Jun 15, 2026 Arts Commission

UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS UP TODAY, BUT TWO ARE NOT ON SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEMS, SO WE'LL TAKE THEM FIRST.

I HAVE AMANDA JOHNSON FROM TORCH LITERARY ARTS, AND ROHAN MAGNA FROM, I'M NOT SURE SOMETHING WORLD, BUT COME, WE'LL COME FORWARD.

, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN TONIGHT.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MY NAME IS AMANDA JOHNSTON, AND I'M THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TORCH LITERARY ARTS.

ON BEHALF OF TORCH, I WANT TO THANK THE ARTS COMMISSION, THE ACME TEAM, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF FOR ALL YOU DO TO KEEP THE ARTS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE PLACE WE CALL HOME.

THANKS TO THE MEANINGFUL MULTI-YEAR SUPPORT TORCH HAS RECEIVED FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE ARE EXCITED TO OPEN OUR FIRST BRICK AND MORTAR LOCATION.

YAY.

PLEASE JOIN US ON JUNE 30TH FROM NOON TO 6:00 PM FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE TORCH CENTER AT THE LINK IN, IN NORTH AUSTIN.

THE TORCH CENTER WILL SERVE AS HOME FOR TORCH LITERARY ARTS AND BLACK WOMEN WRITERS FROM ACROSS THE DIASPORA, AS WELL AS A CREATIVE CULTURAL HUB FOR LOCAL WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

THE TORCH CENTER WILL OFFER A BOOKSHOP COWORKING, A FREE READING LIBRARY, PRESERVING THE WORKS OF TORCH'S 300 PLUS FEATURED AUTHORS, AND AN AFFORDABLE EVENT SPACE FOR MISSION ALIGNED PARTNERS.

THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT IN TORCH'S 20 YEAR HISTORY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING WITH YOU AT THE OPENING AND AT OUR OTHER EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING OUR BIG CELEBRATION, A GATHERING OF FLAMES, CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF TORCH LITERARY ARTS, THIS SEPTEMBER 25TH THROUGH THE 27TH AT THE AUSTIN CENTRAL LIBRARY AND THE CARVER MUSEUM.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE@TORCHLITERARYARTS.ORG TO CHECK OUR CALENDAR AND FOR MORE INFORMATION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO.

THE IMPACT IS FELT AND APPRECIATED.

CONGRATULATIONS.

GIVE ME THE DATE OF THE OPENING AGAIN.

JUNE 30TH, FROM NOON TO SIX.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.

UH, MY NAME IS OCEAN MANGENA.

I'M THE EXECUTOR OF ARTLEY WORLD.

UH, I I'M NOT PREPARED, ACTUALLY.

GIVE ME THE NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AGAIN.

UH, IT'S ARTLEY WORLD ART WITH NLY.

WORLD A-R-T-L-Y WORLD.

OKAY, GREAT.

UM, I'M WORKING ON MY WRITING SKILLS.

, THANKS FOR COMING DOWN.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

BEING, UH, IN A FACILITY WHERE THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE AN OPTION TO GO OUT TO DO ANYTHING.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

UH, OKAY.

I'M 20 SECONDS DOWN.

UH, UH, I WANTED TO START WITH, UH, THANKING THE ARTS COMMISSION FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

I UNDERSTAND, I SEE SOME FAMILIAR FACES AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO, AND, UH, IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO MAKING THIS POSSIBLE.

UH, AS AN ARTS ORGANIZATION, I'M HERE TO, UH, BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO A PERSPECTIVE OF ARTS.

WE, AS AN ARTS ORGANIZATION LOOK AT ART FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS USUALLY NOT CONSIDERED COOL.

UH, TYPICALLY WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE AND I SAY ARTS, UH, WE, WE ARE PART OF AN ARTS ORGANIZATION.

PEOPLE THINK WE ARE, WE ARE IN THE GALLERIES OR IN, UH, FANCY PARTIES.

UH, WE WORK IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, SECTION EIGHT, HOUSING POOR NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE ART, UH, IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPLORATION FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK OUT OF THE SITUATIONAL OR CIRCUMSTANTIAL CHALLENGES THAT CHILDREN MIGHT BE FACING.

WE ALSO WORK WITH SENIORS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.

UH, THESE ARE SENIORS WHO HAVE LESS THAN $50 A MONTH.

UH, SO YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE, UH,

[00:05:01]

SO WE ARE NOT USUALLY CONSIDERED COOL, BUT WE ARE ON THE GRASSROOTS WITH THE, UH, COMMUNITIES.

I USUALLY CALL THEM THE COMMUNITIES WHO DON'T HAVE A VOICE.

AND, UH, I HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SHOW UP HERE AND, UH, MAKE THEIR VOICE HEARD.

AND ALSO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT ART DOES NOT HAVE TO ALWAYS STAY IN A MUSEUM.

ART CAN THRIVE IN SCHOOLS AND IN, UH, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, IN COMMUNITY GATHERINGS, IN NURSING HOMES AND RETIREMENT HOMES AND, UH, CARE FACILITIES.

AND, UH, IN THE FUTURE, I, UH, WOULD, WOULD LIKE TO PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN HOW THIS, UM, VISION OR THIS IDEA CAN BE MORE ENCOMPASSED IN, UH, UNDERSTANDING OR TRAINING PEOPLE.

THAT COULD BE PEOPLE, UH, COMMITTEES THAT WOULD EVALUATE GRANTS OR THAT COULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, SHAPE OR FORM WHERE ART IS BEING JUDGED OR DETERMINED.

AND I WANT, UH, I WANT TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, BRING PEOPLE TO THE IDEA THAT THE IDENTITY OF AUSTIN ARTS DOES NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN.

SO IT IS SPRAWLING ACROSS THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE CITY, AND IT REPRESENTS PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, DIFFERENT CULTURES, DIFFERENT TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

AND, UH, WE ARE ALL HERE SOMEHOW.

UH, IT'S A WONDERFUL EXPERIMENT CALLED AMERICA AND, UH, ART, MUSIC AND CULTURE IS A WONDERFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE THAT.

UH, GOT IT.

EIGHT SECONDS MORE.

THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY.

I WILL BE SHOWING UP MORE OFTEN TO MAKE THE CASE FOR PEOPLE ARE, UH, UH, NOT SEEN AND HEARD TO SHARE IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK.

OH, CAN WE GET YOUR WEBSITE? IT'S ART WITH AN LY ARTLEY WORLD.ORG.

ITEM NUMBER TWO, WELL, I DON'T HAVE MINUTES.

SO WE WILL NOW BE MOVING INTO THE AGENDA.

THAT IS ALL WE HAVE WITH NO TOPIC BASED ON THE NEW, UH, OPEN MEETINGS ACT, WE WILL BE CALLING, UH, THE OTHERS WHO HAVE SAID THEY ARE SPEAKING ON AN AGENDA ITEM.

WE, WE'LL BE CALLING THEM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THAT AGENDA ITEM.

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

DO WE NEED TO DO MINUTES? WE DO HAVE MINUTES, YES.

HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK OVER THE MINUTES? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

MOVE BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HUSSAINI.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES.

ANY OPPOSED? I SEE NONE.

NO OPPOSITION.

SO THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED NOW ON TO ITEM NUMBER

[2. Presentation by Dr. Claudia Zapata on the Artist in Residence Program offered by ACME and Transportation and Public Works (TPW) titled “Memorias Project 2026: An Immersive Art Experience Based on Austin's Mexican American Communities.”]

TWO, PRESENTATION BY DR.

CLAUDIA.

OH, YES.

AND YOU ALSO SIGNED UP.

YOU'RE, YOU'RE ON THE LIST.

DR.

ZAPATA.

THERE YOU ARE ON THE ARTIS AND RESIDENCE PROGRAM OFFERED BY ACME AND TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS TITLED MAS PROJECT 2026 AND IMMERSIVE ART EXPERIENCE BASED ON AUSTIN'S MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.

SO WELL I CAN I CLICK FROM THIS? OKAY.

I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE.

OKAY, GREAT.

SO THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THERE WILL BE AN OPENING AND AN UNVEILING OF A OVER YEAR LONG ARTIST RESIDENCY PROJECT.

SO MY PROJECT LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF AUSTIN'S MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES THROUGH MULTIMODAL WAYS.

SO IT'S BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE MOVEMENTS.

IT WILL BE AT THE DATA LAB LOCATION ON THE EAST SIDE.

AND I LOOKED AT SEVERAL ARCHIVES AND CULTURAL TOURS, ORAL HISTORIES, ALL THESE SORTS OF EVIDENCES OF MEXICAN AMERICANS IN THE CITY.

AND THERE ARE GOING TO BE SEVERAL MUSICIANS THAT WILL RESPOND TO THAT RESEARCH IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A CELLIST, THERE'S AN OPERATIC SINGER AND A DJ AND A PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT.

AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME LITTLE EXAMPLES OF THE SOUND.

SO THAT'S OUR OPERA SINGER.

SO ALL OF THE MUSIC THAT YOU'LL BE HEARING WAS COMPOSED BY ME AND WORKING WITH MUSICIANS BASED OFF OF THE ARCHIVES AND THE HISTORIES OF MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN.

SO IN DATA LAB, THEY'RE VERY FAMOUS FOR

[00:10:01]

THEIR PROJECTIONS.

SO BEHIND THESE SINGERS AND THE MUSICAL PERFORMERS WILL BE ALSO DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF THESE SORT OF VISUALS THAT EITHER ARE MORE ETHEREAL.

FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE ONE ABOVE, I WORKED WITH A CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST, DAVID KO, AND HE WORKED WITH ELECTRONIC DJS AND CREATES THESE KIND OF ATMOSPHERIC INTERPRETATIONS TO THE MORE LITERAL, AND THESE ARE EXAMPLES FROM THE ARCHIVES, FROM PHOTOS FROM ON SITE THROUGHOUT THE EAST SIDE REPUBLIC SQUARE PARK.

THIS FIRST MOVEMENT TALKS ABOUT THE FIRST HALF OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN PRESENCE PRIOR TO THE 1928 CITY PLAN.

SO ARCHIVAL PHOTOS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THESE PROJECTIONS AS WELL.

SO IN MOVEMENT TWO, WE'RE SEEING MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ON THE EAST SIDE DEVELOPING SPACES AND DEVELOPING DIFFERENT WAYS OF MAKING COMMUNITY, MAKING SPACE AFTER HAVING BEEN MOVED FROM DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

AN EXAMPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE CELLO, YOU'LL HEAR MY CELLIST.

SO ALL THAT WAS COMPOSED WITH THINKING ABOUT THE ARCHIVES, THINKING ABOUT HOW IS MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES MAKING SPACE IN THE EAST SIDE.

SO EACH MOVEMENT AND EACH OPERATIC SINGING IN EACH CELLO.

AND EACH PROJECTION IN EACH ANIMATION HAS THAT REFLECTION OF THE HISTORY OF MEXICANS IN THE, PARTICULARLY THE EAST SIDE.

SO THIS IS, NOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT MOVEMENT THREE.

WE'RE IN THIS MOMENT, IT'S ABOUT THE RESISTANCE HISTORY AMONGST CHICANOS MEXICAN AMERICANS.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A PARTICULAR MOMENT IN TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE AQUAFEST AND THE BOAT RACES PROTEST.

AND SO THE DJ, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL HAVE PRERECORDED MUSIC THAT'S JUST TO DANCE TO.

AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE A CHORUS.

SO THIS WILL CONSIST OF SIX ADDITIONAL SINGERS FOR A GRAND FINALE.

AND AGAIN, AGAINST THESE PROJECTIONS THAT ARE EITHER VERY COLLAGE BASED, BUT REFERENCING, FOR EXAMPLE, MURALS COMMUNITY CENTERS ALL ACROSS EAST AUSTIN TO THE MARA ETHEREAL SPACES.

THE AUDIENCE WILL RECEIVE A RISOGRAPH.

A RISOGRAPH IS KIND OF LIKE A SCREEN PRINT, AND IT'S 11 BY 17.

IT FEATURES THE LYRICS THAT EACH SINGER WILL PROVIDE, AND IT'S AN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND A LITTLE BACK HISTORY OF TO WHAT HISTORIES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT EXACTLY.

AND THEN THE ARCHIVAL CITATIONS AS WELL.

AND THEN THE EAST AUSTIN PORT VIDA, THAT TRANSLATES TO EAST AUSTIN FOREVER.

THAT'S JUST A COMMEMORATIVE SIDE OF THAT.

11 BY 17.

AND THEN ALSO WE'LL RECEIVE A ROSE.

AND SO THAT WILL BE THROWN.

SO IT MAKES IT INTERACTIVE AS WELL AS SUNGLASSES AND EARBUDS IN CASE THERE'S A NEED FOR THIS SORT OF MUFFLING THE SOUND OR IF THE MOVING AND THE MOTION OF THE VISUALS ARE OVERWHELMING.

AND SO ALL THE RESEARCH WAS DONE WITH AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER ONLINE, CHICA DIGITAL MEMORY PROJECT AND ARCHIVE PRESERVATION AUSTIN, THE FIFTH STREET CORRIDOR.

SYLVIA OSCO, DIRECTOR OF MEXICAN ART MUSEUM'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES.

AND IT WAS VERY EXCITING AND VERY FUNNY.

HELP.

YOU ALL CAN JOIN US THIS WEEKEND AT DO LAB AND HERE ARE SOME QR CODES OF THE WEBSITE TO LEARN ABOUT MORE AND MY PERSONAL WEBSITE AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR WORK.

THIS LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL PROJECT.

THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.

THAT.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR.

ZAHA? NO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.

NEXT, MOVING ON TO ITEM THREE.

UPDATE.

UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN ON THE JUNE 1ST ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL BY COMMISSIONER, SMALL BOX COMMISSIONER SMALL.

CAN YOU HEAR US? NO.

CAN'T

[00:15:01]

HEAR.

UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO LET HER TRY TO GO OUT AND COME BACK IN AND MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR.

Y'ALL CAN HEAR ME, BUT THE SOUND JUST WENT OUT AGAIN.

UH OH.

I COULD HEAR UP UNTIL JUST A SECOND AGO.

I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY? I CAN'T HEAR Y'ALL THOUGH, SO YOU CAN'T HEAR ME.

I'M GONNA LEAVE AND COME BACK AGAIN.

IT WAS WORKING FINE.

AND NOW IT'S GONE.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON MY SIDE OR WHAT.

SO WE'LL COME BACK TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, UM, AND TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE MAY 20TH DOWNTOWN COMMISSION BY COMMISSIONERS.

UH, COMMISSIONERS.

UH, YOU DON'T HAVE A QUORUM RIGHT NOW, SO YOU CANNOT TAKE ITEM FOUR.

OH.

HAVE TO BE ON THE VIDEO TO BE PRESENT.

SO IT'S GOOD TO KNOW.

WE'VE GOT LOTS OF GOOD ART GOING ON IN AUSTIN, THOUGH.

IT'S ALWAYS ENCOURAGING YOU DO WORKING GROUP UPDATES WITHOUT PORN.

SO NOW WE CAN TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER THREE, UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE JUNE 1ST.

CAN YOU HEAR US? YEP, I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.

OKAY, GREAT.

[3. Update on actions taken at the June 1st Art in Public Places Panel by Commissioner Schmalbach.]

ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL BY COMMISSIONER SMALL.

WELL, AFTER ALL THAT LEAD UP, I HATE TO DISAPPOINT BY SAYING THAT I WAS ON VACATION AND SO I WASN'T AT THE A IPP MEETING, BUT I DID CHECK IN WITH THE CHAIR, UM, TO GET AN UPDATE.

UM, THEY DID VOTE ON THE CONVENTION CENTER PIECE THAT'S IN OUR BACKUP THAT WE WILL BE HOPEFULLY APPROVING TONIGHT.

UM, WE WERE HOPING, THE PANEL WAS HOPING TO GET AN UPDATE ON, UM, HOW A IPP, ESPECIALLY THE ISSUES WE'RE DEALING WITH WITH THE ORDINANCE REVISION SORT OF FITS INTO ACME'S BROADER PICTURE AROUND THE CREATIVE RESET.

BUT I THINK THAT PRESENTATION HAD TO BE RESCHEDULED.

SO NO MOVEMENT ON THAT.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE SORT OF, NOT NOTHING'S CHANGED 'CAUSE NOTHING'S CHANGED.

WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY MORE DATA OR INFORMATION, UM, IN ORDER TO MAKE AN ASSESSMENT, UH, OR MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CURRENT REVISIONS TO THE ORDINANCE.

SO WE'RE JUST SORT OF ON A, AT A STANDSTILL WITH THAT UNTIL IT GOES TO THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE.

AND I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS, BUT I WASN'T THERE.

COMMISSIONER.

UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION THAT THE, THE ITEM NUMBER 16 RECOMMENDATION, IS THAT THE ONE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? LET ME LOOK AT THE, THERE'S TWO ON OUR AGENDA TONIGHT.

ONE WAS APPROVED AT A PREVIOUS MEETING AND ONE WAS AT THIS PAST MEETING.

SO WE HAVE THE GOODNIGHT RANCH, UM, SCULPTURE.

AND THEN THE PIECE THAT IS, UM, DIEGO MIRO RIVERA'S, UM, PIECE FOR THE ENTRANCE TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.

DID, DID THE PANEL HAVE ANY OPINION ABOUT THE D SESSION JURY? THAT TO, TO, UH, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER 17, DID THE DID NOT.

THAT MIGHT BE A JAIME QUESTION.

I DIDN'T GET THAT IN MY UPDATE FROM CHAIR SHEER.

COMMISSIONERS.

CASTILE MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES.

UH, ALTHOUGH WE GAVE THE PANEL A HEADS UP ON THE DEES, THE FIRST STEP OF, OF THE DEES PROCESS IS TO PRESENT TO Y'ALL.

TO INITIATE.

AND THAT'S WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT FOR Y'ALL TO INITIATE THE PROCESS.

ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UPDATE ON ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE MAY 20TH DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING BY COMMISSIONER HOUSTON.

IS THAT ALL? COMMISSIONER MACH IS OKEY DOKE.

MOVING ON TO

[4. Update on actions taken at the May 20th Downtown Commission meeting by Commissioner Houston.]

UM, THE MAIN THING THAT WAS GOING ON AT DOWNTOWN COMMISSIONER IS THAT ELOISE'S HOUSE IS IN DANGER OF CLOSING.

THEY NEEDED, UM, LESS THAN $500,000,

[00:20:02]

UM, BUT THEY NEEDED THAT TO, UH, KEEP THE HOME OF SAFE ALLIANCE.

AND THE RATE KIT, THE RATE KIT TESTING PROJECT THAT THEY HAVE GOING ON IN JEOPARDY IS IN JEOPARDY.

UM, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY UPDATE ON THAT SINCE THEN, BUT THAT WAS THE MAIN THING GOING ON AT DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS PRESENT AND I GAVE MY REPORT AND SAID, TOLD THEM ABOUT THE HOT TAX REVENUE AND THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS CLOSED AND THE HOT TAX GOING UP.

SO GONNA HAVE SOME WORK TO DO WHEN THEY COME BACK OPEN.

BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING OTHER THAT WAS GOING ON.

WE HAD A PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT.

RED, RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT HAS A, IS ASKING A CULTURAL DISTRICT OVERLAY FOR RED RIVER AND PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT, APPROXIMATELY MORE THAN 3,200 UNHOUSED PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN.

