT? SO IT WOULD NEED THE APPROPRIATE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT, UM, IRRESPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY CORRELATING AROUND IT AND THE INDUSTRY COALING AROUND IT. YEAH. NOT UNLIKE WHEN PEOPLE WHO USE THE ZILKER STAGE HAVE TO REBUILD THE STAGE IN ORDER TO USE IT. IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING FACILITIES IF THEY DON'T FUNCTION AND DON'T HAVE STAFF? AND I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT MY, MY PURPOSE IN PUTTING THIS ON THE AGENDA WAS TO HAVE MEETINGS WITH THE CULTURAL CENTER STAFF AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU DON'T, WHAT IS NOT BEING SUPPORTED? LIKE ROOMS THAT ARE BUILT FOR RECORDINGS THAT DON'T HAVE RECORDING EQUIPMENT OR STAFF THAT'S NOT AVAILABLE, AND HOW MUCH IS IT GONNA COST? I'M, I'VE BEEN INTENDING TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS WITH THE CULTURAL CENTERS, NOT TO JUST START A PROJECT AND GIVE, PUT MONEY INTO A PROJECT PROGRAMMING, BUT TO FIND OUT WHAT IS NEEDED IN EACH OF THE CENTERS AND HOW THEY'RE FALLING SHORT. AND IF I MAY, JUST TO CLARIFY AND ANSWER, GOING BACK TO MY COMMENT OF INCOMPETENCE AND BEING TIRED AND FRUSTRATED, LIKE, THIS IS WHAT IT ADDRESSES BECAUSE, AND UNFORTUNATELY ALL OF THIS CONVERSATION, IT ENDS UP PINNING ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY AGAINST COMMUNITY AND THEN COMMUNITY AGAINST CITY. AND IT JUST BECOMES THIS, THIS UN IT'S NOT ATTAINABLE, UNATTAINABLE SITUATION, BUT IT CREATES CONFLICT AND IT CREATES TENSION AND WE JUST HAVE TO LIKE EAT IT. AND IF WE WANT TO KEEP WORKING AND PRODUCING ART, WE JUST GOTTA ROLL WITH IT. AND I MEAN, I THINK US ARTISTS, WE'RE FINE WITH THAT. I'M FINE WITH THAT. AND I'LL CALL IT LIKE IT IS, UM, WITH THIS NOTION. I HAVE A TEXT RIGHT HERE FROM A COMMISSIONER, AND I'M GONNA READ YOU VERBATIM WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT BUDGET. AND IT SAYS, AT THIS TIME, MAC MANAGEMENT IS LOOKING AT NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET [01:15:01] TO BE THE SAME AS THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, BUT MOST LIKELY A LITTLE LESS APPROXIMATELY MINUS 5% LESS THE PROPOSED BUDGET WILL ALSO EXCLUDE FUNDS FROM GRAND REOPENING OF THE MAC. NOW THERE'S THIS MUSIC HUB THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AT THEIR HOME AT THE MAC. SO HOW, WHERE WAS THE OVERSIGHT FROM WHOEVER IT IS? I WON'T NAME PEOPLE AT WON'T POINT, I WILL JUST SAY IT WAS AN OVERSIGHT. COULD HAVE BEEN HUMAN ERROR, WHATEVER. SO WHY IS THERE NO BUDGET FOR THE SO-CALLED TWO POSITIONS FOR THIS YEAR? WHY ISN'T THAT IN NEXT YEARS? WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THERE'S GONNA BE, THE BUDGET'S GONNA STAY THE SAME WHEN SUPPOSEDLY IF THIS ORGANIZATION OR THIS INITIATIVE OF THIS MUSIC HUB WAS BEING ADVANCED, MA MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE AWARE OF IT. THE BOARD SHOULD BE AWARE OF IT. THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF CONVERSATION STATING, YES, WE NEED TWO ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS. BUT THERE'S, THAT IS NOWHERE IN THIS CONVERSATIONS, THAT IS NOWHERE IN THIS INFORMATION. AND THAT GOES THE SAME FOR THE REST OF THE AREAS WITHIN, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S JUST CRAZY TO THINK THAT MAC CULTURE, THAT THE, THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER BUDGET FOR THE FOR, FOR THIS YEAR IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. AND THAT MAC MANAGEMENT DID NOT ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE MUSIC HUB. SO DID NOBODY KNOW ABOUT THIS MUSIC HUB? THEY'RE TRYING TO LAUNCH THE LATINO ARTIST ACCESS PROGRAM, BUT THEY HAVE NO MONEY AND THEY'RE TRYING TO GO LIKE BACKDOOR CHANNELS TO GET PEOPLE TO ASK THE CITY FOR MONEY AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THEIR BEHALF FOR MONEY. I'M SORRY IF I'M SOUNDING A LITTLE BIT HEATED AND I'M RAISING MY VOICE, BUT IT JUST IRKS ME LIKE IT IS BEYOND FRUSTRATING THIS SITUATION. I'M, I'M SORRY, HECTOR. THE, UH, RULES ARE THAT, UH, WHEN CITIZENS COME OR WHEN PEOPLE COME TO SPEAK ON, UH, AGENDA ITEMS, THEY CAN SPEAK ONCE FOR THREE MINUTES AND THAT IS WHAT THEY CAN DO. OKAY. SORRY. SORRY, HECTOR. I HEAR YOU. I HEAR YOU. UM, UM, I'D LIKE, I, I'D LIKE, LIKE ALSO LIKE TO ADD, UM, BECAUSE THERE ONE, UM, BACK IN 20, OR I THINK IT WAS LIKE 2017 OR 2018, THERE WAS THE, UM, STUDIO THAT WAS BUILT AT DORY MILLER AUDITORIUM. MM-HMM . I REMEMBER BEING A PART OF THAT TEAM. AND SO, UM, I'M WONDERING IF THAT WAS A PART OF THE HUB, BECAUSE I REMEMBER NOT LONG, LIKE IN ME CHANGING POSITIONS AND BEING A PART OF IT WHEN IT WAS INITIALLY ROLLED OUT, BUT NOT EVER REALLY SEEING IT GET OFF THE GROUND. AND SO JUST IN PROXIMITY OF THAT TO THE MILLENNIUM AS WELL AS TO THE CARVER, I MEAN, WITH US BEING STRAPPED FOR FUNDING, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW UTILIZE THE CURRENT STUDIO IS THAT IS WITHIN A MILE OF THAT AREA. UM, I ALSO WANT TO ADDRESS, UM, RECENTLY THERE WAS A BUDGET MEETING, UM, AND I AM A CITY EMPLOYEE AND I WAS TASKED WITH LISTENING AND TAKING NOTES AND OF THE BREAKOUT SESSION OF THE BUDGET MEETING, AND I WAS PUT IN COMMUNITY FACILITIES. THERE WAS, UM, IN THAT, IN THAT ROLE, I'M JUST NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO SPEAK, LITERALLY JUST DESCRIBING AND TAKING NOTES. AND THE QUESTIONS CAME ABOUT FOR THE MAC, THE ME CARTE AND THE CARBON MUSEUM. AND THERE WAS NO ACME REP AT ALL TO BE ABLE TO END THE BREAKOUT SESSION TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY FACILITIES. UM, AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ALSO ENCOMPASS ADDITIONAL FACILITIES. THOSE JUST HAPPENED TO BE THE, UM, RE THE, THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY, THE FACILITIES THEY HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT. BUT YEAH, LIKE THIS IS A BUDGET MEETING AND THERE'S NO REP FOR ACME. AND SO I LIKE, I HOPE Y'ALL KNOW, LIKE THESE ARE MY COWORKERS. IT IS VERY HARD FOR ME TO SIT UP HERE AND HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. UM, BUT I CAN'T, LIKE, I, I CAN'T SIT BACK AND, AND BE SILENT WITH THIS. AND SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WILL BE TENSION. UM, IT IS LITERALLY LIKE, IF IT IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY AND ARTISTS, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE AREN'T, WE ARE HAMSTERS IN A WILL AND WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. COMMISSIONER SMALL, UM, I JUST WANTED TO GET CLARIFICATION, COMMISSIONER KEYS, THAT WAS A BOND, A 2026 BOND MEETING, CORRECT? I THINK, YES, IT WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. UM, YEAH, AND I, I ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT ALL WAS MY ROLE TO BE PREPARED AND WAS TOLD I, YOU KNOW, I'M TAKING NOTES, BUT YET IN THE ROLE WHEN I'M SITTING THERE, I'M ASKED, OH, WELL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE CARVER? TO WHICH I JUST CHOSE TO ABSTAIN BECAUSE I'M LIKE, I'M ALREADY A CITY EMPLOYEE. I'M ALSO AN ARTS COMMISSIONER. I HAVE PERSONAL ISSUES WITH WHAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE CARVER. SO IT REALLY PUT ME IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. AND I, I'M LOOKING AROUND AND I'M LIKE, THERE'S NO ACME REP. THERE'S NO PARD REP. AND NOW I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO ANSWER THIS BLACK WOMAN ABOUT THIS BLACK [01:20:01] FACILITY THAT I KNOW I ALSO HAVE ISSUES WITH AS WELL. I, I THINK WE'LL HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT BOND, UM, INVOLVEMENT LATER. BUT, UM, CAN WE GET ANYTHING FROM ACME LEADERSHIP ON HOW ACME PRIORITIES, PARTICULARLY CULTURAL CENTERS, BUT ALSO OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE FLOWED UP THROUGH US, UM, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS ARE BEING REPRESENTED, TALKED ABOUT, CONSIDERED IN THE BOND. I, I JUST FEEL LIKE WE HAVEN'T, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A BIT AND IT, I, I HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN A LOT COME THROUGH, UM, FROM ACME ON, ON THE BOND, UPCOMING BOND ELECTION AND THE PACKAGE AND HOW ALL OF OUR PRIORITIES ARE OR ARE NOT BEING CONSIDERED WITHIN THAT. SHALL I GO GINA? HI. YES. UM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MORGAN MESSICK. UM, APOLOGIES I DIDN'T PREPARE LIKE A BUNCH OF ADVANCE WORK ABOUT THE BONDS, BUT I, I CAN TELL YOU GUYS WHAT I KNOW OFF THE CUFF WITHOUT, UM, DIVING IN A LITTLE BIT. UH, FIRST OF ALL, COMMISSIONER KEYS, I JUST WANNA SAY SORRY. THERE WAS NO REPRESENTATION AT THAT MEETING. UM, I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEETING WAS, BUT I'LL BE GOING BACK, UM, TALKING TO THE LEADERSHIP TEAM ABOUT THAT. I PERSONALLY DIDN'T GET AN INVITATION. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT, UM, WE WERE JUST LEFT OFF OR KIND OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT A MEMBER OF THE, THERE'S LIKE A INTERNAL GROUP AT THE CITY. THEY CALLED THE BTIF, THAT'S THE ACRONYM. I, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT ALL THE LETTERS STAND FOR, BUT WE'RE NOT ON IT. OUR, OUR DEPARTMENT'S NOT ON IT. AND SO WE'VE BEEN IN SOME CONVERSATIONS, BUT, UM, MOSTLY WE'VE BEEN ABSENT FROM THE TABLE OF THE BOND CONVERSATION. AND SO THE BTF WORKED ON BUILDING UP BOND PRIORITIES FOR THE CITY. AND THEY HAVE PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE. THEY PUBLISHED A MEMO, UM, THAT CAME OUT THROUGH THE CITY BACK IN JANUARY, I BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER DECEMBER OR JANUARY, OUTLINING THE PRIORITIES THAT THEIR GROUP, THE BTF HAD PUT FORWARD. UM, I, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, I THINK THERE WAS ONLY ONE CITY OF AUSTIN FACILITY LISTED AS BEING PRIORITIZED ON THAT. AND IT WAS ONE OF THE BRANCHES OF THE LIBRARIES. SO NONE OF THE PROJECTS PUT FORWARD FOR ANY ACME FACILITIES. UM, MADE THE FINAL CUT FOR WHAT THE CITY WAS PUSHING FORWARD. I THINK THEY STARTED WITH SOMETHING LIKE $4 BILLION OF LIKE POTENTIAL BOND PROJECTS AND THEY HAD A GOAL TO NARROW IT DOWN TO LIKE 700 MILLION. AND SO THAT, THAT WAS WHAT THEY CAME UP WITH. I DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN THE, THE WORK GROUPS. I DON'T HAVE AS MANY DETAILS, BUT AS FAR AS, UM, WHAT WE HAVE PUT FORWARD, UM, ACME YOU KNOW, HAS PUT FORWARD A LOT OF SUPPORT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CULTURAL FACILITIES DIRECTOR MEANS, HAS ACKNOWLEDGED MANY TIMES THAT THE FACILITIES HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED OVER TIME. THEY'VE BEEN UNDERFUNDED, UNDERSTAFFED. UM, EVERYTHING YOU'RE HEARING TONIGHT FROM THE COMMUNITY IS, IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT'S TRUE. THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A FIX IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE TO FIX ALL THOSE THINGS. BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT. 'CAUSE WE ALL KNOW GOVERNMENT CAN MOVE SLOW, BUT, UM, ANY INCREMENTAL CHANGE WE CAN PUSH IS A WIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE FACING BUDGET CUTS. UM, WHICH I KNOW HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED. THAT IS A VERY REAL REALITY OF THIS BUDGET SEASON. OUTSIDE OF THE BOND CYCLE. EVERY DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING AT BUDGET CUTS. THERE WILL BE MANDATORY BUDGET CUTS ACROSS THE CITY. UM, THAT IS THE BASELINE OF STARTING THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ACME WILL SPECIFICALLY FACE 5%, BUT THEY WILL BE ASKED TO LOOK AT MAKING A BUDGET CUT AND ULTIMATELY IT'LL BE UP TO CITY COUNCIL WHAT THE FINAL BUDGET IS. RIGHT? AND SO THE ROLE OF, OF THIS BODY, UM, IS REALLY TO, TO CONTINUE HELPING TO ELEVATE THOSE PRIORITIES AND, AND TO HELP US FIGHT TO NOT HAVE CUTS AND FIGHT TO HAVE NEW ADDITIONS BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE. UM, AND I DON'T WANNA RAMBLE TOO MUCH, UH, COMMISSIONER, SMALL BUCK. IF THERE'S A SPECIFIC BOND SITUATION I COULD LIKE TRY TO PROVIDE AND TELL ON, I WILL BE HAPPY TO. AND IF I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, I CAN ALWAYS, UM, GET IT BACK TO YOU GUYS. OKAY. NO, I APPRECIATE THAT. MORGAN, THANK YOU FOR, FOR STEPPING IN TO ANSWER THAT. I THINK FOR ME IT WAS JUST A BIGGER QUESTION. I THINK EVERYBODY'S WONDERING, 'CAUSE IT'S COMING UP ABOUT THE ISSUES UNDERFUNDING CULTURAL CENTERS. WE ALL KNOW THAT WE'RE IN A BUDGET CRISIS, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST MORE ABOUT LIKE UNDER UNDERSTANDING HOW ACME HAS BEEN SHOWING UP IN THIS CONVERSATIONS AND LIKE, DO WE HAVE THAT LEADERSHIP MAKING THE POINT, EVEN IF IT GETS SHUT DOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY THAT THESE ARE LIKE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO NEGLECT. THANK YOU. IS FOR COMMISSIONER MARALLA. UM, THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, [01:25:01] JUST QUICKLY, UH, UH, COULD WE ALSO GET A PRESENTATION ON THE CREATIVE RESET PHASE TWO HERE? ISN'T THAT ALL AROUND THE CULTURAL CENTERS ESSENTIALLY? IT, IT IS. UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR, FOR NEXT MONTH THAT WE CAN BRING IN, UM, N-R-M-C-A-O, CANDACE COOPER AND HER TEAM HAS BEEN LEADING THAT EFFORT OVER THE CULTURAL FACILITIES. THANK YOU. SO CHAIR, MAYBE WE COULD ADD THAT TO THE AGENDA NEXT TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I, I, UM, DOUBLE CHECKED IT WAS THE BOND, UM, IT WAS THE FEBRUARY 24TH BOND VIRTUAL MEETING. UM, SO YES, YOU, YOU WERE RIGHT. IT WASN'T NECESSARILY BUDGET. WE WERE DISCUSSING BUDGETS. UM, BUT YES, IT WAS THE BOND MEETING. THANK YOU, GINA. I HAVE A QUESTION. COMMISSIONER SUSE, I'M GONNA BRING IT BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHEN TO ASK THE QUESTION, SO I'M GONNA ASK IT NOW AND EITHER OF THE JESUS' MAYBE CAN HELP ME OUT. UH, HERE'S MY TWO QUESTIONS. AND FIRST ONE IS, WHEN SPEAKERS COME AND NEED TRANSLATION, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT THEY HAVE DOUBLE TIME BECAUSE OF THE TRANSLATION. IS THAT POSSIBLE? SO JESUS FA WAS, UH, LOOKING EARLIER AND, UM, THAT IS ACTUALLY INDEED WHAT, UH, SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I DID, WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT. SO, UM, IN THE FUTURE, IF THERE IS TRANSLATION, UM, WE WILL, UM, THEY WILL HAVE SIX MINUTES TO SPEAK TO GIVE TIME FOR THE TRANSLATION. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION AND WE'LL DO THAT GOING FORWARD. AND I'M ALSO NEW. I HAVE NO IDEA. SO, UH, THAT'S THE, THE TEACHING. AND SECOND, UM, LAST MONTH WE HAD AN UPDATE, I BELIEVE IT WAS RELATED TO THE CONVENTION CENTER AND ALSO THE PROCESS AROUND GRANTS. AND I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER THERE BEING AN UPDATE RELATED TO APPLICATIONS THAT WERE IN SPANISH. I REMEMBER TALKING ABOUT, I GUESS IT DOESN'T MATTER, WE HAD AN UPDATE. THERE WAS A PORTION OF UPDATES GIVEN ON THE SPANISH LANGUAGE APPLICATIONS, AND WE HAD ASKED FOR A FOLLOW-UP THAT'S SPECIFIC TO THE FEEDBACK GIVEN EARLIER BY SPEAKERS. I WOULD LOVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DISCONNECT IS EXACTLY AND ASK FOR THAT TEAM TO DO SOME OF THOSE FOLLOW-UPS. BECAUSE WHAT WAS PRESENTED MADE IT SOUND LIKE THE APPLICATIONS WERE MADE AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, INCLUDING THE RUBRICS, INCLUDING THE STEPS AND THE TIMELINE, RIGHT? SO SOME OF THE FEEDBACK GIVEN HAD TO DO WITH ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PROCESS. OTHER THINGS HAD TO DO WITH THE, I DON'T KNOW, THE MEETINGS THAT WERE IN SPANISH NOT BEING MADE, YOU KNOW, UM, WHAT'S THE WORD? INACCURATE TRANSLATION. LIKE THEY WEREN'T PUBLICIZED SOON ENOUGH AND SHARED, RIGHT? SO SOME OF IT IS NOT JUST TRANSLATION OF THE PROCESS, IT'S ALSO THE PROCESS BEING MADE ACCESSIBLE. AND THEN OF COURSE THERE WERE PIECES LIKE THE TRANSLATION BEING NOT HELPFUL. I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE WE USED AI AND THERE WASN'T A LANGUAGE SPEAKER WHO CHECKED. SO THESE ARE THREE LEVELS OF FEEDBACK THAT WERE GIVEN. AND SO I, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT WE FIX IT AND THAT WE HEAR BACK ON SOME OF THESE PIECES OF FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE GIVEN SO THAT IF THERE ARE CHANGES WE CAN MAKE, THAT WE MAKE THEM. AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHO NEEDS TO ANSWER THAT. . YEAH, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO DIVE IN. WHAT, WHAT I'LL SAY FIRST IS, UM, YOU KNOW, A PARTICULAR CHALLENGE OF BEING ON THE ARTS ADMINISTRATION SIDE OF THIS WORK IS THAT NO MATTER WHAT I PROVIDE AS A REBUTTAL TO WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY, IT SOUNDS DEFENSIVE. AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS HYPER AWARE OF LIKE TAKING IN THE FEEDBACK AND TAKING IT BACK SO THAT WE CAN THOUGHTFULLY LOOK AT IT. I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE A FEELING OF DEFENSIVENESS. MY ASKING IS BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS. AND SO IF WE PROVIDE LIKE A HERE'S WHAT IT IS, AND THEN IT'S EASIER TO GET TO, WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT WITHOUT THEIR, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, IF I'M MAKING THIS UP, IF EVERYTHING WAS TRANSLATED, IF IT WAS MADE AVAILABLE SOONER, THEN THAT BECOMES A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION. I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT Y'ALL DID. AND SO IT'S JUST ABOUT THE TRANSPARENCY, RIGHT? WE DO ALL OF THE TRANSLATIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY. BEFORE ANYTHING IS PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, IT HAS TO GO THROUGH A HUMAN TRANSLATOR. THERE'S A SPECIFIC PROCESS, ABSOLUTELY NO AI IS INVOLVED. AND THE TRANSLATION PROCESS WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF, NATIVE SPEAKERS WHO DO REVIEW IT. AND A COUPLE OF THE, THE PHRASES THAT HAVE COME UP AS BEING PROBLEMATIC ARE SOME OF THE KEY ONES THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED. AND WHAT OUR STAFF HAS TOLD US, THE FOLKS WHO HAVE REVIEWED SOME OF THOSE HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NEVER GONNA BE A PERFECT ANSWER FOR SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAVE A DIRECT TRANSLATION. AND SO WE HAVE GONE WITH WHAT THE GUIDANCE WAS FROM THE COMPANIES THAT WERE HIRED AND THEN FROM THE INTERNAL STAFF, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THERE WERE STILL PROBLEMS. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THERE ARE PROBLEMS TO WORK ON. AND SO THE QUESTION OF WHEN THINGS WERE AVAILABLE IS AT THE SAME TIME THE QUESTION OF WHEN THINGS ARE PUBLISHED FOR LIKE [01:30:01] WORKSHOPS AND STUFF. I JUST DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE. I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING ME A RESPONSE RIGHT NOW. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, BUT WITH THAT SAID, YOU HEARD THE FEEDBACK GIVEN MAYBE JUST A REPORT OUT IN THE FUTURE OF LIKE WHAT THOSE FINDINGS WERE AND IF THERE'S ANY ADJUSTMENT, WHAT THOSE ARE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. YES, WE CAN. THANK YOU. WE'LL KEEP THE CONVERSATION ALIVE OF THE ADJUSTMENTS MADE BEFORE THE NEXT LAUNCH. THAT'LL ALWAYS BE A PART OF WHAT WE DO. UM, I THINK A STRUGGLE AT THE CITY IS LIKE, WHAT ARE WE ABLE TO DO WITHIN THE SYSTEM THAT IS BUILT? AND THAT'S A BAD ANSWER, BUT THAT'S THE TRUTH IS LIKE WE ARE GIVEN A SET OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS TO SIGN ON TO BE A TRANSLATOR. THERE'S A LIMITED NUMBER WE HAVE TO HIRE FROM THIS MASTER AGREEMENT. UM, IT'S OUTSIDE OF POLICY TO HIRE SOMEBODY NOT ON THE LIST. SO WE ARE RESTRICTED IN OUR ABILITY. IT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD TALK MORE ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS, LIKE HOW WE'RE LIMITED IN THAT. WE HAVE MANY RESTRICTIONS, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING BETTER AND WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS FROM PAST YEARS PRIOR TO, UH, RELIEF AND RECOVERY GRANTS DURING COVID, UM, APPLICATIONS FOR OUR PROGRAMS WERE ONLY IN ENGLISH. UM, MOST APPLICATIONS ACROSS THE CITY ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH. AND WE REALLY WANT TO BE THE BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN BE WITH WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE. SO WE ARE COMMITTED TO THAT. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR WORKING IN A CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT. GOOD QUESTION. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE HI, UH, HANDLED BY THE THIRD PARTY? SO WE DO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER FOR PART OF THE PROCESS. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THEY ARE ABLE TO PICK UP AND STREAMLINE AND, UM, DO MORE NIMBLY AND DO QUICKER AND HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN WE HAVE. SO PART OF THE WORK, ESPECIALLY THE WORK IN SUBMITTABLE, WE DO WITH THEM THROUGH THEIR PROCESSES BECAUSE THEY MANAGE THAT PLATFORM. BUT FOR OTHER THINGS LIKE THE GUIDELINES, THINGS THAT ARE MANAGED FROM THE CITY ADMIN PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE RESTRICTED WITH WHAT WE DO. OKAY. YEAH, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THAT WOULD BE A WAY TO CIRCUMVENT THE LIMITATION. YEAH. YEAH. I DON'T THINK IT IS, BUT YET. THANK YOU MEGAN. COMMISSIONER GARZA. I THINK JUST REAL QUICK, UH, YOU SAY THAT, UH, SPANISH SPEAKERS WITHIN STAFF REVIEW THE APPLICATION AS WELL. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. UH, JUST SPEAKING, UH, I'VE WORKED WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICER WITH TRAVIS COUNTY MANY TIMES AND I'VE STOPPED MEETINGS BECAUSE THE STAFF MEMBER WHO SAYS THEY'RE NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKERS WERE JUST LIKE, I WASN'T EVEN FOLLOWING WHAT THEY WERE SAYING. UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT USED TO DO THAT AS WELL. BUT NOW ANYTIME THERE'S A STAFF INTERPRETER, THEY MUST TAKE A SPANISH TEST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE UP TO PAR WITH, WITH WHATNOT. IS THAT AVAILABLE FOR OUR STAFF? YES. THE CITY REQUIRES ALL STAFF RECEIVING A BILINGUAL STIPEND THAT THEY, UM, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS TO TAKE THE TEST AND GET APPROVED PRIOR. COOL. THANK YOU. DID SOMEONE HAVE SOMETHING FROM THE WEB? I THOUGHT I HEARD A VOICE. NO. COMMISSIONER MAL COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. YES. I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK ON THE APPLICATION SINCE IT'S, UH, EVERYONE'S, UH, UH, TOUCHING BASE ON IT. SO I FEEL LIKE THE APPLICATION IN SPANISH COMES UP EVERY TIME WE ROLL OUT ONE OF THE GRANTS. SO THIS IS NOT ANYTHING NEW. I DO WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING AND LETTING US KNOW THAT THERE'S ONLY SELECT, UH, SELECT I GUESS VENDORS OR WHATNOT THAT YOU CAN CONTRACT WITH TO DO THE TRANSLATING. UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS FAR FETCHED, BUT I THINK AT VERY MINIMUM WHEN THE APPLICATION IS TRANSLATED TO SPANISH, WE SHOULD BE TESTING IT. THERE SHOULD BE A FOCUS GROUP. I THINK THAT WOULD ELIMINATE A LOT OF THE ISSUES. AND EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING CANNOT BE TRANSLATED DIRECTLY VERBATIM, UM, THE EXAMPLES THAT WERE SHARED EARLIER, THOSE AREN'T JUST LIKE SMALL TRANSLATION MISTAKES, RIGHT? UM, SO I DEFINITELY WOULD ENCOURAGE TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE SELECT CONTRACTORS THAT YOU HAVE TO SELECT FROM. AND INTERESTING. I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING ON TRANSLATORS THAT AT THE END OR COSTING ORGANIZATIONS THE OPPORTUNITY TO QUALIFY FOR A GRANT OR HAVE, UM, YEAH, HAVE A FAIR, FAIR SHOT AT IT. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, DONE WITH AGENDA ITEM SEVEN. AGENDA ITEM EIGHT, DISCUSSION ON THE LONG CENTER CONTRACT REVIEW. WAS THERE A COMMISSIONER WHO PLACED THIS ON THE AGENDA? [01:35:02] JESUS, WHO PLACED THIS ON THE AGENDA? WAS IT ME? YES. I THINK IT WAS YOU, GINA . I DON'T KNOW THAT THE LONG CENTER CONTRACT REVIEW HAS HAPPENED YET. THAT COMMUNICATION. THIS IS, THIS IS NUMBER EIGHT. YEAH. PERFECT. YEAH, YEAH. LET HIM GO FIRST. YOU GO. YOU GO AHEAD LOUIS. I THINK, I THINK THIS, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN OR COULD HAVE BEEN A PRESENTATION FROM STAFF. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, PASS MY 30 SECONDS TO MYSELF TO CIRCLE BACK ON WHAT HECTOR SAID ON NUMBER SEVEN, BECAUSE IT TIES IN PERFECTLY TO THE LANGUAGE, UM, SPANISH CONTRACT, UM, THE INCOMPETENCY. UM, AND I WOULD NEVER PRESUME TO GO INTO A DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND GIVE SOMEONE A MEDICAL CHECKUP. UM, I KNOW WHERE MY EXPERTISE IS, SO WHY DOES THE MAC HIRE A RECREATIONAL DIRECTOR TO MAKE THE DECISIONS OF A $27 MILLION REMODELING AND ANY THEATER MAKER? I KNOW A LOT OF US HERE, OUR THEATER MAKERS, AND WHEN WE GO INTO AN AUDITORIUM INTO A PERFORMANCE VENUE, WE EXPECT THAT EVERYTHING IS BLACK. SO WHY ARE ALL THE CURTAINS AND ALL OF THE SOFT FURNISHINGS AT THE MAC RECYCLE BIN BLUE? WHY IS THE ONLY ENTRANCE TO THE TECHNICAL BOOTH FOR THE AUDITORIUM THROUGH THE FRONT ROW? YEAH, IT'S NOT THAT THIS, THIS IS ANY, THIS IS NOT PERSONAL. THIS IS NOT PERSONAL TO THE PERSON THAT TRANSLATED TIMEFRAME TO FRANCA ORIA. NOW, I, AS YOU CAN SEE, CAN KIND OF QUICKLY TRANSLATE. I KNOW CUBAN, SPANISH, MEXICAN, SPANISH, PUERTO RICAN, SPANISH. AND IF I'M A COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR HELPING SPANISH SPEAKERS, I WILL SAY, HEY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS? I'M NOT GONNA SUBMIT SOMETHING THAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS BECAUSE THIS MEANS NOTHING IN ANY COUNTRY THAT SPEAKS SPANISH. SO THEN WE GO BACK TO THE INCOMPETENCY, AND THAT IS NOT DEROGATORY, IT'S JUST WHOMEVER DID THIS SHOULD NOT BE TRANSLATING THE PERSON WHO CHOSE RECYCLE BIN. BLUE CURTAINS SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT. THE PERSON WHO DESIGNED THAT TECH BOOTH SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT BECAUSE THIS IS $27 MILLION OF TAXPAYER FUNDING. THIS IS MY LIVELIHOOD. MY CHILDREN ARE PERFORMING IN THIS SPACE. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMUNITY DOESN'T EVEN GET TO GET FUNDED BECAUSE OF ALL THIS. ANYWAYS, I DIGRESS. SO, UM, AN UPDATE ON THE SPANISH LANGUAGE CONTRACT, THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE IS GONNA PASS A RECOMMENDATION ASKING CITY MANAGER AND ACME TO AMEND THE LONG CENTER'S CONTRACT TO INCLUDE A SPANISH LANGUAGE CONTRACT. AND THAT'S IT. SO WE PLEASE ASK ALL OF YOU TO SUPPORT, REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND SUPPORT THIS RECOMMENDATION. THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION HAS BEEN AMAZING. UM, THEY'VE BEEN CHAMPIONING A LOT OF THESE EQUITY, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS. THAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF SEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE GONNA GO THROUGH. UM, ONE OF 'EM IS THE SPANISH LANGUAGE CONTRACT. NOW FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN HERE AND IN OTHER COMMISSIONS ASKING THE CITY TO PROVIDE THESE, UH, CONTRACTS. THE LONG CENTER HAS DENIED BECAUSE IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR CONTRACT, IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SO, UH, THE FIX IS TO ASK THE THIRD PARTY VENDOR JUST AMEND THEIR CONTRACT AND ASK THEM TO PROVIDE IT IN SPANISH. THANK YOU. OH, AND BEFORE, THERE'S ALSO A RECOMMENDATION THAT I THINK WILL SOLVE ALL OF THESE VERY CRITICAL ISSUES IS A COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR. WE NEED AN ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMUNITY, OUR LATINO COMMUNITY, TO TRANSLATE ANYTHING THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT, ANYTHING THAT WENT THROUGH THE CRACKS. WE NEED A COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY OUT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE ARE 30% OF THIS CITY. THANK YOU. DO YOU KNOW IF THE HISPANIC QUALITY OF LIFE IS SENDING OUT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE OTHER THEY'RE, YES. THEY'RE VOTING ON IT TOMORROW. OKAY. SO THEN, UM, WE CAN DEFINITELY, UM, ASK THEM TO FORWARD IT AND SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL ON WEDNESDAY. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU MS. MESSICK. YES. HAS LONG CENTER CONTRACT WITH YOU. HAVE IT? YES, YES. HAPPY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE, UM, WHERE ACME IS AT. UM, SO WE MEET SUPER REGULARLY WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER, UM, WEEKLY FOR REGULAR ONGOING MEETINGS AND EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY FOR, FOR SPECIAL ITEMS, ESPECIALLY DURING, UM, THIS AWARD SEASON. AND SO WE HAVE TALKED WITH THEM [01:40:01] ABOUT THE CONTRACT REVIEW THAT WE HAVE PERFORMED INTERNALLY. SO IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF TOOLS AVAILABLE TO US TO PERFORM REVIEWS OF CONTRACTS. UM, THEY HAVE A LOT OF FINANCIAL FORMS. IT'S CALLED A DESK AUDIT. UM, AND I FORGET WHAT THE SECOND FORM IS CALLED, BUT IT'S ESSENTIALLY AN OVERVIEW LOOKING AT THE RISK, UM, RISK MITIGATION, OTHER DELIVERABLES, UH, WHETHER OR NOT THEY FALL IN LINE WITH BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE CITY IF THEY'RE OUTLIERS. UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND SO WE HAD OUR FINANCIAL STAFF IN THE CITY LOOK AT THE CONTRACT AND PERFORM THE DESK AUDITS, AND THEY HANDED OVER, UM, A LIST OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT WOULD MAKE THE CONTRACT STRONGER. AND SO I CAN SHARE ABOUT WHAT THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ARE THAT WE ARE ALREADY PUTTING INTO PLACE. UM, THEY'RE ALL ADMINISTRATIVE IMPROVEMENTS. AND SO WE HAVE MET WITH, UM, PEOPLE AT THE LONG CENTER TO TALK ABOUT MOVING THIS FORWARD. AND IT INCLUDES, UM, CREATING AGENDAS FOR ALL OF OUR MEETINGS AND COLLECTING MEETING MINUTES SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO HERE, TO JUST HAVE A BETTER ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED SO WE CAN BETTER TRACK RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, DELIVERABLES, UM, AND WHAT THE RESOLUTIONS WERE WHEN WE ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS LIKE THE ONES THAT WE TALK ABOUT HERE PRETTY FREQUENTLY. UM, SOME OF THE OTHER ONES INVOLVE CREATING REALLY DETAILED ITEMIZED INVOICES, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BETTER TELL THE STORY OF HOW THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT. UM, 'CAUSE A LOT OF THE CONVERSATION AROUND THE LONG CENTER CONTRACT IS LIKE, HOW IS THE MONEY BEING USED? AND, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT 'CAUSE IT'S A LOT OF MONEY. AND SO TOGETHER WITH THEM, WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE THAT MORE CLEAR SO THAT WHEN PEERS, UM, WHEN PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS COME IN OR WHEN QUESTIONS COME IN FROM COMMISSIONS OR OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, IT'S MORE OBVIOUS AT FIRST GLANCE EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING DONE. AND SO THAT'S JUST AN ENHANCEMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING. OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE ARE DOING IS WE ARE CLEARING UP SOME OF THE DELIVERABLES THAT ARE OUTLINED, UM, ENSURING THAT THEIR, YOU KNOW, SMART, SMART GOALS HAVE, UM, MORE CLEAR METRICS TIED TO THEM, ESPECIALLY AROUND, UH, APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION. AND SO WE WANNA SHORE UP SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED BOTH THROUGH THE AUDIT AND ALSO JUST THROUGH WORKING THROUGH THIS APPLICATION CYCLE. RIGHT? WE ALWAYS SURFACE ISSUES THAT WE WANNA WORK ON. AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON A CONTRACT AMENDMENT, UM, THAT WILL INCLUDE SOME OF THESE ITEMS I'M HEARING, UM, SOME OTHER THINGS COMING FORWARD THAT, UH, COULD BE POTENTIALS FOR THESE AMENDMENTS. SO I'LL DEFINITELY BE SURE TO TUNE INTO THE MEETING TOMORROW. WE'LL BE SURE TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FORWARD SO THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE FULL CONTEXT OF THE ASK. AND I KNOW OUR PARTNERS AT THE LONG CENTER ARE VERY WILLING PARTNERS, RIGHT? SO IF THIS IS AN EASY THING FOR THEM TO DO, I AM SURE THEY WILL BE WILLING TO. SO WE'LL, WE'LL GET TO WORK ON THAT FOR THEM. UM, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A VERY VAGUE UPDATE 'CAUSE AGAIN, I DIDN'T DEVELOP A PRESENTATION, BUT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AUDIT THAT WE PERFORMED AND, AND WHERE WE'RE GOING FROM HERE. I THINK WE MIGHT BE BETTER SERVED IF WE HAD A PRESENTATION WITH LIKE, WHATEVER, WHAT ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S FAIR. I THINK MAY MIGHT BE GREAT. UM, IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR US TO LIKE IRON IT OUT. LIKE I, I'M HAPPY TO PUT IT ON FOR APRIL, BUT I CAN'T PROMISE WE'LL BE READY. OKAY. I THAT I CAN TRY. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS? SEEING NONE, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO, OH, COMMISSIONER MADLA. YEAH, I MEAN, UM, I I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE. UH, YEAH, I DID THINK THAT THIS WAS A STAFF UPDATE ITEM, UH, LAST TIME. AND UM, UM, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE KIND OF REVIEWS ARE, ARE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, UH, ON A, ON A ROUTINE BASIS, UH, WITH CONTRACTS. WE'RE GLAD TO SEE THAT HAPPENING. AND, UH, UM, FOR ME, UM, IT'S, UH, I WANNA BASICALLY TALK ABOUT THIS IN, IN TERMS OF THE CONTEXT OF THE CONTRACT ITSELF AND LOOK AT THE DELIVERABLES, YOU KNOW, ARE THINGS BEING DELIVERED AND THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH PROVISIONS WITHIN THE CONTRACT THAT, UM, THAT BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, REMEDY IF THERE ARE ANY CONCERNS. THAT'S ABOUT WHAT, WHAT WHAT I WOULD LOOK AT, UM, IF, IF I'M THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS A CONTRACT GOING WELL AND IS IT BEING DELIVERED AGAINST? UM, TWO, UM, MAJOR BENEFITS THAT I DID FEEL THAT WE GOT FROM, UM, UH, HAVING A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR IS ONE IS DEFINITELY, UM, UH, I THINK WE HAD, UH, A CREATIVE RESET PROCESS THAT HAD EXTENDED, YOU KNOW, THE TIMELINE OR DELAYED THE GRANTS TO, UH, A LATER DATE. AND, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, BRINGING UP SUBMITTABLE WITH, WITH THE NEW PARAMETERS, UH, IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WAS SOMETHING THAT I SAW AS VALUE. AND THEN, UM, OF COURSE IT LOOKS LIKE, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD SO FAR, UM, YOU KNOW, IS, IS THAT THERE IS THE TURNAROUND TIME FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, TO GET THE DOLLARS OUT TO RECIPIENTS OF WHAT IS, UM, HAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH [01:45:01] HAVING A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR. SO THOSE ARE KIND OF, UH, THE KIND OF KEY BENEFITS THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT I THINK REALLY STAND OUT. UM, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU COULD ALSO COVER, UH, THAT AS WELL, UH, SO KIND OF TO PRESENT AS A COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT. ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL, WE'LL BUILD OUT BOTH SIDES THE, UM, SUCCESSES AND SOME OF THE HARDSHIPS. SURE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE [Items 9 & 13 (Part 1 of 2)] ITEM NUMBER NINE, DISCUSSION OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES ORDINANCE UPDATE. IS THAT, I'M SORRY, JAIME. SORRY. NO. OH, COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. UH, IS THERE AN ANOTHER ITEM WHERE WE'RE, SORRY, I HAD POWER OUTAGES TODAY, SO I'M CATCHING UP. IS THERE ANOTHER ITEM WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, GRANT PROCESS? OR WAS THAT LAST ONE? OKAY, THANK YOU. YES. ITEM 11, RIGHT. CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. OKAY. CHAIR, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A MOTION, BUT I THINK TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ORDINANCE, WE NEED THE A A PP STAFF UPDATE. SO IF THAT'S CORRECT, THEN I WOULD MOVE TO MOVE THAT TO NOW, SO THEN WE CAN HAVE THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ORDINANCE. OKAY. I WOULD ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE UP DISCUSSION OF THE ORDINANCE. ITEM NINE, ITEM 13 AND ITEM 17, 18, 19, AND 20. ALL OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES ITEMS. UM, I WOULD MOVE TO DO 17 THROUGH 20 ON CONSENT SINCE THEY CAME FROM A A PP RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THE STAFF BRIEFING ON, UH, A IPP NUMBER 13 BEFORE, OR AT THE SAME TIME AS NUMBER NINE. OKAY. SO I HAVE A MOTION TO MOVE A IPP BRIEFING UP WITH THE STAFF ORDINANCE. SO TO TAKE UP NINE AND 13 TOGETHER, I ALSO HAVE A MOTION TO PULL 17, 18, 19, AND 22 CONSENT. SO I HAVE TWO MOTIONS CURRENTLY OUT. I DON'T HAVE ANY SECONDS. I'LL SECOND. IT'S PROBABLY NOT ALLOWED. I HAVE A SECOND. FROM COMMISSIONER CNI FOR BOTH. SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER CNI ON BOTH. YES. SO FIRST MOTION PULLING UP ITEM NINE AND ITEM 13 TOGETHER. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SO WE WILL BE PULLING ITEM NINE AND 13 TOGETHER. UM, JAIME, IF YOU WILL COME FORWARD. WE ALSO HAVE A SECOND MOTION [Items 17-20] PULLING ITEM 17, 18, 19, AND 20, WHICH ARE ALL RECOMMENDATIONS OUT OF A IPP ON CONSENT. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SAYING NONE OPPOSED? WE PUT, UH, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS, THERE WAS AN OPPOSITION WHO OPPOSED? MALDONADO. MALDONADO OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. WE'RE APPROVING. 17, 18, 19, AND 20 ARE ON CONSENT. SO NOW THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE 17, 18, 19, AND 20. DO I HAVE A MOTION COMMISSIONER? SMALL MOVES TO PASS THE A IPP RECOMMENDATIONS ON CONSENT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. THAT ITEM 17, 18, 19 AND 20. THE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING OUT OF A-P-P-A-I-P-P BE APPROVED ON CONSENT. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? I HAVE ONLY COMMISSIONER MALDONADO VOTING AGAINST. MOTION CARRIES. OH, CHAIR COMMISSIONER GARZA. I HAVE COMMISSIONER MALDONADO AND COMMISSIONER GARZA VOTING AGAINST. MOTION CARRIES. MR. CASTILLO. [Items 9 & 13 (Part 2 of 2)] [01:50:03] GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. UH, I WAS JUST NOTING THE TIME AND I WAS GOING TO WELCOME EVERYONE AND JOINING ME IN A QUICK STRETCH. 'CAUSE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, HALFWAY THROUGH THE MEETING AND WE STILL GOT A LOT OF CONVERSATION. I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT, YOU KNOW, STEP UP, STAND UP, STRETCH OUT, YOU KNOW, , SHAKE IT OUT A LITTLE BIT. ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, GOOD EVENING. I'M JAIME CASTILLO. I'M THE MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, AND WE'RE JUST, UH, NEED THE PDF PULLED UP SO WE CAN SEE IT ON SCREEN. UM, BUT MY STAFF BRIEFING FOR TODAY, UH, I THINK DECEMBER WAS THE LAST TIME I GAVE A REALLY THOROUGH UPDATE ON WHERE WE'RE AT WITH OUR WORK REGARDING THE RESOLUTION. UM, THIS PRESENTATION TONIGHT IS A, A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSION OF WHAT I PRESENTED BEFORE, BUT IT'S, UH, ESSENTIALLY THE SAME INFORMATION WE GO INTO A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, MORE DETAIL. AND THIS IS, UH, INFORMATION THAT, THAT WE HAVE, UM, PRESENTED TO COUNSEL. SO JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S ON THE SAME PAGE. SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. IS THIS IN THE BACKUP? UH, NO. I APOLOGIZE. WE HAVEN'T, UH, UH, IT HAD SOME, SOME TWEAKS TO IT, SO I, I DIDN'T QUITE MAKE THE DEADLINE, UM, BUT JESUS IS, UH, WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. UH, SO WANTED DON'T TO START WITH A, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW. A REMINDER, YOU KNOW, THE A IPP ORDINANCE WAS, UH, ORIGINALLY BROUGHT FORWARD BY COMMUNITY INIT INITIATED, UM, BY COMMUNITY IN 1985, WHO BROUGHT IT TO CITY COUNCIL AND SAID, WE NEED A PUBLIC ART PERCENT FOR OUR PROGRAM. AND, UH, MIRRORED IT AFTER, OR MODELED IT AFTER THE CITY SEATTLE'S, UH, PUBLIC ART PROGRAM WHERE IT HAD, UH, 1% OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ALLOCATED FOR PUBLIC ART. UM, AND THERE WAS A CAP OF $200,000. UM, AND THEN IN 2002, AGAIN, COMMUNITY IS INITIATED UPDATE TO THE ORDINANCE WHERE IT, UH, INCREASED THE 1% TO 2% AND EXPANDED THE, THE LANGUAGE TO, UH, COST OF THE PROJECT TO THE CITY, REMOVING THE CAP OF $200,000 AND CLARIFY THAT ONLY THE THINGS LISTED IN THE ORDINANCE ARE, CAN BE, UH, EXEMPT FROM THE CALCULATION. SO WE HAVE FIVE THINGS, UH, DEBT ISSUANCE, DEMOLITION, UH, EQUIPMENT PERMIT AND FEE, AND REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION COSTS THAT, THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE 2% OF THE PROJECT. THAT GOES TO A IBP. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, AGAIN, UH, DID WE NO, THAT, THAT IS THE RIGHT SLIDE. UH, SO IN RE MORE RECENTLY, IN 2023, THE ARTS COMMISSION PUT FORWARD A RECOMMENDATION, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT, UM, THERE ARE FACILITIES BEING BUILT THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY WILL BECOME CITY PROPERTY. AND THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE A IPP ORDINANCE WAS APPLIED TO THOSE, UH, PROJECTS. SO, UM, THE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WAS THE, THE PDC, THE PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER. THAT PROJECT WAS BEING BROUGHT FORWARD AS A P THREE, AND THE ARTS COMMISSION SAID A IPP SHOULD APPLY, BE APPLIED TO THAT. WE SHOULD HAVE PUBLIC ART PART OF THAT FACILITY, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE NOT THE ONES ACTUALLY BUILDING IT. WE'RE GONNA OWN IT AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND WE, WE NEED TO BE PART OF THAT. SO THEY PUT FORWARD THAT RECOMMENDATION. AND THEN, AS YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, COUNCIL PASSED THE RESOLUTION ASKING US TO REVIEW CHAPTER SEVEN TWO, WHICH IS THE A IPP ORDINANCE AND PRESENT ANY RECOMMENDED CHANGES, UM, INCLUDING, UH, OUR OTHER A IPP POLICIES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND YOU, YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THIS. A IPP HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 40 YEARS. WE WERE THE FIRST, UH, PERCENT FOR OUR PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. UH, OUR ARTWORK COLLECTION IS 400 PLUS ARTWORKS. IT CONTINUES TO GROW EVERY YEAR. OUR INVESTMENT IS, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY 20 MILLION, UH, DOLLARS IN, IN CAPITAL ASSETS, RIGHT? AND AGAIN, THAT CONTINUES TO GROW. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, HOW DID WE GET HERE? UM, SO EVEN BEFORE COUNCIL PASSED THE RESOLUTION LAST YEAR, THESE, THIS CONVERSATION STARTED, UH, WITH Y'ALL, WITH THE A IPP PANEL. UH, OUR EXPERIENCE WITH, UM, THE CONVENTION CENTER SELECTION PROCESS, THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE AIRPORT PROJECTS, UM, STARTED TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE DOING HERE? HOW, HOW IS IT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THIS? AND SO THE ABB PANEL, UH, WAS INTERESTED IN HAVING THIS, UH, REVIEW OF THE GUIDELINES TO SEE EXACTLY HOW WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THESE SELECTION PROCESSES, UH, FOR THOSE PROJECTS. AND YOU'LL NOTE THAT IN JANUARY OF 2025, THE PANEL APPROVED THE, THE AIRPORT SELECTIONS. AND THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE A IPP PANEL HAD A RETREAT WHERE THEY ESTABLISHED THE, THE GUIDELINES [01:55:01] WORKING GROUP, WHERE THEY WERE GONNA GO AND LOOK AT THE GUIDELINES AND MAKE, SEE WHAT, MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD AND SEE WHAT CHANGES THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO RECOMMEND. UH, AND THEN IN JANUARY, THE 30TH OF JANUARY IN 2025, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE DEES OF THE FOUR ARTWORKS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER. UM, IN FEBRUARY, THE, UH, AIRPORT SELECTION , SORRY, WHAT IS A DEES I'M SORRY. WHAT'S DEES? DEES IS THE PROCESS OF REMOVING ARTWORK FROM OUR COLLECTION. OKAY, THANKS. YOU'RE WELCOME. UH, SO IN FEBRUARY, OUR, WE WERE GONNA BRING FORWARD, UH, THE AIRPORT CONTRACTS TO COUNCIL. AND THAT GOT PULLED FROM THE AGENDAS. WE, WE HAD A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND JUST FOR EVERYONE'S AWARENESS, WE, WE HAD ALREADY STARTED A, A SURVEY OF OUR COLLECTION. WE HIRED A VENDOR TO GO AND PUT EYEBALLS ON EVERY SINGLE 400 PLUS ARTWORK IN OUR COLLECTION AND ASSESS THEIR, THEIR, THEIR STATE TO GIVE US A PRIORITIZED LIST OF MAINTENANCE NEEDS. UH, AND THEN, AS YOU KNOW, FEBRUARY, AT THE END OF FEBRUARY AT OUR DEPARTMENT WAS CREATED. AND THEN THAT'S IN, IN MARCH 6TH COUNCIL'S MEETING, THEY, UH, PASSED THAT RESOLUTION TO REVIEW THE A IPP ORDINANCE AND THE GUIDELINES. UM, AND I'LL POINT OUT THAT THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE JANUARY 30TH DIA SESSIONS OF THE ARTWORKS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE AIRPORT. UM, I WA UH, I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT, UH, CITY LEADERSHIP WAS ASKED, WAS DIRECTING US TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. THAT THE FACT THAT WE COULD NOT FIND THE FUNDS TO PROPERLY RELOCATE THE ARTWORKS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS, WAS A CORE ISSUE THAT WE WERE WRESTLING WITH AND WITH THE RESOLUTION, UM, THEY'RE TELLING US, CITY LEADERSHIP WAS TELLING US, DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT QUOTES FROM, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE FROM THAT DAY WHERE, UM, HE'S SAYING THAT, UH, THIS ITEM WILL MAKE SURE THAT GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS WILL GET STRONGER SUPPORT AND GREATER INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY. HE ALSO SAID THAT MY HOPE IS THAT THIS ITEM BRINGS A TRANSPARENCY THAT IS NEEDED AND EXPRESSED BY THE ADVOCATES, AND ALSO THAT HE REALLY APPRECIATES EVERYONE ON MAKING A RIGHT OF SOMETHING THAT HAD HAPPENED THAT WAS WRONG. UM, SO AGAIN, LIKE WE GOT THE MESSAGE, WE, WE NEED TO WORK ON THE A IPP, UM, POLICIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN AVOID THIS SITUATION IN THE FUTURE. AND SO THE REST OF THE TIMELINE YOU'LL SEE HERE IN MARCH, WE WERE ABLE TO WORK, UH, WITH CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER TO I TO SAVE THE ARTWORKS FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER. UH, WE PASSED, WE GOT APPROVALS FOR THE AIRPORT SELECTION PROCESSES. IN APRIL, WE WERE ABLE TO REMOVE THE ARTWORKS FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER. UH, THE CREATIVE RESET STARTED IN MAY, AND, UH, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE AIRPORT PHASE ONE AND TWO SELECTIONS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, IN THE RESOLUTION, UH, THEY BULLETED SOME THINGS FOR US TO DO. SO NOT JUST TO REVIEW OUR POLICIES, BUT WE GAVE US SPECIFIC THINGS TO LOOK AT. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO CATEGORIZE THEM THE IN THREE DIFFERENT, UH, UH, UPDATE BUCKETS, UH, OUR POLICY UPDATES WHERE THEY ASKED US TO INCLUDE THE P THREES IN OUR ORDINANCE, UH, ENCOURAGING PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS TO USE OUR TWO, OUR 2%, UH, PROCESS, ALLOWING FLEXIBLE USE OF FUNDS FOR THE ARTWORK, CARE, RELOCATION, REINSTALLATION, UH, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY CALLING BACK TO THE D SESSION EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAD. UH, ALSO ASKING US ABOUT ARTWORK, PLACEMENT FLEXIBILITY, HOW CAN WE PLACE ARTWORK IN IN OTHER AREAS, UH, LEGALLY OR, YOU KNOW, WITHIN, WITHIN OUR RULES, CURATORIAL SERVICES FOR MAJOR PROJECTS. AND THEN THEY ASKED US TO DO, UH, PROGRAMMATIC UPDATES AS WELL. WANTED US TO ADDRESS OBSTACLES TO LOCAL PARTICIPATION. UM, AND THIS WAS BEFORE ARTISTS AND, UH, FABRIC OR, UM, YEAH, FABRICATORS AS WELL AS LIKE THOSE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ARTISTS. I WANTED US TO CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ARTISTS. SO UNDERSTANDING THE CONTRACT AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE CONVERSATION WITH THE D SESSIONS IS LIKE, IT BECOMES CITY PROPERTY. AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN, WHEN YOU SIGN THE TITLE OVER TO US AND THEN SUPPORTING ARTISTS ON, UH, WORKING, CREATING PUBLIC ART ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT CAN WE PROVIDE THEM? AND OUR COMMUNICATION UPDATES WAS TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS, SPECIFICALLY ARTISTS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK. THIS INCLUDED BOTH THOSE, UH, THAT EXPERIENCED THESE SESSIONS FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT ALSO ARTISTS, UH, EXPERIENCE REMOVAL OF THEIR ARTWORK ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. UH, SPECIFICALLY COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON CALLED OUT THE MURAL ON 12 INCH AND CHICON 12 IN CHICON. UM, IF, IF I GOT MY STREETS RIGHT AND THEN, UH, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE LAST THING WAS TO REVIEW THE ORDINANCE AND, AND ALL THE ASSOCIATE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES. SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. [02:00:03] UH, SO AGAIN, A REMINDER, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS BEFORE, BUT WE, WE BROKE THIS WORK DOWN IN PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE FROM MARCH TO MAY, WE WERE BASICALLY DOING OUR, OUR INTERNAL PROGRAM ASSESSMENT. UH, WE RE REVIEWED ALL OUR POLICIES. UH, WE DID SOME BENCHMARKING AGAINST OTHER CITIES. UH, THE A IBP PANEL WORKING GROUP WAS FORMED AND, AND IDENTIFIED OUR TOP PRIORITIES. UH, WE WANTED TO CLARIFY PROGRAM PROCEDURES, UPDATED CONTRACT TERMS, UM, AND IMPROVING OUR ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS. AND SO AFTER WE DID PHASE ONE, WE WENT INTO PHASE TWO, WHICH WAS MORE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, WHERE WE DID FOCUS GROUPS. WE MET WITH THOSE ARTISTS THAT WERE, UH, THAT EXPERIENCED THE REMOVAL OF THE ARTWORK, UH, AGAIN, BOTH THE RECESSION AND REMOVAL OF PRIVATE PROPERTY. WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER FOCUS GROUP, UH, WITH, UH, THOSE THAT SUPPORT THE ECOSYSTEM OF PUBLIC ARTS. SO WE WERE TALKING TO CURATORS, FABRICATORS, AND DEVELOPERS. AND, UH, AND THEN WE HAD A, A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP, SO WORKING WITH 17 DEPARTMENTS AND PRESENTED THEM WITH OUR FIRST DRAFT OF, OF RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE GUIDELINES AND OUR OTHER POLICIES. AND, UH, WE STARTED PROVIDING YOU THE ARTS COMMISSION WITH UPDATES AND PROVIDING, UH, UH, UPDATE TO CITY COUNCIL VIA MEMO IN AUGUST. PHASE THREE WAS, UH, BASICALLY IN THE FALL, SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER, WHERE WE WERE FINALIZING THOSE POLICIES. SO WE, WE WERE ABLE, UH, WHEN WE STARTED PRESENTING WITH THE CROSS DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF ISSUES IDENTIFIED WHERE, UH, DEPARTMENTS WEREN'T, WEREN'T COMFORTABLE AND PROVIDED, UH, FEEDBACK IN TERMS OF HOW WE COULD, UH, IMPROVE THE, THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES. AND BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE FALL, WE WERE DOWN TO, UH, ESSENTIALLY ONE, ONE ISSUE THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH. UM, BUT WE GOT LAW TO REVIEW THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES, UH, TO THE ORDINANCE. WE PROVIDED UPDATES TO CMO AND, AND, AND DIRECTORS OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS. UM, BUT REALLY WAS, IT CAME DOWN TO THIS, UH, NEEDING A CLARIFICATION FROM CITY MANAGER REGARDING THE 2% CALCULATION AND HOW WE WOULD ADDRESS, UH, MAINTENANCE, UH, BY THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE HOSTING, UM, ARTWORKS. AND SO WE FIND OURSELVES NOW IN PHASE FOUR WHERE WE WANT, UH, ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION. AND SO WE ARE IN TARGETING, UH, PRESENTING THE ORDINANCE, UH, RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO COUNCIL. UH, LATER IN, IN APRIL, THE GUIDELINES AND OTHER POLICIES WOULD BE PRESENTED TO THE PANEL AND YOURSELVES, THE ARTS COMMISSION, UH, LATER IN THE SPRING. SO JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE ORDINANCE TELLS US WHAT WE DO, AND THAT GETS APPROVED. ANY CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE GETS APPROVED BY COUNCIL, AND THE GUIDELINES ARE HOW WE DO THE WORK. AND THOSE CAN GET APPROVED ON, UH, THERE'S AN ANNUAL BASIS THAT GET APPROVED, UH, BY THE ARTS COMMISSION. SO, SO YOU, UH, AND SO AFTER WE GET THOSE UPDATES APPROVED, UH, WE ARE TARGETING TO LAUNCH OUR, UH, NUMBER OF OPEN CALLS FOR PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE, UH, WAIT, JUST WAITING TO, TO START, UH, PROVIDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND DEVELOPING NEW PROGRAMMING. THIS, SO THIS CALL BACK TO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD EARLIER REGARDING TEMPO, BUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT NOT JUST TEMPO, BUT, UM, LAUNCHPAD AND, AND OTHER PROGRAMMING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP SCAFFOLD THAT SUPPORT THAT, THAT WE KNOW THAT ARTISTS NEED WHEN ENTERING INTO CONVERSATION OR CONTRACTS WITH A IPP OR THE CITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SORRY, I NEED, MY BRAIN NEEDED TO RESET THERE. REMEMBERING WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE. UH, SO JUST TO REMIND WHAT WE DID IN REVIEWING CHAPTER SEVEN TWO, WHICH IS THE A IPP ORDINANCE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE REVIEWED THE ORDINANCE, WE REVIEWED THE GUIDELINES, WE REVIEWED OUR ACQUISITION AND DEES POLICY, OUR LOAN AND DONATION POLICY, AND WE WENT AS FAR AS LOOKING AT OUR A IPP PANEL BYLAWS. BECAUSE IF THE GUIDELINES TELL US HOW STAFF DOES THE WORK FOR, FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, THEN THE BYLAWS ARE MOST SPECIFIC TO HOW THE A IPP PANEL CONDUCTS ITSELF. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE, WE WERE CLEAR ABOUT THE ROLES THAT EVERYONE IS PLAYING OR PARTICIPATING IN. AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE, THE BYLAWS UP TO DATE AND, AND UNDERSTOOD BY THE PANEL, UM, PROGRAMMATICALLY, WE WERE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS AND CAN COMMUNICATE OUT, RIGHT? IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR, FOR THE A IPP TEAM TO UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT WE DO. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT OUT TO OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS, TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO THE ARTISTS THAT WE'RE COMMISSIONING. AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT CONTRACT UPDATES, YOU KNOW, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE STARTED LOOKING AT WHAT CAN WE CHANGE TO MAKE SURE THE ARTISTS UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER, NOT ONLY AFTER THEY SIGN THE CONTRACT AND START WORKING, BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THEY SIGN THE TITLE OVER. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE TRIGGERING EVENT WHERE THE ARTWORK NOW BECOMES PROPERTY OF THE CITY. UM, CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS AROUND MAINTENANCE PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO AS I MENTIONED IN PHASE ONE, WE DID SOME BENCHMARKING. WE BENCHMARKED AGAINST 13 OTHER PEER CITIES. UM, THE KEY TAKEAWAYS WERE THAT, YOU KNOW, [02:05:01] IN THIS, IN THIS BENCHMARKING, IT RANGED FROM 1% TO 2%. AND THE MOST COMMON TERM THAT'S USED IS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. UM, OF NOTE IN NINE OF THE CITIES, THERE WERE NO ELIGIBLE COST DEDUCTIONS. SO IT'S JUST WHATEVER PERCENT THEY HAVE SET ASIDE FOR PUBLIC ART, NO DEDUCTIONS. UM, MAINTENANCE IS A, IS A CHALLENGE TO FUND ACROSS THE BOARD. EVERYONE DOES IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. UM, AND NO ONE, NO ONE IS, IS, UH, FOUND THE, THE MAGIC KEY TO, TO MAINTENANCE, BUT, UH, EVERYONE'S TRYING. UM, AND THERE WERE FOUR CITIES THAT DID ALLOW THE LIMITED USE OF THEIR PERCENT FOR, UH, PUBLIC ART TO GO TOWARDS MAINTENANCE. UH, CURRENTLY OURS ARE MOSTLY GOVERNED BY, BY BOND DOLLARS. WE, WE, A LOT OF THE BO CIPS, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ARE FUNDED THROUGH BOND DOLLARS. AND THERE'S RESTRICTIONS. BOND DOLLARS CANNOT BE USED TOWARDS MAINTENANCE. SO, UM, THAT'S A THING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALWAYS KEEPING AN EYE ON. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS IS JUST ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BENCHMARKING ACROSS THE 13, UH, CITIES. YOU'LL SEE WE LOOKED AT PERCENT FOR ART, HOW OLD THE PROGRAM IS, THE SIZE OF THE COLLECTION, DEDUCTIONS, UH, THE TERM THAT THEY USE FOR ELIGIBLE PROJECTS, AND, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR MAINTENANCE FUNDING. AND I, I WILL, I APOLOGIZE, I WILL SEND THIS OR MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS IN THE BACKUP SO Y'ALL HAVE ACCESS TO THIS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO AGAIN, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. THIS IS WHAT WE STARTED IN PHASE TWO, UH, STARTED WITH THE A IPP PANEL WORKING GROUP. AS I MENTIONED, THAT WAS A CONVERSATION THAT WAS STARTED IN THE FALL OF 2024, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO USE THAT WORKING GROUP SINCE THEY HAD ALREADY FORMED, UM, TO START JUST LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR POLICIES. AND, AND WE DID, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT INCLUDED AS THE A IP PANEL IS CONSISTS OF ARTS PRO, UH, ARTS PROFESSIONALS, RIGHT? ARTS AND DESIGN PROFESSIONALS. SO HAVE SOME ARCHITECTURE BACKGROUNDS, SOME LANDSCAPE DESIGN BACKGROUND, AS WELL AS CURATORIAL AND, AND, UH, ACTUAL ARTIST MURALISTS ON THE PANEL. UM, OUR FOCUS GROUPS WERE TARGETED. WE HAD ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH ARTISTS, AGAIN, THOSE THAT EXPERIENCED THE DE SESSIONS, ARTISTS THAT EXPERIENCED THE REMOVAL OR THEIR, OR THE, UM, VANDALIZING OF THEIR MURALS. AND, UM, THEN SPEAKING WITH CURATORS, FABRICATORS, AND DEVELOPERS. AGAIN, GETTING THAT, THAT WHOLE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INDUSTRY, OF HOW THEY PARTICIPATE IN, IN BRINGING PUBLIC ART, UH, TO THE WORLD. AND AS I MENTIONED, OUR INTERNAL ENGAGEMENT, CROSS DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUP 17 DEPARTMENTS HAD HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES THAT, THAT WE'VE PRESENTED. AND SO, ACROSS ALL OF THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT WE NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAM CLARITY AND OUR COMMUNICATIONS, UH, CLARITY AROUND THE A IPP PROGRAM. UH, THE PERCENT FOR ART, UH, IS NOT, UH, UH, IT'S, IT'S WELL KNOWN, BUT IT'S NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD ABOUT HOW IT ACTUALLY, UH, OPERATES AND WORKS. UM, DEFINING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WHERE ARTISTS COULD FIND RESOURCES, OR NOT JUST ARTISTS, BUT ANYONE CAN FIND RESOURCES REGARDING PUBLIC ART AND NEEDING A SIMPLIFIED, UH, VISUAL FLOW CHART FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, AND JUST FOR COMPARISON, IN THE 1985 ORDINANCE IS ABOVE THE DOTTED LINE, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THE LANGUAGE SAYS 1% HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE, AND, UH, THE CAP AT 200,000. AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THAT'S THE LANGUAGE REGARDING THE, THE DEDUCTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, DEFINING CONSTRUCTION COST. AND SO BELOW THE DOTTED LINE, WE HAVE THE UPDATED ORDINANCE, WHICH IS THE CURRENT ORDINANCE. IF YOU GO SEARCH FOR IT, MUNI CODE TODAY, YOU WILL FIND THIS LANGUAGE. UH, WE UPDATED, UH, WE, IT SAYS THAT FIRST PART IS, UH, AT LEAST 2% OF THE CONSTRUCTION COST OF A PROJECT TO SELECT, ACQUIRE AND DISPLAY ART. UM, AND THEN WE REMOVED THE CAP, BUT THERE'S STILL, UH, UH, THERE WAS A, A FLOOR TO, TO WHERE WE COULD, UH, GET PROJECTS FOR LESS THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. AND THEN RIGHT BELOW THAT, I DIDN'T HIGHLIGHT IT, BUT THE DEFINITION OF CONSTRUCTION COST MEANS THE COST OF A PROJECT TO THE CITY. AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THE DEDUCTIONS THAT, THAT ARE, UH, ELIGIBLE IN THE 2002, THE CURRENT ORDINANCE, A IPP ORDINANCE, THOSE FIVE THINGS ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT SHOULD BE DEDUCTED FROM THE CALCULATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, THIS IS NEW LANGUAGE OR NEW, A NEW EDIT. UM, SINCE DECEMBER, WANTED TO POINT OUT ON THE LEFT IS AGAIN, OUR CURRENT ORDINANCE IN MUNI CODE. IT SAYS, THIS LIMITATION DOES NOT APPLY TO, IF COUNCIL DETERMINES AFTER RECEIVING A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION, THAT THE PROJECT MERITS OR REQUIRES A GREATER APPROPRIATION. SO IF THERE'S A PROJECT AND WE SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS NEEDS MORE THAN 2%, YOU AS THE ARTS COMMISSION CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL. AND COUNCIL SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS PROJECT DOES NEED MORE THAN 2% FOR PUBLIC ARTS. SO LET'S DO THAT. UM, AND ON THE RIGHT YOU'LL SEE THE RECOMMENDED CHANGE. IT SAYS THAT THIS LIMITATION DOESN'T, UH, [02:10:01] DOES NOT APPLY IF THE CITY MANAGER DETERMINES THAT A PROJECT MERITS, UH, GREATER OR LESSER APPROPRIATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO THIS BREAKS DOWN BASICALLY THE LA THE PREVIOUS TWO SLIDES THAT WE JUST WENT OVER. SO 1985 ORDINANCE OF THE FIRST COLUMN. UH, WE'VE GOT THE, THE LANGUAGE AROUND CONSTRUCTION COSTS. WE'VE GOT THE DEFINITION OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND THE ELIGIBLE DEDUCTIONS. NEXT COLUMN IS THE 2002 ORDINANCE. OUR CURRENT ORDINANCE, UM, UPDATING THE LANGUAGE OF, OF THE PROJECT, THE DEFINITION OF CONSTRUCTION COST, AND THE, UH, ALLOWED DEDUCTIONS, UH, IN 2025. AS WE STARTED THIS REVIEW OF A IPP POLICIES AND PROGRAM, DUE TO THE RESOLUTION, WE IDENTIFIED THAT THERE WAS INCONSISTENT ALLOCATION. AND SO, UH, WE LEARNED THAT THEY WERE USING THE INDUSTRY TERM OF CONSTRUCTION COST RATHER THAN THE DEFINITION THAT'S LAID OUT IN THE ORDINANCE. AND SO, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, EVEN THOUGH THE ORDINANCE HAS THE FIVE DEDUCTIONS LAID OUT, UM, THERE WERE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT WERE BEING DEDUCTED FROM THE CALCULATIONS. UH, AND SO THE 2026 RECOMMENDATION, WE WANT TO ALIGN, UH, FOR CONSISTENCY. UH, JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT IT DOES DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO CITY MANAGER RATHER THAN ARTS COMMISSION AND COUNCIL WHEN ADJUSTING THE 2%. UH, THE PROPOSED DEFINITION DOES CALL IT OUT AS CAPITAL PROJECT COSTS, SO THAT THERE'S CLARITY, UM, BUT ALSO PROPOSING, UH, ADDITIONAL ALLOWABLE DEDUCTIONS. SO THE FIVE THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE ORDINANCE, AS WELL AS SOME, UH, ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT WILL LOOK FAMILIAR 'CAUSE THEY'RE, UM, I IDENTICAL TO THE ONES FROM THE 1985 ORDINANCE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO THESE ARE ALL THE, THE, THE BULLET POINTS. UH, A COUPLE SLIDES AGO, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE, THE, I'M FORGETTING HOW MANY THERE WERE ABOUT 12. UM, AND JUST A, A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT WE, WHAT WE DID TO MEET THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCIL PUT FORWARD. SO FOR THE P THREES, UM, INCLUDING A IPP PROJECTS IN THIS, WE, WE MET WITH, UH, UH, FINANCIAL SERVICES REDEVELOPMENT TEAM. UM, WE, WE WENT BACK AND FORTH. UH, THEY, THEY LET, THEY LET US KNOW THAT P THREES WAS KIND OF TOO GENERIC OF A TERM. WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS, UH, WHEN WE EXPLAINED, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PDC, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS BUILDING HERE, THE AUSTIN ENERGY HEADQUARTERS, LIKE THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS. AND SO THEY SAID ALTERNATE DELIVERY MODEL THAT UTILIZES THE PUBLIC FACILITIES CORPORATION IS A MORE ACCURATE, UH, PHRASE THAT WILL GET US TO, TO WHAT COUNCIL WAS TALKING ABOUT AND NOT, UM, RESTRICT US OR LIMIT US IN, IN TERMS OF WHAT PROJECTS WE'RE INCLUDING, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE A IPB ORDINANCE IS APPLIED. UH, AND SO IN THIS CONVERSATION, WE DID AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE, MAKING SURE THAT A IPP HAS A PRE-QUALIFIED ARTIST POOL WILL HELP US IN SPEEDING UP THIS PROCESS. SO, P THREES, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALTERNATE DELIVERY MODELS, THEY ARE MOVING AT, AT EVEN A FASTER PACE OF NOT A FAST, THEY'RE MOVING AT A FASTER PACE THAN TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. THERE'S TYPICAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. SO TO BE ABLE TO MATCH THAT SPEED, WE AGREE THAT WE WILL, WE WOULD USE THAT PRE-QUALIFIED LIST TO JUST SPEED UP OUR PROCESS AND BE A BIT MORE EFFICIENT. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. , ENCOURAGING PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS. UH, THIS IS MORE IN TERMS OF SPECIFICALLY WE, WE WERE INSPIRED BY THE EXISTING LANGUAGE IN THE ZONING APPLICATION IN REGARDS TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS OR PUDS. UM, THERE IS LANGUAGE THAT SAYS, HEY, YOU WANT TIER TWO CERTIFICATION, PUT SOME PUBLIC ART AND WE'LL GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR THAT. SO WE WANTED TO STRENGTHEN THAT LANGUAGE AND BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE AND WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE WHEN THEY DO THAT. UM, BUT WE WANTED TO ALSO INVESTIGATE IF WE COULD APPLY IT TO OTHER INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY RUNS IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT. SO, UM, DENSITY PROGRAMS IN DOWNTOWN ARE, ARE CULTURAL DISTRICTS. WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND, UH, THE LANGUAGE THAT WE, IT MODIFIED OR, OR, OR SUGGESTING IN THE ORDINANCE WILL ALLOW US TO DO THIS, UM, AGAIN, TO BE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPER THAT'S APPLYING FOR THESE INCENTIVES. WE'LL USE THE PRE-QUALIFIED ARTIST POOL, SO THAT GIVES 'EM A BETTER SENSE OF, OF HOW WE CAN FILTER THE ARTISTS AVAILABLE FOR THEIR PROJECTS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, ALLOWING FLEXIBILITY FOR THE USE OF FUNDS. UM, THIS ONE WAS A LITTLE TRICKY. WE, WE KNEW GOING INTO THIS, THAT BECAUSE OF A LOT OF OUR PROJECTS ARE, ARE FUNDED BY BOND DOLLARS, THAT THEY CANNOT BE USED FOR MAINTENANCE. UM, AND SO WHAT WE DID INSTEAD WAS THAT IF THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE AFTER THE PROJECT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, THAT WE WE'RE ABLE TO PULL THEM AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO LEGAL RESTRICTIONS. SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE BOND DOLLARS, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THIS. UM, BUT IF IT'S NOT BOND FUNDED, THERE'S MONEY LEFT OVER ACROSS [02:15:01] MULTIPLE PROJECTS, THEN WE CAN PULL THEM THAT MONEY AND BE ABLE TO USE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR MAINTENANCE. UM, WE DID ADD LANGUAGE TO ALLOW FOR UP TO 5% OF THE 2% TO BE USED FOR REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENTS WITH EXISTING PUBLIC ART. AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO LEGAL RESTRICTIONS, WE'RE NOT GONNA BREAK THE LAW. UM, AND WE, WE REALLY CLARIFIED THE DIFFERENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. RIGHT NOW, THE ORDINANCE SAYS MAINTENANCE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT. UM, WE WANNA CLARIFY THAT AND SAY THAT ROUTINE MAINTENANCE IS THE SPONSOR DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES. THEY CAN SPRAY THINGS DOWN WITH WATER, THEY CAN DUST PUBLIC ART, THAT'S INTERIOR. UM, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO REALLY REPAIR AND RESTORATION, THAT DOES FALL ON A IPP AND THE PUBLIC ART FUND TO DO THAT WORK. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF SOMETHING DOES BREAK, THEY GOTTA CALL US AND WE GO OUT AND ASSESS AND WE SAY, YEAH, THIS IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE'RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF THIS. UH, AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE GENERATING ANNUAL REPORTS. SO WE HAVE MAINTENANCE PLANS FOR EVERY ARTWORK, AND NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS FOR EVERY DEPARTMENT WE'RE, WE'RE CREATING A BINDER AND WE'RE SAYING, YOU HAVE 200 ARTWORKS IN YOUR DEPARTMENT. YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THESE 200 THINGS. LET'S START LOOKING AT THE COST AND SEE WHERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, BRING DOWN, SHARE SOME OF IT AND, YOU KNOW, JUST BETTER PLANNING FOR BUDGET. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, OUR PLACEMENT FLEXIBILITY. AGAIN, UH, WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH, UH, REGARDING BOND DOLLARS. I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'VE GOT A PROJECT AND, AND THERE'S A PARK ACROSS THE STREET AND THE PROJECT JUST DOESN'T HAVE A REALLY GOOD PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE SPACE FOR TO PLACE ARTWORK, CAN WE PUT THAT ARTWORK ACROSS THE STREET IN THAT PARK, WHICH IS ALSO CITY PROPERTY? UM, AND WE WERE TOLD WITH BOND DOLLARS, NO, WE CAN'T, THE, THE BOND DOLLARS HAVE TO STAY WITH THE PROJECT. AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE JUST TRY TO EXPAND. UM, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT, UH, LEGALLY RESTRICTED, WE CAN FIND ANOTHER CITY PROPERTY TO MOVE THAT ARTWORK. UH, IF THERE'S NO, IF IT IMPROVES PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY, UH, AND ENGAGEMENT, UH, AND AGAIN, POOLING FUND, UH, FROM THE BOND PROPOSITION. SO WE'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE PROJECTS AT THE END OF, UH, AT THE END OF THE LIFESPAN OF THE BOND PROJECT. AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE DO ART. SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING WITH THIS NEW LANGUAGE IS, IS LET'S, LET'S TALK AT THE BEGINNING. SO THESE BOND MEETINGS THAT, THAT COMMISSIONER KEYS ATTENDED IS LIKE, THERE SHOULD BE A, A, A BOND PROPOSITION CALLING OUT PUBLIC ART SAYING, WE'VE GOT THESE FIVE, UH, STREET PROJECTS THAT ARE CIPS THAT, THAT A IPP ELIGIBLE. LET'S TAKE THE 2% OF THOSE FIVE PROJECTS AND SAY, THIS PUBLIC ART IS BEING FUNDED BY THOSE FIVE PROJECTS, BUT HERE'S THE MONEY THAT WE'RE GETTING FOR PUBLIC ART. SO WE'RE PULLING THOSE TWO PERCENTS FROM EACH OF THOSE FIVE PROJECTS, AND WE HAVE A SET OVER HERE, AND THIS IS FOR PUBLIC ART. AND THAT GIVES US THE FLEXIBILITY OF SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, OUT OF THOSE FIVE, REALLY ONLY TWO OF THEM ARE, ARE, HAVE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE, UH, SITES WHERE WE CAN PUT PUBLIC ART AND, AND THE COMMUNITY CAN JOIN. SO LET'S TAKE THE, THE MONEY FROM ALL FIVE PROJECTS, LET'S SPLIT IT BETWEEN THOSE TWO SITES, AND WE GET SOMETHING BETTER, A BETTER BANG FOR OUR BUCK THERE. UM, WE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN WATER TO REMOVE THE CAP OF 300,000 ON THEIR WASTEWATER, UH, FACILITIES. AND, UH, THEY WERE INTERESTED IN THAT CONVERSATION AND THEY AGREED TO IT. AND WE'VE GOT, I THINK I'VE GOT ANOTHER SLIDE FOR THIS, SO I'M GONNA HOLD OFF. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. CURATORIAL SERVICES, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE ALREADY USE, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE THINK, YOU KNOW, JUST WHEN THERE'S A MAJOR PROJECT, LIKE AT THE AIRPORT, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE SORT OF A, A STRATEGIC PLAN TO BE ABLE TO SAY, OUR, THIS IS, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THE 2%, UH, FOR A IVP AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, IMPEDING ANY, ANY, UH, FOOT FACILITY REQUIREMENTS AND THAT WE CAN ENGAGE AT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT WE'RE CHEERING OUT FOR FOR ARTISTS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO FOR PROGRAMMATIC IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ENCOURAGING LOCAL PARTICIPATION, LIKE, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'RE RELAUNCHING OUR PRE-QUALIFIED PUBLIC ARTISTS POOL. UM, CREATING CAPACITY BUILDING, UH, PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. SO LOOKING AT TEMPO, LOOKING AT SMALLER BUDGET PROJECTS, OR MAYBE NOT SMALLER BUDGET, BUT JUST, UH, OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE, UH, THAT ENTRY OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR ARTISTS. IF, AS YOU MAY KNOW, THAT PUBLIC ART AS A, AS A, AS A INDUSTRY, AS A SECTOR IS KIND OF A CATCH 22. 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET A BIG PUBLIC ART COMMISSION UNLESS YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE EXPERIENCE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PUBLIC ART COMMISSION. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BREAK DOWN WITH THESE, UH, CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECTS, UM, ARTIST MENTORSHIP WORKSHOPS, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LAUNCHPAD PROGRAM, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO INTRODUCE THE, THE CHALLENGES [02:20:01] OF, OF PUBLIC ART, RIGHT? IT'S NOT THE SAME AS AS CREATING ART IN YOUR STUDIO. UM, CONTRACT CLARITY AND COMMUNICATION. AGAIN, JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERY ARTISTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SIGNING AND, AND WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS WHEN THEY SIGN OVER THE TITLE, UH, AS WELL AS THEIR CONTRACTS. UM, CLEAR DOCUMENTATION OF LIFESPAN OF AN ARTWORK. 'CAUSE THAT'S PARTLY THE MAINTENANCE PLAN, BUT ALSO JUST AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DO REACH THAT END AND HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THESE SESSIONS. UH, OH, ARTIST RESOURCES ON, UM, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTY. SO THAT ONE BULLET POINT, WHEN I SAW THAT, IT WAS LIKE, WE, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO PRIVATE PROPERTY, LIKE THE CITY HAS NO JURISDICTION, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. BUT AS WE STARTED HAVING THOSE ONE-ON-ONES WITH ARTISTS, WE STARTED, WE STARTED TO REALIZE, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE CAN PROVIDE RESOURCES. WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT ARTISTS HAVE, UM, A TEMPLATE FOR A CONTRACT. SO WHEN THEY GO TALK TO A PROPERTY OWNER THAT THEY'RE HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MAINTENANCE. SO THAT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS RECURRING WITH MURALISTS WAS THAT THEY'RE SAYING NOT ONLY DID THEY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, DID THEY GET UNDERPAID, 'CAUSE THEY WORKED WAY LONGER THAN THEY EXPECTED ON A LARGER CANVAS THAT THEY THOUGHT. SO, LIKE, THEY HAD NO WAY TO GO BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY COULD TOUCH UP THEIR, THEIR MURAL IF IT GOT VANDALIZED, YOU KNOW, IF GRAFFITI WAS ON IT OR, UM, YOU KNOW, OR THE PROPERTY OWNER SHIFTED HANDS RIGHT? THEN THAT COMMUNICATION DIDN'T CONTINUE WITH THE NEW PROPERTY OWNER. SO WE CAN PROVIDE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THE ARTISTS ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN TERMS OF CONTRACTS, IN TERMS OF WORKSHOPS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING. UM, JUST MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION'S AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO, FOR YOUR AWARENESS, UM, AS I MENTIONED THERE WAS THAT, THAT CHANGE, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF CHANGES THAT HAPPENED SINCE I PRESENTED IN DECEMBER AND WE'VE, UH, HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND ACTUALLY THE WHOLE CMO, UH, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. AND WE'VE BEEN BRIEFING COUNCIL, SO WE'VE DONE A COUPLE ALREADY THIS LAST WEEK. WE'VE GOT ONE AT THE END OF THIS WEEK. AND A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING FROM THESE COUNCIL OFFICES THAT, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS AROUND, UH, THE P THREE INCLUSION AND MAKING SURE THAT, THAT WE HAD ALIGNMENT WITH COUNCIL'S INTENT, UH, ARTWORK, PLACEMENT, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE WERE ENCOURAGING LOCAL PARTICIPATION, HOW WE'RE USING CURATORIAL SERVICES, UM, QUESTIONS ABOUT DELEGATING, APPROVALS AWAY FROM COUNSELING COMMISSION AND ASKING FOR EXAMPLES OF THE A IPP ALLOCATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND SO HERE IN PHASE FOUR, AS WE'RE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT ADOPTION, OUR OUR NEXT STEPS ARE, UH, TO GET A MEMO TO THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET IN FRONT OF COUNCIL ON APRIL 23RD. AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED, DOING THE GUIDELINES AND POLICIES UPDATES TO Y'ALL, UH, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THAT SO THAT WE CAN THEN LAUNCH OUR OPEN CALLS AFTER THAT AND DEVELOP NEW PROGRAMS AND GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE THIS PAST YEAR AND HOW IT SHIFTED OUR PROGRAM AND HOW THEY CAN PARTICIPATE. I WILL PAUSE THERE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER, SMALL BOX? UM, YES. YES, A FEW CLARIFICATIONS FIRST. UM, IT FEELS LIKE A BIG DEAL AND I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THE NEW, ONE OF THE NEW THINGS THAT'S BEEN INTRODUCED SINCE WE HAD A PRESENTATION IN DECEMBER IS REMOVING, UM, OR, OR, YEAH, REMOVING THE, IF SOMEONE WANTED, IF A PROJECT WAS TO GO FOR EXEMPTION FROM THE 2%, TYPICALLY THAT WOULD'VE COME THROUGH ARTS COMMISSION AND COUNCIL. AND NOW IT WILL, IF THIS WENT FORWARD, BE FULLY WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO SAY WHETHER OR NOT A PROJECT, UM, COULD BE EXEMPTED FROM THE 2% ORDINANCE. IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT IS ACCURATE. UM, WELL, I'LL SAY IT'S MOSTLY ACCURATE 'CAUSE I THINK WE CAN AGREE. OH, SORRY, IS IT LOUD, HEIDI? NO, NO, NO, NO. I'M, I'M JUST REACTING, I THINK WE CAN AGREE THAT PROCESS THAT WAS ESTABLISHED KIND OF HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWED. RIGHT. THIS CONCEPT OF LIKE GETTING THE EXEMPTION, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO COME TO THE COMMISSION, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET PERMISSION FROM COUNSEL. UM, IT HASN'T, IT HASN'T BEEN HAPPENING. AND SO, RIGHT. WELL THAT'S THE LIKE, SORRY. OH YEAH, NO, SORRY, YOU GO [02:25:01] AHEAD. THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION WAS JUST LIKE THE, THE TLDR HERE IS, WE HAVE AN ORDINANCE, WHICH IS A POLICY POLICY, CLEARLY HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWED. DO WE HAVE A, UM, AND WHETHER THAT'S BEEN INTENTIONAL, UNINTENTIONAL, I DON'T KNOW, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER, BUT LIKE THE, THE, UH, RESULT IS THAT THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED BASED ON WHAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE 2002 ORDINANCE. RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, SENSE OF HOW BIG THAT GAP IS? LIKE THE INCONSISTENCY OF THE 2% APPLICATION? LIKE DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW, HOW MUCH THAT HAS IMPACTED THE PROGRAM'S FUNDING? SO WE DON'T HAVE LIKE A, THERE'S NO SPREADSHEET THAT EXISTS THAT SHOWS, UM, A CALCULATION THAT DEMONSTRATES LIKE AN EXACT NUMBER ACROSS THE WHOLE TIME. UM, THAT, THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT. AND I'LL ALSO SAY WE DON'T HAVE, LIKE, STRICTLY SPEAKING, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO EVERY LINE ITEM OF THE BUDGETS AND ALL THE, THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AND SO IT'S A LITTLE, IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR US PERSONALLY TO, UM, KIND OF REVIEW THAT AND DEMONSTRATE WHERE, WHERE THINGS WERE CALCULATED OR NOT CALCULATED. AND COMMISSIONER SMBA, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS, BUT WE, UM, WE FEEL THAT THERE IS, THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLIANCE ISSUES OVER TIME. AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CAME OUT DURING THIS LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE, RIGHT? COUNCIL ASKED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND THEY ASKED US TO OVERALL JUST LOOK AT THE PROGRAM. AND SO THE COMPLIANCE ISSUE WAS ONE THAT WE WERE HOPING TO TACKLE. AND REALLY THE HURDLE WE'VE RUN INTO IS LIKE, HOW DO WE RIGHT SIZE WHAT COMPLIANCE LOOKS LIKE? WE HAVEN'T AGREED WITH EVERYBODY ALONG THE WAY. AND SO IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE TO, TO KIND OF MAKE THOSE COMPROMISES WITH LEADERSHIP AND WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE THE ORDINANCE IS FOLLOWED. BECAUSE THAT IS THE GOAL IS WHATEVER THE ORDINANCE SAYS, THAT IT'S EASY TO MANAGE, IT'S EASY TO FOLLOW, IT'S EASY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN STUCK AT A LITTLE BIT, I THINK. WELL, YEAH, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S THE POLICY THAT SHOULD BE BEING FOLLOWED. BUT IS THERE, UM, WHAT IS THE RATIONALE THAT YOU'RE HEARING FOR ANOTHER TLDR? LIKE, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT WAS A REALLY HELPFUL SLIDE WHEN YOU PUT THINGS UP, YOU KNOW, THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE, WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE DEDUCTIONS, WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED, AND THEN WHAT IS SORT OF COMING BACK TO US FROM DEPARTMENTS AND MAYBE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE IS WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR ADDING MORE DEDUCTIONS THAT ESSENTIALLY ARE TAKING US BACK IN TIME? I'M 42, I WAS BORN IN 84, SO 41 YEARS . LIKE, WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THAT THAT YOU'RE HEARING FROM THOSE WHO ARE PUTTING THAT FORWARD? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. FOR THESE HUGE LONG LIST OF DEDUCTIONS. AND WE, UH, PULLED THAT SLIDE BACK UP THE COMPARISON SLIDE JUST SO, UM, WE HAVE THE VISUAL TO GO WITH IT. AND SO, UM, I I MEAN, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND SO I LIKE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SEEING WE GO FROM THE NUMBER OF DEDUCTIONS TO YOU'RE SEEING 12 DEDUCTIONS AND WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THAT? YEAH. AND OUR, OUR PARTNERS, UM, FEEL THAT THE LANGUAGE THAT'S USED IN THE ORDINANCE, CURRENT LANGUAGE SAYS WE WILL CALCULATE THE PERCENTAGE FOR OUR BASED ON CONSTRUCTION COST. AND THEN THERE'S A DEFINITION PROVIDED THEY FEEL LIKE THE DEFINITION DOESN'T CAPTURE WHAT CONSTRUCTION COST IS AS AN INDUSTRY TERM. AND THEY FEEL LIKE A GOOD COMPROMISE IS TO ACTUALLY CAPTURE WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS THE INDUSTRY TERM FOR CONSTRUCTION COST, WHICH ITEMIZES THESE 12 ITEMS. AND THAT IS, THAT IS THE RATIONALE THAT HAS BEEN SHARED. OKAY. SO THE WAY THAT COMES ACROSS, AND THIS IS JUST ME, IS KIND OF INSANE AS A POTENTIAL PRECEDENT, WHICH IS LIKE THERE'S BEEN CHRONIC NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE POLICY AND NOW THE NON-COMPLIANT, THE, THE PEOPLE, THE DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE BEEN NON-COMPLIANT ARE USING THEIR NON-COMPLIANCE AS THE RATIONALE TO CHANGE THE POLICY TO BE WHAT THEY WANTED IT TO BE. LIKE THAT'S KIND OF BONKERS AS EVEN IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT PUBLIC ART, UM, FOR THAT TO BE A PRECEDENT THAT IS BEING SET. AND I GUESS ANOTHER POINT, WELL, I I DO WANNA FLAG THAT THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY TO DO OTHER THAN WHEN THESE COME TO US, WE'RE NOT TAKING ACTION TONIGHT. THIS IS JUST A DISCUSSION, RIGHT? SO THESE WILL COME TO US AND WE'LL SEE A FINAL LIKE RED LINE VERSION. IT'S A [02:30:01] HUGE NO FROM, FROM MY OPINION, THAT WE WOULD REMOVE, LIKE WE WOULD JUST HAND OVER THE DECISION OF WHETHER TO EVEN REALLY HAVE AN ORDINANCE, BECAUSE THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT IS. IF YOU CAN BE EXEMPTED FROM IT AT ANY TIME, UM, TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, LIKE THAT'S JUST, THAT MEANS THAT THE POLICY JUST KIND OF DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. BECAUSE IF YOU CAN EXEMPT YOURSELF FROM IT AT ANY TIME, WHAT IS THE POINT? UM, I JUST LIKE, WE'LL, I HOPE THAT MOVEMENT HAPPENS ON THAT BEFORE IT COMES TO US. UM, I GUESS I ALSO WONDER MORE BROADLY, LIKE DOES, UM, WHAT HAPPENS IF, WELL, I GUESS TWO, TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS LIKE, HOW, HOW COULD WE SEPARATE THE BOTTLENECK BETWEEN GETTING THESE ORDINANCE RESOLUTION, LIKE RESPONDING TO THE RESOLUTION, WHICH YOU'VE VERY, LIKE THOROUGHLY SAID, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO RESPOND TO THAT CURRENTLY JUST KIND OF REGULAR PROCEDURAL STUFF WITH A IPP IS BEING HELD UP. IS THAT CORRECT? BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN A RESOLUTION TO THE ORDINANCE ISSUES. IS THAT ACCURATE? LIKE WHAT IS BEING HELD UP OPERATIONALLY? YEAH, THAT, THAT IS ACCURATE. WE HAVE, UM, HELD OFF PUTTING FORWARD REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL ACTIONS ON SOME, SOME ITEMS THAT, UM, COULD BE READY OR FOR LAUNCHING A NEW CALL IN ANTICIPATION OF, UH, ACTUALLY GETTING PAST THIS RESOLUTION. UM, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THE, THE COUNCIL DATE TO BRING THIS FORWARD HAS MOVED QUITE A BIT SINCE LAST FALL. AND SO YES, IT HAS BEEN HOLDING UP OTHER THINGS. OKAY. SO ANOTHER HOPE BEFORE WE, THIS COMES TO US FOR ACTUAL VOTE IS THAT WE CAN REMOVE THOSE TWO THINGS AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD OPPORTUNITIES AND NOT HOLDING UP OPPORTUNITIES THAT AREN'T REALLY IMPACTED BY THE ORDINANCE RESOLUTION. AND ALSO, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED MORE, I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD RUSH ANYTHING WITH, NOT THAT IT'S BEEN RUSHED, IT'S BEEN A YEAR, BUT THIS WILL IMPACT THE PROGRAM A LOT FOR YEARS TO COME. SO LIKE, WE NEED TO GET THIS STUFF RIGHT. AND I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE OPINIONS HERE AND QUESTIONS. I'VE JUST BEEN IN THIS THROUGH A LISTENING THROUGH A A PP ROLE. UM, AND I GUESS JUST MORE BROADLY, LIKE TO, TO THE CITY IN GENERAL, THE DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE LIKE PUSHING BACK ON THIS IS IF WE'RE TRYING TO KIND OF TAKE THIS BACK TO 1985, IT JUST FEELS REALLY, UM, DISRESPECTFUL TO THE FACT THAT LIKE THE 2002 ORDINANCE UPDATE, WELL, THE 1985 ORDINANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THEN THE UPDATE WERE THE RESULTS OF COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AND LIKE, TO TAKE US BACK 40 YEARS, UM, JUST FEELS LIKE KIND OF A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT'S ADVOCATED FOR THIS WORK FOR A LONG TIME. AND I, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND I THINK THOSE ARE BEING ADDRESSED PRETTY THOROUGHLY AND, AND OTHER PEOPLE CAN SHARE ABOUT THAT. BUT, UM, THAT FEELS LIKE ANOTHER, UH, MESSAGE TO THE ARTS COMMUNITY THAT LIKE, THIS IS NOT PRIORITIZED OR VALUED. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK, COMMISSIONER SCHMUCK. UM, WE'RE TAKING NOTES AND AS WE MOVE THROUGH THESE MEETINGS WITH THE COUNCIL OFFICES AND HEARING FROM YOU ALL, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE ARE BRINGING THAT FEEDBACK FORWARD. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL SEE THE FINAL VERSION OF THE RED LINE HOPEFULLY AT THE NEXT MEETING DEPENDING ON HOW THE, THESE FUTURE MEETINGS GO LEADING UP TO THE RCA DATE COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. SO, JUST TO BE CLEAR, SO CURRENTLY THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPARTMENTS TO PUBLICLY SHOW HOW THEY CALCULATED THE 2%. IS THAT, SO THERE'S NO TRANSPARENCY AS FAR AS THE DEPARTMENT, THE LINE ITEMS, TOTAL PROJECT, THE DEDUCTIONS AND HOW THEY CALCULATED THE 2%. IS THERE ANY, ANYTHING AVAILABLE PUBLICLY FOR THAT TO BE REVIEWED AS FAR AS JUST TRANSPARENCY? UH, YOU'RE CORRECT IN IN SAYING THAT THERE, THERE ARE NO PUBLIC DOCUMENTS SHOWING HOW THEY'VE CALCULATED THE 2%. ADDING ONTO THAT, LIKE HOW IS IT BEING CALCULATED, IF NOT BY WHAT'S OUTLINED IN THE ORDINANCE? LIKE THEY, THEY JUST MAKING UP NUMBERS. I, SO, UM, I DON'T HAVE, I, LIKE, I JUST WANNA BE LIKE HONEST, TRANSPARENT, LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE TOOLS THAT THEY USE, BUT IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING [02:35:01] THAT THEY HAVE LIKE A SET OF SPREADSHEETS WHERE THEY CALCULATE A NUMBER OF THE BENEFITS AND COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AND LIKE, I DON'T WANNA SAY THEY JUST PULL A NUMBER OUTTA THIN AIR 'CAUSE I DEFINITELY DON'T BELIEVE THAT, BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION ON HOW IT'S CALCULATED TO REALLY TELL YOU. AND, AND WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT'S ONE OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DOING, UM, WITH OUR, OUR WORK WITH THE PARTNER DEPARTMENTS MOVING FORWARD IS, AND WE'VE GOTTEN A COMMITMENT THAT, UM, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES STAFF WILL BE MORE INTEGRATED INTO THE PROGRAM, COME AT THE TABLE SOONER, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FUTURE BOND PROJECTS, FUTURE MAJOR PROJECTS FOR THINGS LIKE CONVENTION CENTER OR THE AIRPORT, WHICH WE'VE DEMONSTRATED SOME PROGRESS ON HOW WE DO INTEGRATED ART BY GETTING TO THE TABLE SOONER. AND WE KNOW THAT'S A GAP. AND I THINK, I THINK OUR PARTNERS KNOW THAT'S A GAP TOO. AND WE HAVE A, A SHARED COMMITMENT TO DO BETTER AND UNDERSTAND MORE. BUT I COULDN'T TELL YOU, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE CALCULATIONS OVER THE, YOU KNOW, THE LAST YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING HERE. SO I JUST CAN'T ATTEST TO EXACTLY HOW IT'S DONE. BUT I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A FORMULA SPREADSHEET IS, SORRY, IS THAT SOMETHING WE CAN ASK FOR? UH, YEAH. ANY DOCUMENT THAT CITY STAFF CREATE IS, UH, SUSCEPTIBLE TO PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS. GOOD TO KNOW. BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST TO GET IT. LIKE WE CAN'T, AS THE COMMISSION THAT OVERSEES THE PUBLIC ART ASK FOR HOW DEPARTMENTS ARE CALCULATING, WE, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO EXTEND THE ASK, UM, TO SEE, OKAY, UH, WE CAN TAKE THIS AWAY AS A, AS A ASK. LIKE WHAT CAN WE DO TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION ON THOSE CALCULATIONS? THANK YOU. UM, WHETHER IT'S LIKE GETTING A LOOK AT THE FORMULA SPREADSHEET OR GETTING SOME ACTUAL CALCULATIONS, WE CAN MAKE THE ASK, BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S POSSIBLE SOMETIMES, UH, FINANCIAL INFORMATION IS REQUIRED TO GO THROUGH A PEER, BUT WE CAN ASK, SORRY, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. SORRY, I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF SLIDES AND WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THE, WE DON'T HAVE THE BACKUP, SO I WAS TRYING TO FOLLOW IT AS BEST AS I COULD, BUT FOR A PEER, FOR PEER CITIES, WHEN WE COMPARE THIS RECOMMENDATION, LIKE HOW DO WE LINE UP WITH THAT AND SECONDED. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE. ACTUALLY, THIS SLIDE IS HELPFUL. SO IN TERMS OF PERCENT FOR ART, WE, WE, WE ARE LEADERS, RIGHT? IT'S JUST US IN PORTLAND THAT HAVE 2%, UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE 2%, SORRY, EL PASO . AND, UM, WE HAVE, UH, POLICIES IN PLACE THAT ADDRESS MAINTENANCE THAT A LOT OF OTHER OF OUR PEER CITIES DON'T HAVE. SO THEY, THEIR CHALLENGES REGARDING MAINTENANCE ARE, ARE GREATER THAN OURS. UM, SO WE, I I WOULD SAY JUST OFFHAND, LIKE WE ARE IN, IN THE UPPER ECHELON OF THIS BENCHMARKING MM-HMM . UM, BUT ON PAPER THE PRO , THE PROGRAMS ARE NOT, UM, ARE NOT APPLES TO APPLES, RIGHT? THEY, THEY'RE ALL DEALING WITH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, UH, VARIATIONS OF THE CHALLENGES. UM, SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT AN EXACT APPLE TO APPLE COMPARISON, BUT I, I WOULD SAY THAT YES, WE ARE LEADERS, BUT I'D ALSO GUESS THAT THE SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM IN LA WOULD BE BIGGER, EVEN IF IT'S 1%. SO THAT DOESN'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY, RIGHT? WELL, AND WHAT THE DEDUCTIONS ARE, RIGHT? SO IF WE HAVE 12 DEDUCTIONS, IT'S NOT 2%, IT'S LIKE 0.75 OR SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW. RIGHT? SO I GUESS, I GUESS THAT'S THE PEER TO PEER COMPARISON. I'M JUST MAYBE A LITTLE INTERESTED IN KNOWING LIKE WHAT IS, WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON DEDUCTIONS, RIGHT? UM, AND I KNOW IT'S GONNA CHANGE, YOU KNOW, PER REGION, MARKET, ET CETERA. BUT, UM, I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT AS WE GO TO COUNCIL, THAT'S, THAT MAY COME UP IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE DOING THIS BENCHMARKING AND COMPARING OUR OURSELVES TO OTHER CITIES. YEAH, WE, UH, IN, IN OUR WORK TO CREATE THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE A SPREADSHEET WITH MORE INFORMATION AND WE DO HAVE A LIST OF DEDUCTIONS THAT, THAT THESE PEER CITIES ARE, ARE USING. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. AND THEN I ALSO, CAN YOU ANSWER, SO WHICH I DON'T THINK THIS WAS TOUCHED, IS IF THERE'S A CHANGE IN THE BUDGET, DOES THE 2% CHANGE? YOU MEAN A CHANGE IN THE, IN THE BUDGET FOR THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT? YEAH. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . UH, THAT'S PART OF THE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD TO ADDRESS BECAUSE IN, IN OUR UNDERSTANDING, IF IF WE WERE GETTING 2% OF THE PROJECT COST, THEN THAT IS [02:40:01] A CONVERSATION WE NEED TO HAVE IF THE, IF THE BUDGET CHANGES. BUT BECAUSE WE, OKAY, BECAUSE THE CON THE 2% HAS BEEN CALCULATED OFF OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS. WE'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, AFTER THAT PROJECT HAS GONE THROUGH A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS AND, AND, AND FUNDING THINGS. AND SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY HAD TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 'CAUSE THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE AT THE END. WE'RE AT THE END OF THE ROAD HERE. THIS IS TRULY THE, THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BUILD AND HERE'S YOUR TWO, HERE'S YOUR ALLOCATION FOR PUBLIC ART BASED OFF OF THAT. SO IN THAT SCENARIO, WE HAVEN'T, AGAIN, HAVEN'T HAD TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 'CAUSE THE SPONSORING DEPARTMENT IS, IS FAIRLY CERTAIN, LIKE THE BUDGET'S NOT GONNA CHANGE, BUT IT IS, IT IS A CONVERSATION THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IF WE WERE HAVING 2% OFF THE PROJECT COST. I THINK, I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT THE DOVE SPRINGS HEALTH FACILITY, UM, WHERE THE BUDGET CHANGED, RIGHT? WELL, IT WAS 'CAUSE COST OF SUPPLIES WENT UP AND THEN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THERE WAS FOR ART SHRUNK. AND SO THEY HAD TO GET CREATIVE WITH, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN AT THE FACILITY. AND THEY WERE LESS THAN WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING AS A COMMUNITY. UM, BUT THAT COULD BE A ONE-OFF. BUT OBVIOUSLY I'M JUST THINKING LIKE THE 2%, THE MONEY THAT'S ALLOCATED FOR THE ART CHANGE HA MUST CHANGE. RIGHT? IF, IF THERE'S CHANGES TO THE BUDGET THAT, I'LL SAY THAT IN, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF OUR ASSESSMENT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE X FACTORS THAT I WAS LOOKING AT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WE STARTED NOTICING THE INCONSISTENCIES OF THE ALLOCATION BECAUSE WE COULDN'T, WE COULDN'T SEE HOW IT WAS BEING CALCULATED. WE WERE KIND OF GUESSING IT WAS LIKE, IS IT BECAUSE THE BUDGET IS CHANGING AND IT'S AFFECTING HOW THE CALCULATION IS IT, THAT WAS JUST ONE OF THE X FACTORS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO ADDRESS. AND THAT'S WHY WE SAID WE NEED TO BE AT THE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CONVERSATION, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CALCULATING OFF THE PROJECT COSTS SO THAT WE ARE ELIMINATING THE X FACTORS THAT THAT CAN SHIFT. AS YOU KNOW, UM, INFLATION AND MATERIAL COSTS GO UP. WE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE CALCULATING I AGAINST. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR NOW WHEN THAT HAPPENED OR, OR HOW IT HAPPENED. UM, SO THAT'S WHAT SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WE PUT FORWARD STARTING IN LAST, LAST JULY WAS TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT, MAKING CL MAKING SURE WE WERE CLEAR ABOUT HOW WE WERE CALCULATING AND WHAT WERE THE FACTORS THAT MIGHT, UM, MODIFY THAT CALCULATION. COMMISSIONER PALAU, UM, I THANK YOU JAIME FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION. UM, I'M NEW. UM, SO I WAS HOPING YOU COULD GIMME A LITTLE BIT MORE BACKGROUND ON THE AUSTIN WATER CAP REMOVAL AND HOW THEY'VE RESPONDED TO THAT AND WHERE, WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS. I, YEAH. SO, UH, WE STARTED CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN WATER TO REMOVE THAT CAP THAT WAS IN THE ORDINANCE. UM, SO THESE WASTEWATER FACILITIES, UM, HAVE VERY LARGE BUDGETS AND WE WERE CAPPED AT 300,000. UM, AND SO WE WERE, WHY ARE WE MISSING OUT ON THAT EXTRA MONEY FOR PUBLIC ART? UM, AND WHEN WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH AUSTIN WATER, THEY, THEY AGREED THAT THEY HAD NOT HAD A LONG TRACK RECORD OF PARTICIPATING IN, IN THE A IPP PROGRAM. I THINK WE HAD ONE OR TWO PROJECTS WITH AUSTIN WATER AND, UM, THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN IN, IN PARTICIPATING AND SUPPORTING PUBLIC ART. AND SO THEY AGREED TO INVESTIGATE, UH, A TRANSFER TO THE PUBLIC ART FUND. AND THAT TRANSFER TO THE PUBLIC ART FUND WAS ABLE TO, IS WILL A BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THREE THINGS FROM THE RESOLUTION IT WILL GIVE US, BECAUSE IT'S NOT BOND DOLLARS, IT WILL GIVE US FLEXIBILITY IN THE PLACEMENT OF THE ARTWORK. UM, IT WILL, UH, GIVE US A SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR MAINTENANCE AND IT, UH, HELP US ADDRESS THAT CAP OF THE, OF THE WASTEWATER FACILITY AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT AUSTIN WATER PARTICIPATES IN OUR PROGRAM. AND SO, UM, YEAH, SO IT'S A TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO THE PUBLIC ART FUND. DO YOU THINK THERE ARE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD FOLLOW SUIT? UH, WE ARE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ENERGY AND WATER, THEIR UTILITIES. THEY'RE, UM, AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT RESTRICTIONS, BUT THEY HAVE SIMILAR, UM, UH, WAYS THAT THEY'RE COLLECTING THEIR, THEIR, UM, RATES OR FUNDING. AND SO WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY. WE'VE ALSO BEEN ASKED TO ASK A COUPLE OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO SEE IF THEY CAN ALSO HAVE A, A STRONGER PRESENCE IN, IN THE A IPV PROGRAM. COMMISSIONER HU THANK YOU BAILEY. [02:45:01] THANK YOU BAILEY. I ALSO HAD THAT QUESTION. UM, I'M CURIOUS, JAIME, UH, HOW ARE LAUNCHPAD AND TEMPO FUNDED? UH, SO TEMPO IS FUNDED THROUGH HOT FUNDS, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BECAUSE IT IS A VERY PUBLIC FACING AND, AND, AND, UH, ATTRACTS TOURISTS. 'CAUSE WE HAD, YOU KNOW, EVENTS THAT WE CAN BRING PEOPLE INTO TOWN FOR. UM, THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INCEPTION. THE ORIGINAL IDEA FOR THAT WAS TO ATTRACT TOURISM. UM, THAT'S CONTINUED THROUGH TO TODAY. UH, LAUNCHPAD ON THE OTHER HAND WAS A, UH, AN ARTS COMMISSIONER KIND OF FORCED STAFF TO DO THIS. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A PROJECT ONE OF THE SEA HOME. THE FIRST ONE WAS A SEA HOME PROJECT, AND WE HAD A BUDGET AND THE ARTS COMMISSIONER WAS LIKE, HEY, WHAT IF WE JUST ALLOCATE, I FORGOT WHAT NUMBER HE THREW OUT. IT'S LIKE, ALLOCATE THIS, THIS AMOUNT FOR AN EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL ARTISTS AND JUST HAVE THEM WORK WITH THE ARTISTS THAT WE COMMISSIONED, HAVE THEM MENTOR THIS, THIS YOUNGER ARTIST OR THIS LESS EXPERIENCED ARTIST. AND SO THAT'S HOW LAUNCHPAD WAS CREATED, WAS THAT WE'RE TAKING THE, THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE FOR THE ART PROJECT AND GIVING A PERCENTAGE OF IT TO AN EMERGING ARTIST TO BE ABLE TO, TO MENTOR, TO LEARN HOW TO DO PUBLIC ART ALONGSIDE A PUBLIC ARTIST. SO IT'S FUNDED THE SAME WAY THAT, THAT OUR PUBLIC ART PROJECTS ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE CIP OR THROUGH THE 2% ALLOCATION. OKAY. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN A IPP PROJECTS THAT ARE PART OF PROJECT CONNECT. THAT IS CORRECT. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? UH, NOT REALLY. ONLY 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE INFORMATION. OKAY. UM, I'M NOT, I KNOW PROJECT CONNECT IS KIND OF A A, A TRI GLOMERATE, UH, PARTNERSHIP. THERE'S THREE ENTITIES IN A CAP, METRO, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, AND I GUESS THE CITY OF AUSTIN. IS IT, IS IT SOMETHING TO EXPLORE PERHAPS? OKAY. WE, WE CAN DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND FIGURE OUT WHY. OKAY. WE'RE NOT HAVING PUBLIC HEART WITH. AND, UH, CONTINUING ON MY FUNDING THEME, I AM CURIOUS, LIKE, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE, THE BOND FUNDING MEETING, THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. HOW MANY OF THE 20, 26 MEETINGS WAS WERE LIKE, WERE A IPP PART OF, OR PARTICIPATED IN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SIMILARLY FOR, FOR ACME, RIGHT? LIKE, I, MAYBE NOT ON THIS TOPIC, BUT I HEARD YOU SAY EARLIER LIKE, OH, WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INVITED OR WHATNOT. AND THEN I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER KEYS WAS LIKE, IT WAS A FEBRUARY MEETING. AND SO I, YOU KNOW, SINCE THESE THINGS ARE SO IMPORTANT AND SO RELATED, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE THAT PARTICIPATION IS IMPORTANT. SO I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS FOR, FOR BOTH. I MEAN, TO DATE, A IPP HAS NOT BEEN INVITED TO BOND CONVERSATIONS FOR 2026. UM, YES, WE HAVEN'T BEEN INVITED TO PRESENT ABOUT ANYTHING TO THE BTIF. UM, I DO KNOW THOSE CONVERSATIONS STARTED BACK WHEN OUR PROGRAM WAS STILL WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OUR LEADERSHIP DID ATTEND SOME PRELIMINARY MEETINGS TO LEARN ABOUT THE BOND PROCESS. BUT I THINK SINCE OUR DEPARTMENT AND OUR PROGRAMS WEREN'T TAPPED TO BE ON THE LIST, LIKE WE GOT FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM THE CONVERSATION. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT A DIRECT IMPACT TO OUR WORK, BUT I, I FEEL LIKE IT IS. SO THEN HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE FIX THIS? HOW DO WE GET THIS HANDSHAKE CONNECTION SITUATION INVITATION GOING? YEAH, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW UP AFTER HEARING FROM COMMISSIONER KEYS. UM, WE WILL FOLLOW UP, BUT I DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW HOW TO GET INVITED, BUT I'M SURE THEY WILL WELCOME US WITH OPEN ARMS TO THE CONVERSATION. WE ABSOLUTELY WILL. I'VE ACTUALLY ALREADY EMAILED MY SUPERVISOR AND LET HIM KNOW. AND TODAY, WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT IT WITH COMMUNICATIONS, I TOLD THEM THAT ANY COMMUNITY FACILITY FACILITIES, EVEN IF THERE'S A MINOR BUDGET, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY FACING FACILITIES, THERE SHOULD BE SOMEONE, UM, FROM ACNE CARD OR, UM, PRESENT. SO I'VE ALREADY JUST MESSAGED MY BOSS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INVITE Y'ALL TO ANY UPCOMING MEETINGS. THANK YOU. WE'LL BE SURE TO ATTEND. OKAY. MY LAST ONE AND THEN I'LL PASS IT BACK TO THE PEOPLE ONLINE. BUT LIKE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD EMAIL OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT SO THAT THEY CAN FOLLOW UP ON IT? LIKE WHAT, WHAT'S THE WHAT, SORRY. I AM NEW. SO LEAD THE HORSE TO WATER. I THINK, I FEEL LIKE THE BOND CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN HARD FOR US AS A DEPARTMENT TO NAVIGATE BECAUSE, UM, THEY'RE DOING THE PROCESS DIFFERENTLY. THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IT BETTER THAN THEY'VE DONE BEFORE THEY STARTED EARLIER. THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE CITY INVESTMENT. AND SO KNOWING THAT THEY'VE ALREADY PUT FORWARD THEIR RECOMMENDED LIST AND THAT NONE OF OUR STUFF IS INCLUDED, I, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE WE'RE AT A DISADVANTAGED. LIKE WE CAN CERTAINLY JOIN CONVERSATIONS, WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT A IPP, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS BOND CYCLE, UH, THAT NO ADDITIONS ARE ON THE TABLE. AND LIKE, I, I'M HAPPY TO BE WRONG [02:50:01] ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT'S THE PERCEPTION THAT I'VE GOTTEN IS LIKE THEY HAVE SAID, HERE IS WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON AND WE AREN'T A PART OF THAT. OKAY. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S TIME. I DON'T WANNA SEND ANYONE ON A GOOSE CHASE. UH, WE WANNA BE HELPFUL IN SUPPORTING THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. SO, UH, LEAVE IT UP TO YOU ON WHAT THE BEST USE OF TIME IS. BUT I THINK EVERY ONE OF US WOULD BE HAPPY TO CALL OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS IF THAT HELPS. RIGHT. SO YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO CALL YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER ABOUT ANY ISSUE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE BEEN MAKING A LIST. COMMISSIONER KEYS. DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE? OH, NO, I ADDED IT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE? UH, JUST . UM, IS LAUNCHPAD CURRENTLY DORMANT? I FEEL LIKE WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING. I KNOW SOMEONE JUST ASKED ABOUT WHAT LAUNCHPAD IS, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S BEEN DORMANT NOW FOR A FEW YEARS. IS THAT THE CASE? YES, THAT IS THE CASE. UM, BUT IT IS PART OF OUR EVALUATION, OUR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT, LOOKING AT HOW ELSE CAN WE PROVIDE RESOURCES TO ARTISTS? HOW ELSE CAN WE PROVIDE THE SCAFFOLDING, RIGHT? LIKE IT'S IN, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE PRE-QUALIFIED LIST AND HOW WE'RE BRINGING OUR CALLS FORWARD WHERE WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UM, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING ARTISTS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERIENCED ARTISTS, OR MID-CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR ESTABLISHED ARTISTS. UM, THAT'S THE SAME THING THAT WE, WELL NOT, NOT THE SAME THING. WE WANT TO ADD EVEN MORE STEPS IN BETWEEN, RIGHT? SO EMERGING ARTISTS HAVE THEIR THING, BUT LET'S PUT A STEP IN BETWEEN EMERGING AND MID-CAREER, RIGHT? LET'S GIVE THEM SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN WORK TOWARDS AND LET'S PUT SOMETHING IN BETWEEN MID-CAREER AND ESTABLISH, MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IT'S NOT THIS BIG LEAP IN BETWEEN THOSE STEPS IN, IN BETWEEN THOSE TIERS AND MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER. AND I THINK SOME, SOME FORM OF A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM CAN BE ONE OF THOSE INTERMEDIATE STEPS. AND, UM, THAT'S WORK THAT, THAT'S PART OF THE, THE FUTURE AFTER THE ORDINANCE GETS PASSED, THAT FUTURE PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE GONNA WORK ON IS WANT TO INTRODUCE THAT. SO SINCE THOSE ARE USUALLY LOWER PAYING, UH, BUDGETS FOR THESE ARTISTS, FOR THE LAUNCHPAD, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, UM, AND EVEN TEMPO, UH, I GUESS MY ONLY CONCERN WOULD BE IF AN ARTIST SECURES SOMETHING THROUGH LAUNCHPAD OR TEMPO, DOES THAT COUNT TOWARDS THE THREE, UM, I GUESS CONTRACTS THAT THEY CAN HAVE WITH THE CITY WITHIN, I THINK, IS IT THREE YEARS OR, I CAN'T REMEMBER, IS IT THREE YEARS? I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE SOME LANGUAGE AS FAR AS HOW MANY CONTRACTS AN ARTIST CAN HAVE WITHIN A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. SO I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT IF A, A EMERGING ARTIST GETS SOMETHING THROUGH LAUNCHPAD OR TEMPO, WOULD THAT HOLD THEM UP AS FAR AS APPLYING FOR, UH, FOR ANOTHER ARTIST CALL THAT, UM, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE COMPENSATE THEM MORE AND OBVIOUSLY, UH, REALLY PLACE THEM WHERE THEY WOULD NEED TO BE TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A A PUBLIC ARTIST. YEAH. HEARD. UM, IT MORE THAN LIKELY WILL NOT COUNT AGAINST THEM. UM, 'CAUSE THE, THE MEN LAUNCHPAD MENTORSHIP WAS, YOU KNOW, JUST THE, IN ITS PREVIOUS FORM IT WAS JUST MO MOSTLY ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS, SO THERE'S NO ARTWORK. AND SO THAT WOULD NOT COUNT AGAINST THE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SAY WE DON'T WANT MORE THAN THREE ART ARTWORKS FROM AN ARTIST IN OUR COLLECTION. AND THAT'S JUST SO TO DIVERSIFY OUR COLLECTION, UM, THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN REVISIT WITH THE IBP PANELS IF THEY WANNA CHANGE THAT. BUT, UM, THAT'S WHAT IT, THE CURRENT, OUR GUIDELINES CURRENTLY STATE AND THEN WE SAY THAT IF YOU HAVE A CURRENT CONTRACT, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ANOTHER ONE. AND THAT'S MOSTLY A PRACTICAL REQUIREMENT BECAUSE, UM, BECAUSE CONSTRUCTION TIMELINES VARY AND YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU'RE WAITING AND SOMETIMES IT'S GO, GO GO. AND IF YOU'RE GOING AFTER ANOTHER CONTRACT AND YOU SIGN UP, LIKE THEN YOU HAVE CONFLICTING, YOU KNOW, SCHEDULES. IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE GETTING THE WORK THAT YOU NEED DONE AND ARE PROPERLY SUPPORTED. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THAT RESTRICTION. AGAIN, WE CAN REVISIT WITH THE PANEL IF THAT, THAT IF WE NEED TO. UM, BUT NO TEMPO IS TEMPORARY PROJECTS AND LAUNCHPAD IS MORE, OR, OR WAS, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE. WE WILL LOOK AT THAT. BUT UH, AT THIS POINT I WOULD SAY NO THEY WOULD NOT COUNT AGAINST THE THREE. OKAY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER POWELL, NOW AND THEN COMMISSIONER SCH MALACH. UM, I KIND OF WOULD, I'D LIKE TO TAKE US BACK TO THE 2% CONVERSATION HERE. UM, AND JUST WHAT WE COULD DO AS A BODY TO SUBMIT A FOIA REQUEST. UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A COMPARISON OF ALL 20 24, 20 25 PROJECTS THAT CALCULATED AMOUNT, HOW THEY GOT TO THE 2% AND WHAT THESE NEW EXEMPTIONS WOULD LOOK LIKE. WHAT ARE THE CURRENT EXEMPTION TOTAL, WHAT WOULD THAT BE IN WITH THIS NEW, THESE 12 CATEGORIES. UM, SEEMS [02:55:01] LIKE THAT'S THE BARE MINIMUM TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THAT COMPARISON. UH, SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET THAT IN FRONT OF US? ABSOLUTELY. WE, UM, JAIME AND I ARE GONNA TAKE THAT, UH, OFFLINE AS A TO-DO TOMORROW. WE'LL BE SURE TO CIRCLE UP, UM, WITH YOU DIRECTLY AND INCLUDE ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT'S LESS THAN QUORUM, UM, WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT WE CAN COME BACK TO THE FULL COMMISSION WITH WHATEVER THE RESOLUTION IS, WHETHER IT'S A SPREADSHEET OR A COMPARISON. UM, I FEEL CERTAIN WE CAN GET YOU SOMETHING, BUT LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT WE CAN GET WITHOUT THE PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST. COMMISSIONER SMALL. I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION IS, UM, IF THIS COMES TO US AND WE STILL THINK THAT THERE ARE MAJOR ISSUES AND WE DON'T APPROVE IT, THEN WHAT HAPPENS? DO WE HAVE TO APPROVE THIS? I GUESS DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, ANYTHING HERE OR WOULD IT JUST, WOULD IT JUST GO FORWARD TO COUNSEL WITH THE NOTE THAT THE ARTS COMMISSION HAD ISSUES? I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. I, I THINK THE RESOLUTION ASKED US TO REVISIT THE ORDINANCE. IT GAVE US THE SPECIFIC DIRECTIVES AND THAT DIRECTED US TO GO TO THE PANEL AND TO THE COMMISSION FOR FEEDBACK. UM, I, THE GOAL IS SUPPORT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S REQUIRED TO PASS THROUGH COUNCIL. BUT WILL IT PASS THROUGH COUNCIL WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT? I I TRULY DON'T KNOW. THAT'S PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO A YES FROM EVERYBODY. THAT'S THE GOAL. YEAH. WELL THAT'S IT. I WAS JUST GONNA THEN ADD AGAIN THAT I DO THINK ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THIS SHOULD BE ON COMMISSION. LIKE, LET'S TALK TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. 'CAUSE IT FEELS LIKE THIS HAS GONE AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND, UH, IN THE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT TO DEPARTMENT AND IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT GETTING RESOLVED. SO I DO THINK THAT MAKING, I'LL JUST UNDERSCORE LIKE REACHING WHAT, UM, UNA SAID ABOUT REACHING OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO SAY LIKE, I KNOW FOR, 'CAUSE THIS CAME UP IN THAT COMPARISON IS I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE THAT LOS ANGELES COUNTY LA AND LA COUNTY HAS A, A PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT FOR PUBLIC ART ALSO. SO, UM, I THINK SOMEBODY SAID LIKE, YEAH, IT'S 1%, BUT IT'S PROBABLY A LOT BIGGER NUMBER AND I WOULD GUESS, I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT SEATTLE AND DENVER AND SOME OF THE OTHER LIKE CITIES THAT MAKE MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN THIS MIGHT ALSO HAVE A PRIVATE DEVELOPER REQUIREMENT. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE, YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE THAT BENCHMARKING ALSO, BUT MAYBE JUST ADD THAT TO YOUR, TO YOUR BACKUP SO THAT UH, YOU HAVE IT TO REFERENCE WHEN SOMEONE'S LIKE, WELL LOS ANGELES ONLY HAS 1%. WELL YEAH, BUT THEY REQUIRE 1% FROM PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT ALSO. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. DID YOU? NO, I'M GOOD. SORRY ABOUT THAT. THAT'S OKAY. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING FOR, WERE YOU FINISHED WITH YOUR PRESENTATION? I OKAY, . OKAY, SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT TALKING TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT LOOK KIND OF HINKY. OKIE DOKE. THANK YOU IVY. THANK YOU MORGAN. THANK YOU. NOW WE'RE ON ITEM [10. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor.] NUMBER 10, STAFF ING REGARDING UPDATE ON HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BY HIGH JESUS PANDO, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. GOOD EVENING AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS. I'VE BEEN COMING UP HERE AND NOT INTRODUCING MYSELF. HE SEES PANTEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR. UH, MY PRONOUNS ARE HE HIS, I'M A LATINO WITH LONG GRAY HAIR AND SALT AND PEPPER BEARD, WEARING A, A GREEN SHIRT. UH, WITH THIS PRESENTATION I WILL BE SHARING OUR LATEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR WHICH WE HAVE DATA. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, SO THE TOTAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION IN FEBRUARY WAS $14,628,182. THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR FEBRUARY WERE $1,396,991. UH, WITH THESE FEBRUARY NUMBERS, WE ARE APPROXIMATELY 47% TOWARDS OUR FY 26 APPROVED BUDGET. AND AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A DELAY, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEW COMMISSIONERS IN HOW HOT REPORTING HAPPENS. HOT AGAIN IS HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. UH, SO THIS MARCH PRESENTATION SHOWS FUNDS COLLECTED IN FEBRUARY FOR HOTEL STAYS IN JANUARY. SO THERE IS A BIT OF A DELAY. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THE ANALYSIS OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX COLLECTIONS, UH, SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FROM JANUARY, 2026 [03:00:01] ARE LISTED ON THE SLIDE. UM, WHILE THIS LIST DOES NOT CAPTURE THE FULL SPECTRUM OF TOURISM DRIVING EVENTS, UH, IT DOES HELP ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOT REVENUE TRENDS. UM, AND SOMETHING TO NOTE, UM, WE DO GIVE, UH, UPDATES, UM, OF, UH, AIR PASSENGER, UH, TRAFFIC AT THE AIRPORT. UH, THE CITY RECENTLY, UM, WITHIN THE PAST WEEK OR TWO HAD A REDESIGN OF THE WEBSITE. AND SO I WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND THE JANUARY UH, NUMBERS, UH, WITH THE NEW, UH, WEBSITE DESIGN. SO THAT IS WHY DECEMBER IS STILL LISTED ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, THIS GRAPH SHOWS OUR MONTHLY PROGRESS TOWARDS THE APPROVED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 OF JUST UNDER $16 MILLION. OUR HOT CULTURAL ARTS FUND ACTUALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 TO DATE ARE $7,553,852. AND AS A REMINDER, THE FUNDS THAT ARE COLLECTED NOW IN FISCAL YEAR 26 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS THAT OCCUR IN FISCAL YEAR 27. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS GRAPH SHOWS A FIVE YEAR QUARTERLY AND TOTAL COMPARISON OF THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND. SO THE $3,361,392 COLLECTED IN QUARTER ONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 WAS OVER $300,000 HIGHER THAN THE SAME QUARTER, QUARTER ONE LAST YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 25. AND IN QUARTER TWO, THE $4,192,459 COLLECTED, UM, IN QUARTER TWO FOR FISCAL YEAR 26, WHICH STILL HAS ONE MORE MONTH IN IT IS ALREADY THE HIGHEST QUARTER TWO COLLECTIONS, UM, OUT OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS THAT WE HAVE DATA FOR. AND NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THAT IS MY PRESENTATION ON THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, UH, NUMBERS TO DATE. AND SO I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I DO WANNA GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, UH, THE HIGHEST HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX IS TO DATE AND THE CONVENTION CENTER'S CLOSED IS CLOSED. WHAT FOR OUR DISCUSSION LAST MONTH. I, SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR. YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN. SHE'S MAKING THE, DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT AGAIN? I WANNA SAY IT AGAIN. I ALSO WANT TO ECHO THE POINT THAT COMMISSIONER SMALL MADE, WHICH IS THAT WE HAVE THE HIGHEST QUARTERLY INCOME IN HOT AND THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED. SO THAT BEGS THE QUESTION THAT WAS ANDERSON. NOW ANDERSON MADE THAT POINT. YES, AND I AGREE AND I AGREE. I THINK THAT'S ALL WE HAVE. THANK YOU, JESUS. YOU'RE WELCOME. COMMISSIONER CNI HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. ME CNI? YES. THANK YOU FOR THAT. JESUS. UM, IF POSSIBLE IT WOULD BE AWESOME TO SEE WHAT WE WERE LIKE PRE COVID TO SEE IF WE'VE KIND OF QUOTE UNQUOTE CAUGHT UP. UM, I I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT MOVING UPWARDS, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AN OPTION. I'M JUST CURIOUS. I WILL SAY, JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I KNOW PRE COVID FOR LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE 20 19, 20 18, WE WERE GIVING OUT AROUND $12 MILLION IN FUNDING PRE COVID. AND SO WE'RE AT THAT LEVEL. SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WITHOUT SPECIFICS, WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE WE ARE AND MAYBE ACTUALLY EVEN A LITTLE BIT OF A AHEAD, 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE GIVING OUT OVER $12 MILLION NOW. MM-HMM . SO IN, IN CULTURAL FUNDING SPECIFICALLY, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE PRESS RELEASE WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, WHICH LAURA WILL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT IN HER PRESENTATION OF OVER $24 MILLION, BUT THAT'S FOR ALL OF THE ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS. SO, UM, WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO ON THAT. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR BACK WE CAN IF WE HAVE NUMBERS. I'M SURE THERE IS, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW EASY THAT IS TO ACCESS. BUT, UM, SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. BUT JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I KNOW WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE IF NOT EXCEEDING WHAT WE WERE PRE COVID. COOL, THANKS. MM-HMM . SEEING NO OTHER DISCUSSION. WE'LL MOVE TO [11. Staff briefing regarding update on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor. ] ITEM NUMBER 11, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING UPDATE ON CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BY JESUS PUNTA AND I AM STILL HERE, COMMISSIONERS FOR OKAY. AND WE'VE GOT THE NEW SLIDE UP. GREAT. UM, SO LET ME TAKE MY GLASSES OFF SO I CAN READ. UM, LET'S SEE. WITH THIS PRESENTATION I WILL BE SHARING UPDATES ON THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS. SO, UM, WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS AND OUR GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES. UH, SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, SO CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, SO THIS REPORT IS AS OF YESTERDAY, SUNDAY, MARCH 22ND. UM, FISCAL YEAR 25. NEXUS ACTIVITIES GO THROUGH APRIL 30TH, 2026. SO THE INFORMATION THAT IS THERE, UH, THE FINAL REPORTS ARE NOT DUE UNTIL MAY 31ST, SO, UM, [03:05:01] UH, THAT'S WHY THAT'S SHOWING ONLY MAYBE ABOUT A THIRD OR SO ARE CLOSED OUT. UH, FOR ELEVATE, WE HAVE OVER THREE QUARTERS, UM, HAVE BEEN CLOSED OUT AND FOR THRIVE IS A TWO YEAR FUNDING PROGRAM. UM, AND SO WE'RE, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO, UH, CLOSING OUT ALL OF YEAR ONE OF THRIVE AND HAVE ALREADY MOVED INTO, UM, UM, GETTING SOME PAYMENTS OUT FOR, UM, EXCUSE ME, DID I SAY YEAR TWO? UM, WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO CLOSING OUT YEAR ONE OF THRIVE, AND WE ALREADY HAVE PAYMENTS THAT HAVE GONE OUT FOR YEAR TWO, UH, THRIVE PROGRAM. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, NEXT I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES, UM, FOR OUR, UM, GRANTEES, UH, BETWEEN THIS ARTS COMMISSION MEETING AND THE NEXT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING IN APRIL. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, I'M NOT GONNA READ EVERYTHING ON THESE HERE. WHAT I WILL READ IS, UM, THE, UH, GRANTEES THAT HAVE EVENTS COMING UP. SO ON THIS SLIDE WE HAVE, UH, WOMEN IN JAZZ, GENDER UNBOUND, AND REALLY SMALL MUSEUM, UM, ALL HAVE ACTIVITIES, UM, THAT ARE COMING UP. AND AGAIN, WE GET THESE FROM, UH, VISIT AUSTIN. SO, UM, IT IS A CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT, UH, FOR ALL OF OUR GRANTEES TO POST THEIR EVENTS TO VISIT AUSTIN. AND, UM, IF THEY DO THOSE, THEN WE CAN, YOU KNOW, UM, GIVE UPDATES LIKE THIS DURING THE ARTS COMMISSION MEETINGS. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THEN ON THIS SLIDE WE HAVE A 44 DESIGN, SANDRA C. FERNANDEZ AND FUSE BOX AUSTIN ALL HAVE EVENTS, UH, COMING UP. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THAT IS, UH, MY PRESENTATION ON THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAM. SO I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS. YOU ALL MAY HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT FISCAL YEAR 24 ELEVATE IS STILL NOT CLOSED. WHICH, HOW MANY ARE WE MISSING? WE'RE MISSING PAYMENT TWO AND PAYMENT THREE, FIVE IN PAYMENT TWO AND 30 50 IN PAYMENT THREE. SO IT'S, IT'S 50 PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T TURNED IN THEIR FINAL PROJECT, THEIR FINAL REPORT. SO WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO, UH, WORK ON THOSE. UM, THE FINAL REPORTS, UM, WERE DUE JANUARY 31ST. UH, WE STARTED OUR, UH, REVIEW PANELS IN FEBRUARY AND WE PRETTY MUCH, UH, WERE DOING PANELS, UH, EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. EVEN SOME SATURDAY, MAYBE ONLY ONE SATURDAY, BUT, UM, AT LEAST ONE WEEKEND, UM, IN THERE AS WELL. UM, GETTING THE AWARDS OUT, SO NOTED. UM, BUT JUST, UM, A BIT OF A RATIONALE, UH, FOR WHY THAT MAY BE, UM, A BIT, UH, BEHIND, UM, IS, UM, AS WE ARE, UM, GETTING THE NEW AWARDS OUT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, UH, 26 ELEVATE, UM, UM, FUNDING PROGRAM. BUT, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS, DOES THIS COUNT PEOPLE WHO HAVE TURNED IN FINAL REPORTS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BE REVIEWED YET? OR IS THIS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T TURNED IN THEIR FINAL REPORTS AT ALL? UH, THIS, UH, THERE ARE SOME THAT HAVE FINAL REPORTS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, TURNED IN AND STILL NEED TO BE REVIEWED AND OR HAVE MISSING INFORMATION OR WE REQUESTED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WE ARE STILL WAITING ON THAT. SO, UH, THE NUMBERS FOR THE PAYMENT THREE SHOWS THOSE WHICH HAVE BEEN, UH, SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT FINAL REPORTS, BUT THERE ARE, UM, A FEW THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN RECEIVED THAT EITHER NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR, UH, MAY NEED TO BE REVIEWED. DOES THIS DISQUALIFY 'EM FROM APPLYING FOR FUTURE GRANTS OR WHAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE OR ACCOUNTABILITY? SURE. WE HOLD THEM TWO WHEN THEY DON'T TURN THEIR REPORTS IN TO CLOSE OUT BRANCH. GREAT QUESTION. IT'S, UH, KIND OF ACTUALLY TWO PRONGED. UH, SO, UH, THE FIRST PRONG IS THAT, UH, THEY CANNOT ENTER INTO THEIR FISCAL YEAR AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FY 24 AND FY 26 ELEVATE FOR THE NEW COMMISSIONERS. UM, UH, JUST WE DID NOT SKIP FISCAL YEAR 25, IT'S JUST THAT THE FY 24 ELEVATE WAS, UM, THE YEAR THE MONEY WAS ALLOCATED WAS IN FISCAL YEAR 24, BUT IT WAS FOR ACTIVITIES THAT OCCURRED FROM OCTOBER 1ST, 2024 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2025. UM, AND THEN THE FINAL REPORTS ARE DUE 30 DAYS AFTER THAT, UM, AT THE LATEST, SO JANUARY 31ST, 2026. UM, AND THEN WITH THE, UM, CREATIVE RESET, UM, UM, WE WENT AND WE CALLED IT FY 26, UM, ELEVATE ACTIVITIES BECAUSE IT'S FOR ACTIVITIES, IT, IT SEEMED A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, INTUITIVE, UM, THAT WE DO THE FISCAL YEAR BASED ON WHEN THE ACTIVITIES ACTUALLY OCCUR INSTEAD OF WHEN THE MONEY WAS ALLOCATED. UM, SO, UH, [03:10:01] IF YOU'LL REMEMBER FROM MY PREVIOUS, UM, PRESENTATION, I WAS SAYING THE FISCAL YEAR 26 HOT NUMBERS ARE FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 ACTIVITIES. SO, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A CLARITY ON THAT. UM, AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IS THOSE WHO HAVE FY 24 FINAL REPORT, UH, RECEIVED AN FFY 24 ELEVATE AS WELL AS AN FY 26 ELEVATE, THEY CANNOT ENTER INTO THEIR FY 26 ELEVATE, UH, CONTRACT UNTIL THEY SUCCESSFULLY CLOSE OUT THEIR, UH, FY 24 OR THEIR ANY, ANY PREVIOUS YEARS. UM, FINAL REPORT, UH, SO I I SAID THERE WERE KIND OF TWO PRONGS. SO THAT'S THE FIRST PRONG. THE SECOND PRONG IS, UM, UH, WE DO HAVE A NON-COMPLIANCE, UH, PROCESS. AND SO, UM, UM, WE INITIATE THAT, UM, WHEN THEY ARE LATE IN GETTING THEIR FINAL REPORTS IN. AND SO ULTIMATELY, UM, THAT COULD, UM, RESULT IN THEM HAVING TO, UM, REFUND THE MONEY, UM, AND NOT BE ELIGIBLE, UH, FOR FUTURE FUNDING. EVEN IF THEY WERE AWARDED, UH, THEY'RE NON-COMPLIANCE SO THEY WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE. SO THERE, THERE ARE SOME CONSEQUENCES FOR, UH, NOT TURNING THOSE IN. AGAIN, IT'S TWO PRONG. THE FIRST PART IS THEY CANNOT ENTER INTO THEIR NEW CONTRACT YET. SECOND PART IS THEY COULD BE FOUND IN NON-COMPLIANCE AND NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY FUNDING PERIOD. SO OUT OF THE 53, HOW MANY OF THOSE YOU'VE RECEIVED THE FINAL REPORT BUT WAITING, I GUESS, ON REVISIONS OR WHATNOT? UH, NOT ALL OF THEM. I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS OF LIKE HOW MANY FINAL REPORTS HAVE, UH, ON THIS, UH, SLIDE. UH, WE HAVE THE INFORMATION, I JUST DON'T HAVE IT READILY, READILY AVAILABLE, UM, OF HOW MANY HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED, BUT WE ARE WAITING ON, UM, SO THIS IS, UH, JUST SHOWING, UM, UH, FOR ELEVATE SPECIFICALLY, UH, THE 177, UM, CONTRACTS OUTTA THE 230 THAT HAVE BEEN CLOSED OUT OR, YOU KNOW, 77%, UH, THOSE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT. UM, AND THEN WE ARE LOOKING AT FINAL REPORTS OR WAITING ON FINAL REPORTS, UH, FOR THE OTHERS. OKAY. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. I MEAN, WE HAVE TO HOLD, THERE HAS TO BE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOOD STEWARDSHIP WITH THIS MONEY . AND I THINK KNOWING, I I WANNA KNOW AT THE END OF THE DAY HOW MANY ARE GONNA END UP WITH, WITH NON-COMPLIANCE AND AT WHAT POINT DO YOU DETERMINE IT'S NON-COMPLIANCE? LIKE WHAT'S THE HARD DEADLINE? UM, IT'S NOT FAIR TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO WERE NOT AWARDED MONEY AND SOMEONE JUST NOT TURNING IN A FINAL REPORT. UH, I DON'T KNOW. THAT SPEAKS, THAT SPEAKS POORLY OF HIM, IN MY OPINION. UM, GIVEN JUST THAT THIS IS CITY MONEY AND, UM, YEAH, THE STEWARDSHIP AND THE, THE ACCOUNTABILITY HAS TO BE THERE. YES. AGREED. AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE NON-COMPLIANCE PLAN. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ENTER INTO THEIR NEW CONTRACT, UM, OR THEIR NEW AGREEMENT UNTIL THEY CLOSE OUT THE OLD ONE. I DID A PRESENTATION SIX MONTHS AGO, I FORGET WHEN EXACTLY, BUT, UM, I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE, UH, JANUARY, 2004, UM, IN THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION OR IN THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. UM, AND IN THAT TIME PERIOD, UM, I FORGET THE EXACT NUMBERS, WE HAD LIKE 10,000 CONTRACTS, OR I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THAT MUCH, BUT THERE WERE LIKE THREE THAT WERE, UM, IN NON-COMPLIANCE OVER THAT 20 YEAR PERIOD. UM, 0.0003. YEAH, 0.0 0, 0 0 SOMETHING. AS COMMISSIONER HUSSEINI , IT WAS COMMISSIONER HUSSAIN'S FIRST MEETING. SO YEAH, SO WE DO TAKE THAT SERIOUS COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. UM, AND WE DO HAVE, UM, UH, PROGRAMS IN PLACE, OUR NON-COMPLIANCE PLAN, UM, UM, IN ORDER TO, UM, BECAUSE YES, WE DON'T WANT, UM, ESPECIALLY NOW SINCE IT IS SUCH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS, UM, WE WANT THEM TO CLOSE THOSE OUT AND NOT BE, UM, UM, TAKING UP MONEY THAT OTHERS, UM, COULD BE UTILIZING. ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, JESUS. WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. NOW WE'RE MOVING [12. Staff briefing regarding an update on the ACME Funding Programs by Laura Odegaard, Acting Division Manager, ACME. ] TO ITEM NUMBER 12, STAFF READING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON THE ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS BY LAURA ODEGAARD, ACTING DIVISION MANAGER OF ACME. AND I SAW THERE SHE IS, . GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I WOULD SAY GOODNIGHT I GUESS AT THIS POINT, BUT, SO, GOOD EVENING SLASH GOODNIGHT. UH, I'M LAURA ODEGAARD, ACTING DIVISION MANAGER OF AUSTIN, ART CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT. UH, SO TONIGHT I'LL BE PRESENTING ON, UM, AN UPDATE ON OUR 2026 FUNDING AWARDS, WHICH IS AN EXCITING MILESTONE THAT REPRESENTS BOTH OUR [03:15:01] LARGEST CULTURAL INVESTMENT YET AND THE FIRST FULL CYCLE SHAPED BY THE CREATIVE RESET. UH, SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO ON MARCH 16TH, LAST MONDAY, WE ANNOUNCED OUR 731 AWARDS FOR THIS CYCLE. UM, AS A REMINDER, WE HAD OVER ONE THOU, WELL, WE HAD 1,606 APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED. UM, SO WE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO THE MATH, BUT IT WAS LESS THAN 50%. UM, OF THOSE THAT APPLIED WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE FUNDING. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE CYCLE. WE HAD OVER $67 MILLION IN REQUESTS FROM THESE APPLICATIONS, AND WE HAD JUST OVER $24 MILLION TO, UM, GIVE OUT IN GRANTS. SO YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF WHERE THOSE FUNDS WENT. WE HAD 399 AWARDS IN THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, WHICH REPRESENTS JUST OVER $7 MILLION. WE HAD 22 AWARDS IN THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS $1.32 MILLION. WE HAD 288 AWARDS IN ELEVATE. THAT'S ACROSS ALL THREE PROGRAMS, OR ALL THREE, UM, CATEGORIES, WHICH REPRESENTS $12.8 MILLION. AND WE HAD 22 AWARDS IN OUR HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANT, WHICH REPRESENTED $3 MILLION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO JUST TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL WHAT EXACTLY THAT LOOKED LIKE. SO LAST MONDAY WE HAD THE NOTIFICATION LETTERS THAT WENT OUT TO ALL APPLICANTS THROUGH SUBMITTABLE THAT CAME TO THEIR EMAILS. IT INCLUDED, UM, THEIR SCORES, THE MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRED PER PROGRAM, AS WELL AS SOME WRAPAROUND SERVICES THAT ACME, UM, HAS AVAILABLE NOW. AND AS WE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THOSE FOR THE NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE SHARING THAT OUT WITH EVERYONE IN THE PIPELINE. UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN FOR EVERY SINGLE PROGRAM. UM, WHAT SCORE WAS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE FUNDING. UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT IN ELEVATE SPECIFICALLY FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, THE HIGHEST, THE, THE MINIMUM TO RECEIVE FUNDING WAS A 93.33. UM, FOR ELEVATE ARTS GROUPS, IT WAS A 92, AND FOR ELEVATE NONPROFITS IT WAS 88. SO AGAIN, IT WAS A VERY COMPETITIVE YEAR, THIS CYCLE. UM, LATER IN THE DAY ON MONDAY THE 16TH, WE ALSO SENT OUT CUSTOM REPORTS OF SCORES AND PANEL COMMENTS. SO THAT WENT OUT TO EVERYONE THROUGH SUBMITTABLE AS WELL. AND THEN ON WEDNESDAY OF LAST WEEK, WE SENT, UM, LINKS TO THE PANEL MEETING RECORDINGS AS WELL AS THE PASSWORDS TO ACCESS THOSE RECORDINGS FOR ELEVATE, UH, APPLICANTS FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANT. THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE, OR THOSE PANEL MEETINGS WERE NOT RECORDED. AND AS YOU KNOW, THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND AND CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THOSE DO NOT HAVE PANELS IN THOSE. UM, WE ALSO POSTED OUR AWARDEE LIST AS WELL AS SOME DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION TO OUR WEBSITE ON MONDAY. AND THEN IF YOU LOOKED AT OUR WEBSITE LATER IN THE WEEK, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE CITY NOW HAS A COMPLETELY NEW WEBSITE. SO STAFF IS ACTIVELY TRYING TO UPDATE OUR WEBSITE AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY ON THERE IS COPIED FORWARD TO THIS NEW PLATFORM. UM, SO APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE WITH THAT. IT WAS THE TIMING OF WHEN WE WERE POSTING STUFF ON THE WEBSITE, UH, WAS A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED LAST WEEK, BUT STAFF DID A GREAT JOB TRYING TO, TO GET IT ALL BACK UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, WANTED TO SHARE ON OUR WEBSITE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THE AWARDEE DEMOGRAPHICS. SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL THE APPLICANT DEMOGRAPHICS AS WELL AS THE AWARDEE DEMOGRAPHICS. SO WE'LL BE PUTTING ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, UM, ON THE WEBSITE SO YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THE THINGS SOON, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THAT TO YOU TONIGHT AS WELL. UM, SO THIS WAS ALL 1000 SIX HUNDRED AND SEVEN, SIX HUNDRED SIX, UM, APPLICATIONS. SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, A RACIAL BREAKDOWN. WE HAD 41% WHITE APPLICANTS, 19 HISPANIC, 16% BLACK, 5% ASIAN. UM, AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN READ THE WHOLE LIST. I DON'T WANNA READ EVERYTHING. UM, AND THEN THE GENDER FOR THE APPLICANTS, WE HAD 39% WOMEN, 49% MEN, 6% NON-BINARY, AND SEVEN PREFERRED. NOT TO SAY I SAID THAT I WASN'T GONNA READ EVERYTHING AND I'M READING EVERYTHING NOW. UM, WE ALSO HAD 26%, UM, IDENTIFIED AS L-G-B-T-Q 12% IDENTIFIED AS BEING PART OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY AND 2% OF OUR APPLICANTS IDENTIFIED AS VETERANS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THEN HERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISON OF OUR [03:20:01] AWARDEE DEMOGRAPHICS. SO, UM, IT'S ROUGHLY COMPARABLE TO WHAT OUR APPLICANTS WERE. UM, WE HAD 46% WHITE AWARDEES, 18.5% HISPANIC, 12.4% BLACK. UM, WE HAD 42.5% WOMEN THAT WERE AWARDED 43.4% MEN. UM, 6.3% NON-BINARY, UH, 26% L-G-B-T-Q, UH, 11% WERE PART OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY AND 1%, UM, VETERAN STATUS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO AGAIN, THAT'S FOR ALL ACME PROGRAMS. THEN WE HAVE IT BROKEN DOWN BY DISTRICT. UM, SO ON OUR WEBSITE YOU CAN DIVE INTO THE AWARDEES BY DISTRICT, SO YOU CAN FIND, UM, YOUR PARTICULAR DISTRICT, FIND OUT HOW MANY AWARDEES YOU HAD, THE DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN, DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN, UM, JUST FOR YOUR PARTICULAR DISTRICT. SO THAT'S ON THE WEBSITE. UM, AND THEN THIS IS JUST A HIGH LEVEL SNAPSHOT OF ALL THE DISTRICTS. UM, SO YOU CAN SEE DISTRICTS ONE, THREE AND NINE, I THINK HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF APPLICANTS AWARDEES. UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THAT FULL BREAKDOWN HERE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THEN I WANTED TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAKDOWN BY PROGRAM SPECIFIC. SO THIS IS ELEVATE JUST THE 5 0 1 C THREES. SO WE HAVE 154 ARTS NON-PROFIT AWARDEES. SO THIS REPRESENTS 8.9 MILLION OF THAT TOTAL ELEVATE POT JUST FOR THE 5 0 1 C3 ORGANIZATIONS. UM, WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN BY RACE, BY GENDER, UM, OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS AS WELL AS A DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN. UM, I KNOW A FEW COMMISSIONERS WERE ASKING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE TOTAL DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN ON THE WEBSITE, IT OBVIOUSLY SKEWS VERY HEAVILY TOWARD MUSIC SINCE WE HAD SO MANY, UM, AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND AWARDEES. SO THIS IS A WAY TO SEE IT JUST BY, UH, PROGRAM. UH, SO MUSIC, UH, THEATER, MUSICAL, THEATER OPERA, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, THOSE WERE THE, UM, TOP AWARDEES FOR THE 5 0 1 C3 CATEGORY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN FOR ARTS GROUPS. SO IN ARTS GROUPS WE HAD 79 AWARDEES, WHICH REPRESENTS $2.6 MILLION OF THAT TOTAL ELEVATE POT OF FUNDS. UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN, THE DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF THE LEAD APPLICANTS, UM, FOR ARTS GROUPS, IT WAS, UH, MULTIDISCIPLINARY MUSIC, FILM, VIDEO, AND TV PRODUCTION WERE THE HIGHEST DISCIPLINES, UM, FOR THIS CATEGORY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SAME THING FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS. WITH ELEVATE, WE HAD 58 INDIVIDUAL ARTIST AWARDEES, UH, WHICH REPRESENTED $1.3 MILLION FOR, UM, INDIVIDUALS IN ELEVATE. UM, AND THE DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN, UH, MUSIC FILM, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, THOSE WERE THE HIGHEST, UM, CATEGORIES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THEN, UM, OUR AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND VENUE BREAKDOWN, WE HAD 21 LIVE MUSIC VENUES, WHICH REPRESENTED $1.4 MILLION INVESTMENT. AS A REMINDER, ALL OF THESE AWARDS WERE A FLAT $70,000. UM, THE DISCIPLINE WAS MUSIC FOR ALL OF THEM, SO WE ARE NOT PROVIDING THAT. UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE RACE BREAKDOWN OF LEAD APPLICANTS. UM, 76% WHITE FOR THIS ONE, UM, AND 71%, UH, LED BY A MAN. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THEN WE HAVE, UM, THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND FOR INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS. SO FOR INDEPENDENT PROMOTERS, WE HAD 23, UM, WHICH REPRESENTED A $325,000 TOTAL INVESTMENT. WE HAD SEVEN AT THE $5,000 LEVEL, AND WE HAD 16 AT THE $20,000 LEVEL. UM, THE RACE BREAKDOWN FOR PROMOTERS, 70% WAS WHITE, UH, AND 52% WERE WOMEN FOR THIS ONE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THEN FOR OUR MUSICIANS OR PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS IN AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, WE HAD 355 PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS THAT WERE SELECTED FOR FUNDING. WE HAD, WHICH REPRESENTS $5,345,000. WE HAD 119 AT THE $5,000 LEVEL, AND WE HAD 236 AT THE $20,000 LEVEL. UM, WE HAD 54%, UM, WERE MEN [03:25:01] AND 49% WERE WHITE, FOLLOWED BY 21% HISPANIC OR LATINO. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THEN MOVING ON TO OUR CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. SO WE HAD 22 AWARDEES, UH, IN THIS PROGRAM, WHICH REPRESENTED AN INVESTMENT OF $1,320,000. YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN, UM, OF DISCIPLINES HERE AS WELL. WE HAD FOUR ART SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, FOUR MUSIC ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND THEN THREE MULTIDISCIPLINARY, THREE THEATER AND DOWN AT GOES. UM, THE RACIAL BREAKDOWN FOR CSAP WAS 55% WHITE, UH, AND 64% WOMEN. AND WE HAD 27% IDENTIFY AS L-G-B-T-Q. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THEN FOR OUR HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANTS, WE HAD EIGHT CAPITAL PROJECTS, WHICH REPRESENTED $1.5 MILLION, AND WE HAD 14 HERITAGE EVENT AWARDS, WHICH REPRESENTED THE OTHER $1.5 MILLION. UM, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE DISCIPLINE BREAKDOWN, RACE BREAKDOWN, GENDER BREAKDOWN, UM, AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS LISTED HERE. UM, THE MAJORITY WERE MULTIDISCIPLINARY, CULTURAL HERITAGE, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, UM, WHICH MAKES SENSE FOR THIS PROGRAM. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, ONE THING THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IS OUR APPEALS PROCESS. SO WE HAVE AN APPEALS PROCESS. UM, IT WAS INCLUDED IN ALL OF THE DECLINATION LETTERS, SO FOLKS WERE ABLE TO LEARN MORE. UM, THERE IS A APPEALS REQUEST FORM THAT WENT OUT AS A LINK IN THE LETTER, AND IF ANYONE, UM, NEEDS ACCESS TO THAT, THEY CAN FIND THIS HYPERLINKED HERE. AND WE'LL TAKE YOU TO THE APPEALS REQUEST FORM. THE DEADLINE FOR ALL APPEALS IS MARCH 30TH. SO ALL APPLIC, ALL APPEAL REQUESTS NEED TO BE IN BY THAT MARCH 30TH DATE. UH, AS A REMINDER, THERE ARE ONLY THREE ELIGIBLE REASONS FOR AN APPEAL, AND IT GOES INTO A LOT OF DETAIL IN APPENDIX C OF OUR GUIDELINES, WHICH IS LINKED HERE. UH, BUT THE THREE REASONS ARE A PANEL ADMINISTRATION ERROR, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, OR A REVIEWER OR STAFF ERROR. SO AFTER EVERYONE, UH, COMPLETES THEIR APPEALS REQUEST FORM, THEN STAFF REVIEWS COMPILES INFORMATION BY APRIL 10TH. AND THEN THE APPEALS WORKING GROUP WILL CONVENE SOMETIME THE WEEK OF APRIL 13TH AND RECOMMEND RECOMMENDATIONS WILL MOVE TO THE FULL COMMISSION AT THE APRIL 20TH MEETING. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO NEXT STEPS FOR THE AWARDEES. SO, UM, THIS WAS LISTED IN THE AWARDEE LETTERS, BUT THEY HAVE TO EITHER ACCEPT OR DECLINE THE AWARD AND COMPLETE THE AWARD DECISION FORM BY APRIL 2ND AT 5:00 PM SO THAT'S STEP ONE. UM, AS A NOTE FOR YOU ALL 31 AWARDEES RECEIVED MULTIPLE GRANTS, AND 14 OF THEM MUST PICK ONE. SO THEY CANNOT HAVE BOTH ELEVATE AND AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND. UM, IT'S PROHIBITED IN THE GUIDELINES, UH, AND IN THE, UM, THE ORDINANCE. UM, SO NEXT THEY HAVE TWO RSVP AND ATTEND A PRE AGREEMENT KICKOFF MEETING. THEN AFTER THEY DO THAT, THEN THEY'LL HAVE ACCESS TO THE PRE AGREEMENT FORM AND THE QUIZ. SO THEY HAVE TO DO THAT QUIZ BY APRIL 16TH. THEN THEY COMPLETE THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION FORM. THIS IS, I THINK ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS ASKED THIS PREVIOUSLY TO JESUS. BUT, UM, AFTER THAT POINT, THEY HAVE TO CLOSE OUT ANY OUTSTANDING FINAL REPORTS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ENTER INTO THEIR NEXT GRANT. UM, SO ALL OF THAT HAS TO BE CLOSED OUT AND APPROVED BEFORE SIGNING GRANT AGREEMENTS BY THE END OF APRIL. SO BY APRIL 30TH AT 5:00 PM ALL FINAL REPORTS HAVE TO BE CLOSED OUT, AND ALL OF THESE STEPS HAVE TO BE TAKEN BEFORE YOU CAN SIGN THE AGREEMENT BY THAT GRANT DEADLINE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THEN NEXT STEPS FOR US AS STAFF. UM, SO I THINK I MENTIONED LAST MONTH WE ARE WORKING THROUGH SOME INTERNAL RETROSPECTIVE MEETINGS. SO CITY STAFF LEADERSHIP, THE LONG CENTER, WE ARE GOING TO BE REVIEWING THE SURVEY DATA. SO WE HAD 152 RESPONSES FROM THE APPLICATION EXPERIENCE SURVEY THAT WENT OUT. THERE WAS ALSO THE COMMISSIONER PERSPECTIVE SURVEY THAT WENT OUT TO BOTH THE ARTS COMMISSION AND THE MUSIC COMMISSION. WE ONLY RECEIVED TWO RESPONSES FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION. WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY RESPONSES FROM THE ARTS COMMISSIONERS, SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT I WILL KEEP IT OPEN FOR ANOTHER, UH, WEEK OR SO. IF YOU ALL, UH, FEEL [03:30:01] INSPIRED TO PROVIDE SOME OF YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE PROCESS, WE GREATLY, GREATLY, GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO DO THAT, JUST SO IT CAN BE IN, UM, IN ONE PLACE SO WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE, THE QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE. UM, SO ALL OF THAT, THE GOAL OF ALL OF THAT IS TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHAT ENHANCEMENTS WE CAN MAKE PRIOR TO THE JULY LAUNCH OF THE NEXT PROGRAMS. UM, SO AGAIN, IN JULY THAT'S GOING TO BE THRIVE, ELEVATE LIVE MUSIC FUND AND HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANT ARE GOING TO BE OPEN AGAIN. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CLEAN THINGS UP, FIX DEFINITIONS, STREAMLINE PROCESSES, ALL OF THAT WELL AHEAD OF THE JULY LAUNCH TIME. UM, SO THE GOAL IS TO DO THIS WORK, UH, IN APRIL AND SHARE UPDATES WITH YOU AND THE REST OF COMMUNITY IN MAY. SO THERE'S ENOUGH TIME TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT MIGHT HAVE CHANGED, UM, BEFORE PREPPING AND HOPEFULLY ATTENDING WORKSHOPS WITH STAFF BEFORE THE JULY LAUNCH. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND JUST AS A REMINDER, OUR NEXUS PROGRAM IS NOW OPEN. UM, THESE ARE 5,000 AND $10,000 GRANTS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL AND ARTS GROUPS PRODUCING PUBLIC ART PERFORMANCES AND CULTURAL PROJECTS IN AUSTIN. UM, THE DEADLINE IS APRIL 16TH AT 6:59 PM UH, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED THAT YOU CAN CHECK OUT, UH, THE LINK. AND AS A REMINDER, IT'S A BUILT IN AUTOMATIC ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION FOR NEXUS. SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE CHANGED FROM OUR PREVIOUS LAUNCH UNTIL NOW. UM, SO WE'RE SEEING HOW IT WORKS AND WHAT THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GONNA GET, UH, ABOUT THE NEXUS PROCESS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. I THINK IT'S JUST QUESTIONS. PERFECT. SO HAPPY TO ANSWER, UH, ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU ALL. UH, COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. HI THERE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND I WOULD, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL ASK ONE FIRST AND THEN MAYBE I'LL TAKE ANOTHER TURN LATER. UH, THE QUIZ IS THE QUIZ, UH, TO HAVE ANOTHER LOOK AT ARE YOUR ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE? I JUST REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, UH, THERE WAS A MOMENT WHEN GRANTS WERE GIVEN OUT AND THEN SUDDENLY REALIZING, YOU KNOW, MONTHS LATER THAT SOME PEOPLE WERE DOING ACTIVITIES THAT WERE NOT, UH, ELIGIBLE. SO I WONDERED IF THAT PROCESS WAS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS THIS TIME, OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE QUIZ COVERS OR DOES THE QUIZ COVER THINGS LIKE, DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE OR WHAT'S THE QUIZ? THANK YOU. GREAT QUESTION. UH, HAPPY TO SHARE A LITTLE SCREENSHOT OF THE QUIZ, UH, FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING, JUST TO SHOW YOU ALL WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. GREAT. UH, BUT BASICALLY I'D SAY AS FAR AS THE ACTIVITIES, WHAT ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES CAN AND CANNOT BE FUNDED, UM, WE DO HAVE VERY CLEAR SET OF, OF RULES AROUND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND SO IT IS ADDRESSED WITHIN THE APPLICATION ITSELF. UM, AND THEN IT IS FINALIZED IN THE AGREEMENT THAT WE, WE HAVE THE AWARDEES SIGN. UM, LEGAL HAS LOOKED AT EVERY SINGLE, UH, AWARDEE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR APPLICATION, UM, ACTIVITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR HOT FUNDS, UH, IN THE QUIZ ITSELF. WE ALSO ASK QUESTIONS AROUND THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE MARKETING TO TOURISTS, UH, AND MEETING THOSE HOT REQUIREMENTS IF POSSIBLE. WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THEY UNDERSTAND WHEN REPORTS ARE DUE, WHEN INTERIM REPORT AND WHEN FINAL REPORTS ARE DUE, WHAT KIND OF INSURANCE NEEDS TO BE HELD. OKAY. UM, SO WE, IT'S BASICALLY ASKING ALL OF THE QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE THEY PAID ATTENTION TO THE PRE AGREEMENT KICKOFF MEETING AND THEY, THEY WILL DO ALL OF THESE THINGS, UM, AND THAT THEY KNOW THEM BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY GET THE AGREEMENT AND SIGN THEIR CONTRACTS. RIGHT. SO IT'S, IT'S ONE EXTRA STEP BASICALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY ADHERING TO WHAT IS REQUIRED LEGALLY. AND, AND THEN THE QUIZZES ARE GRADED, RIGHT? LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, 'CAUSE ALL THOSE STEPS WERE IN PLACE WHEN THAT THING HAPPENED TOO. SO I'M JUST LIKE, BUT SOMEBODY'S LOOKING AT THE RESULTS AND WE KNOW YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. ALL THE QUIZZES ARE ALL LOOKED AT AND IF SOMEBODY FAILED THE QUIZ STAFF WOULD CALL THEM AND SAY, HI, ACTUALLY NO, YOUR FINAL REPORT IS DUE ON THIS DAY, NOT, YOU KNOW, THANKS FIVE MONTHS FROM NOW. OKAY, GREAT. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS OR SHOULD I KEEP GOING? , UH, THIS IS JESUS. I'LL GIVE UH, JUST A LITTLE BIT ON THE QUIZ. IT'S, UM, THEY HAVE TO ANSWER CORRECTLY. IF THEY DON'T ANSWER CORRECTLY, THEY KNOW, UH, THEY GET, UM, INFORMED THAT THE ANSWER WAS INCORRECT AND THEN THEY HAVE TO TAKE IT AGAIN. SO THEY BASICALLY HAVE TO KEEP TAKING THE QUIZ UNTIL THEY, UM, GET THE ANSWERS CORRECT, UH, BEFORE GOT IT. UH, THEY CAN SUBMIT IT. GOT IT. [03:35:02] OKAY. I DON'T WANNA BE A QUESTION HOG. ANYBODY I WANNA ASK, I WANNA ASK REALLY QUICK, OF THE 31 AWARDEES THAT RECEIVED MULTIPLE GRANTS, ONLY 14 MUST PICK ONE, THE OTHER 17 GET TO TO HAVE MULTIPLE GRANTS, CORRECT. SO IT DEPENDS ON WHAT PROGRAM RECEIVED MULTIPLE GRANTS. SO FOR CSAP, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY, IT IS NOT HOT FUNDED AND THEY CAN RECEIVE BOTH CSAP AND A LIVE MUSIC VENUE AWARD OR THEY CAN RECEIVE C SAP AND ELEVATE. UM, SO THAT, UH, OVERLAP IS LEGALLY ALLOWED. SO I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE ONES THAT CANNOT RECEIVE BOTH LEGALLY. SO YOU CAN'T RECEIVE TWO HOT FUNDED GRANTS, BUT YOU CAN RECEIVE A BUDGET FUNDED GRANT AND A HOT FUNDED GRANT AT THE SAME TIME? CORRECT. OKAY. AND I, I SAY THAT, BUT ACTUALLY I, I MEAN IS IT'S STILL SPECIFIC IN THERE. I AUTOMATICALLY THINK ABOUT LIVE MUSIC FUNDS AND ELEVATE SPECIFICALLY. UM, BUT THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION GRANT AND ELEVATE CAN BE ACCEPTED AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S, IT'S ONLY THE LIVE MUSIC, UH, RESTRICTION AGAINST THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND THAT IS, UM, LEGALLY NOT ALLOWED. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MACH BOT. YEAH, I HAVE AN ADD ON TO THAT, UM, QUESTION, WHICH WOULD BE, UM, LIKE FOR WHAT YOU JUST CLARIFIED, LAURA, IS IT LIKE YOU COULD ACCEPT HERITAGE, YOU KNOW, HYPOTHETICALLY HERITAGE AND ELEVATE IF THEY WERE FOR LIKE, DIFFERENT PROJECTS? LIKE NOT FOR THE SAME PROJECT BUT THE SAME ENTITY COULD HYPOTHETICALLY. OKAY. OKAY. WE, WE ALL GOT, UH, A LETTER. I THINK EVERYBODY GOT IT. AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP AROUND THIS. UM, IT IS FROM, UM, AN ORGANIZATION THAT RECEIVED TWO WERE RECOMMENDED FOR TWO GRANTS AND KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO DECLINE. ONE OF THEM TWO BIG QUESTIONS CAME UP. ONE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, SHE MAKES THE POINT. THIS IS JANICE BOOK OUT. I THINK, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE ALL READ THE EMAIL, BUT THAT, UM, SHE BRINGS UP SOME REALLY IMPORTANT POINTS AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO BRING IT UP HERE IS, UM, SHE KNEW SHE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ACCEPT TWO IF SHE WERE AWARDED TWO. UM, WAS OF COURSE LIKE REALLY EXCITED AND STUNNED TO GET RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH, BUT WAS UPSET TO FIND OUT THAT IF I DECLINE A GRANT, THE FUNDS DO NOT MOVE ON TO THE NEXT CANDIDATE IN LINE. INSTEAD, I WAS TOLD THEY ROLL INTO NEXT YEAR'S FUNDS. I WOULD NOT HAVE APPLIED FOR BOTH IF I KNEW THIS WAS THE CASE. UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FEELING LIKE YOU'RE TAKING UP, IF YOU APPLY FOR TWO, YOU'RE TAKING UP, YOU KNOW, A SPOT BASICALLY. AND THE QUESTION, THE IMMEDIATE QUESTION IS WHETHER, UM, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONS CAN, IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO REALLOCATE DECLINED FUNDS, AND I GUESS THIS, THIS WOULD APPLY TO ANY OF THE THING, THE ONES THAT ARE ONLY ABLE TO ACCEPT ONE TO CURRENT APPLICANTS, KNOWING THAT THERE IS SUCH A FUNDING CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW, IS THERE ANY WAY FOR THAT TO HAPPEN RATHER THAN THEM ROLLING FORWARD? I REALIZE THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF, UM, CHALLENGES WITH THAT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE SCORING WORKS, BUT I, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S WORTH BRINGING UP AND HAVING A, AN ANSWER FOR. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT SHE BROUGHT UP, WHICH PROBABLY ALSO APPLIES TO OTHER APPLICANTS IS BECAUSE THE FUNDING TIMELINE WAS DELAYED SO MUCH FROM THE FIRST, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER. I WENT TO LOOK IN BACKUP AND THEN GOT DISTRACTED. BUT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, A WHILE AGO, I THINK YOU WERE STILL OUT, LAURA MARCH WAS THE, YOU KNOW, IT KEPT GETTING KICKED DOWN, LIKE WHEN WE THOUGHT THAT FUNDS WOULD BE RELEASED AND IT WAS MARCH, THIS APPLICANT APPLIED FOR AN EVENT THAT'S ON APRIL 11TH AND HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR TWO DIFFERENT GRANTS FOR THAT EVENT AND OBVIOUSLY WILL NOT HAVE FUNDING BY THE EVENT. SO IS IN THE POSITION OF HAVING TO TAKE OUT A LOAN TO COVER THE COST. I'M SURE THIS APPLIES TO ANYBODY WHO HAD A Q1 ACTIVITY THAT THEY WERE GOING AFTER. UM, SO THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION, LIKE IN, IN THE IMMEDIATE TIMELINE, IS THERE ANY WAY TO SUPPORT OR GET EARLY FUNDS RELEASED FOR THOSE WHO ARE FACING THAT KIND OF TIME CONSTRAINT DUE TO THE KIND OF DELAY IN THE, IN THE FUNDING PROCESS? UM, AND OF COURSE WE CAN ADDRESS THIS IN THE NEXT ROUND, BUT IMMEDIATELY IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE? AND THEN SHE ALSO SENT, UH, LIKE A LIST OF SIX RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE, WHICH WE CAN, WE ALL GOT AND WE CAN PUT INTO, UM, INTO THE SURVEY AS WELL. UM, BUT THOSE, THOSE FIRST QUESTIONS ABOUT PASSING IT ON TO THE NEXT, UM, [03:40:01] IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO ROLL FUNDS FORWARD THIS YEAR. AND THEN THE SECOND ONE IS LIKE, WHAT, IS THERE ANYTHING TO DO FOR THE FOLKS WHO HAVE PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THEIR FUNDING AND TIME FOR? MM-HMM . OKAY. I'LL TRY TO GO IN ORDER. SO THE FIRST QUESTION ABOUT THE DECLINED FUNDS. SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY TRICKY FOR IT TO JUST GO TO THE NEXT PERSON IN THE LIST. UM, IT'S TRICKY FOR A HOST OF REASONS, BUT I'D SAY THE, THE EASIEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IT IS THERE WERE SO MANY TIED SCORES ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS. AND SO, I MEAN, YOU COULD SEE THAT LIKE THE MINIMUM SCORE WAS 93.3 AND THEN WE HAD MAYBE 10 PEOPLE THAT HAD A 93.2. AND SO HAVING ONE PERSON DECLINE THE FUNDS, WE CAN'T GIVE IT TO ALL 10 OF THE PEOPLE WITH A 93.2. AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHERE IT MAKES IT REALLY TRICKY FOR US TO SAY, OKAY, IT'S THE NEXT PERSON ON THE LIST. 'CAUSE IT'S NEVER JUST ONE PERSON. UM, THAT'S NEXT UNDER THE LIST. I THINK THE OTHER PIECE OF THAT IS, ESPECIALLY FOR ELEVATE, THE AWARD AMOUNT WAS DETERMINED BY THAT APPLICANT'S PREVIOUS YEAR'S BUDGET. AND SO THAT APPLICANT THAT MIGHT BE DECLINING FUNDS WAS MAYBE VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE NEXT 10 PEOPLE ON THAT LIST. SO MAYBE THE PERSON THAT'S DECLINING THE FUNDS ONLY HAD AN ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THEIR PROJECT OR FOR THE, AN ANNUAL BUDGET OF MAYBE $7,000. UM, BUT THE PERSON, THE 10 PEOPLE UNDER THEM THAT HAD THAT NEXT HIGHEST SCORE, THEY ALL EXCEEDED THE $20,000 MINIMUM BUDGET FOR THAT AWARD. SO THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE THAT MAKES IT REALLY COMPLICATED TO JUST SAY IT'S THE NEXT PERSON ON THE LIST. UM, I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S GONNA DEPEND ON HOW THE APPEALS PROCESS WORKS AND SEE HOW THAT GOES BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME FUNDS, UM, AVAILABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF FOLKS ARE, ARE ELIGIBLE AND THE THE WORKING GROUPS IS YES, THESE ARE SUCCESSFUL APPEALS, WE STILL HAVE TO FIND MONEY TO THEN FUND THOSE APPEALS. UH, AND SO I THINK THE IMMEDIATE IS LIKE WE HAVE A TINY LITTLE BUCKET THAT WE SAVED FOR POSSIBLE APPEALS. I THINK IT'S JUST UNDER $200,000. UM, BUT IF THERE ARE FOLKS THAT DECLINE THEIR AWARDS, MAYBE THAT APPEAL BUCKET GETS A LITTLE BIT BIGGER SO IT COULD STILL GO TO PEOPLE THAT APPLIED THIS YEAR THAT HAVE SUCCESSFUL APPEALS. UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW FOR THAT QUESTION. UM, REGARDING WHEN FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED. SO, YOU KNOW, AGREED, WE KNOW THAT, THAT THE WHOLE TIMELINE GOT PUSHED BACK. UM, I THINK THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY THE NATURE OF LAUNCHING PROGRAMS AT THE TAIL END OF A CALENDAR YEAR WHEN WE ARE STARTING FUNDING FOR JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER WINDOW OF ACTIVITIES. UM, WE KNEW WHEN WE LAUNCHED THE APPLICATION THAT THERE WERE GONNA BE MANY AWARDEES THAT WERE GONNA HAVE ACTIVITIES IN THE FIRST PART OF 2026. AND SO, YOU KNOW, STAFF CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SAY, TRY NOT TO APPLY FOR THOSE ACTIVITIES, TRY TO APPLY FOR SOMETHING LATER IN THE YEAR. BUT FOR FOLKS THAT HAVE THINGS ONLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OR, YOU KNOW, MAYBE FOR THIS EXAMPLE THEIR SHOW OR THEIR ACTIVITY IS IN APRIL, EARLY APRIL. AND SO IT'S A GAMBLE TO DO THAT AND SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO FRONT THE MONEY. SOME ARE NOT ABLE TO FRONT THE MONEY. UM, I KNOW IN THIS INSTANCE WE'VE RECOMMENDED, UM, THEY REACH OUT FOR A BRIDGE LOAN. THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, BCL OF TEXAS, THEY'VE BEEN REALLY GREAT PARTNERS WITH THE CITY IN THE PAST. UM, AND AWARDEES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW AND USE THEIR AWARD LETTER, UM, TO, TO JUSTIFY GETTING, UH, A NO OR LOW INTEREST, UM, BRIDGE LOAN FOR THAT MONTH LONG WINDOW THAT IT MIGHT TAKE TO GET FUNDS OUT. I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT HAS EARLY ACTIVITIES TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS STILL CITY FUNDING. WE STILL NEED TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THIS MONEY AND WE STILL HAVE STEPS THAT ALL AWARDEES HAVE TO DO BEFORE GETTING THE MONEY. SO UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN'T SAY, OKAY, WELL WE'LL JUST PAY THIS ONE PERSON OUT WHO HASN'T, YOU KNOW, DONE THE QUIZ AND, AND SIGNED ALL THE THINGS AND COMPLETED THE FORMS. WE'RE NOT IN THAT, WE'RE NOT IN A POSITION TO DO THAT. UM, SO I WOULD SAY DO THINGS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, UM, AND HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE TOO PAINFUL. UM, BUT THAT IS THE, THE DANGER OF, UM, HAVING EARLY ACTIVITIES. BUT LIKE YOU WERE, YOU WERE MENTIONING COMMISSIONER, THIS WILL HOPEFULLY NOT BE A PROBLEM MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE AN APPLICATION IN JULY AND AWARD [03:45:01] ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE MADE BY OCTOBER AND PEOPLE WILL HAVE FUNDING WELL IN ADVANCE OF ANYTHING THAT STARTS IN JANUARY OF 2027. UM, SO THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS KIND OF A, A BRIDGE, UH, SITUATION AFTER THE CREATIVE RESET AND WITH THE NEW DEPARTMENT. UM, SO NOT IDEAL, BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL GET SMOOTHER AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, AND THEN YOUR FINAL THING, YOU SAID A LIST OF QUESTIONS, UM, THAT THEY SENT AS WELL WAS THERE AND THAT YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD. UM, YEAH, SO APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH, AND I THINK IT WENT TO EVERYBODY ALSO. THAT'S MORE FOR LIKE IMPROVING THE PROCESS FOR THE NEXT TRIAL. PERFECT. SO IT'S, IT'S A NICE LIKE ENUMERATED LIST. THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING KIND OF THE COMPLICATIONS, NUANCES OF THOSE CHALLENGES. I'M GONNA GO TO COMMISSIONER MALDONADO AND THEN BACK TO COMMISSIONER ANDERSON. HELLO. SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD A CONCERN COME UP WITH, UH, SOMEONE SUBMITTING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS UNDER DIFFERENT PROJECT NAMES AND THEM, UH, RECEIVING OR BEING SELECTED FOR FUNDING. SO JUST SO CAN YOU CLARIFY HOW ACME INTERPRETS THE ROLE OF LIKE THE SAME CORE PERSONNEL OR LEADERSHIP, HOW THAT'S APPLIED? 'CAUSE THIS IS GONNA COME UP AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER TO THE COMMUNITY AS FAR AS THAT GOES WHEN YOU SEE AN ENTITY THAT GOT AWARDED FOUR DIFFERENT FUNDING, FOUR DIFFERENT PROJECTS, AND APPARENTLY I THOUGHT THAT WAS NOT ALLOWED WITH THE APPLICATION PROCESS. CORRECT. IT'S NOT ALLOWED. SO I WOULD SAY IF THERE ARE INSTANCES THAT, THAT YOU ALL FIND OUT THAT IS HAPPENING, PLEASE, UM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW DIRECTLY OR LET MORGAN KNOW DIRECTLY SO WE CAN LOOK INTO IT IN MORE DETAIL. I'LL SAY THAT WAS ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS THAT ACME IMPLEMENTED THE INTAKE FORM. UM, BECAUSE THE FORM, YOU KNOW, STEP ONE OF THE THREE PART PROCESS FOR THE APPLICATION, UM, WE HAD FOLKS THAT, THAT TRIED TO SUBMIT MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS USING THEIR, THEIR EMAIL, UM, YOU KNOW, THEIR NAME AND EMAIL AND ADDRESS AND EVERYTHING. AND, AND WE MARKED THEM AS INELIGIBLE AND SAID YOU CANNOT APPLY FOR MULTIPLE THINGS. YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE TO APPLY FOR. UM, OR YOU CAN'T SUBMIT SIX ELEVATE APPLICATIONS UNDER, UNDER LIKE YOU AS LEAD APPLICANT. UM, SO I WOULD SAY STAFF IS TAKING THAT VERY SERIOUSLY. UM, IT'S REVIEWED IN THE ELIGIBILITY STAGE, IT'S REVIEWED IN THE ACTUAL APPLICATION AND SCORING STAGE. SO IF THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE THAT SLIPPED THROUGH, PLEASE, PLEASE LET US KNOW SO WE CAN LOOK INTO IT. OKAY. I'LL FORWARD THAT OVER. I DID GO TO THE WEBSITE AND EACH PROJECT IS LISTED UNDER THE SAME LEADERSHIP AND THE SAME ORGANIZATION, SO, SO IT SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS. OKAY. AND, AND APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP BECAUSE I'LL JUST SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT ENTERED INTO CONTRACT WITH ANYONE. SO EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE THE RECOMMENDED AWARD LISTS, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THIS IS THE FINAL AWARD LISTS. UM, AND I I SAY THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE THAT WILL DECLINE THINGS OR HAVE TO PICK ONE. WE KNOW THAT THERE MIGHT BE SUCCESSFUL APPEALS AND IF THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE, YOU KNOW, DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS WE DIDN'T KNOW SOMETHING WAS WHAT IT WAS AND THEN WE FIND OUT NOW WE CAN STILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT NOW. UM, SO APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP. I'LL SEND IT OVER. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . AND I JUST FORWARDED TO BOTH MORGAN AND LAURA THAT EMAIL THAT WE GOT COMMISSIONER ANDERSON AND THEN COMMISSIONER MACH. THANK YOU. UM, OKAY, UH, I'LL TRY TO DO A LITTLE QUICK SERIES HERE. UH, SOME PEOPLE ARE ASKING ME WHY MUSICIANS WOULD APPLY FOR ELEVATE AND GET IT WHEN THE MUSIC GRANT IS SET ASIDE MONEY FOR THEM AND THAT THAT FEELS, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST STAY IN YOUR LANE ISH. SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT TO ME. UH, SECONDLY, LOTS OF FEEDBACK FROM THE THEATER COMMUNITY. UM, CONTINUED FRUSTRATION WITH THE LATE APPLICATIONS IF THEY FOUND OUT THEY WERE ONE POINT A AWAY , I'M GETTING A GRANT. THEY WERE LIKE, IT FOLLOWS LATE APPLICATIONS. MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOT. I MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I WAS ON TIME ANYWAYS, SO JUST SO YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE STILL A LITTLE RAW ABOUT THAT. MM-HMM . AND AGAIN, THE, UM, OH, THE OTHER BIG CONCERN, TWO BIG OTHER CONCERNS THAT WERE DISCUSSED A LOT AND I'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN SOME LETTERS ABOUT, WHICH I WON'T READ HERE BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST 10 O'CLOCK AND WE ALL NEED TO GO HOME. BUT, UM, THE RUBRIC, THE SCORING RUBRIC [03:50:01] BEING DIFFERENT THAN THE QUESTIONS, IN OTHER WORDS, NOT HAVING A HINT ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE SCORING RUBRIC IN THE QUESTIONS FELT LIKE A TRICK TO PEOPLE. UM, AND THAT THE FACT THAT THE SCORING RUBRIC WAS NOT PUBLIC WHEN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST FELT, UH, THAT YOU, THAT YOU WERE TRYING LIKE EXPECTING PEOPLE TO READ MINDS. UM, AND I GOT A SPECIFIC LAYER LETTER SAYING THAT, UM, IF IF HINTS OF THE RUBRIC WOULD'VE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE QUESTIONS, THEN THEY WOULD'VE KNOWN HOW TO ANSWER THEM. BUT IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE BEING SET UP TO FAIL 'CAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE BEING ASKED ABOUT THEIR ART AND ACTUALLY THEY WERE BEING ASKED ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND THE, THEY ANSWERED THE QUESTION, NOT THE RUBRIC THAT THEY'D NEVER READ. SO THAT WAS A BIG FRUSTRATION. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, THAT THE PANELS DID NOT SEEM DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC. THERE WERE PEOPLE, UH, FEELING LIKE NO ONE BOTHERED TO, TO FIND OUT, UH, ANY MORE ABOUT THEIR ORGANIZATION THAT THEN WAS THEN WAS, UH, ON THE APPLICATION AND DIDN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY, UH, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WRITTEN OUTRIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. SO, UH, LIKE HAVING CHOIR PEOPLE DOING A THEATER APPLICATION FOR EXAMPLE, FELT, FELT AWKWARD. SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANTED TO PASS THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS ALONG AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO, UM, FORWARD THESE LETTERS RATHER THAN READ THEM 'CAUSE THEY'RE A LITTLE LENGTHY. UH, OH, ALSO GOT ONE THAT I DO WANNA READ 'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SENTIMENT FOR STAFF TO UNDERSTAND. UM, HI, I WAS PLANNING TO SEND SOME COMMENTS TO YOU BEFORE TOMORROW'S MEETING, BUT IN ALL HONESTY, I DO NOT WANT TO JEOPARDIZE OUR APPEAL BY MAKING PUBLIC STATEMENTS SINCE THE STAFF ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE POWER OVER THAT PROCESS. AS WITH ALL THINGS, IT SEEMS BROWNIE FACED. SO I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE'S THAT SENSE OF LIKE, I CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT OR I WON'T, YOU KNOW, BE CONSIDERED FAIRLY. SO JUST WANTED TO PASS THAT FEEDBACK ALONG. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT COMMISSIONER. UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE LIKE I, I HEAR THAT SENTIMENT AND ALSO I KNOW MYSELF AND I KNOW STAFF AND WE CANNOT DO THINGS BECAUSE OF HOW WE FEEL ABOUT ONE APPLICANT OR ANOTHER. LIKE WE HAVE ETHICALLY CERTAIN RULES THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW. AND SO PUBLIC COMMENT IS NEVER TAKEN INTO ANY CONSIDERATION. OUR PERSONAL FEELINGS TOWARD AWARDEES OR, UM, PEOPLE THAT WERE DECLINED ARE NEVER TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THINGS LIKE THE APPEALS PROCESS FOR THINGS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR ANYTHING. IT IS NOT OUR PERSONAL FEELINGS. UM, AND I KNOW THAT THAT IS GONNA TAKE TIME AND TRUST BUILDING WITH COMMUNITY TO, UM, TO DRIVE THAT HOME. BUT I JUST WANTED TO, TO VERBALIZE THAT RIGHT HERE. UM, HEARD ABOUT THE PANELS NOT BEING DISCIPLINED SPECIFIC. I THINK THE, THE, I DON'T WANNA SAY THE COMPROMISE, BUT THE WAY THAT THE DEPARTMENT WENT THIS YEAR AT LEAST WAS TO HAVE PEOPLE SELF-IDENTIFY IF IT WAS AN EXHIBITION OR A PERFORMANCE OR UM, AN ART SERVICE ORGANIZATION. AND SO THINGS WERE, WERE GROUPED INTO THOSE THINGS BASED ON WHAT THEY, UM, WHAT THEY FELT THEY FIT INTO MOST. UM, BUT AGAIN, LIKE THAT IS GREAT FEEDBACK. LIKE IF WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC IN THE FUTURE, LOVE TO HEAR THAT. LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN TO TRYING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, AS A NEW DEPARTMENT. UM, REGARDING THE RUBRIC BEING DIFFERENT FROM THE QUESTIONS. SO I WILL SAY THAT THE SCORING CRITERIA WAS IN THE GUIDELINES THAT WAS PUBLISHED FOR ALL PROGRAMS. UM, JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. WHAT WAS NOT PUBLIC WAS THE DETAILED SCORING RUBRIC. THE YOU HAVE TO ANSWER A QUESTION LIKE THIS TO GET 10 POINTS, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER A QUESTION LIKE THIS TO GET TWO POINTS. UM, AND HAVING THAT DETAIL, UM, THAT WE USE IN THE PANEL TRAINING WAS A SPECIFIC THING NOT TO INCLUDE IN THE GUIDELINES BECAUSE WE DID NOT WANT PEOPLE WRITING TO THE RUBRIC. UM, SO HAPPY TO, TO KIND OF TALK THROUGH WHAT THAT MEANT. BUT LIKE THOSE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES OF, YOU KNOW, UP TO 30 POINTS WITH THESE THREE BULLETS AND THOSE THREE BULLETS DIRECTLY CORRELATED WITH QUESTIONS IN THE APPLICATION. UM, SO YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT IS GREAT FEEDBACK. UM, MAYBE WE CAN HAVE SOME KIND OF MIDDLE GROUND BEFORE THE, THE LAUNCH IN JULY, BUT WE SAW PREVIOUSLY THAT WHEN WE DID POST THAT PEOPLE WERE ANSWERING SPECIFICALLY TO THE RUBRIC. UM, AND SO THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, FROM FEEDBACK WE HEARD ABOUT THAT WE MOVED IN THIS DIRECTION AND NOW WE HEAR DIFFERENT FEEDBACK. SO MAYBE WE TRY SOMETHING, UH, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UH, THE NEXT TIME AROUND. [03:55:01] SO, YOU KNOW, AS ALWAYS IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS AND WE WANT TO UM, TO DO THE BEST WE CAN. UM, HEARD ABOUT THE FEEDBACK FROM THEATER COMMUNITY ABOUT THE EXTENDED DEADLINE. UM, I AM HOPING THAT THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING FROM OUR DEPARTMENT'S LEADERSHIP BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME DOING A GRANT APPLICATION. UM, I, I THINK, UH, HAVING HARD DEADLINES IS IMPORTANT. UM, SO AGREED AND HEARD WITH THAT. UH, AND THE WINE MUSICIANS CAN APPLY FOR ELEVATE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT'S FEEDBACK THAT WE ARE HEARING AND WE ARE HAPPY TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK AND POTENTIALLY MAKE, UH, MAKE CHANGES IN THE FUTURE. I'D SAY THAT UM, MUSIC NONPROFITS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO APPLY IN THE LIVE MUSIC FUND. THEY CAN ONLY APPLY IN ELEVATE. UM, BUT FOR THE MUSICIANS SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, GOOD QUESTION AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT MORE. I SEE JESUS GETTING UP TO THE MICROPHONE. HOPEFULLY IT IS NOT GONNA BE TOO LONG OF A RESPONSE. NO, NO, NO. GO AHEAD AND GO AHEAD AND FINISH. LAURA. NO, THAT WAS IT. UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT IT IS A 9 58. THE ARTS COMMISSION NEEDS TO TAKE A VOTE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THE UH, MEETING PAST 10:00 PM NO, IT'S NOT A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING PAST 10 O'CLOCK. WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT BUDGET? WELL, RECOMMENDATIONS, ESPECIALLY YOU'RE NOT EVEN AT ACTION ITEMS. YEAH, WHY DON'T WE SCHEDULE A SPECIAL MEETING FOR BUDGET. I MOVED. WE SCHEDULE A SPECIAL MEETING FOR BUDGET . THAT SHOULD BE NEXT. MORGAN IS SAYING IT. MORGAN YOU WANNA COME UP HERE? IT'S DUE NEXT WEEK. YOU GET ONE. I WAS GONNA SAY YOU GET ONE UH, SPECIAL CALLED MEETING PER QUARTER, BUT MORGAN HAS SOME INFORMATION ON THE TIMELINE. I THINK I DO. UM, I BELIEVE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DUE BY MARCH 31ST. YES. YES, YES. SO IF YOU DO DO A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, I THINK MARCH 31ST IS LIKE NEXT WEEK. I DUNNO WHAT IT IS. YEAH. UM, AND THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY FUND THE CULTURAL CENTERS. THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATION. . SO I HAVE A, I HAVE, I HAVE TO HAVE A MOTION. YAY. PAST 10 O'CLOCK. SO BASICALLY WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR A SPECIAL CALLED SESSION. SO RIGHT. I I DUNNO IF IT'S DUE NEXT MONDAY AND THEN IT'S DUE TUESDAY. TUESDAY THE 31ST. CAN ANYBODY DO IT MONDAY? I CAN. HERE AGAIN IF I MAY. UH, I DO THINK YOU NEED TO EXTEND THE TIME BUT UH, THE MUSIC COMMISSION UM, TOOK A CHANCE AT THEIR LAST MEETING TO JUST KIND OF DISCUSS OPENLY AND I BELIEVE NA NAVAL IS THE CHAIR OF THAT UM, COMMISSION. AND I BELIEVE, UH, YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND FINALIZE THE RECOMMENDATION AND SUBMIT IT WITHOUT HAVING A SPECIAL CALL MEETING. YES. UM, I DID HAVE AN ENTIRE DRAFT PREPARED TO REVIEW THE, YEAH. AND AND THAT'S WHAT WAS VOTED ON WITH SOME TWEAKS BASICALLY. SO THAT'S HOW WE MANAGED IT. UH, THE ONLY THING THAT WE POSTPONED FOR A WEEK AFTER WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY DUE IS JUST WANTING TO PRIORITIZE IT FURTHER AMONGST OURSELVES. BUT I DID HAVE A COMPLETE DRAFT TO GO WHEN WE WERE REVIEWING IT. SORRY, . SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO EXTEND MEETING? I NEED A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING TO EXTEND. YEAH. I'M I I'LL MOTION TO EXTEND BY 10 MINUTES. , I'M SORRY BUT I HAVE TO GO BUT YOU HAVE FORM WITHOUT ME, SO, OKAY. YEP. OKAY. SO I HAVE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING BY 10 MINUTES. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND. FROM COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. ALL IN ANY DISCUSSION TO EXTEND THE MEETING BY 10 MINUTES, COMPLETE CHAIR. WE ARE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH THE BUDGET IN THE 10 MINUTES. I DON'T THINK SO. OKAY. I DON'T, I DON THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE EVERYTHING I THINK THROUGH WHAT SHOULD GO INTO THE BUDGET? WE CAN'T STAY HERE PAST 10, LIKE 10, 10, 10 15. THIS IS CRAZY. BUT CAN WE JUST DO IT WITHOUT A DRAFT? LIKE, AND THEN COULD GINA CIRCULATE UH, SOMETHING? IS THAT POSSIBLE? I'M FOR BUDGET. I'M, I'M FINE WITH THAT BUT I, I SENT OUT REQUESTS BACK IN UH, JANUARY AND NEVER GOT AND HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY RESPONSES BACK. SO [04:00:04] I MEAN, I PUT FORWARD SOME OF THE SAME STUFF THAT WE DID LAST SEVERAL TIMES THAT WE'VE MADE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. I DON'T WANNA BE SENT, BUT RIGHT NOW WE, WE NEED TO, ANYTHING THAT WE PUT IN OUR BUDGET, IT IS, IT IS 10 0 2. SO WE NEED TO GET THIS VOTE TO GET THE 10 MINUTES EVEN. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SEEING NONE OPPOSED? WE'RE GONNA EXTEND BY 10 MINUTES. OPPOSED? OH, ONE OPPOSED? I DIDN'T SEE YOU RAISE YOUR HAND. COMMISSIONER GARZA OPPOSED? UM, WE'RE GONNA EXTEND BY 10 MINUTES BUT WE HAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY. SO WE'RE STILL TALKING TO LAURA O ODEGAARD. I JUST WANNA POINT OUT TO YOU LAURA, THE TRE SCHOOL OF MARIMBA WAS MISCLASSIFIED. CAN WE LOOK INTO HOW WE CAN CORRECT THAT? HE, HE WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INDIVIDUAL INSTEAD OF AN ARTS GROUP. HE, HE WAS APPROVED FOR FUNDING. BUT LOOKING INTO IT, IF SOMEONE IDENTIFIES AS AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE APPLICATION, WE GO WITH WHAT THE APPLICANT IDENTIFIES THEMSELF AS HE'S SAYING HE IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS AN ARTS GROUP. I THINK WE WE WILL FOLLOW UP. I DON'T WANNA SPEAK UP. YES, PLEASE FOLLOW UP. ZEUS AND I ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH JOEL AND WE WILL, UH, CONTINUE WORKING WITH HIM. YES, PLEASE FOLLOW UP FOR THAT. UM, SO BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. [14. Discussion and approval on the 2027 Budget Recommendations ] I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY EMAILS TO ME PERSONALLY THAT HAD BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS IN 'EM. THE COMMISSIONER SMALL BOX. DID YOU SAY YOU SENT ONE? I DIDN'T SAY I SENT ONE. I I WAS JUST SAYING NOW THAT I WOULD LOOK BACK AT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE MADE LAST YEAR AND PROBABLY ALL OF THAT STILL APPLIES 'CAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANY OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LAST YEAR WERE TAKEN UP AND IT JUST MOVES THE NEED FOR ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO ACME. WHEREAS BEFORE IT WAS IN EDD BUT I, I BELIEVE WE MADE VERY SIMILAR RECOMMENDATIONS 'CAUSE WE FACE SOME OF ALL, ALL OF THE SAME CHALLENGES. I'M SURE THERE ARE MORE THINGS WE COULD ADD OR MAYBE PRIORITIZE, BUT THAT WOULD BE A STARTING POINT. OKAY. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEND OUT THE DRAFT FOR THAT? NO. NO. OKAY. YOU MEAN THE ONES THAT WE MADE LAST YEAR, IT'S IN BACK. THAT WOULD BE IN BACKUP. I CAN FIND WHERE THAT IS, BUT I CAN'T, I CAN'T TAKE ON ANYTHING ELSE. DRAFTING. OKAY. COMMISSIONER CHARLA. UH, SO, UH, WE ARE REQUIRED TO VOTE ON THIS BEFORE SUBMITTING IT OR CAN WE HANDLE THIS OVER EMAIL AT THE COMM MUSIC COMMISSIONER, I WAS TOLD THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE A VOTE BEFORE WE SUBMIT IT FROM THE COMMISSION. CAN WE CLARIFY THAT? CAN WE CLARIFY THAT IF IT'S A RECOMMENDATION? 'CAUSE OTHERWISE IT CAN BE CIRCULATED. IT'S A RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? IT HAS TO BE. YEAH, IT HAS TO BE VOTED ON. UM, SO SINCE IT IS A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACTS, UH, YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY DISCUSS AND VOTE ON WHAT THE ITEMS ARE HERE, BUT YOU CAN PROVIDE BACKUP AT A LATER TIME TO GO ALONG WITH THE RECOMMENDATION. SO WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE. THE RECOMMENDATION THAT I PROPOSED WAS MOVING ALL STAFF FUNDING INTO THE BUDGET AND OUT OF HOT. THAT'S THE ONE THAT I GOT AND I NEVER GOT ANY RESPONSE ON THAT. SO THAT WON'T GO 'CAUSE NOBODY SUPPORTED IT. SUPPORTED IT. WELL THAT WAS THE SAME, SAME RECOMMENDATION THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. YOU MEAN LIKE THE, THE STAFF FUNDING THAT WAS COMING? IT WAS LIKE 550,000 I THINK LAST YEAR WAS COMING FROM HOT, RIGHT? MM-HMM . YEAH, I WAS FOR THAT. BUT I ALSO THINK THERE ARE NEEDS, LIKE JUST THIS CONVERSATION TONIGHT HAS SURFACED SO MANY THINGS WITH CULTURAL CENTERS. SO I FEEL LIKE THAT'S THAT'S A BIG PRIORITY AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, RIGHT. BUT WE HAVE, I THINK THERE'S SO MANY NEEDS. I FEEL LIKE WE JUST PICK AND CHOOSE THE PRIORITIES AND I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE SHOULD JUST THROW OUT WHAT THEIR OTHER PRIORITIES ARE AND THEN WE CAN MAKE A LIST. SO DO WE WANNA VOTE ON WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE AND THEN CREATE THE RECOMMENDATION? OR HOW, HOW DO YOU WANNA PROCEED? WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO VOTE ON. IF WE'RE GONNA SEND A RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN ALWAYS NOT SEND A RECOMMENDATION BUT, YOU KNOW RIGHT. I'M JUST SAYING HOW DO WE GET THE RE RECOMMENDATION? I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER WAY TO DO THAT EXCEPT THROW OUT IDEAS RIGHT NOW. WRITE THEM DOWN. AND I REMEMBER ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS WAS MAINTENANCE, I FEEL LIKE, BUT [04:05:04] I FEEL LIKE THAT'S NOT BEING COVERED BY THIS REVISIONS THAT ARE BEING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE GONNA BE MADE THROUGH THE ORDINANCE. BUT I DO REMEMBER US LA LAST YEAR TALKING ABOUT MAINTENANCE OF ART IN PUBLIC PLACES OF THE PIECES IN THE COLLECTION. SORRY. SO WHAT WHAT I NEED IS A MOTION ON A RECOMMENDATION BASED ON PRIORITIES THAT WE IDENTIFY AND THEN WE CAN WRITE THE RECOMMENDATION. BUT SOMEONE HAS TO PRIORITIES RIGHT NOW. WELL SOMEONE HAS TO SAY WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE AND THEN I'M WRITING 'EM DOWN AND THEN I CAN REPEAT 'EM BACK. OKAY. AS PEOPLE ARE SAYING THEM. ANYONE ELSE? I DON'T SEE ANYTHING. UH, UM, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. UM, I'M THINKING, I'M THINKING ABOUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CONTINUOUSLY HAS CAME UP, WHICH IS LIKE THE INTERPRETATION SERVICES. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD FALL WITHIN REC. SOMETHING WE WANNA RECOMMEND FOR THE BUDGET. SO ARE ARE YOU MEANING THE, 'CAUSE I I JUST PULLED IT UP. I THINK IT WAS JESUS WHO SENT IT OVER THE 548 FOR CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF. THE 500,000 FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL. MM-HMM THE TRANSLATION SERVICE PROVIDERS. THE A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE CITY OF, YEAH. SO, UM, I CAN RUN 'EM DOWN 'CAUSE JESUS JUST SENT THEM OVER. IF WE NEED TO JUST MOVE FORWARD. SO YOU HAVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LAST YEAR UP, COMMISSIONER KEYS? YES. YES. SO GO AHEAD AND READ THEM OFF AND LET'S SEE IF WE CAN JUST COPY PASTE. OKAY. SO THE FIRST ONE IS 548,000 FOR CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF AND ADMIN FEES FROM THE GENERAL FUND. ALLEVIATING THIS EXPENSE FROM THE LIMITED, UH, TAX RESERVED FOR CAT FUNDING AND THAT'S 548,000 FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND. DO YOU WANT ME TO GO TO THE NEXT ONE OR WE DISCUSS? YES, JUST GO TO THE NEXT ONE. UM, 500,000 CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND AND THAT'S FISCAL SUPPORT FOR SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ISSUED. THE NEXT ONE IS FISCAL SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS IN ORDER TO BETTER SUPPORT APPLICANTS DURING THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM APPLICATION PROCESS IN PARTICULAR FOR TRANSLATION SERVICE PROVIDERS. AND THAT WAS A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND. THE NEXT ONE IS FISCAL SUPPORT TO CONTINUE THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORE PROGRAM. AND THAT WAS A MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND. AND THEN THE LAST ONE, IT DOESN'T LOOKS LIKE LOOK TO HAVE A SPEC SPECIFIED AMOUNT, BUT IT SAYS FUNDING TO SUPPORT AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING THE CULTURAL TRUST PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY WITH COMMON AREA MAINTENANCE AND OTHER ASSOCIATED COSTS BORN BY OPERATORS WHO WOULD BE MANAGING SPACES FOR COMMUNITY USE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS PROVIDED FUNDING TO THE EXTENT FEASIBLE WITHIN THEIR DEPARTMENT BUDGET, BUT CANNOT CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDING, SEE THE MEMO ATTACHED SO THERE DOESN'T LOOK TO BE A SPECIFIED AMOUNT. AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS THE ITEMS FOR THE MUSIC BUDGET REQUEST. CONSIDER INCLUDING FISCAL SUPPORT FOR THE CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANT PROGRAM MATCHED FY 23 TO 20 TO 34 FUNDING LEVER CSAP AWARDS BETWEEN 5,000 AND 50,000 TO COMMERCIAL CREATIVE SPACES FACING DISPLACEMENT OR NEW LEASES AT HIGHER, UM, AND UNAFFORDABLE RATES. THE GRANT FUNDS MAY BE USED FOR REVENUE GENERATING SPACE IMPROVEMENTS, PARTIAL LEASE PAYMENTS AND GAP FINANCING FOR CREATIVE SPACES. AND THAT IS 1.5 OR I'M SORRY, CREATIVE SPACE PURCHASES AND THAT'S 1.5 MILLION FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL FUND. AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. AND I THINK CREATIVE SPACE CSAP WAS TAKEN CARE OF. I THINK, I THINK WE GOT C SAP IN THIS FUNDING. SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO DO C SAP, BUT WE NEED TO DO, UM, THE FIRST FOUR, UM, MOVING THE STAFF INTO GENERAL BUDGET, THE CULTURAL SPACES, GENERAL BUDGET AND THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR. WE HEARD ABOUT COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR TONIGHT. YES. DO I HAVE A MOTION? CAN I MIGHT ADD THAT WE HAVE UM, OR CONSIDER ADDING THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S LIKE STILL A LOT OF VACANCIES IN THE ACME WORK CHART, SO WE HAVE NOT ALL THE POSITIONS IN PLACE TO DO THE WORK THAT ACME'S ALREADY BEING CHARGED WITH DOING. SO I I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ACME [04:10:01] DIRECTOR'S GONNA BE REQUESTING, BUT I SAY BUT I DON'T, I DON'T I DON'T THINK THAT'S A BUDGET ITEM. THIS IS JUST BUDGET ITEMS. ORGANIZATIONAL WELL NEED BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN FTE. RIGHT, BUT THAT'S THE VACANT BE, I MEAN MORGAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT LIKE DO Y'ALL HAVE THE, THE MONEY TO FUND THE POSITIONS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN ACME? WE, WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF FTES NEEDED TO BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT. I WOULD SAY THAT'S TRUE. OKAY. SO I WOULD PUT THAT ON THE LIST. PERSONALLY I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN HAVE A DEPARTMENT WITHOUT STAFF TO RUN EFFECTIVELY. SO I NEED A, I NEED A MOTION. MOTION. THAT'S MY MOTION. ADD IT TO THE LIST OF THE THREE THAT YOU JUST SAID. STAFF IS TO FULLY, TO FULLY STAFF. ACME YEAH. FTES FOR ACME STAFF TO, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE POSITIONS ARE BUT THEY'RE IN THE ORG CHART. WE'VE SEEN IT BEFORE. OKAY. DOES EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT THE MOTION IS? THE MOTION IS THE THREE, THE THREE ACTIVITIES WERE ON THE LAST YEAR'S BUDGET REQUESTS AND ADDING TO FULLY STAFF. ACME DO I HAVE A SECOND ON THE MOTION? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MALDONADO. DO IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? NO DISCUSSION. ALL IN FAVOR? DID WE JUST LOSE QUORUM? NO. UHUH. ANY OPPOSED? THAT PASSES. I WILL DRAFT THE RECOMMENDATION AND GET IT SENT OUT FOR APPROVAL, UM, WITH EYES ON, UM, THAT BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. PLEASE BE WATCHING YOUR EMAIL THIS WEEK. THERE'S LOTS OF STUFF THAT'S GOING ON THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. PLEASE BE WATCHING YOUR EMAIL THIS WEEK. WE ARE ADJOURNING THE MEETING AT 10 14. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.