NUMBER ONE, PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE IS POLITICAL HATE AND VIOLENCE THREAT.

NUMBER TWO ISSUE IS ALCOHOL AND DRUG RELATED SAFETY.

AND THEY ARE ALL ON THE RADAR, BUT NOTHING PRESSING HAPPENING FROM DOWNTOWN.

ANY QUESTIONS? OKEY DO.

MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

OH, GO AHEAD.

UM, THE UPDATES YOU JUST SHARED, ARE THOSE POSTED SOMEWHERE FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO READ MORE INFO ON? THEY'RE, WE ARE, UM, FOR COMMISSIONER SCHOCK, SHE'S, UM, SHE'S OUR LIAISON TO THE PANEL.

SO SHE REPORTS AT THE MEETING.

AND THEN I'M JUST AD HOC MEMBER OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION AND I REPORT AT MEETINGS, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T WRITE.

BUT IF WE WANTED MORE, YOU COULD JUST GO READ ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

YES, YOU COULD WATCH THE MEETING.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T SOMETHING THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE READ.

NO, 'CAUSE NO.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HUSSAINI.

I'LL STOP OUTING MYSELF.

KEEP GOING.

UM, NOW WE'RE MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE.

WE'RE GONNA EXPLORE A SPECIAL CALL JOINT MEETING WITH THE MUSIC COMMISSION, AND WE HAVE THE MUSIC COMMISSION CHAIR PRESENT.

AND I WANT TO SAY THAT COMMISSIONER SCOTA HAS JOINED THE DAAS.

WELCOME.

SUPPORT, UH, REVIEWING THEIR BUDGETS, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND HOW TO RUN A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.

SORRY.

UH, COMMISSIONER MANGO, DID YOU WANNA SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE? UM, SO CHAIR, I THOUGHT THIS CAME UP LAST TIME AND, UH, UH, I THINK IT WAS EXPRESSED IN THE COMMISSION THAT RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT, UH, AN INCLINATION TO GO AHEAD AND HAVE THIS MEETING.

AND THERE WAS MORE OF AN INCLINATION TO HAVE, UH, AN ARTS COMMISSION RETREAT.

SO, UM, I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS TO BE ON THE AGENT.

I HAVE, UH, OKAY.

UH, YOU KNOW, PUT, PUT A PIN ON THIS ITEM FOR THE MOMENT.

I CAN, I CERTAINLY CAN PUT A PIN IN.

'CAUSE I DO FEEL LIKE WE NEED A COMMISSION RETREAT OF SOME SORT.

SO WE WILL TRY TO GET THAT ON THE NEXT MEETING.

AND I'LL SEND, I'LL SEND AN EMAIL OUT COMMISSIONER RETREAT.

SO WE'RE TABLING ITEM FIVE.

MOVING ON

[6. Discussion on organizations possibly receiving duplicate ACME awards. ]

TO ITEM SIX.

DISCUSSION ON ORGANIZATIONS POSSIBLY RECEIVING DUPLICATE ACME AWARDS.

WE HAVE THREE SPEAKERS ON THIS TOPIC.

UM, CECILIA HUGHES FROM ARCH SPARK, TEXAS, AND THEN JOHN REEDY FROM AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE.

AND THEN BONNIE CULLUM FROM THE VORTEX.

YOU ALL CAN COME FORWARD.

YOU EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND THEN WE WILL TAKE UP THE ITEM AS A COMMISSION.

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO INTERACT WITH YOU HOWEVER.

HI THERE.

I'M CELIA HUGHES WITH PARK TEXAS, AND I WANNA SPEAK NOT SPECIFICALLY ON THE EXACT AGENDA ITEM.

I'M SPEAKING AS A, A, A SPONSORED FISCAL AGENT.

AND I'VE BEEN A FISCAL AGENT FOR, UH, AUSTIN GROUPS AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR 30 YEARS.

UM, I HAVE WORKED WITH, UM, ONLY FIVE ORGANIZATIONS IN THOSE 30 YEARS AS A FISCAL SPONSOR BECAUSE I TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY.

AND THREE OF THE FIVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT I'VE WORKED WITH HAVE GONE ON TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.

IMAGINE ART, ANTHROP ARTS, AND ALL RHYTHMS. I SPENT YEARS WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS SPONSORING THEM, PROVIDING THEM WITH TECHNICAL

[00:25:01]

AND AGAIN, I, I DON'T LOOK UPON SPONSOR THIS KIND OF ROLE LIGHTLY.

I THINK THAT IT, THAT I, IT, I HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHARGE TO WORK WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND NOT JUST COLLECT MONEY.

UH, AND I, MOST OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, I NEVER TOOK MORE THAN 5%.

SOMETIMES I, I OFFERED QUITE A FEW OF MY SERVICES FOR NO, UH, FOR NO, UH, FISCAL REMUNERATION.

UM, TWO OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT I WORKED WITH WERE BOTH DEAF INDIVIDUALS AND THEY DIDN'T GO ON TO BE AN ORGANIZATION, BUT I WORKED WITH THEM ALSO FOR MANY YEARS HOLDING THEIR HAND THROUGH THE VERY COMPLICATED PROCESSES FOR A PERSON WHO IS DEAF.

I'M NOW CURRENTLY WORKING WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION TO BOO FEST.

I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM IN DAILY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO WRITE GRANTS, HOW TO PROVIDE, UH, FINANCIAL REPORTING.

AND AGAIN, I DON'T CLAIM ANY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS AS BEING A PROGRAM OF MINE.

I'M VERY CLEAR WITH THEM.

THEY ARE NOT A PROGRAM.

WE WORK VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF THEIR INFORMATION EVER IS EVER REFLECTED ON OUR WEBSITE AS A PROGRAM.

THEY ARE 100% A SPONSORED PROJECT THAT I AM HELPING TO EITHER GROW TO BECOME A NONPROFIT OR TO REMAIN, UH, AS, AS WHAT THEY, AS THEY ARE AN ARTS ORGANIZATION IN TOWN.

SO I AM VERY CONCERNED, AND I HAD TO COME HERE TONIGHT FOR THAT REASON, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE, THE CITY, UM, THROUGH THE LONG PROCESS THAT IT'S BEEN GOING THROUGH OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, HAS LOST SIGHT OF WHY IT DOES A SPONSORED PROJECT FOR SEVERAL YEARS, THEY GOT RID OF THE SPONSORED PROJECT AND SAID THAT INDIVIDUALS COULD APPLY.

THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

JOHN REEDY.

HELLO, MY NAME IS JOHN REEDY, CEO OF AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE.

I'M HERE WITH A PREPARED STATEMENT APPROVED BY MY BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE IS THE LARGEST ARTS FISCAL SPONSOR IN CENTRAL TEXAS, HAS SPONSORED HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS OVER MORE THAN THREE DECADES, AND CURRENTLY SPONSORS 89 INDEPENDENT PROJECTS.

A CA IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF FISCAL SPONSORS.

PERSONALLY, I'VE WORKED IN THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP FIELD FOR 18 YEARS AND REGULARLY ATTEND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCES ON THE TOPIC.

MEMBERS OF THE ARTS COMMUNITY REQUESTED THAT I COME HERE TODAY TO DESCRIBE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, LEGAL, AND FINANCIAL BEST PRACTICES BECAUSE SOME BELIEVE THAT CERTAIN ELEVATE GRANTS, EXCUSE ME, WERE AWARDED UNDER FISCAL SPONSORED RELATIONSHIPS THAT DO NOT MEET THE FOLLOWING LEGAL AND FINANCIAL STANDARDS.

A FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECT MUST BE LEGALLY SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT FROM THE SPONSORING NONPROFIT.

THE PROJECT MUST OWN ITS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND HAVE A WRITTEN CONTRACT SPECIFYING SUCH.

IT MUST HAVE ITS OWN TAX ID OR HAVE A 10 99 SENT TO THE INDIVIDUAL MANAGING THE PROJECT.

IT MUST HAVE AN INDEPENDENT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE SEPARATE FROM ITS SPONSOR, AND THE PROJECT MUST TRACK ITS REVENUE AND EXPENSES SEPARATELY FROM ITS SPONSOR.

THE SPONSORING NONPROFIT MUST ABIDE BY THE FOLLOWING ESTABLISHED LEGAL AND FINANCIAL PRACTICES.

IT MAY NOT ARTISTICALLY OR FINANCIALLY CONTROL THE SPONSORED PROJECT.

IT MAY NOT SPONSOR PROJECTS MANAGED BY, FOUNDED BY, OR OWNED BY ITS EXECUTIVE STAFF.

THE FISCAL SPONSOR MUST HAVE AT LEAST TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES WITH NO ARTISTIC, MANAGERIAL, OR FINANCIAL CONNECTIONS TO ITS SPONSORED PROJECTS, ONE OF WHOM IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ACTIVITIES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE OTHER.

IT MUST UNDERGO REGULAR AUDITS BY AN INDEPENDENT CPA AND THE SPONSOR.

NONPROFIT MAY NOT HAVE OTHER BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS SPONSORED PROJECTS TO PREEMPT SELF-DEALING AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

NEXT WE HAVE BONNIE CULLEN FROM THE VORTEX.

IN KIND THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

AH, WE AGREE NOW.

THANK YOU ARTS COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION.

I'M BONNIE CULLUM WITH THE VORTEX.

UM, THE VORTEX HAS FISCALLY SPONSORED AT LEAST A HUNDRED PROJECTS OVER 25 YEARS.

SO I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE AROUND THIS.

UM, I WANNA SPEAK TO THE IMPORTANCE OF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP IN SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, HELPING THEM WITH THE PAPERWORK, THE ACCOUNTING PRE COVID WITH THE MATCH REQUIRED MATCHES AND

[00:30:01]

NOW, A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT.

THE ARTISTS DID NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT WAS NEEDED IN REPORTING.

WHILE I DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE DETAILS, I THINK PERHAPS SOME MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE.

AND I WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE AND SAY THAT I THINK THAT THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE LONG CENTER IN THE PROCESS AND THE CHALLENGES WITH THE SUBMITTABLE FORMAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATIONS AND MONITORING OF OUR GRANT APPLICATIONS.

THIS IS NOT IN MY OBSERVING OF THE SITUATION THE FIRST FIFTH OR 10TH TIME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MISTAKES OR CORRUPTION IN THE ARTS FUNDING PROCESS.

AND IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANYTHING.

HOWEVER, I DO KNOW THAT THIS PROCESS NEEDS TO BE FAIR AND TRANSPARENT, AND THAT WE NEED TO HAVE MORE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ACME STAFF AND THE ARTISTS.

SO MANY ARTISTS ARE NOT BEING FUNDED, THAT IT BECOMES CRITICAL FOR ACME TO UPHOLD ITS STANDARDS AND TO TRANSPARENTLY UPHOLD ALL OF THE CULTURAL CONTRACTORS TO MEET GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

DO YOU HAVE ANYONE THAT WANTS TO OPEN A DISCUSSION? I HAVE TWO.

WE RESPECTFULLY URGE CITY LEADERSHIP TO CONDUCT A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THIS MATTER, PUBLICLY COMMUNICATE ITS FINDINGS, AND TAKE ANY STEPS NECESSARY TO STRENGTHEN CONFIDENCE IN THE INTEGRITY AND FAIRNESS OF AUSTIN'S CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS. SINCERELY CONCERNED MEMBERS OF AUSTIN'S ARTS COMMUNITY.

I HAVE TWO LETTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING TO SHARE THEIR COMMENTS IN FRONT OF STAFF DUE TO FEAR OF RETRIBUTION IN FUNDING PROCESSES.

UM, SO THEY'RE BOTH ANONYMOUS, BUT HERE THEY ARE.

DEAR ACME, LEADERSHIP AND OFFICIALS, WE ARE WRITING AS MEMBERS OF AUSTIN'S ARTS COMMUNITY TO EXPRESS CONCERNS REGARDING ACME'S DECISION TO ALLOW THREE GRANTS AWARDED TO PROJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUSEUM, A HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT TO REMAIN IN PLACE, DESPITE QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE CITY'S PUBLISHED GRANT GUIDELINES.

OUR CONCERN IS NOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OR VALUE OF THE WORK BEING PRODUCED BY MOHA OR ANY OF THE PROJECTS INVOLVED.

LIKE MANY ORGANIZATIONS IN AUSTIN, MOHA CONTRIBUTES MEANINGFULLY TO THE CULTURAL LIFE OF OUR CITY.

RATHER, OUR CONCERN IS WHETHER ALL APPLICANTS ARE BEING EVALUATED AND HELD TO THE SAME STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY.

ACCORDING TO ACME'S PUBLISHED GUIDELINES, FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS MUST BE DISTINCT FROM THE FISCAL SPONSOR'S, REGULAR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.

THE MALL CAGE MATCH PROG PROJECT END GAMES.

Y'ALL HAVE AT VARIOUS TIMES BEEN PRESENTED AS PROGRAMS CONNECTED TO MOHA, STAFFED BY INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED WITH MOHA AND PRODUCED WITHIN THE BROADER MOHA ECOSYSTEM.

IF THAT UNDERSTANDING IS ACCURATE, IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THESE PROJECTS WERE DETERMINED TO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.

WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE MAY BE INFORMATION OR INTERPRETATIONS OF THE GUIDELINES THAT ARE NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.

IF SO, GREATER TRANSPARENCY WOULD BE HELPFUL.

THE ISSUE IS NOT SIMPLY WHETHER THESE PARTICULAR GRANTS WERE AWARDED APPROPRIATELY, BUT WHETHER THE PROCESS INSPIRES CONFIDENCE AMONG THE MANY ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO RELY ON IT.

EACH YEAR, HUNDREDS OF APPLICANTS INVEST SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES INTO PREPARING GRANT APPLICATIONS WHILE CAREFULLY ADHERING TO ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.

MANY DESERVING PROJECTS GO UNFUNDED BECAUSE AVAILABLE RESOURCES ARE LIMITED WHEN QUESTIONS ARISE ABOUT WHETHER GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN APPLIED CONSISTENTLY.

AND WHEN THOSE QUESTIONS REMAIN UNRESOLVED, IT ERODE TRUST IN THE FAIRNESS AND INTEGRITY OF THE FUNDING PROCESS.

WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED BY REPORTS THAT INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE ONLINE CONNECTING THESE PROJECTS TO MOHA IS NO LONGER PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE.

WE DO NOT KNOW THE REASONS FOR THESE CHANGES, NOR DO WE WISH TO SPECULATE.

HOWEVER, THE ABSENCE OF INFORMATION THAT WAS ONCE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS WERE REACHED AND CONTRIBUTES TO ONGOING UNCERTAINTY.

FOR THESE REASONS, WE BELIEVE AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW WOULD SERVE BOTH THE PUBLIC AND THE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED.

IF ACME HAS DETERMINED THAT THESE GRANTS FULLY COMPLY WITH THE CITY'S GUIDELINES, THE COMMUNITY WOULD BENEFIT FROM A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THAT DETERMINATION.

IF THE REVIEW IDENTIFIES INCONSISTENCIES OR ERRORS IN THE APPLICATION OF THOSE GUIDELINES, WE HOPE APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE MEASURES WILL BE CONSIDERED.

ULTIMATELY, THIS ISSUE EXTENDS BEYOND ANY SINGLE ORGANIZATION OR GRANT CYCLE.

PUBLIC TRUST IN AUSTIN'S CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAMS DEPENDS ON TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

THE ARTS COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRUST THAT ALL APPLICANTS ARE EVALUATED UNDER THE SAME RULES, AND THAT QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE RULES WILL BE ADDRESSED OPENLY.

[00:35:01]

AND ONE MORE LETTER FROM A DIFFERENT PERSON, UH, WHO PERHAPS WAS LESS CAREFUL WITH WORDING, BUT, UH, PASSIONATE NONETHELESS, THE ARTS COMMISSION IS WORTHLESS.

THE SYSTEM SAID IT WOULD CHANGE AND IT DIDN'T.

SO WE WERE FOOLED.

NOTHING REALLY CHANGED.

THEY STILL DO NOT LISTEN.

THEY WILL NOT ADMIT TO THEIR FAULTS.

IT IS ALL THE SAME AND DIFFERENT NAMES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE WITH DIFFERENT NAMES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

THEY DID NOT.

AND THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO THE REAL ARTS COMMUNITY.

I WAS LIED TO AND PUSHED TO THE SIDE.

I'M OUT.

I WISH TO FOCUS ON MY ART.

MANY PEOPLE DON'T MAKE NOISE BECAUSE THEY'RE AFRAID OF RETRIBUTION.

YOU CAN USE MY COMMENTS, BUT I DON'T WANT MY NAME EVER TO BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION ABOUT FUNDING.

THANKS AND GOOD LUCK.

SO I READ THAT ONE JUST TO COMMUNICATE THE FRUSTRATION FROM PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AT SEEING THAT MULTIPLE GRANT STREAMS ARE HEADING TOWARDS ONE INDIVIDUAL AND IN A SEEMINGLY INEQUITABLE AND, UH, UNFAIR WAY.

UM, BUT YET THEY FEEL POWERLESS TO COME HERE AND TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THE NEXT GRANT CYCLE PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT THEM AS A TROUBLEMAKER IF THEY DO.

SO THAT'S A PROBLEM.

UM, AND THE REASON WE HAVE AN ARTS COMMISSION IS TO HELP THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY COME FORWARD TO THE STAFF AND TO HOPEFULLY HELP THE STAFF COMMUNICATE A LITTLE BETTER TOWARD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TOO.

UM, SO THAT'S WHY I READ THESE COMMENTS.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER MARCELLA.

HI.

UM, UH, I, I DON'T WANT TO, UM, DISMISS OR DISCOUNT ANYBODY'S, UH, EXPERIENCE OR HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT, UH, THE COMMISSION, UM, THE CITY STAFF LONG CENTER, THE WHOLE PROCESS BECAUSE IT IS, IT IS, UM, SO MUCH THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.

UM, I WOULD, UM, BE PRETTY CONFIDENT IN SAYING THAT AT THIS POINT AS I SEE THE PROCESS, UH, AND THE PANELS, ET CETERA.

UM, AND THIS IS ALSO COMING FROM SOMEBODY WHO DIDN'T MAKE THE GRANT.

UM, SO, UH, THAT I, PROCESS-WISE, IT COULD BE OF COURSE, CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVED.

UM, BUT I DON'T, UM, I, I HOPE I'M, I'M RIGHT IN THIS, THAT I DON'T THINK, UH, THAT PROCESS IS ANY WAY INFLUENCED IN A WAY THAT, UH, THERE IS RETALIATION.

UH, I SAW THAT AS A GROUP OF FOLKS AND I, IN MY OWN PANEL, THERE WAS ONE PERSON WHO KNEW OF ME.

UH, AND, UH, EVERYBODY ELSE DIDN'T QUITE SEEM TO KNOW ME FROM THE COMMUNITY.

SO THE COMMENTS WERE WHAT THEY WERE.

UM, SO, SO I, I REALLY HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY, UM, AS THIS ARTS COMMISSION, AS THE DEPARTMENT, THE WALLS FEELS CONFIDENT AND COMFORTABLE, UH, TO COME AND SPEAK AT THE COMMISSION.

UM, IF, IF THIS WAS ONE CASE AMONGST THE MANY AWARDS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT, UH, WHAT I WOULD REQUEST STAFF IS TO, I THINK WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN REQUESTED IN ONE OF THE EMAILS IS TO, UM, I DON'T EVEN CARE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S NAME TO BE TAKEN WHEN THEY PRESENT THIS BACK TO US, BUT I WOULD REQUEST THAT WE BE HELPED TO UNDERSTAND THE USE CASE AND WHY THOSE GRANTS WERE GIVEN FOR THIS PARTICULAR USE CASE.

BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT MIGHT WANT TO EMPLOY THE SAME USE CASE THE NEXT TIME TO EXPAND THEIR CHANCES OF GETTING THE GRANT.

OR IT IS DEEMED THAT THAT USE CASE MAYBE DOESN'T FIT IN HOW WE ARE DOING THESE GRANTS.

AND, UH, SOME CORRECTIVE ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN IN THE FUTURE.

BUT IF WE COULD JUST PRESENT A USE CASE ON WHY THAT PARTICULAR SCENARIO, UH, ONE ORGANIZATION, UH, GETS A GRANT, THEY HA THEY ACT AS A FISCAL SPONSOR FOR OTHER PROGRAMS AND WHY THAT IS A USE CASE THAT WORKS THROUGH THIS GRANTS PROCESS.

IF WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, UH, TO, I THINK EITHER ALLEVIATE CONCERNS HERE, BUT WE CAN AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT SCENARIO IS CORRECT OR NOT.

WHETHER, YOU KNOW, FOLKS IN THAT SITUATION SHOULD BE GETTING THE GRANTS OR NOT.

THAT'S

[00:40:01]

A SEPARATE THING.

BUT WITHIN THE CURRENT PROCESS, WHY DOES THAT USE CASE AND HOW DOES THAT USE CASE WORK? TELL ME WHAT USE CASE IS.

USE CASES.

UH, JUST DEFINING, UH, THERE ARE DIFFERENT USE CASES, RIGHT? UH, ME AS AN ORGANIZATION CAN APPLY.

UH, AND I GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AND UM, I GO THROUGH THE DIFFERENT STEPS AND I'M DETERMINE, UH, TO BE QUALIFIED TO GET THE GRANT.

UM, THEN I GO SAY APPLY FOR THE LIME MUSIC, I GET THE ELEVATOR.

I ALSO APPLY FOR THE LIME MUSIC FUND, AND I GET THAT TOO.

AND THEN IN THAT USE CASE, THIS IS ME AS ONE PERSON APPLYING TO TWO THINGS AND I'LL HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE.

SO JUST THESE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS UNDER WHICH FOLKS CAN GET THE GRANTS.

SO, RIGHT.

SO MY MY, SO PLEASE GO AHEAD.

I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, DO YOU MEAN LIKE IF SOMEONE GETS A THRIVE GRANT, CAN THEY ALSO GET AN ELEVATE GRANT? NO, NOT EVEN THAT.

IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, LIKE, UH, WE ARE DEFINING AN ORGANIZATION, UM, THAT, THAT APPLIED AND GOT THE GRANT.

THEY ALSO WENT AND FOR FISCAL, FISCAL SPONSORS FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS, AND THEY GOT THE GRANT.

LIKE HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? LIKE, YOU KNOW, IS THAT ALLEGED SCENARIO WHERE THEY CAN, AND I'M HEARING THAT THAT'S NOT ALLEGED SCENARIO WHERE, WHERE ONE ORGANIZATION AND THEN FISCAL SPONSORING MULTIPLE PROGRAMS CAN GET THE GRANT AND, BUT THEY HAVE GOTTEN THE GRANT.

SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT FITS INTO THE PROCESS.

RIGHT? I MEAN, AND, AND WHETHER WE AGREE WITH IT OR NOT IS STEP TWO.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN UNDERSTANDING HERE IN, IN THE COMMUNITY OR PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

LET ME, LET ME ALSO NOT GENERALIZE IT, SAYING THAT THAT IS NOT A USE CASE WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE YIELDED CERTAIN OUTCOMES, BUT IT DID.

SO WE ARE NOT AGREEING WITH THE OUTCOME.

SO, SO I'M SAYING THAT CAN WE, CAN WE UNDERSTAND FROM STAFF WHY IT HAS BEEN DEEMED ALLEGED? SO WE NEED, WE NEED A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF HOW IT WAS THAT THESE MULTIPLE AWARDS GOT AWARDED THROUGH THE PROCESS AS IT IS DESIGNED TODAY THROUGH THE PROCESS AS IT IS DESIGNED TODAY.

DESIGNED TODAY.

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, UM, I UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, INFERENCE IS DRAWN, FEELINGS, ET CETERA.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T WANNA SAY THERE IS WRONGDOING.

I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND, I THINK IT WOULD BENEFIT US TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS FIT IN THE CURRENT PROCESS AND, AND THEN HAVE A RESPONSE TO THAT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, DOES THE COMMISSION SAY THAT WE NEED TO FOOT PUT FURTHER, FURTHER, SORRY, I'M MESSING UP MY WORDS FURTHER CHECKS AND BALANCES HERE TO NOT RUN INTO THAT SCENARIO.

OR IS IT A FAIR SCENARIO AND SO THAT MAYBE 20 OTHER FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATIONS CAN USE THE SAME METHOD TO MAXIMIZE THEIR CHANCES OF GETTING GRANTS? YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD LIKE, LIKE TO JUST UNDERSTAND HOW IT FITS.

UH, THIS PARTICULAR CASE FITS THE PROCESS COMMISSIONER.

SMALL LONG ONE.

OF HOW THE OVERLAP DOES NOT VIOLATE THE GUIDELINES FOR FISCAL SPONSORSHIP.

EXCUSE ME.

UM, WE DO ALLOW FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS.

SO LIKE THE WAY THAT THIS GOT THROUGH, I THINK THERE WE'RE SORT OF LIKE, WE'RE MIXING UP A COUPLE OF THINGS.

WE DO ALLOW ORGANIZATIONS TO BOTH GET THEIR OWN GRANT AND SERVE AS FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS.

SO THE WAY THAT ANY OF THESE RECEIVED FUNDING IS THAT THEY WERE SUBMITTED AS FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS.

THEY WENT THROUGH THE JURY PROCESS, THE PANEL PROCESS, AND SCORED HIGH ENOUGH TO BE FUNDED.

THE ACCUSATION THAT WE'RE HEARING, OR THE PERCEPTION IS THAT THERE'S SOME IMPROPER, NOT ENOUGH DELINEATION, BASICALLY, THAT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY A SPONSORED PROJECT, BUT IS A PROGRAM OF MOHA, RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING.

SO TO ANSWER LIKE, COMMISSIONER META CHARLES'S QUESTION IS LIKE, WE DO ALLOW THAT, THE QUESTION THAT'S BEING ASKED IS WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? WHAT HA AND I THINK THAT WE'VE ALREADY HEARD THAT THE CITY DID TAKE IT SERIOUSLY 'CAUSE THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW.

AND THAT LEGAL LOOKED INTO IT AND DETERMINED THAT THERE WASN'T AN ISSUE WITH HOW THE FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS WERE SUBMITTED.

RIGHT? I MEAN, CAN STAFF CONFIRM THAT? SO I GUESS I JUST LIKE, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ACCUSATION OF CORRUPTION? I, I GUESS IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF.

'CAUSE WE DO ALLOW THIS AND WE KNOW HOW THE PROCESS WORKS, BUT THEN THERE'S SOMETHING BEING ADDED, WHICH IS AN ACCUSATION THAT IT WAS CORRUPTED SOMEHOW, BUT WE'VE ALREADY HEARD THAT LEGAL DEEMED THAT IT WASN'T.

AND I THINK, SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? I, I THINK IT GOES TO WHAT COMMISSIONER MAYOR CHARLIE IS SAYING IS THAT, UH, WE NEED AN EXPLANATION

[00:45:01]

I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT IS, BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S AN OVERLAP AND THAT'S A VIOLATION.

SO WE NEED AN EXPLANATION OF HOW THE OVERLAP IS NOT A VIOLATION OR THAT THERE IS NOT, IN FACT AN OVERLAP.

COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, AND JUST TO, JUST, SO I, SORRY, I DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT YOU SHARON, BUT THE, THE BASIS OF THE ACCUSATION IS ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE, THAT THE SPONSORED PRO PROJECTS WERE REPRESENTED ON THE WEBSITE.

IS THAT LIKE THE BASIS OF, OF THE CONCERN OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE'RE NOT HEARING? THE EMAIL THAT I SAW SAID THAT THERE WAS OVERLAP IN, IN PERSONNEL AND THAT THERE WAS OVERLAP IN ADDRESSES AND THERE WAS OVERLAP IN ONE OTHER AREA.

COMMISSIONER ANDERSON AGAIN, I THINK ISSUE, YEAH, I THINK THE THIRD THING WAS, UH, THE ISSUE, THE MALL BEING BASICALLY KIND OF A, A GIFT SHOP SLASH GALLERY, BUT IT'S ONLY OPEN WHEN MOHA IS OPEN.

IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S A, IT'S AN EXTENSION OF ITS HOURS.

I THINK THAT WAS THE THIRD THING.

BUT HEIDI, IF I COULD GO BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID, WHICH IS THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A FEW MONTHS.

THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT TRUE.

IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS, SINCE POST COVI, MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS IN RESIDENCE AT MOHA HAVE BEEN FUNDED CONCURRENTLY.

AND IN FACT, THE FOUNDER OF MOHA CREATED A SECOND NONPROFIT CALLED UNLISTED PROJECTS.

AND THAT IS ALSO IN RESIDENCE AT MOHA AND IN FACT, RENTS FROM MOHA SPACE OR SOMETHING.

'CAUSE THAT WAS REFLECTED ON THE NINE 90.

UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THESE OTHER PROJECTS, AND I'M I I WILL SAY I THINK GAMES Y'ALL MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT, UH, SITUATION, BUT THE CAGE MATCH AND THE MALL ARE DEFINITELY SORT OF MOHA CENTRIC, UM, ENTITIES.

AND THE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE RULES THAT ARE ON THE, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE LONG CENTER CREATE AUSTIN'S WEBSITE, AND THAT WERE ADDED SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING YEAR AFTER YEAR AND THERE'S BEEN UPSET IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT IT.

THE SPECIFICS ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP ARE ON THE CREATE AUSTIN WEBSITE AND OUR OFFICIAL POLICIES OF THE FUNDING, UH, MECHANISM NOW.

SO THOSE SPECIFIC, UM, OF COURSE I'M NOT GONNA HAVE THEM RIGHT, PULLED UP RIGHT THIS SECOND, THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS.

IT WAS BASICALLY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT JOHN SAID, THERE HAS TO BE A SEPARATION BETWEEN THE LEADERSHIP, BETWEEN THE FINANCES AND BETWEEN THE OPERATION OF THE FISCAL SPONSOR AND THE SPONSORED PROJECT.

SO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO THE PUBLIC WHO HAS BEEN TO MOHA AND SEEN THEM ALL AND SEEN THE CAGE, IS THAT THOSE ARE MOHA PROJECTS.

AND IN FACT, THE WEBSITE USED TO SAY THEY WERE MOHA PROJECTS UNTIL THE, UNTIL THE INQUIRY WAS LAUNCHED, AND NOW THE WEBSITES HAVE BEEN CHANGED.

SO, UH, THERE WAS AN ANONYMOUS EMAIL AND I DON'T HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THAT CAME FROM THAT CAME CONTAINED, THE ARCHIVE WEB LINKS OF THE OLD WEBPAGES.

AND CLEARLY THEY HAVE BEEN SCRUBBED OF INFORMATION TO COVER SOMETHING UP BASED ON THE, THE, THE, UM, INVEST OR THE INQUIRY THAT WAS GOING ON.

SO THAT'S THE CONCERN FROM THE COMMUNITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A, A KIND OF A PATTERN OF, UM, VERY SMART AND SHREWD BEHAVIOR HERE ON BEHALF OF THE FOUNDER OF THAT ORGANIZATION.

WHO AGAIN, I MEAN LIKE THAT LETTER FROM, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAID, I HAVE EXTRAORDINARY RESPECT FOR ZACH AND FOR HIS, UM, EXPANSION OF MOHA AND THE, THE WHOLE ARTS DISTRICT COMING ALIVE.

IT'S SO EXCITING AND AMAZING AND IMPORTANT AND I'M SO GLAD THAT WORK IS HAPPENING.

SO THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL MATTER OR A OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

IT'S FRUSTRATED ARTISTS WHO SEE MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES GOING TO ONE PLACE AND SEEMINGLY THROUGH ONE PERSON AND, UH, FEELING THAT THAT'S, THAT'S UNFAIR.

AND THEN WHEN WE BROUGHT THAT UP LAST YEAR, THE GUIDELINES WERE CHANGED TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN THIS YEAR.

BUT IT DID HAPPEN AGAIN.

AND EVEN THE FISCAL SPONSOR GUIDELINES WERE EXTRA CRYSTALLIZED AND CLARIFIED AND POSTED LOUD AND CLEAR ON CREATE AUSTIN.

AND YET HERE WE ARE.

THERE'S NOT DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FISCAL SPONSOR AND THE SPONSORED PROJECT.

IT'S THE SAME PEOPLE.

SO THAT'S THE TROUBLE.

IT DOESN'T MEET THE, THE TIGHTENED GUIDELINES

[00:50:01]

THAT WERE TIGHTENED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS CASE.

UM, IT DIDN'T WORK.

AND THEN WHEN QUESTIONED, AGAIN, WHEN MONICA MALDONADO, COMMISSIONER MALDONADO BROUGHT THIS UP AFTER, UH, AFTER AWARDS WERE GIVEN OUT, SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND RAISED THE ISSUE AND KEPT GOING BACK AND ASKING ABOUT IT.

UM, I WISH YOU WERE HERE TONIGHT, BUT, UM, THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE, BE A CURIOSITY AS TO WHY SO MUCH FUNDING IS GOING TO THIS ONE THING.

AND ADDITIONALLY, AND I DON'T MEAN TO COMPLICATE IT BEYOND UNDERSTANDING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST HEARING ABOUT THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT THE CSAP CREATIVE SPACE, UM, ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHICH WENT TO MOHA IN 2023 THIS YEAR, IT WENT TO UNLISTED PROJECTS, WHICH WHICH IS THE KIND OF SISTER NONPROFIT THAT IS FOUNDED ALSO BY ZACH.

AND THE ADDRESS IS ALSO AT MOHA AND IT ALSO HAS A CONCURRENT THRIVE GRANT.

SO YOU'VE GOT ONE PERSON'S NAME ON BOTH OF THESE BIG, BIG GRANTS.

NOW, UNLISTED PROJECTS HAS THE CSAP GRANT, BUT THE BUILDING IS MOHA.

SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW CSAP GOT GIVEN WAS GIVEN TO, UM, UNLISTED PROJECTS.

WHEN UNLISTED PROJECT RENTS FROM MOHA.

AND THE GUIDELINES VERY CLEARLY ON THE CSAP GRANT STATE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONTROL OF THE LOCATION.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO OWN IT, BUT YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST BE RENTING IT AND BE IN CHARGE OF IT.

BUT MOHA IS IN CHARGE OF MOHA C SAP'S NOT IN CHARGE.

I MEAN, UM, UNLISTED PROJECTS IS NOT IN CHARGE OF MOHA.

SO IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING.

ANOTHER MESSAGE THAT I GOT FROM A CONSTITUENT, WHICH I WILL SUMMARIZE BRIEFLY, IS WHAT THIS TEACHES THEM IS THAT IF THEY WANNA GET MULTIPLE GRANTS, THEN THEY JUST NEED TO GET A CITY STAFFER ON THEIR BOARD BECAUSE, UH, ONE OF THE CITY ACME STAFF IS ON THE BOARD OF UNLISTED PROJECTS.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY AS THE KIND OF HAWK FOR, FOR UH, BEING TRANSPARENT, UM, I HAVE SUGGESTED THAT COMMISSIONERS SHOULD NOT BE APPLYING FOR FUNDING.

I DON'T THINK CITY STAFFERS WHO DEAL WITH CITY MONEY BEING GIVEN TO ARTISTS SHOULD BE ON THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS FOR THE NONPROFITS THAT ARE APPLYING FOR FUNDING.

I JUST THINK THAT LOOKS BAD.

AND WHETHER IT IS A TRUE CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR NOT, I CAN'T SAY, BUT IT SURE LOOKS LIKE ONE.

SO I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM.

AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY SITUATION THAT WE HAVE THAT IN.

WE HAVE ANOTHER SITUATION WHERE A CITY STAFFER IS ON THE BOARD OF A FUNDED ORGANIZATION THAT GETS FUNDED YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.

SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S THE MESSAGE WE WANNA BE SENDING TO OUR ARTISTS, THAT THE WAY TO GET FUNDED IS TO GET A CITY STAFFER ON YOUR BOARD.

RIGHT? THAT'S A PROBLEM.

YEAH, BUT THAT'S A PERCEPTION, NOT NECESSARILY A REALITY.

SO I JUST THINK WE NEED TO BE SUPER CAREFUL, ESPECIALLY 'CAUSE IT STARTS TO FEEL LIKE ATTACKS ON INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE ON THE DAIS.

WHEN WE HAVE PROCESS, THERE IS A PROCESS, THE PROCESS HAS, IS IN MOTION HAS OCCURRED WHERE IT'S BEING CHALLENGED, THE REPUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST.

AND I JUST LIKE, AT WHAT POINT IS IT ACCEPTED THAT WHATEVER CITY LEGAL'S OPINION ON IT WAS IS FACTUAL.

IT JUST STARTS TO FEEL LIKE A ONGOING ATTACK ON SAYING THIS IS ALL ABOUT ONE PERSON WHEN IT'S A FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECT.

THERE ARE FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS.

WE KNOW HOW BIG OF A DEAL AFFORDABLE SPACE IS IN THE CITY, AND THEN WE'RE CONFUSED THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROJECTS THAT ARE COHABITATING AT AN AFFORDABLE SPACE, A SPACE THAT WAS FOUNDED TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE SPACE FOR ARTISTS AND PROJECTS TO OCCUR.

I JUST, I DON'T, I I I JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN IT STOPS.

IF WE, LIKE YOU SAID, AD ADDRESSED IT IN THE GUIDELINES, THEN THE CHALLENGE HAPPENED AGAIN, RESUBMISSION THROUGH THE PROCESS.

LIKE IS THE SUGGESTION THAT SOMEONE'S JUST SLIPPING MOHA THE MONEY AROUND THE PROCESS? THE PROCESS HAPPENED, THE JURY PROCESS HAPPENED, THEN IT WAS CHALLENGED AGAIN.

AND WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THAT IT CAME, 'CAUSE I ASKED ABOUT IT TODAY, IS THAT IT CAME BACK AS THEY WERE FOUND TO BE IN COMPLIANCE.

SO WHEN DOES IT, HOW LONG DO WE DO THIS? I DON'T KNOW.

WHEN DO WE NOT HAVE STAFF MEMBERS ON THE BOARDS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS IN QUESTION? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? YEAH.

WHO, WHO IS WHO, WHAT, WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC ACCUSATION THAT'S BEING MADE? I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO, 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY SERIOUS TO SAY, TO SUGGEST THAT SOMEONE IS LIKE DOING SOMETHING BEHIND THE SCENES TO GET SOMEONE WHOSE BOARD THEY SERVE ON.

LIKE ALL OF US SERVE ON BOARDS LIKE THIS ONE BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE ARTS.

AND THEN TO BE LIKE LOW KEY SAYING

[00:55:01]

THAT SOMETHING CORRUPT IS HAPPENING WITHOUT ANY PROOF OF THAT IS A REALLY BIG, IT'S REALLY, I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS DAMAGING TO OUR ARTS COMMUNITY.

SO I THINK THAT THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO REASON TO BRING NAMES ONTO THE DIOCESE, BUT I DO THINK THAT STAFF SHOULD BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD THAT THE COMMISSION IS HELD TO.

AND IF THE COMMISSIONERS CAN'T VOTE AND, AND PROVIDE INPUT ON OR DIRECT CONTEXT ON FUNDING GUIDELINES, THEN IF STAFF IS ON A BOARD THAT GIVES THE PERCEPTION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND ALL OF OUR GUIDELINES SAY WE ARE TO AVOID THE PERCEPTION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

COMMISSIONER HUSSEIN, BEFORE I SAY SOMETHING, I NOTICED THAT, UM, MORGAN STEPPED UP TO SAY SOMETHING, SO I'M ACTUALLY GONNA PASS IT TO HER IF IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU.

WHAT, WHAT, UM, INVESTIGATION WAS DONE BY LEGAL, RIGHT? IF WE'RE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MORGAN, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU SAID YOU HAD AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY INVESTIGATED AND WHERE IT LANDED, THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE TO START TO UNDERSTAND IS THIS THE RIGHT PLACE TO DO THAT? I DON'T KNOW.

COMMISSIONER HUSSEINI, UM, MORGAN MASS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ACME.

I AGREE IT'S A PRETTY SERIOUS DEAL TO MAKE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT CITY STAFF, LIKE MANY PEOPLE LOSE THEIR JOBS DEAL AND OUR STAFF OPERATES WITH A REALLY HIGH LEVEL OF INTEGRITY.

AND SO I KNOW THIS IS ALL COMING FROM A GOOD PLACE OF WANTING ENHANCED DISTRIBUTION, WANTING, UH, THE MONEY TO STRETCH FURTHER FOR MORE PEOPLE TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY.

AND I WELCOME CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK ON HOW WE MIGHT TIGHTEN FISCAL SPONSORSHIP.

HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY MIGHT OUTLINE WHAT RULES, WHETHER IT'S CAPS ON GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS, OR CAPS ON GRANTS THAT FISCAL SPONSORS ARE ALLOWED TO DO.

I CAN THINK OF A LOT OF WAYS THAT WE COULD ADDRESS THIS AND I THINK THAT CONVERSATION WILL CONTINUE.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR STAFF, I'LL BE ELEVATING THIS ENTIRE MEETING TO THE ETHICS OFFICE, UH, INSIDE THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, THE ETHICS TEAM, WHICH IS WHERE WE HAVE ALSO RUN ALL THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MUSEUM OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT AND THEIR, THEIR FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS THROUGH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAW.

THESE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT OUR STAFF WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.

I IMAGINE YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM THEM, EV I'VE HEARD SEVERAL ACCUSATIONS ON THE DAIS TONIGHT ABOUT SHOWING FAVORITISM, ABOUT, UM, RETRIBUTION FROM STAFF.

THESE ARE REALLY SERIOUS THINGS.

SO I DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY AND I DON'T BELIEVE THEY'RE TRUE.

SO MORE TO COME ON THAT CONVERSATION, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER DIRECT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT, ABOUT WHAT WAS ASKED FROM THEM IN THE WAY OF DOCUMENTATION THAT CONVINCED THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE THAT THERE WAS NO MALFEASANCE, THAT THEY WERE WITHIN THE REALM OF ACCEPTABILITY.

UM, WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THOSE THINGS.

UM, I WOULD ASK FOR LESS CONVERSATION AROUND THE DEFAMATION OF STAFF AND THEIR CHARACTERS.

'CAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY AGAINST ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDERS, WHICH I AM SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH.

'CAUSE I'M SURE YOU ARE UP TO DATE ON YOUR COMMISSIONER TRAINING.

AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFO ON THAT, I'M HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE TRAINING MATERIALS.

I'M HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE RULES OF ORDER AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK OFFLINE ONE-ON-ONE ABOUT ALL OF THIS, WHICH I HAVE SAID IN ANY EMAIL THAT YOU GUYS HAVE SENT TO ME, WE HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE TO THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HURT AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE COMMISSIONER HUSSEI.

THANK YOU MORGAN.

UM, I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.

THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTION BEHIND WHAT YOU SAID.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTION ON THE DAES AS WELL.

AND I, I WANNA START, UM, I'M GONNA SPEECH HERE A LITTLE BIT IF Y'ALL AREN'T USED TO ME, SO STICK WITH ME.

I'M GONNA SAY A FEW THINGS.

I'M GONNA TRY TO DIAL US IN ON WHAT WOULD BE PRODUCTIVE AND HELPFUL AND MAYBE HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

UH, WE HAD SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, SPEAKING TO BEST PRACTICES, RIGHT AROUND HAVING FOLKS WHO HAVE 15, 30, 25 YEARS OF BEING A FISCAL SPONSOR AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A FISCAL SPONSOR.

UM, I'M ALSO JUST GONNA OWN THAT PROBABLY OF EVERYBODY ON THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

I HAVE THE LEAST CONTEXT OR UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED.

AND SO I'M SHARING WHAT I HAVE DEDUCED DURING THIS CONVERSATION, JUST TO KEEP MYSELF HONEST, BUT ALSO FOCUS THIS IN ON WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? UH, THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT A GROUP AND THEIR USE OF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, AND THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT HOW THAT WAS DONE AND HOW MANY GRANTS WERE RECEIVED, RIGHT? UH, I THINK THAT'S A VERY SIMPLE SUMMARY HERE.

UM, THERE ARE ULTIMATELY QUESTIONS AROUND EQUITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST.

TRUST FEELS BROKEN, RIGHT? ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT LEVELS.

AND THE WAY TO BUILD TRUST BACK AND THE WAY TO, UM, TRY TO BUILD BACK TO A CREDIBLE PLACE IS DAYLIGHT.

AND SO, MORGAN, YOU OFFERED TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.

I HEARD MANY QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED, RIGHT? UM, I THINK HEIDI ALLUDED TO THIS.

I THINK YOU ALLUDED TO THIS, SHARON, AROUND THE

[01:00:02]

PERHAPS IT IS, BUT I ALWAYS PREFER TO SEE MATERIALS AHEAD OF TIME AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT SO WE'RE ALL FUNCTIONING ON THE SAME LEVEL BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY, UM, RESPONDS TO INFORMATION.

LIKE YOU MIGHT TELL ME, AND I'M HEARING YOU, BUT MAYBE SOMEBODY ELSE IS VISUAL.

AND SO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE FACTS AND INFORMATION FULLY? AND SO MY PROPOSAL, AND WE CAN SEE IF THIS IS POSSIBLE, UM, TO DRIVE FOR TRUST, BUT ALSO ACCOUNTABILITY IS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF THE FACTS AND THE OUTCOMES OF THIS INVESTIGATION, WHATEVER LEGAL DID, HOWEVER YOU WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THIS GROUP IS OR ISN'T ABUSING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

UM, SECOND, UH, BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, WE MAY HAVE QUESTIONS.

WE MAY COME BACK AND SAY, GREAT, SORRY.

THANK YOU FOR TRANSPARENCY.

OR WE'LL SAY, HMM, I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THIS.

AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A VALID CONVERSATION, RIGHT? BECAUSE SHARON, TO YOUR POINT, IT SOUNDS LIKE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF RETRIBUTION OR, UM, UNCOMFORTABLE BRINGING POINTS UP.

IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW UP ON AN ITEM WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S IN QUESTION, RIGHT? AND SO IF YOU ARE ABLE TO REACH BACK OUT TO YOUR FOLKS, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED A FEW THINGS THAT ARE, UM, OF CONCERN, UM, BUT IS IT, IS IT SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP THAT JOHN CECILIA AND BONNIE BROUGHT UP AND, AND HOW THAT WAS MANAGED? BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM TALKED ABOUT THREE, ALL THREE OF THEM TALKED ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AND YOU MENTIONED THAT AS WELL.

BUT THEN YOU ALSO BROUGHT UP MAYBE SOME STAFF QUESTIONS OR, UH, CONFLICT OF INTEREST QUESTIONS.

SO LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO DEAL WITH THAT IS.

MORGAN, I KNOW YOU BROUGHT UP ROBERT'S RULES.

UM, AND I, I THINK IF WE'VE SIGNED UP TO FOLLOW THAT, THEN WE SHOULD, BUT ALSO THEN MAYBE WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IS IF THIS IS A QUESTION, HOW DO WE ADDRESS IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE, WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE RIGHT PROCESS.

THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH ME.

I KNOW I'VE SAID A LOT HERE, BUT ULTIMATELY, UM, I THINK THOSE ARE SORT OF THE TWO THINGS, RIGHT? LIKE WHAT IS THE INVESTIGATION, WHERE DID THINGS LAND? AND THEN ALSO WHAT ARE THE ACCUSATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN BE ADDRESSED PROPERLY? 'CAUSE I THINK THIS BOARD CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING, BUT WE CAN DRIVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND WE CAN PUSH FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY.

AND I THINK WE HAVE TO START FROM THOSE TWO PLACES OF, OF DRILLING DOWN, ADDING DAYLIGHT, AND THEN GOING FORWARD FROM, FROM THAT BASIS.

UH, AND SO IF I CAN PROPOSE THAT WE FOLLOW UP ON THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS, SHARE THEM AHEAD OF TIME, THEN HAVE THE CONVERSATION, I THINK IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE.

'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE CARE A LOT.

UM, EVERYBODY HERE THAT SPOKE CARES A LOT AND I'D LIKE TO THINK AND ASSUME GOOD INTENT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUSH TOWARDS MORE TRANSPARENCY, MORE EQUITABLE USE OF OUR PROCESSES AND AN IMPROVEMENT OF OUR PROCESSES BECAUSE SOMEHOW WE GOT HERE.

UM, OKAY, I'M DONE.

I HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER ME CHARLIE FIRST.

OR, UH, YOU KNOW, OR FURTHER ENFORCED, UH, IN SOME WAY, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE DISCUSSION IS.

UM, I THINK, UM, COMMISSIONER SENI COVERED QUITE A BIT.

UM, I THINK, UM, AGAIN, UM, I, IT IS DIFFICULT TO ALSO BRING UP A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION'S NAME IF THEY LEDGER GOT THE AWARDS AND, UH, KIND OF TAKES THE JOY OUT OF, UH, UH, SOME OF, UH, YOU KNOW, GETTING THESE AWARDS AND, UH, UM, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, ALSO SOMEBODY THAT'S DONE WORK IN THE COMMUNITY, ET CETERA.

SO I KNOW I MIGHT HAVE COMPLICATED THINGS BY TALKING ABOUT A USE CASE, BUT I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATION A HAS PROGRAM, B, CD, LIKE HOW, HOW THEY, THAT FITS INTO THE PROCESS AND UH, UM, AND, AND I THINK THE REAL CONVERSATION, ASSUMING, UH, FROM EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD, UH, SO FAR ON THIS ACCOUNT THAT THIS WAS, UH, UH, A LEISURE AWARD IN ON ALL FRONTS.

UM, I THINK THE REAL CONVERSATION IS AROUND, UH, UM, WHAT SHOULD BE THE CRITERIA MOVING FORWARD, UH, AS WELL IS DOES THIS, DOES THIS FIT? DO WE NEED TO KIND OF, UH, MAYBE EVEN, I THINK THAT THE CRITERIA, THE DISCUSSION, REAL DISCUSSION HAS TO BE MORE AROUND, UH, HOW, UH, FISCAL SPONSORED PROGRAMS WORK.

UH, AND IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, UH, UM, GUIDELINES AROUND HOW FISCAL SPONSORSHIP OPERATES IN THIS CONTEXT, UH, DO, DOES THAT NEED TO BE UPDATED

[01:05:01]

I THINK WE CAN AND SHOULD MOVE ON FROM PROBABLY, UH, CALLING OUT A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION.

UH, IT'S BEEN SAID AND DONE.

WE ARE, WE ARE WELL AWARE.

UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS AN UNDERSTANDING OF, UH, WHY THIS FIT IN THE PROCESS TODAY.

AND, UH, THEN, UH, BETWEEN THE COMMISSION AND STAFF, UH, COMMUNITY, WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATION AROUND, UH, DO WE NEED TO LEAVE FISCAL SPONSORSHIP PASSES OR, UH, ARE THERE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS COMMISSION AROUND, UH, FURTHER, FURTHER UPDATING THOSE IN THE FUTURE, UH, AND, AND MOVE FORWARD FROM THERE.

UM, AGAIN, UH, I I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, STATE, UH, UM, PERSONALLY FROM MY END, UH, YOU KNOW, TRUST IN, UH, TRUST IN THE PROCESS AND TRUST IN, UH, STAFF AND LONG CENTER AND EVERYBODY THAT'S, UH, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD ON THIS.

UM, IF, UH, QUICKLY ON THE, ON THIS, UM, BOARD BEING A BOARD MEMBER TOPIC, IF SOMEBODY IS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN ACTUALLY WRITING THE GUIDELINES AND IF THEY'RE SITTING ON THE BOARD OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS APPLYING, UM, I WOULD GENERALLY ASSUME THAT CITY HAS GUIDELINES AROUND ANY AND ALL OF THESE THINGS.

UH, BUT IF THAT IS SUCH A DIRECT CONNECTION, MAYBE IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, UH, LEADERSHIP CITY LEADERSHIPS SHOULD BE, UH, LOOKING INTO, UH, AND SEE, UH, WHAT MAKES SENSE THERE.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER.

THE OTHER THING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS THE EMAIL PA OR NO WEBSITE, PAPER TRAIL, UM, AROUND CHANGES ON WEBSITE.

UH, YES, REGARDING UPDATING THE STANDARDS FOR FISCAL SPONSORSHIP.

WE DID THAT AND HERE THEY ARE.

THEY ARE ON THE CREATE AUSTIN WEBSITE AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.

UH, NUMBER ONE FISCAL SPONSOR SHOULD BE A 5 0 1 C3 AND BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR FIVE YEARS.

THAT'S NOT IN QUESTION NUMBER TWO, THE FISCAL SPONSOR SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, ONE OF WHOM IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL FISCAL SPONSOR ACTIVITIES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE OTHER.

IN THE CASE THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING, THAT IS NOT THE CASE AS FAR AS I KNOW, FROM NINE NINETIES.

NUMBER THREE, THE FISCAL, SO THERE'S ONE THING THAT IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE.

THE FISCAL SPONSOR SHOULD CONDUCT AN ANNUAL FINANCIAL AUDIT BY AN INDEPENDENT CPA, WHICH CAN BE AVAILABLE TO THE LONG CENTER, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ALL SPON AND ALL SPONSORED PROJECTS.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S BEEN DONE.

NUMBER FOUR, THE FISCAL SPONSOR SHOULD NOT HAVE OTHER BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE SPONSORED PROJECTS TO PREEMPT SELF-DEALING AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT IN THIS CASE, THAT IS A, IS NOT BEING MET.

SO SO FAR, NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER FOUR, ACCORDING TO PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS, THESE ENTITIES IS AN ISSUE AND THE GUIDELINES ARE NOT BEING MET.

NUMBER FIVE, THE SPONSORED PROJECTS.

ARTISTIC LEAD CANNOT BE A STAFF MEMBER OF THE FISCAL SPONSOR.

AND ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITES THAT WERE SCRUBBED, THAT WAS ALSO NOT THE CASE.

SO THREE OUT OF THE FIVE REQUIREMENTS POSTED ON THE LONG CENTERS CREATE AUSTIN SITE, WERE NOT MET FOR THESE PROJECTS, OR AT LEAST TWO OF THEM.

AGAIN, I CAN'T SPEAK TO GAMES, Y'ALL, BUT I THINK THE, THE OTHER TWO ARE PRETTY CLEAR.

AND THEN MY OTHER CONCERN THAT I SPECIFICALLY WOULD LIKE ADDRESSED UNA, AS YOU'RE SAYING, UM, THESE ARE THE CONCERNS I WOULD LIKE ADDRESSED.

THOSE THREE THINGS SEEM TO NOT, NOT JIVE.

WHAT DID LEGAL SAY ABOUT THOSE? WHAT DID STAFF SAY ABOUT THOSE? HOW DID WE GET TO THIS CONCLUSION THAT IT'S OKAY IF THOSE GUIDELINES AREN'T MET.

THE OTHER THING I WOULD ASK IS THE CSAP, HOW DID WE COME TO AWARD AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS NOT THE MAIN TENANT, THE CSAP AWARD? SO THERE'S FOUR POINTS THAT I WOULD LIKE CLARITY ON.

SO DO YOU WANNA GO, BEFORE WE HAVE MEGAN ANSWER MORE TO ANSWER, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY IS, SHARON, JUST PUT FOUR ITEMS ON RECORD.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY LIKE MORGAN, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR YOU, BUT IF YOU WANNA RESPOND NOW YOU CAN.

BUT IF YOU WANNA GO BACK AND GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE INVESTIGATION AND HAVE THAT ON RECORD IN RESPONSE, I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE BETTER BECAUSE WE'RE NOT, AND, AND WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT ALSO.

AND IT'S ALSO SENT INTO THE MINUTES OR MATERIALS OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE TRUST AND CREDIBILITY IS PART OF THIS OUTCOME, NOT JUST OUR DISCUSSION.

UM, I'M NOT TRYING TO UNDERMINE THE CONVERSATION, I'M TRYING TO FOCUS ON KEEPING IT PRODUCTIVE.

UM, BUT THOSE FOUR POINTS BEING ADDRESSED, THE INVESTIGATION, THE QUESTION ON HOW TO ADDRESS STAFF STUFF IS IMPORTANT.

UM, I THINK

[01:10:01]

AND SO WHAT I'M DOING IS ENUMERATING THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND THEN MAKING A MOTION.

I THINK THAT'S THE WAY WE DO THIS, RIGHT? MAKE A MOTION TO ASK MORGAN TO SHARE THEM AHEAD OF TIME SO WE CAN REVIEW AND TALK ABOUT THOSE FOUR THINGS FROM THE INVESTIGATION AT THE NEXT MEETING.

THERE'S MY MOTION.

HOPEFULLY IT MAKES SENSE.

MOTION IS REQUEST.

REQUEST.

I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT THAT'S HOW WE HANDLE IT.

I THINK IT'S A FAIR APPROACH.

I'M, WHAT I WILL SAY IS I'M HAPPY TO, I HAVE SOME DIRECT ANSWERS AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THEM TODAY.

AND WHAT I'M NOT ABLE TO SHARE IS PRIVATE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS, MANY OF WHICH I HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED TODAY.

SO I AM ASSUMING YOU WILL HAVE THAT INFORMATION IN HAND SOON.

UM, FOR THE THINGS I'M NOT ABLE TO DISCLOSE, WHAT I'M HAPPY TO ADDRESS.

GOING BACK TO COMMISSIONER HOUSTON'S POINT ABOUT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

OUR STAFF, UH, FOLLOW A CITY POLICY FOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST RELATED TO SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT AND ALL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.

THEY'RE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE, UM, TO HAVE IT ON THE RECORD AND TO HAVE IT APPROVED TO ENSURE THERE IS NO CROSSOVER WITH CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

AND SHOULD THEY SERVE ON A BOARD OR SHOULD THEY SERVE ON A CONTRACTING AGENCY OR A SECOND JOB WHERE THERE ARE POTENTIALS, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, MUCH LIKE YOU, THEY RECUSE THEMSELF FROM ANY SPECIFIC PROCESS WHERE THE CONFLICT WOULD ARISE.

UM, THAT IS THE PROCESS THAT COMMISSIONERS FOLLOW, THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS FOLLOW, AND THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF FOLLOW.

WE HAVE RECEIVED MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR STAFF SERVING IN THEIR VOLUNTEER CAPACITY, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE OF YOU SAID IT, BUT, UM, OUR STAFF ARE IN THE ARTS COMMUNITY JUST LIKE YOU.

IT IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR OUR STAFF TO SERVE IN THESE WAYS AND TO DEDICATE THEIR FREE TIME TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY LOVE AND SUPPORT, JUST LIKE YOU ALL DO.

UM, IT IS ALLOWABLE.

IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED WITH THOSE PEOPLE.

ONCE AGAIN, I'LL BE BRINGING IT BACK UP TO THE ETHICS OFFICE SINCE YOU HAVE, UM, BROUGHT IT FORTH AGAIN.

BUT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS SPECIFIC QUESTION HAS COME UP.

WE WILL BRING IT FORWARD AGAIN AND I FEEL CONFIDENT WE WILL CLEAR OUR STAFF'S GOOD NAME.

UM, TO THE QUESTION OF CSAP, IT IS REQUIRED.

UM, MUCH LIKE THE OTHER GUIDELINES, THE GUIDELINES FOR CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HAVE UPDATED SINCE IT FIRST LAUNCHED.

THE CURRENT VERSION OF CREATIVE SPACE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS REQUIRES PEOPLE TO NOT OWN THEIR SPACE.

THEY MUST HAVE A LEASE IN HAND.

WE DO A SECONDARY REVIEW OF THE LEASE TO MAKE SURE IT'S ACCURATE, LEGALLY BINDING, AND IN GOOD FAITH.

WE DO THAT WITH AN OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION, RALLY AUSTIN.

UM, ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE IN PARABLE.

UM, THE REVIEW PROCESS IS NOT DONE BY STAFF.

THERE IS NO FAVORITISM OR RETRIBUTION BY THE ACME STAFF.

WE DO NOT DIRECTLY REVIEW THE APPLICATION RESPONSES.

I'M HAPPY TO GET MORE INFO ON CSAP.

I I WASN'T PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT IT TODAY SPECIFICALLY, BUT I WAS PREPARED TO SHARE WHAT WE REQUESTED IN DUE DILIGENCE TO THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT BECAUSE I KNEW THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT.

I WOULD LIKE TO CORRECT THE LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT.

WE KEEP SAYING LIKE, INVESTIGATION, AND THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE.

UM, THAT'S NOT A A, WE DON'T HAVE AN SOP FOR INVESTIGATIONS.

WE HAVE A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR REVIEWING AWARD ELIGIBILITY AND WHEN ISSUES ARISE BEYOND THAT, WHICH THIS IS NOT THE ONLY ISSUE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT WE HAVE DONE DUE DILIGENCE ON.

WE ADDRESS IT IMMEDIATELY.

WE LOOP IN ALL OF THE CORRECT PARTNERS, WHETHER IT BE THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THE ETHICS OFFICE, THE LONG CENTER.

IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE, UM, ACCUSATION IS AND WE HANDLE IT.

SO I'M HAPPY TO SHARE WHAT WE, UH, SPOKE WITH LAW ABOUT AND WHAT THEY DIRECTED US TO WORK WITH MOHA ON TO RETRIEVE SO THAT WE COULD DETERMINE IF THEY WERE IN FACT ELIGIBLE.

UM, IF YOU GUYS WANNA HEAR, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE.

IF YOU WANNA SAVE IT FOR NEXT MONTH, I I CAN DO THAT TOO.

NOW'S GOOD.

UM, I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE COMMENTS ABOUT WEBSITES.

UM, REVIEWING WEBSITES IS NOT A PART OF THE GRANTS REVIEW PROCESS.

UM, SOME OF OUR APPLICANTS DON'T EVEN HAVE WEBSITES, SO THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A TRICKY AREA FOR HOW PEOPLE PUT THEIRSELVES OUT THERE ON THE INTERNET BECAUSE THEY CAN DO ANYTHING AND IT DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUE.

THEY CAN PRESENT ANYTHING IN ANY WAY.

THEY CAN PRESENT NOTHING AT ALL.

UM, THEY CAN JUST PUBLISH THEIR STUFF ON VISIT AUSTIN AND STILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT FUNDING.

AND I THINK THAT IF YOU ALL FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT WHAT THE PRESENCE OF A NONPROFIT IS AND HOW THAT SHOULD IMPACT THEIR AWARDS, I ENCOURAGE YOU, UM, TO CONSIDER THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE UPDATE PROCESS FOR REVIEWS MOVING FORWARD.

FURTHER ADO, UM, THE FOUR ITEMS THAT WE, LAURA AND I WERE THE PEOPLE WHO TACKLED THIS PROCESS AND WE SPOKE WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND THEY ADVISED HERE ARE THE FOUR THINGS THAT WE CAN DO DUE DILIGENCE ON TO DETERMINE AWARD ELIGIBILITY.

WITHOUT

[01:15:01]

NUMBER ONE, HOW EACH OF THE ABOVE PROJECTS, WHICH IS GAMES, Y'ALL CAGE MATCH PROJECTS, THE MALL AND MUSEUM OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT, HOW EACH OF THE ABOVE LISTED PROJECTS MEETS THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.

WE, WE REACHED OUT TO MOHA AND ASKED THEM TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION.

NUMBER ONE, HOW DO THESE PROJECTS MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS? PLEASE PROVIDE US INFORMATION INCLUDING INDEPENDENCE OF OPERATIONS, LEADERSHIP AND DECISION MAKING.

NUMBER TWO, AN EXPLANATION OF HOW THESE PROJECTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE PROGRAMS OR SERVICES OF MOHA.

IN LIGHT OF THE GUIDELINES STATING THAT SPONSORED PROJECTS CANNOT BE PROGRAMS OR SERVICES OF THE FISCAL SPONSOR OR PARENT ORGANIZATION.

NUMBER THREE, CLARIFICATION REGARDING LEADERSHIP AND CORE PERSONNEL, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO THE GUIDELINES ON PAGE 41, PROHIBITING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS UNDER DIFFERENT PROJECT NAMES WHEN THE SAME CORE PERSONNEL OR PROJECT LEADERSHIP IS INVOLVED.

AND NUMBER FOUR, WE ASK THEM IF THEY COULD PROVIDE ANY DOCUMENTATION THAT DEMONSTRATES COMPLIANCE, SUCH AS GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES, OPERATIONAL INDEPENDENCE, STAFF ROLES, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENTS IF APPLICABLE, OR OTHER MATERIALS SUPPORTING THEIR EXPLANATION.

UM, WE GAVE THEM A DEADLINE, UM, AND THEY REPORTED BACK TO US WITH THE, UH, GREAT WEALTH OF INFORMATION THAT WE REVIEWED INDEPENDENTLY THAT WE SHARED WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT, AND THAT WE ALSO SHARED WITH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE IN RESPONSE TO THE AUDIT REQUEST THAT HAVE COME FORWARD.

UM, THOSE DOCUMENTS INCLUDED ALL OF THEIR FISCAL AGREEMENT, FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT FORMS THAT HAVE BEEN EXECUTED, INFORMATION ON THEIR OPEN COLLECTIVE, WHICH IS WHERE ALL PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THEIR FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE, INCLUDING FINAL REPORTS.

UM, THEIR LEADERSHIP CONTACT LISTS, WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE IDENTIFYING INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS AND CHAIRS.

THEY SHARED MOHA 2026 FISCAL SPONSORSHIP POLICIES THAT THEY HAVE DEVELOPED, WHICH INCLUDES PROGRAM INFORMATIONS, FAQS, UM, PROJECT TEMPLATES, AND ALL THE DOCUMENTS THEY SHARE WITH THEIR FISCAL SPONSORS.

AND THEY ALSO SHARED ALL THE BOARD ROSTERS, UM, FOR MOHA AND FOR UNLISTED PROJECTS, AS WELL AS THE NINE NINETIES FOR MOHA AND UNLISTED PROJECTS AND STAFF LISTS, MOHA, ALL OF WHICH WE REVIEWED AGAINST THE GUIDELINES WE REVIEWED AGAINST, UM, THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY WERE FISCALLY SPONSORING.

AND WE REVIEWED WHAT THE INFORMATION IN THEIR APPLICATION.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY THOROUGH REVIEW WHERE WE LOOKED ACROSS TO MAKE SURE IT WAS IN COMPLIANCE.

UM, ADDITIONALLY, ALL APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO CHECK ALL THE ATTESTATION BOXES, UM, CLAIMING THAT THE INFORMATION IS TRUE THAT THEY HAVE SUBMITTED.

AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THE INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN THE APPLICATION, WHICH IS HOW WE EVALUATE FOR THE GRANT PROPOSAL AND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY PROVIDED ON REQUEST FOR OUR DUE DILIGENCE NET, ALL OF THE GUIDELINES AND DEEMED THEM ELIGIBLE.

THAT WAS A CONCURRENT, UM, DECISION THAT WE SHARED WITH LAW.

AND AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD SHARED WITH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE BEFORE THEY CLOSED THEIR AUDIT INVESTIGATION AND SAID THAT IT DID NOT WARRANT ANY FINDINGS.

HAPPY TO SHARE MORE NEXT MONTH IF YOU WOULD LIKE THESE WORDS IN A SPREADSHEET.

HAPPY TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS.

UM, AND ALWAYS ETERNALLY RESPONSIVE TO THE PEERS THAT WE RECEIVE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

SO IF YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON THOSE, I'M SURE THEY'LL BE COMING SOON.

THANK YOU MORGAN.

QUESTIONS? I DO JUST HAVE ONE SPECIFIC QUESTION.

HOW MANY EMPLOYEES ARE AT MOHA? SORRY, I'M NOT LOOKING AT A LIVE LINK RIGHT NOW.

LET ME SEE IF LAURA CAN FIND THAT FOR ME.

SHE'S LOOKING ONE MOMENT.

HOW MUCH? SEVEN WERE THEY ALL HIRED IN? 2025.

WE DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S JUST NOT REFLECTED ON THE NINE NINETIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE.

SO THAT WAS MY QUESTION.

ACCORDING TO THE GUIDELINES FOR FISCAL SPONSORSHIP, IT SAYS THERE HAS TO BE TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.

AND ACCORDING TO THE NINE NINES FOR 2023 AND 24, THERE'S ONE.

SO, AH, THAT WAS A QUESTION.

I, COMMISSIONER MBO, I HAVE THEIR NINE 90 PULLED UP RIGHT NOW, AND IT SAYS TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS EMPLOYED IN CALENDAR YEAR 20 24 7.

WE CAN LOOK INTO IT.

IT'S POSSIBLE.

UM, WE ALSO REQUIRE EVERYTHING BE IN LINE AT THE TIME OF SIGNING YOUR CONTRACT.

WE GIVE A LOT OF LEEWAY TO EVERY PERSON WHO ENTERS INTO CONTRACT FOR THESE GRANTS.

UM, BECAUSE SITUATIONS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE SAME AT THE START OF THE APPLICATION, THE END OF THE APPLICATION, AND WHEN THE CONTRACT IS EXECUTED.

SO THERE IS LEEWAY FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS PROCESS.

[01:20:01]

THAT'S IN THE NINE 90 FOR DECEMBER, 2024 ON NON-PROFIT ON PROPUBLICA.

SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE SEEING THAT THEY ONLY HAD ONE EMPLOYEE.

UH, JUST IN THE PAY SECTION OF THAT SAME DOCUMENT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIST THE PAY OF ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES ON YOUR NINE 90.

I THINK IT'S JUST THOSE WHO EARN OVER SIX FIGURES OR 130,000.

I FORGET.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE HAD ONE.

YEAH, YOU ACTUALLY, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO PUT THE SALARY OF ANYONE UNLESS IT'S OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT, WHICH THIS IS NOT.

SO THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE LISTED THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SALARY IS, IS NOT A REQUIREMENT.

YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T LIST THE PAY OF ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES.

IT'S FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS.

MY, MY CONCERN IS NOT ABOUT THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE.

MY CONCERN IS ABOUT THE CONCENTRATION OF MONEY IN ONE ORGANIZATION WHEN WE'RE SAYING WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, WE, IT'S NOT ONE ORGANIZATION.

IT'S SPECIFIC.

THE PERCEPTION IS THAT THERE IS ONE LARGE ORGANIZATION THAT IS RECEIVING AN EXTREMELY LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.

THAT'S THE PERCEPTION.

THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN YOU SAY WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, AND YET THERE'S A STREAM OF CONTIGUOUS AWARDS GOING TO THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE.

LET'S NOT SAY IT'S ONE PERSON, BUT GROUP OF PEOPLE.

IT JUST, THAT'S MY CONCERN.

IT'S ABOUT EQUITY FOR ME.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES.

I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, IT'S ABOUT EQUITY FOR ME TOO.

UM, AND WITH THE RALLY AUSTIN FUNDING OF $2,500,000 GOING TO MOHA AS WELL, ON TOP OF ALL THIS, THE, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY POURED FROM CITY SOURCES TO MOHA SINCE COVID IS $3,645,000.

SO IT JUST FEELS A LITTLE OUT OF SCALE.

AND IF YOU'RE AN ANCHOR ORG THAT HAS EXPENSES AND YOU'VE APPLIED UNDER THE RULES AND NOT GOTTEN IT, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THERE'S QUESTIONS.

AND AGAIN, THE QUESTIONS ARE COMING TO US AND I'M NOT APPLYING FOR FUNDING AND I AM HERE TO PRESENT THE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY.

SO I HOPE NO ONE IN THIS ROOM IS TAKING PERSONALLY THE FACT THAT I AM HERE TO STAND UP BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO COME STAND UP BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CONTINUE TO GET FUNDING OR THEY WANNA GET FUNDING NEXT TIME.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.

I DON'T RELISH THIS, I DON'T LIKE DOING THIS.

I'M NOT OUT TO GET ANYONE.

I'M TELLING YOU WHAT IS BEING SAID BECAUSE IF IT DOESN'T HAVE MERIT, THEN PERCEPTIONS NEED TO BE CORRECTED WITH GOOD INFORMATION.

IF IT DOES HAVE MERIT, THEN WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

SO THAT'S WHY I AM DOING WHAT I'M DOING.

IT IS NOT FUN FOR ME.

I DO NOT DELIGHT IN THIS.

UM, I AM THE MESSENGER FROM THE COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SUBJECT.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

SMALL.

I WAS JUST HOPING THAT THE, I CAN'T SEE Y'ALL.

THE CAN.

I DON'T KNOW IF THE TECH CAN DO ANYTHING.

WE HAVE IN THE ECOSYSTEM.

THERE YOU GO.

UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? MORGAN? WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE? I, I HATE TO GIVE YOU A, A TASK, BUT THIS COULD BE FOR JULY, UH, FOR YOU TO GIVE US A REPORT THAT KIND OF GIVES US AN OUTLINE OF WHAT THE RESULTS ARE AND SO THAT WE CAN SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ASKING US, THIS IS WHAT WAS REVIEWED, THIS IS WHAT THE FINDINGS WERE, THIS IS WHY THEY'RE ELIGIBLE.

I THINK THAT'S THE MAIN QUESTION IS PEOPLE ARE GOING, WHY ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO BE CONNECTED ELIGIBLE? IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A HANDS-OFF SECONDARY RELATIONSHIP.

IT SEEMS LIKE A MUCH MORE INTEGRATED RELATIONSHIP AND PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS.

SO IF YOU COULD OFFER THAT TO US IN JULY, WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

YEAH, I THINK WE CAN DO THAT.

AND I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO TAKE A MORE BROAD LOOK AT FISCAL SPONSORSHIP AS A WHOLE.

THIS IS ONE OF MANY FISCAL SPONSORS THAT

[01:25:01]

UM, WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT ON THAT.

I THINK WE SHOULD TALK MORE BROADLY ABOUT IT.

AND I THINK A CONSTRUCTIVE LOOK FORWARD IS WHAT IS THE GOAL SO THAT WE CAN BUILD PARAMETERS THAT HELP US BETTER REACH THAT.

AND, AND I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CITY'S INVESTMENT INTO A SINGLE ORGANIZATION, IF WE WANNA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, I THINK THAT'S WARRANTED.

I THINK IT'S GREAT TO ELEVATE TO COUNCIL AS WELL.

'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST WITH HOTEL OCCUPANCY GRANTS.

THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IS FAR AND ABOVE WHAT WE ARE INVESTING WITH THESE GRANT DOLLARS.

UM, THE INTERSECTION OF RALLY AUSTIN ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY OTHER TYPES OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE CITY, THOSE ARE VALID CONVERSATIONS AND I THINK THEY'RE WORTH HAVING.

AND I THINK WE'RE HAPPY TO DIVE INTO THAT.

WE WANT TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY WE GET UP EVERY DAY AND DO THIS JOB.

AND WE APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT FORWARD.

UM, IT'S TOUGH TO HEAR THINGS THAT WE CAN'T COMBAT WELL, AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT DEMYSTIFYING, WHEN YOU DO HEAR INFORMATION THAT UNRAVELS A PREVIOUS BELIEF THAT YOU HAD, IF YOU COULD HELP RIPPLE THAT IN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.

PEOPLE SPEAKING IN PUBLIC COMMENT, 0% IMPACT ANY AWARD POTENTIAL THEY HAVE IN THE FUTURE.

THAT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR.

WE HAVE, WE THROW HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR INTO THE PROCESS TO MAKE SURE IT'S AS REMOVED FROM THAT AS POSSIBLE.

UM, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE MIGHT NEED TO INVEST SOME MORE DOLLARS TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IT'S TRUE.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORT, WE REALLY DO.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, CONCERNS? UM, I I JUST WANNA RESPOND TO WHAT MORGAN SAID.

I THINK DAYLIGHT AND FACTS, AND I KNOW YOU AUDIBLY SHARED THE INFORMATION, BUT LIKE PUTTING IT DOWN ON PAPER AND FOR US TO REVIEW AND COMPARE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE POINT THAT SHARON MADE ABOUT THE 10 99 RIGHT.

AND SEVEN EMPLOYEES VERSUS HOW MANY EMPLOYEES.

AND LIKE, TO BE HONEST, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT A 10 99.

AND SO I HAVE TO GO OFFLINE AND LIKE, READ ABOUT THESE THINGS AND COME TO A CONCLUSION OF WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, RIGHT? YOU SAW WHAT YOU SAW, HEIDI EXPLAINED WHAT SHE EXPLAINED.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT CONCLUSION TO DRAW YET BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONTEXT AROUND THAT.

AND SO THE DAYLIGHT HELPS HITTING EACH POINT, HELPS REMOVING OPINION FROM FACT.

AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU CAN ONLY DO THE BEST YOU CAN DO.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF US CAN MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY.

UHHUH OKAY? AND SO WE JUST HAVE TO BRING THE DAYLIGHT AND GO FROM THERE AND YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE WHAT IT IS, BUT WE HAVE TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU RESPONDING RIGHT NOW.

I WASN'T TRYING TO DEFER THE CONVERSATION.

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE READY WITH SOME INFORMATION, SO ALSO DIDN'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT.

UM, AND SO THANK Y'ALL FOR LABORING THROUGH THE CONVERSATION.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE TO DRIVE THAT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

AND SO YES, IT'S A HARD CONVERSATION, BUT I'M, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING IT.

TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, DISCUSSION ON STIPEND AMOUNTS AT CITY OWNED GALLERIES.

COMMISSIONER.

MOVING.

DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? YEAH.

COMMISSIONER, YOU SURE? YEAH.

[7. Discussion on stipends amounts at City owned galleries.]

THIS WAS AN AGENDA ITEM ADDED BY COMMISSIONER KEYS, BUT BASICALLY WHAT SHE WAS, WHAT SHE WAS COMMENTING ON IS THAT WHEN ARTISTS HAVE A GALLERY EXHIBIT UP IN A CITY GALLERY, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO EXHIBIT ANYWHERE ELSE AND THEY DON'T RECEIVE ANY STIPEND OR COMPENSATION FOR THE TIME THAT THEIR WORK IS BEING HELD IN THE CITY GALLERY.

SO SHE WAS SAYING, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY IF WE COULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT A POSSIBILITY OF HAVING STIPENDED AMOUNTS AT CITY OWNED GALLERIES? I DON'T, IT'S NOT.

THAT MIGHT BE COMMISSIONER SMALL BLACK.

THAT MIGHT BE MORE IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE.

YEAH, I MEAN, I WAS SURPRISED.

I, I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL IT CAME UP THAT THERE, WHEN ARTISTS ARE EXHIBITING, I THINK THIS WAS IN REFERENCE TO THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY, BUT I'M NOT POSITIVE THAT THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO PAYMENT FOR THAT MM-HMM .

SO IT CERTAINLY SHOULD BE A DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT, IT CERTAINLY FEELS, CAN FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, PAYING WITH EXPOSURE, WHICH I THINK WE'VE ALL DISPELLED CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE, YOU CAN'T ADHERE TO EXPOSURE.

IF MUSICIANS, IF MUSICIANS, YOU KNOW, PERFORMED AT THE CITY, THEY, THEY GET PAID.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE A, DON'T WE HAVE LIKE A MINIMUM? MM-HMM .

A GUARANTEED RATE.

SO YEAH, I DO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT COMMISSIONER KEYS WANTED TO SAY ABOUT IT, BUT BASED ON THE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE SO FAR, I DO THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HEAR FROM, FROM THE CITY ABOUT.

[01:30:02]

AND A, A SMALL STIPEND FOR DISPLAYING WORK THAT'S NOT GONNA BE PURCHASED, YOU KNOW, MAKES SENSE TO ME.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE DISPLAY, FOR THE CREATIVE LABOR.

IT SHOULD BE COMPENSATED, COMPENSATED.

SAME WAY.

WE PAY SAME, SAME WAY WE PAY MUSICIANS.

I, I DO THINK, OR ANY OTHER PERFORMER.

I THINK ALL THE PIECES AT THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE, UM, OH.

AND GET PURCHASED AND REPLACED THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN OF THAT, UM, EXHIBIT.

OH, THEY'RE FOR SALE? YEAH.

THEY ARE PEOPLE'S GALLERIES FOR, AND THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN, UM, NAME TAG, UH, WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTISTS SO THAT THEY CAN BE REACHED OUT TO DIRECTLY.

AND THEN, UM, IF A PIECE IS PURCHASED, THEY COORDINATE WITH OUR TEAM.

UM, I AM A LITTLE ON MY WHEELHOUSE HERE 'CAUSE THESE ARE NOT THE POLICIES THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY WRITTEN.

UM, MOST OF THE GALLERY SPACES CAME FROM OTHER LOCATIONS WHEN ACME WAS FORMED.

UM, BUT WHEN WE SAW THIS WAS ON THE AGENDA, WE DID START HAVING INITIAL CONVERSATIONS.

AND I WILL JUST SAY VERY CANDIDLY, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF GALLERY SPACES IN OUR FACILITIES ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO ALIGN POLICIES, PROCESSES, AND PROCEDURES, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THE SPACES THAT WE OPERATE.

SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THAT.

WE DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE FUNDING IN OUR BUDGET.

UM, THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, IT WAS NOT A REQUEST THAT CAME FORWARD OR A RECOMMENDATION FROM ANY COMMISSIONS.

IT WASN'T SOMETHING ALREADY IN OUR BASE BUDGET AND WE WERE ONLY ALLOWED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR BASE BUDGET.

WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR, UM, BUDGET DETERMINATIONS.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT CONVERSATION TO HAVE.

I THINK OUR STAFF OBVIOUSLY ARE IN SUPPORT OF SUPPORTING ARTISTS.

WE WERE REALLY SUCCESSFUL TO GET, UM, THAT MUSICIAN BASED PAY PASS THAT WAS A GREAT WIN FOR THE CITY.

UM, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD INTO OUR BUDGET BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT FROM CITY COUNCIL.

SO, UM, I KNOW COMMISSIONER KEYS ISN'T HERE AND, UH, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD CON CONVERSATION TO CONTINUE.

UM, AND WE CAN GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO THE TABLE HERE TO HAVE IT.

IF YOU WANNA MOVE IT TO LIKE A STAFF PRESENTATION REQUEST WHERE WE CAN SHARE ABOUT THE GALLERY SPACES WE DO HAVE AND WHAT EXHIBITS WE ROTATE MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE TO START TO JUST GET A, A SCOPE OF THE LANDSCAPE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

ARE, ARE Y'ALL? YEAH, THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

ARE Y'ALL UP TO THAT POINT AT Y'ALL TO THAT YOU COULD GIVE A PRESENTATION? YEAH.

YEAH, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY MAKE IT WORK.

CAN WE REQUEST THAT FOR JULY OR DO YOU WANNA WAIT TILL AUGUST? AUGUST WOULD, I DON'T THINK.

IT FEELS LIKE A HUGE RUSH.

SORRY.

WE'LL PUT THAT, WE'LL PUT THAT, TRY TO PUT THAT IN AUGUST AND I WILL LET COMMISSIONER KEYS KNOW.

JESUS PANTEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN? OKAY.

MOVING ON

[8. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Hotel Occupancy Tax by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor.]

TO STAFF BRIEFINGS.

ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BY JESUS ELL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.

HE'S ON HIS WAY.

HE DIDN'T THINK THAT I WAS GONNA ACTUALLY GET, MOVE INTO THE NEXT ITEM.

, UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

MY PRONOUNS ARE HE, HIS, I'M A LATINA WITH LONG GRAY HAIR AND A SALT AND PEPPER BEARD, UH, WEARING A PURPLE SHIRT AND A BLACK SPORTS COAT BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S KIND OF COLD IN HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

AND, UM, FOR TODAY, UM, I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, UM, UM, COLLECTION NUMBERS FOR WHICH WE HAVE DATA.

UM, ALL RIGHT, SO THE, THIS HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION, UM, IS FROM MAY AND IT WAS $8,904,302.

UH, THIS MEANS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND COLLECTION NUMBERS, UM, FOR MAY WERE $850,381.

UH, WITH THESE MAIN NUMBERS, WE ARE APPROXIMATELY 76%, UH, TOWARDS OUR FY 26 APPROVED BUDGET.

UM, AND AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A DELAY IN HOW HOT REPORTING HAPPENS.

UH, SO THIS JUNE PRESENTATION, UH, SHOWS FUNDS THAT WERE COLLECTED IN MAY FOR HOTEL STAYS THAT HAPPENED IN APRIL.

UM, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO, UM, SHOW ANALYSIS OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS, UH, WE'RE SHOWING SOME SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FROM APRIL, 2026 LISTED ON THIS SLIDE.

UH, THIS LIST DOES NOT CAPTURE THE FULL SPECTRUM OF TOURISM DRIVING EVENTS, BUT IT DOES HELP ENHANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOT REVENUE TRENDS.

AND ACCORDING TO AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, A TOTAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC IN APRIL WAS 1,808,534, UH, WHICH REPRESENTS A 3.03% INCREASE COMPARED TO APRIL OF 2025.

[01:35:02]

SO THIS SLIDE HERE HAS A GRAPH SHOWING 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 2026 TO DATE ARE $12,207,720.

AND AS A REMINDER, THE FUNDS COLLECTED IN FISCAL YEAR 26 WILL BE USED TO FUND PROGRAMS IN FISCAL YEAR 27.

AND THIS GRAPH HERE SHOWS A FIVE YEAR QUARTERLY AND TOTAL COMPARISON OF THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY ON PACE, UH, TO MEET OR EXCEED OUR APPROVED FY 26 BUDGET OF $15.97 MILLION, THE JUST UNDER $16 MILLION I MENTIONED EARLIER.

AND THAT IS THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX NUMBERS UPDATE.

UM, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL MAY HAVE.

I FIRST WANNA SAY THANK YOU, JESUS, THAT THAT REPORT GETS BETTER AND BETTER EVERY MONTH.

IT SEEMS LIKE.

I APPRECIATE THE, THE CONTRIBUTING EVENT SLIDE VERY MUCH.

I I REALLY ENJOY THAT SLIDE.

AND I REALLY LIKE THE, THE GRAPHS WITH THE, IT'S VERY, IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER EVERY MONTH.

I WILL NOT READ EVERYTHING HERE, BUT, UH, FORMER, UH, COMMISSIONER A CR GRAY, UH, TAPESTRY DANCE COMPANY, UH, WE'LL JUST READ THE UH, ORGANIZATIONS, BUT TAPESTRY DANCE COMPANY HAS SOMETHING.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU VERY

[9. Staff briefing regarding update on the Cultural Arts Funding Programs by Jesús Pantel, Cultural Funding Supervisor.]

MUCH, JESUS.

MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER NINE AND YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING UPDATE ON CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS BY JESUS PENTEL, CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR.

AND I AM BACK.

UM, SO I WILL BE PRESENTING ON THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING UPDATE, UM, IN JUST A MOMENT WHEN WE GET THIS READY.

UM, YES, AND SO WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, OR I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS, UM, AS WELL AS OUR GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES, UH, FOR CONTRACTS AND PAYMENTS.

UM, YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE HAVE FOR FY 24, ELEVATE FY 25 NEXUS.

AND FOR OUR THRIVE, OUR CURRENT FIVE FFY 25 26, UM, AGAIN, UH, WHITTLING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN.

AND FY 24 ELEVATE, UH, 94% HAVE BEEN, UH, CLOSED OUT OR PAYMENTS, UH, SENT, UH, NEXUS JUST, UH, CLOSED.

UH, MAY 31ST WAS THE, UM, UH, DEADLINE.

UM, AND SO FINAL REPORTS WERE DUE, UM, UM, DUE BY, OR EXCUSE ME, UH, MAY 30TH WAS THE, THE DEADLINE FINAL REPORTS WERE DUE MAY 31ST.

SO WE ARE REVIEWING THOSE.

UM, WE'RE ABOUT, UH, THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY THROUGH WITH THOSE.

AND WE'RE, UM, UM, INTO, UH, YEAR TWO FOR MOST OF OUR, UH, OR YEAR TWO PAYMENTS FOR MOST OF OUR THRIVE PROGRAM.

UM, AND THEN FOR THE FY 24 ELEVATE FINAL REPORTS SPECIFICALLY, UM, THIS IS AS OF LAST FRIDAY.

UH, WE HAD 15, UM, AS YOU SAW IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, UH, THAT WERE NOT COMPLETE.

THAT REPRESENTS 7% OF THE TOTAL, UM, ELEVATE AWARDS.

UM, AGAIN, A REMINDER THAT THE ACTIVITIES, UM, LASTED UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST, 2025 FOR ELEVATE.

AND, UH, FINAL REPORTS WERE DUE JANUARY 31ST, 2026.

UM, OF THOSE 15 SIX HAVE NOT YET BEEN SUBMITTED.

AND SO, UH, THOSE WILL BE, UM, GOING THROUGH, UH, WE HAVE A THREE STEP NON-COMPLIANCE PROCESS.

SO WE WILL BE BEGINNING THAT.

AND UNTIL THEY COME BACK INTO COMPLIANCE, UM, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RECEIVE ANY FUTURE FUNDING.

UM, WE HAVE HAD, UH, TWO THAT WERE RECENTLY SUBMITTED.

SO STAFF HAS NOT YET HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT.

SO THERE ARE A COUPLE SUBMITTED, UH, NOT YET REVIEWED.

UH, FIVE, UM, OF THOSE HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED ACTUALLY OR ALREADY.

UM, AND JUST NEEDED SOME REVISIONS.

SO WE'RE WAITING ON, UH, REVISIONS, UH, WHETHER THAT'S A BUDGET CORRECTION, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF QUESTION THAT WE HAD ABOUT, UM, SOMETHING THAT WAS, UM, EITHER NOT ELIGIBLE OR JUST NOT CLEAR IN THEIR FINAL REPORT.

UH, ONE, UH, WE ARE WAITING TO RETURN, UM, UNUSED FUNDS.

UH, THEY HAVE, UH, RETURNED THE MONEY TO US.

UH, WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR IT TO CLEAR IN THE BANK ACCOUNT.

UM, AND THEN ONE, AS I MENTIONED, UM, IN THE LAST MONTH, UM, UH, WAS DECEASED.

UH, THEY DIED DURING THE, UH, GRANT PERIOD.

AND SO WE ARE, UH, WORKING WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT WE NEED TO DO, UH, TO CLOSE THAT ONE OUT.

UM, FOR THE PREA AGREEMENTS FOR ELEVATE, UM, WE HAD, UM, ONLY SIX, UM, ARE, UM, INCOMPLETE AND ALL OF THEM HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN REVIEWED.

UH, SO FIVE OF 'EM AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REQUESTING REVISION.

SO SOMETHING WAS OUTSIDE OF THE, UM, THE DATE PERIOD, MAYBE THERE WAS A QUESTION ON WHETHER THAT EXPENSE WAS ELIGIBLE.

UM, SO, UH, FIVE OF THOSE ARE BEING REQUESTED.

UH, ONE HAS AN OUTSTANDING AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, FINAL REPORT.

AND SO WE WILL NOT ENTER INTO THEIR ELEVATE CONTRACT UNTIL THEY CLOSE OUT THEIR AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, UH, PREVIOUS YEAR'S GRANT.

SO THIS IS, UH, NOT FROM THE SAME YEAR, IT'S FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR.

UH, SO ONCE THEY GET THAT DONE, UH, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER INTO THEIR CONTRACT WITH THEM OR THEIR GRANT AGREEMENT FOR ELEVATE FOR THIS YEAR, UH, FOR GRANT FUNDED ACTIVITIES.

UM, AGAIN, FOR, UM, UH, TIME,

[01:40:01]

AND AGAIN, ALL THESE ACTIVITIES ARE, UM, BETWEEN THIS ARTS COMMISSION MEETING AND THE NEXT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING, UH, COLOR ARC PRODUCTIONS, AUSTIN IRANIAN PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION, UH, JOSHUA WASHINGTON.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE BLACK TER FILM FESTIVAL WHERE Y'ALL AT THOUGH AND HOST PUBLICATIONS, ALL HAVE EVENTS COMING UP.

AND WITH THAT, THAT IS A PRESENTATION ON THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAM.

AND I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESUS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE STATUS SLIDES 'CAUSE YOU KNEW I WAS GONNA ASK.

I APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR.

I THINK YOU ARE DONE.

I AM DONE.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

AND

[10. Staff briefing regarding an update on the ACME Funding Programs by Laura Odegaard, Acting Division Manager, ACME.]

NOW WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER 10, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS BY LAURA OR ODEGAARD, ACTING DIVISION MANAGER, ACME.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

I'M LAURA ODEGAARD, ACTING DIVISION MANAGER WITH ACME OVER OUR CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND INVESTMENTS DIVISION.

AND TONIGHT I'M GIVING YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS. SO FIRST I WANTED TO START AGAIN.

I'M TRYING TO SHARE ALL OUR PROGRAMS THAT FALL UNDER OUR DIVISION.

UM, SO THIS IS THE FUNDING DISBURSEMENT STATUS AS OF LAST FRIDAY.

SO WE HAVE ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS LISTED HERE, INCLUDING THRIVE YEAR TWO.

SO YOU CAN SEE WE'VE HAD 633 AWARDEES HAVE BEEN PAID SO FAR, WHICH IS 84%.

WE'VE DISPERSED OVER $12 MILLION TO THESE VARIOUS AWARDEES.

AND YOU CAN SEE THE BREAKDOWN BY THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. MOST OF THESE, UH, FUNDING DISBURSEMENTS ARE A 50%, 40%, 10% BASED ON VARIOUS MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES.

UM, THE EXCEPTION OBVIOUSLY, UM, THRIVE YEAR TWO, AFTER THEY DO THEIR INTERIM REPORT, UM, THEY RECEIVE 90% OF THEIR YEAR TWO AWARD AT THE FRONT END.

SO THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SEE THAT'S A VERY HIGH FUNDS DISPERSE PERCENTAGE FOR THOSE THRIVE FOLKS.

UM, BUT EVERYONE ELSE, IT'S CLOSER TO THE 50 40 10 BREAKDOWN.

AND THEN NEXT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT OUR GUIDELINE ENHANCEMENTS.

SO LAST MONTH, AS YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY, UH, YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THE OVERARCHING PRIORITIES AND ENHANCEMENTS THAT KIND OF CAME OUT OF A LOT OF THE SURVEYS AND CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH COMMUNITY.

UH, SO THIS MONTH WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE MORE SPECIFIC GUIDELINE ENHANCEMENTS.

AND SO SOME OF THESE THINGS INCLUDED, UM, ADDING MINIMUM AWARD AMOUNTS AND STRUCTURED RANGES, ADDING NEW OR EXPANDED SCORING RUBRICS AND TIE BREAKERS ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS. UH, WE ALSO ADDED PROJECT SUMMARY QUESTIONS FOR ALL APPLICATIONS.

AGAIN, ACME BECAUSE ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS ARE UNDER ONE DIVISION, WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE, UM, BETTER PARITY ACROSS THESE PROGRAMS AND HOW WE'RE ABLE TO REPORT TO COMMISSIONS AND COMMUNITY.

AND THAT INCLUDES HAVING A GOOD PROJECT SUMMARY FOR ALL OF THESE.

UM, WE STRENGTHENED A LOT OF DEFINITIONS WITHIN THE GUIDELINES, UM, ESPECIALLY, UM, ARTS GROUP, APPLICANT IDENTITY, UH, OR ENTITY, THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF CLARIFICATION AROUND ANTI DUPLICATION RULES, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING I THINK YOU ALL WILL BE PLEASED TO SEE.

UM, THERE WERE ALSO SOME, UH, TOURISM MARKETING REQUIREMENTS THAT WE IMPROVED CLARITY ON.

UM, SOME OF THE THINGS AROUND THE HERITAGE AND CAPITAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.

WE WANTED TO STRENGTHEN SOME OF THE PRESERVATION OUTCOMES AROUND THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, AND THEN I THINK I MENTIONED LAST MONTH, BUT UPDATING EVERYTHING TO A READING LEVEL IN THE APPLICATIONS OF EIGHTH GRADE LEVEL FOR ACCESSIBILITY ABILITY.

SO I'LL GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL FOR THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO THE, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING FOR YOU ALL IS THE AWARD AMOUNTS FOR THRIVE AND ELEVATE.

UM, AND SO THESE UPDATED GUIDELINES, ENHANCED GUIDELINES BASICALLY INTRODUCE STRUCTURED AWARD RANGES WITH MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.

UM, PREVIOUSLY IT ONLY HAD AN UP TO MAXIMUM CAP.

UM, SO I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

BUT WE WANTED TO HAVE BETTER TRANSPARENCY AND PREDICTABILITY.

WE ALSO WANTED TO AVOID, UH, CONFUSION AND INTERPRETATION BY ELIMINATING THE UP TWO STRUCTURE.

UM, THIS ALSO ALIGNS THE AWARDS MORE CLOSELY WITH CAPACITY AND OPERATING SIZE.

THE WAY THAT WE CREATED THE TIERING AND IMPORTANCE TO US,

[01:45:01]

AT THE VERY LEAST, UM, HAVING SET AWARD AMOUNTS REDUCES THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND HELPS WITH BUDGETING TO KNOW HOW MANY AWARDS CAN BE MADE WITHIN THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE FUNDS IN THE AVAILABLE CULTURAL ARTS FUND, IN THIS CASE FOR THRIVE AND ELEVATE, BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE THEN WORK WITH THE LONG CENTER TO CREATE AN ADMINISTRATIVE FEE BASED ON HOW MANY AWARDS WE ARE GOING TO BE MAKING.

AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO KNOW MUCH CLOSER HOW MANY AWARDS WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE.

SO IT'S NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE, BASICALLY FOR THE THRIVE APPLICANTS, BECAUSE THRIVE AND ELEVATE WILL BOTH BE LAUNCHING IN A FEW WEEKS.

SO FOR THRIVE, IF THE 5 0 1 C3 ARTS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A CREATIVE SPACE, SO IF THERE IS A CREATIVE SPACE AND THEY HAVE ANNUAL EXPENSES OF 125,000 OR GREATER, THEY'RE ABLE TO RECEIVE 125,000 PER YEAR, WHICH BRINGS THEIR AWARD TO 250 OVER THAT TWO YEAR PERIOD.

'CAUSE IT'S A TWO YEAR GRANT.

UH, IF THEY HAVE ANNUAL EXPENSES BETWEEN THE RANGE OF 85,000 AND 124,999, THEN THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR 100,000 PER YEAR.

AND THEN IF THEIR ANNUAL EXPENSES ARE 60 TO 84 OF 999, THEY'LL BE ELIGIBLE FOR 85,000 PER YEAR.

AND AGAIN, THE $60,000 MINIMUM ANNUAL EXPENSE, UM, BUDGET, THAT WAS PART OF THE GUIDELINES THAT WERE CREATED LAST YEAR FOR THRIVE.

UM, SO THE ANNUAL EXPENSES, THEY HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST $60,000 OF ANNUAL EXPENSES.

I BELIEVE THEY HAVE TO HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, UM, AND ALL OF THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS.

BUT THAT'S WHAT THE BREAKDOWN IS FOR THRIVE FOLKS WITH CREATIVE SPACE.

UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO EVERY SINGLE ONE FOR ELEVATE, BUT YOU CAN SEE THERE'S STILL THE BREAKDOWN FOR THE 5 0 1 C3 ARTS NONPROFITS.

UM, AND A LOT OF THIS CAME FROM ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS THAT HAVE COME HERE AND THEY'VE TALKED TO YOU ALL.

THEY'VE TALKED TO STAFF WHERE MAYBE THEY WERE A NEWER ORGANIZATION AND THEY ONLY SHOWED $3,000 OR $2,000 IN THEIR PREVIOUS YEAR.

AND SO IF SOMEONE IS DOING AN ELEVATE APPLICATION AND THEY HAVE A PROPOSAL TO DO SOMETHING WITH THEIR ELEVATE FUNDS, IT NEEDS TO BE HIGHER THAN THE NEXUS AWARD, WHICH IS A 5,000 OR $10,000 AWARD.

SO THAT'S WHY WE CREATED A $15,000 MINIMUM FOR OUR ELEVATE PROGRAM.

ANOTHER, UH, ENHANCEMENT WE MADE WERE AROUND THE ELIGIBILITY DEFINITIONS AND THE CATEGORY ALIGNMENT.

UM, SO WE TRIED TO PROVIDE WAYS TO HELP CALCULATE, UM, YOUR ANNUAL EXPENSES.

'CAUSE SOME FOLKS JUST DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARTS GROUPS AND INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.

WE ALSO ARE NOW REQUIRING AN EIN FOR ANY ARTS GROUP.

SO IF YOU'RE APPLYING AS AN ARTS GROUP, YOU NEED TO HAVE AN EIN TO APPLY IN THAT CATEGORY.

UM, WE ADDED, UH, A SECTION FOR APPLICANT ENTITY TO BE ABLE TO, TO FILL THIS OUT AT THE FRONT END OF THE APPLICATION.

UM, THE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST DEFINITION NOW HELPS ALIGN WITH THAT ARTS GROUP DEFINITION, AND WE ADDED MORE DISTINCTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS FOR WHAT A STATE NONPROFIT IS VERSUS WHAT A 5 0 1 C3 IS VERSUS WHAT A FOR-PROFIT ENTITY IS.

SO AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO HAVE BETTER CLARITY AND BETTER DESCRIPTIONS AND DEFINITIONS THROUGHOUT THE GUIDELINES.

UM, WE DON'T WANNA HAVE ANYONE ACCIDENTALLY MISCLASSIFIED WHEN THEY'RE FILLING OUT THEIR APPLICATION.

WE DON'T WANT STAFF TO BE IN A POSITION OR THE LONG CENTER TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF ENTITY THEY ACTUALLY ARE.

UM, OR CATCHING SOMETHING WHEN SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE APPLIED AS A NONPROFIT, BUT THEY ACCIDENTALLY APPLIED AS AN ARTS GROUP.

UM, AND OF COURSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CLOSE ANY LOOPHOLES, UM, IF FOLKS ARE TRYING TO APPLY AS MULTIPLE THINGS, UH, AND MAKE SURE THESE DEFINITIONS ARE LEGALLY SOUND.

WE ALSO MADE SOME CHANGES RELATED TO, UM, ANTI DUPLICATION.

UM, MAKING SURE THAT IT IS VERY CLEAR AT EVERY STEP OF THE GUIDELINES THAT THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE APPLICATION PER PROGRAM PER ENTITY.

YOU CAN'T HAVE MULTIPLE ALIASES.

YOU CAN'T HAVE MULTIPLE LEAD APPLICANTS REPRESENTING THE SAME PROJECT.

SO AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO BE VERY CLEAR AND VERY EXPLICIT ABOUT ALL OF THIS.

UM, THE NEXT ONE, IT ISN'T A CHANGE, UM, BUT JUST PUTTING IT, UM, MORE CLEAR THROUGHOUT THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE ACTIVE AWARD AT A TIME ACROSS THE CULTURAL ARTS FUND

[01:50:01]

AND THE LIVE MUSIC FUND.

UM, AGAIN, WE WANT TO PREVENT ABUSE.

WE WANNA PROTECT STAFF TIME.

WE WANNA HAVE FAIRNESS ACROSS THE APPLICANT POOL, UH, AND ENSURE AN APPROPRIATE AND INTENDED DISTRIBUTION OF THESE RESOURCES.

WE'VE ALSO REVISED THE INELIGIBLE AND ELIGIBLE EXPENSE LISTS IN THE GUIDELINES.

UM, MOSTLY JUST TRYING TO HAVE CLEAR PROHIBITIONS AND ALLOWANCES ON THINGS THAT ARE CONS ON EXAMPLES SUCH AS THIS.

UH, CONSULTANTS WHO ARE ALSO EMPLOYEES.

UM, SO WE DON'T WANT AN ORGANIZATION TO HIRE ONE OF THEIR STAFF MEMBERS AS A CONSULTANT.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT, UM, ALLOWED.

UM, WE WANTED, WE ADDED MORE CLARITY AROUND VISITING ARTISTS TRAVEL EXPENSES, UH, AND WE WANTED TO HAVE MORE EXPLICIT GUIDANCE ABOUT DEBT TAXES AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION PROGRAMMING.

SO UNIVERSITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, NOT APPLYING FOR OUR PROGRAMS, UM, EXCEPT FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION.

THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME EXAMPLES IN THERE.

UM, BUT AGAIN, WE WANNA REDUCE ANY COMPLIANCE ISSUES.

WE WANNA STANDARDIZE THE INTERPRETATION ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. UM, WE WANT TO HELP APPLICANTS, UM, AVOID COSTLY TIME.

LIKE IT TAKES TIME, AS YOU ALL KNOW, TO FILL THESE APPLICATIONS OUT.

UM, AND WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE IN THAT POSITION.

WE ALSO HAVE CREATED MORE DETAILED PROGRAM SPECIFIC RUBRICS, UM, AND CREATED TIEBREAKER QUESTIONS FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. SO FOR AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, ELEVATE HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND THRIVE.

AGAIN, WE WANT GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN HOW THE DECISIONS ARE MADE.

SO THERE CANNOT BE ANY ACCUSATIONS OF STAFF JUST GIVING FUNDS TO ORGANIZATIONS THEY SUPPORT.

THAT ISN'T HOW IT IS.

IT IS NEVER HOW IT HAS BEEN.

UM, BUT THE MORE WE CAN HAVE TRANSPARENCY AROUND THAT, THE BETTER.

UM, THIS ALSO HELPS STAFF MANAGE THE HIGH VOLUME OF THE REVIEW CYCLES AND AGAIN, SUPPORTS APPLICANT UNDERSTANDING AND FAIRNESS.

SO ALL OF THESE RUBRICS AND THESE UPDATED GUIDELINES, THEY WILL BE ON THE WEBSITE WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK.

UM, SO YOU CAN GET INTO ALL OF IT.

UM, BUT ALSO WANTED TO JUST SHARE THE TIEBREAKER QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE.

THEY'RE NOT REALLY EXTRA QUESTIONS, IT'S JUST HOW WILL WE PRIORITIZE THINGS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TIES.

UM, AND WE NEED TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, ROOM TO GIVE MORE AWARDS, HONESTLY, BECAUSE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS PAST ROUND, WE LOOKED AT USING ANY OF THE EXTRA FUNDS TO DO THE NEXT GROUP OF AWARDS IF POSSIBLE.

BUT THERE WERE SO MANY IN THAT NEXT CHUNK THAT WE COULD NOT AWARD THEM ALL.

UM, AND SO I THINK HAVING THINGS LIKE THIS WILL BE HELPFUL.

UM, WHEN WE'RE DOING THE ACTUAL AWARDING.

SO BASICALLY THE TIEBREAKER QUESTIONS, UM, FOR ELEVATE AS AN EXAMPLE, THERE ARE FOUR QUESTIONS.

UM, SO BASICALLY APPLICANTS WHO HAD THE HIGHEST SCORE IN A SPECIFIC QUESTION, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT YOU CAN SEE THROUGH MANY OF THEM.

BUT, UH, THE, WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSED PUBLIC EVENT AND HOW DOES IT REFLECT THE PEOPLE, PLACES, OR CULTURES OF AUSTIN? SO THE SCORES THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM PANELISTS, THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION MIGHT GET WEIGHED MORE IF WE'RE LOOKING TO BREAK A TIE.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT APPLICANTS WHO HAVE APPLIED IN ELEVATE AND HAVE NEVER BEEN AWARDED BEFORE, OR APPLICANTS WHO HAVE BEEN PRODUCING WORK IN ON IN AUSTIN THE LONGEST.

OR APPLICANTS WHOSE ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE IS THE LEAST REPRESENTED IN THE POOL OF APPLICANTS.

SO AGAIN, ALL OF THESE ARE JUST TIEBREAKER QUESTIONS IN CASE WE DO HAVE TIES, BUT WE'RE AGAIN, TRYING TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE OUT.

UM, AND THESE AREN'T, YOU KNOW, THESE AREN'T SUBJECTIVE SCORING THINGS THAT STAFF OR THE LONG CENTER WOULD BE DOING.

THESE ARE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS THAT THE APPLICANT FILLS OUT TO HELP.

UM, BREAK THINGS DOWN MORE IF WE NEED TO.

YOU.

AND THEN JUST REAL QUICKLY, GOING OVER SOME OF THOSE SPECIFIC PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS.

UM, FOR THE AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND, UM, THESE, THERE ARE SOME THINGS AROUND, UH, CLARIFYING LANGUAGE ON RECORDINGS VERSUS TRACKS AND AWARD DOCUMENTATION.

UM, REQUIRING UPLOADED EVIDENCE FOR EVERY VENUE, ELIGIBILITY CRITERION, THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, AGAIN, TRYING TO HAVE MORE ACCURATE ELIGIBILITY CHECKS, CLEAR LANGUAGE AND MORE CONSISTENT EVALUATION OF MUSICIANS, PROMOTERS, AND VENUES FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION.

WE'VE ADDED DEFINITION FOR HERITAGE, WHICH YEAH, WAS SHOCKINGLY MISSING THE LAST TIME AROUND.

UM, WE ALSO WANTED TO HAVE A STRONGER EMPHASIS

[01:55:01]

ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PROJECT AND THE HERITAGE DISTRICT OR SITE.

UM, CLEANED UP SOME RULES AROUND RESIDENTIAL ZONE PROPERTY ELIGIBILITY, REQUIRED SITE MAPS FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AGAIN, TRYING TO BE MORE CONSISTENT, MORE PLACE-BASED, AND AGAIN, EASIER FOR APPLICANTS AND REVIEWERS TO INTERPRET WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ELEVATE.

THERE WERE SOME CLARIFICATIONS ON TRAVEL COSTS FOR VISITING ARTISTS, EXCLUDING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FROM APPLYING.

UM, UPDATING THE PROCESS TO INCLUDE MINIMUM AWARDS AND STRUCTURED AWARD RANGES.

UM, AS I MENTIONED, STRENGTHENED DEFINITIONS, ESPECIALLY REQUIRING ARTS GROUPS TO HAVE AN EIN NUMBER TO APPLY.

UM, AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE CLEAR AWARD STRUCTURES, SIMPLER APPLICATION LANGUAGE AND MORE TRANSPARENT SCORING AND REVIEW PROCESSES FOR THRIVE.

THERE WAS SOME, UM, PEOPLE, THEY WEREN'T BEING USED THE SAME WAY THROUGHOUT THE GUIDELINES, SO JUST ALIGNING ALL OF THE PROGRAMS AND DEFINING THOSE THINGS APPROPRIATELY WAS IMPORTANT TO US.

UM, AND ALSO INCLUDING THE FULL SCORING RUBRIC IN THE GUIDELINES.

UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, THOSE WILL BE UP ON THE WEBSITE SHORTLY.

UM, AND THEN SOME OTHER THINGS FOR Y'ALL TO KNOW.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PANEL NEEDS.

UM, THIS NEXT CYCLE, WE HAVE THREE PROGRAMS THAT WE'LL BE USING THE PANEL PROCESS.

SO ELEVATE HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND THRIVE WILL ALL BE USING A PANEL PROCESS FOR THEIR EVALUATION AND SCORING.

SO WE'RE ESTIMATING OVER A THOUSAND APPLICATIONS THAT WILL REQUIRE THE PANEL PROCESS, WHICH MEANS WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE OVER 45, MAYBE AROUND 46 NUMBER OF PANELS.

AND WE HAVE AROUND 25 APPLICATIONS PER PANEL, WHICH MEANS WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST 322 PANELISTS IF WE WANT TO HAVE A SEVEN PANELIST PER PANEL MINIMUM, WHICH IS WHAT WE TRY TO SCHEDULE OUT BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE CONFLICTS OR SOMEONE WILL HAVE A FAMILY EMERGENCY OR SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN.

SO WE ALWAYS WANNA SCHEDULE MORE THAN WE NEED, ESPECIALLY WITH THE OLYMPIC SCORING.

SO TO THAT END, RECRUITMENT IS NOW OPEN.

UM, SO PLEASE SHARE THIS OUT.

WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR NEW MARKETING PERSON TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, UM, OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY IS GOING TO BE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

UM, NOT JUST FOR PANELISTS, BUT FOR THE PROGRAMS AS WELL.

I'M MEETING WITH HER TOMORROW.

UM, BUT JUST WANTED TO PREEMPTIVELY SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL.

THE LINK IS STILL UP.

UM, WE'RE MAKING ENHANCEMENTS TO THE TRAINING AND TO THE SUPPORT MATERIALS.

UM, I THINK I MENTIONED SOME OF THIS FROM THE SURVEY RESPONSES LAST MONTH.

UM, AND SO AS WE KIND OF SOLIDIFY THOSE, WE'LL BE SURE TO SHARE THAT OUT WITH YOU AS WELL.

AND IT'S STILL A $500 COMPENSATION FOR THE PANELISTS.

ALSO WANTED TO SHARE, UM, JUST TO PREEMPTIVELY SHARE SOME OF THE ASSISTANCE THAT THE TEAM IS BUILDING OUT FOR THIS NEXT ROUND OF APPLICATIONS.

SO THE BOOKINGS LINK, UM, IS STILL ACTIVE AND LIVE.

UH, SO I JUST PUT IT HERE AGAIN FOR REFERENCE.

UM, AND THERE'S A LITTLE IMAGE THERE, BUT YOU CAN SELECT IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT A SPECIFIC GRANT, IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THINGS IN GENERAL, IF YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR STAFF PERSON YOU WANNA TALK TO, IF YOU'RE HAPPY TO TALK TO THE FIRST AVAILABLE PERSON.

UM, AND THEN THIS WILL JUST PUT A, A LINK DIRECTLY ON THAT STAFF PERSON'S CALENDAR.

UM, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO A DOODLE POLL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING THOSE BOOKING LINKS FOR ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH STAFF.

UM, ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THE VIRTUAL OPEN OFFICE HOURS THAT WE WILL BE HAVING DURING THE APPLICATION PERIOD.

UM, SO MOST TUESDAYS IT'S 10 TO NOON EVERY WEEK.

UM, WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING THAT FINAL TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH, WHICH IS THE DAY THE APPLICATION CLOSES, THAT WILL BE AN ALL DAY OFFICE HOUR FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO DROP IN.

SO THAT'S FROM 10:00 AM TO 6:00 PM ON THAT FINAL DAY.

AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE OUR APPLICATION WORKSHOPS THAT WE'VE SCHEDULED OUT SO FAR.

UM, THERE ARE MORE THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED, UM, AND THE EVENTBRITE COLLECTION WILL ALSO BE UPDATED AND WILL BE LINKED ON OUR WEBSITE.

UM, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME BEFORE THE APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS.

[02:00:01]

WE'RE HAVING A GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP, A MORE GENERAL GRANT WRITING 1 0 1 STYLE PROGRAM, UM, ON THE 24TH.

AND SO THE LUNCHTIME HOUR WILL BE, UM, IN ENGLISH, AND IN THE EVENING IT WILL BE IN SPANISH.

AND BOTH OF THOSE WILL BE VIRTUAL AND RECORDED.

UM, AS IS PRACTICE.

WE'LL ALSO HAVE OUR VIRTUAL ACNE FUNDING PROGRAMS OVERVIEW.

AND SO THE FIRST, UM, VIRTUAL ITERATION OF THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE WELL BEFORE THE PROGRAM LAUNCHES.

SO PEOPLE CAN KIND OF GET, UM, GET READY AHEAD OF TIME AND KIND OF LEARN ABOUT THE NEW CHANGES FROM STAFF DIRECTLY.

AND SO THAT WILL BE ON TUESDAY, JUNE 30TH AT 6:00 PM.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE, SO IN ADDITION TO THOSE VIRTUAL OVERVIEWS AS WELL AS, UM, THE ONE-ON-ONE AND THE OPEN OFFICE HOURS, WE'RE HAVING SEVERAL IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS.

AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN REQUESTED BY COMMUNITY.

AND THESE ARE BEING DONE WITH SOME OF OUR ACME AMBASSADORS AT THEIR LOCATIONS.

UM, AND SO WE HAVE 12 CONFIRMED ACME AMBASSADORS SO FAR, AND NINE CONFIRMED EVENTS.

SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE INCLUDE, UM, WORKSHOPS.

FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S AN AUSTIN LIVE MUSIC FUND WORKSHOP THAT WILL BE CO-HOSTED BY AUSTIN, TEXAS, MUSICIANS AT HOTEL VEGAS ON JULY 7TH.

IN THE EVENING, THERE WILL BE, UM, A WORKSHOP AT RUIZ'S LIBRARY CO-HOSTED BY .

UM, AND THERE'S, THERE'S A VARIETY.

SO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS HAVE DIFFERENT, UM, HOSTS.

SO PRESERVATION AUSTIN, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE GONNA BE OUR, UH, ACNE AMBASSADOR FOR OUR HERITAGE PRESERVATION PROGRAM.

UM, THERE'S ONE THAT'S GONNA BE AT DATA LAB AT RICH'S ART GALLERY.

UM, A WHOLE VARIETY OF GROUPS, UH, INCLUDING AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE AT THE SANCTUARY ON AUGUST 1ST.

SO AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST, UM, THE WORKSHOPS SO FAR, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE A PRETTY ROBUST VARIETY OF THINGS.

UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY THIS LAST ROUND, THAT ALL OF THE WORKSHOPS WERE THE SAME AND THEY WANTED MORE VARIETY, MORE IN PERSON.

UM, THE OTHER ONE THAT I'LL POINT YOU OUT, UM, TO PAY ATTENTION TO IS THE JULY 21ST IN THE LUNCHTIME HOUR, 11 TO ONE 30 AT UNIVERSITY HILLS BRANCH LIBRARY.

AND THAT'S AN ASK US ANYTHING SESSION WITH STAFF.

SO IF YOU WANNA TALK MORE ABOUT BUDGET, IF YOU WANNA TALK MORE ABOUT NARRATIVE, IT'S BASICALLY, LET'S TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC THINGS.

UM, AND IT WAS A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL FORMAT, UM, WHEN STAFF DID THIS FOR OUR NEXUS PROGRAM.

SO THAT'S ONE OF OUR SCHEDULED ASK US ANYTHING.

AND THEN FINALLY, JUST WANTED TO END WITH OUR LAUNCH TIMELINE JUST AS A REFRESHER TO EVERYONE.

UM, SO WE ARE IN JUNE, 2026.

WE WILL BE MAKING OUR NEXUS AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS NEXT WEEK.

UM, AS A REMINDER, WE HAD OVER 400 FOLKS APPLY FOR NEXUS.

UM, WE ONLY HAVE $500,000 TO GIVE IN THIS ROUND OF NEXUS, SO ONLY 75 FOLKS WILL BE RECEIVING NEXUS GRANTS.

UM, BUT WE'LL BE MAKING THOSE AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS NEXT WEEK.

WE'LL ALSO BE WORKING ON THE WEBSITE UPDATES.

UM, SO AGAIN, THAT'S GONNA INCLUDE THE FULL CALENDAR OF ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS, ONE-ON-ONE LINKS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS AS WELL AS THE RUBRICS, THE UPDATED GUIDELINES, UM, THE FULL APPLICATION QUESTIONS, THE POINT BREAKDOWNS, EVERYTHING, UM, TO PREPARE EVERYONE FOR THE JULY 7TH LAUNCH OF OUR ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS. UM, SO AGAIN, JULY 7TH UNTIL AUGUST 18TH, ONLY ONE DEADLINE AND ONE OPENING WINDOW FOR THIS.

SO JULY 7TH TO AUGUST 18TH, UM, IN AUGUST, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL BE TRAINING PANELISTS.

UM, THE PROGRAM EVALUATION AND SCORING BEGINS IN SEPTEMBER, AND THEN THE PANEL MEETINGS WILL TAKE PLACE IN OCTOBER.

AND THEN NOVEMBER IS WHEN WE WILL BE MAKING AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS.

DECEMBER IS WHEN WE WILL BE GOING THROUGH THE APPEALS PROCESS.

FOLKS WILL BE CLOSING OUT THEIR 2026 GRANTS, UM, STARTING TO ENTER INTO THEIR 2027 GRANTS.

AND THEN WE ANTICIPATE PAYMENTS AND CONTRACTS REALLY KICKING OFF IN JANUARY OF 2027.

AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER ANDERSON.

THAT WAS AMAZING.

FIRST OF ALL, SO THOROUGH.

AND IT FEELS TIDY, SO LIKE YOU THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING, SO THANK YOU.

UM, I DID HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE 322 PANELISTS THAT YOU NEED.

CAN YOU ESTIMATE FOR US HOW MANY OF THOSE WILL BE HIRED FROM OUT

[02:05:01]

OF TOWN AND HOW MANY WILL BE LOCAL? AND ARE, IS THE NUMBER HIRED FROM OUT OF TOWN DETERMINED BY HOW MANY APPLY LOCALLY? WE DON'T HAVE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.

WE DON'T HAVE A A SET.

WE MUST HAVE 85% OR 99% MUST BE LOCAL PANELISTS, AND THE REMAINING MUST BE OUT OF TOWN, BUT TEXAS OR OUT OF TOWN, BUT OTHER CITIES IN THE US WE DON'T HAVE A BREAKDOWN LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT REALLY IS DETERMINED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE APPLY.

UM, WHICH IS WHY WE NEED HELP SPREADING THE WORD TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE TO APPLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE WANT A GOOD VARIETY OF AUSTIN FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE ARTS OF AUSTIN, FOLKS MAYBE THAT AREN'T IN THE ARTS, BUT THEY'RE REALLY ACTIVE ATTENDERS.

UM, SO AGAIN, WE WE NEED A, A BROAD SWATH OF PEOPLE.

SO NO SPECIFIC BREAKDOWNS ABOUT THE PERCENTAGES BETWEEN LOCAL, UM, AND NON-LOCAL.

OH, I DID HAVE, GO AHEAD.

SORRY, ONE MORE QUESTION.

YOU WERE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT SAYING THAT THE FULL SCORING RUBRIC WILL BE IN THE GUIDELINES FOR THRIVE.

WILL THE FULL SCORING RUBRIC BE IN THE GUIDELINES FOR ELEVATE AS WELL? YES, IT WILL BE.

SORRY IF I MISSED THAT.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER.

UM, CHARLA AND THEN COMMISSIONER HUSING.

HI.

THANKS FOR THE UPDATES.

UH, THEY, THEY LOOK VERY, UH, VERY PROMISING ALL THE UPDATES THAT, THAT I'M SEEING, UM, AROUND THE GRANTS AND THE CRITERIA.

UM, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, UH, DO WE, UM, IS THIS AN HONOR SYSTEM OR DO WE VERIFY, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO ANNUAL EXPENSES, UH, FOR INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS? I MEAN, I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN DO THAT FOR LIKE, SAY A, A NONPROFIT.

UM, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE WAY TO DO THAT FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS? THANK YOU.

IT IS AN HONOR SYSTEM.

WE PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THEY CAN CALCULATE THAT.

UM, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF ATTESTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE APPLICATION THAT BASICALLY SAY, IF YOU ARE CAUGHT TO BE FRAUDULENT IN YOUR CLAIMS, YOU WILL BE BANNED FROM APPLYING FOR FUNDING IN THE FUTURE.

UM, SO WE HAVE SCARY LEGAL LANGUAGE, UM, BUT IT IS AN HONOR SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.

COMMISSIONER HUSSEI.

UH, HI.

THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, LAURA.

UM, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

ONE, YOU ASKED US TO SPREAD THE WORD AND I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S LIKE A NICE LITTLE INSTAGRAM POST OR SOMETHING THAT I CAN EASILY REPOST TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD.

UM, IS THAT A THING? IT WILL BE A THING.

I, I'M TALKING TO OUR MARKETING, OUR NEW MARKETING PERSON THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, TOMORROW AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE ALL THOSE RESOURCES, I'LL SEND YOU'ALL AN EMAIL.

IT'S LIKE, THIS IS HOW YOU CAN SHARE THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO THIS WAS LIKE THE TEASER THING.

AND SO FOR PEOPLE THAT AREN'T ON OUR EMAIL, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SAY MAYBE WOULD THAT LITTLE SOCIAL MEDIA POST BE ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN INSTAGRAM? LIKE WHERE WOULD THAT BE? LAURA? YES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION.

COMMISSIONER.

IT WILL BE ON THE ACME SOCIAL MEDIAS.

SO IT WILL BE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, IT WILL BE ON OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE.

IT WILL BE IN DIFFERENT NEWSLETTERS.

SO WE HAVE DIFFERENT, WE HAVE A LOT OF NEWSLETTERS, UM, IN OUR DEPARTMENT FOR THE DIFFERENT CULTURAL FACILITIES.

SO WE'LL BE SHARING ALL OF THAT WITH ALL OF OUR, UM, I WANNA SAY 15 NEWSLETTERS THAT GO OUT THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT.

SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THEY'LL ALL, THEY'LL ALL BE IN THAT AS WELL.

AND OTHERWISE PEOPLE CAN JUST SEARCH FOR AUSTIN ACME.

SO, UH, OH, MY PRESENTATION ISN'T UP THERE.

UM, OUR LITTLE, THE LAST PAGE I SAW THE WEBSITE.

YEAH, SO THE AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/ACME/GRANT/FUNDING IS OUR FUNDING PROGRAMS LANDING PAGE.

AND WE'LL HAVE A LINK AT THE TOP THAT'S LIKE, HERE'S HOW TO BE A PANELIST.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO INFORMATION FURTHER DOWN THAT PAGE THAT INCLUDES THAT LINK AS WELL.

AND IT'S ALSO ON THE CREATE AUSTIN SITE, UM, THAT THE LONG CENTER RUNS FOR US AS WELL.

OKAY, THANKS.

UM, HERE'S MY SECOND QUESTION.

I BELIEVE YOU CAME, I DON'T REMEMBER THE MONTH, BUT WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, CULTURAL ACCESSIBILITY AND SPECIFIC SPANISH LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY.

I'M GONNA GUESS YOU DO THIS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK, ARE THE MATERIALS TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH AND, AND MADE AVAILABLE IN SPANISH IN THE RIGHT CHANNELS? LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT, I THINK IT WAS LIKE SLIDE 20, UM, ON JUNE 24TH, THE LUNCHTIME SESSION, THAT'S GONNA BE VIRTUALS IN SPANISH.

AND SO I KNOW THAT THIS IS THE ENGLISH SLIDES, BUT IN MY HEAD I WAS LIKE, JUST PUT THAT ONE IN SPANISH ON THE SLIDE BECAUSE EVEN IF LIKE THE ENG LIKE IF YOU READ ENGLISH OR YOU DON'T READ ENGLISH, LIKE I'D BE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT

[02:10:01]

TO DO WITH THAT.

AND SO AT LEAST YOU'RE HITTING YOUR AUDIENCE IF THEY HAPPEN TO COME THERE.

I, I DON'T KNOW.

IT WAS JUST A THOUGHT.

YEAH, THAT'S GREAT.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE MARKETING PERSON.

UM, THE MATERIALS ARE IN SPANISH.

UM, THE GUIDELINES WILL BE TRANSLATED, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT FEEDBACK ABOUT JUST HOW I PUT IT ON THE DECK HERE AS WELL.

I'LL MAKE THAT, UM, EDIT NEXT TIME AROUND.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING OPEN TO THE FEEDBACK.

THAT'S GREAT.

THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

YAY.

AND I WILL BE TELLING THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION ALL ABOUT THE PANELS.

, ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT ACME FUNDING PROGRAMS? AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO MENTION TO YOU ALL THAT APPLICANTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE PANELISTS AS WELL IN A DIFFERENT TRACK THAN THEY'RE APPLYING.

SO IF SOMEONE IS APPLYING AT, YOU KNOW, IN THE PERFORMER TRACK, UM, THEY ARE ELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS A PANELIST FOR THE ARTS EDUCATION SERVICE ORGANIZATION TRACK AND VICE VERSA.

SO YOU CAN STILL BE A PANELIST EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE APPLYING FOR THE FUNDING, BUT YOU CANNOT BE A PANELIST IN THE TRACK THAT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR.

THAT ACTUALLY SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE PROCESS FROM THE OTHER SIDE AND GET FIRSTHAND EDUCATION AND THE TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST AND CREDIBILITY WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.

YOU'D HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO SEE THAT.

SO THANK YOU ACTUALLY FOR MAKING THAT POINT.

I JUST WANTED TO PUT A LITTLE FINER TIP ON IT.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FOR US? NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

OH, NOPE.

UM, YOU JUST MENTIONED ARTS, EDUCATION AND, UH, ART SERVICES.

UM, HAVE THE GUIDELINES BEEN CHANGED ANY TO, I GUESS, BE A LITTLE MORE FRIENDLY TO THOSE TWO, UH, GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT MORE THAN USUAL IN THE LAST ROUND? THANK YOU.

YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.

UM, SO I WILL SAY THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE GUIDELINES COULDN'T CHANGE THAT MUCH IN THIS THREE YEAR PROCESS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I'VE BEEN MEETING PRETTY REGULARLY WITH LEADERSHIP AND WE'RE TRYING TO STRATEGIZE WHAT ART SERVICE ORGANIZATION SUPPORT COULD AND SHOULD LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE DOING THE SAME THING OR BE AS COMPETITIVE.

YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT PUBLIC EVENTS VERSUS WHAT AN ART SERVICE ORGANIZATION DOES.

UM, SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF STRATEGIZING WHAT THAT CAN BE.

UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF WE CAN DO A FEW PILOT THINGS MAYBE IN THIS NEXT YEAR AS WELL TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.

UM, BECAUSE IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IS CRITICAL TO THE ECOSYSTEM AND ISN'T BEING SERVED IN THE GUIDELINES THE WAY THAT WE NEED IT TO BE.

AND FOR EDUCATION, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT EITHER MAYBE DIFFERENT PANEL TRAINING OR DIFFERENT PANELISTS OR DIFFERENT, SOMETHING TO HONOR THE EDUCATIONAL ACT BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY SOMETHING THAT'S RIGHT.

I, I THINK I AM INFERRING WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT HERE.

I THINK WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR OUR HERITAGE PANELS, WE ALWAYS HAVE A CERTAIN, WE NEED TO HAVE CERTAIN TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, UM, PRESERVATION ARCHITECTS OR THEY HAVE THAT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE ABOUT THAT VERY SPECIFIC THING.

I THINK FOR THE ARTS EDUCATION, HAVING FOLKS WITH EDUCATION AND ARTS, EDUCATION AND TEACHING ARTIST EXPERIENCE IS ALSO A CRITICAL THING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THOSE PANELS.

SO WHEN WE HAVE THE PANELIST INTEREST FORM AND FOLKS PUT, OKAY, ARTED, OR I WAS A TEACHING ARTIST OR WHATEVER, OBVIOUSLY THOSE FOLKS WE'RE GOING TO ASSIGN THEM TO THOSE PANELS.

I WAS GOING TO ASK SOMETHING AND I LOST IT, BUT GREAT WORK, .

SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 11 ALSO, UM, BEFORE WE, UH, JAIME'S, WHILE JAIME'S MAKING HIS WAY UP, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE TAKE 15, 16, AND 17, UM, IMMEDIATELY AFTER 11.

SO JAIME DOESN'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT TIMES.

AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO, OKAY, SO FIRST LET ME MOVE THAT.

I MOVED THAT WE TAKE 15, 16, AND 17 IMMEDIATELY AFTER 11.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.

BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON.

ANY DISCUSSION?

[02:15:02]

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SEEING NONE, WE'RE GONNA TAKE 11, 15, 16, AND 17.

AND THEN MY NEXT MOTION IS THAT 15 AND 16 BE APPROVED ON CONSENT.

IT'S A LOVELY DOG AND IT'S LOVELY FACES AND I JUST, I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO SEE ALL OF IT.

SO I'M MOVING THAT WE, THAT WE, UH, APPROVE 15 AND 16 ON CONSENT.

ARE GOING TO 11 AND THEN TO 17.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO, TO APPROVE 15 AND 16 ON CONSENT FINAL DESIGNS FOR GOODNIGHT RANCH AND THE CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT PHASE ONE.

ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SEEING NONE, THOSE TWO PASS.

AND THAT'S JUST, IT'S GONNA BE A LOVELY DOG AND THOSE SPACES ARE GONNA JUST BE WONDERFUL.

IT'S GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL.

IT'S WONDERFUL.

THANKS.

SO NOW WE

[11. Staff briefing regarding an update on Art in Public Places by Jaime Castillo, Art in Public Places Manager.]

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

JAIME CASTILLO, MANAGER FOR ART IN PUBLIC PLACES.

UH, FIRST OFF WE'RE GONNA DO STAFF BRIEFINGS, AND IT'S, UH, REALLY SHORT.

WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE CLOSED OUR EXHIBITION OPEN CALLS, UH, YESTERDAY, THE 14TH.

UM, I FORGOT TO ASK IF THIS IS OKAY TO SHARE NUMBERS.

I MEAN, WE, THE NUMBERS LOOK GREAT, .

I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS.

UM, SO WE'LL BE OUR NEXT STEP IS TO CONDUCT, UH, THE, THE REVIEW PROCESS FOR THESE EXHIBITIONS.

AND AS A REMINDER, UM, WHEN WE FIRST ANNOUNCED THESE CALLS, WE WERE THINKING THAT THE, THE EXHIBITIONS WOULD OPEN AT THE SAME TIME, UH, YEAH, IN OCTOBER.

UM, BUT WE LEARNED THAT, UM, DUE JUST TO SCHEDULING AT THE AIRPORT, UH, WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO GET TO SWAP OUT THE EXHIBITIONS UNTIL LATE DECEMBER.

SO THOSE EXHIBITIONS WILL START IN JANUARY OF 2027.

UH, AND THEN I, A LITTLE PREMATURE, BUT I'M VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE'RE GONNA RELEASE OUR OPEN CALLS FOR PUBLIC ART, UH, CALLS.

WE HAVE FOUR CALLS THAT Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY REVIEWED AND APPROVED.

UH, ONE AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, UH, IN RELATION TO THE PAVILION.

THAT'S PART OF THEIR, UH, PHASE TWO EXPANSION.

UH, THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER THERE, IT'S A WHOLE CAMPUS.

AND SO YOU'VE ALREADY SAW, UH, THE ARTISTS FOR THE GARAGE FACADE.

WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT A SUSPENDED ARTWORK WITHIN THE ADMIN BUILDING.

AND THEN, UH, WE HAVE A SHARED STREETS OF FOUR POSSIBLE LOCATIONS.

WE'RE GONNA CONTRACT THREE ARTISTS.

UM, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DECIDE WHICH, WHICH OF THOSE FOUR, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, THREE OF THOSE FOUR OPPORTUNITIES WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH.

UM, AND THESE ARE, UH, DISTRICT NINE, DISTRICT FOUR, DISTRICT TWO, AND I'M FORGETTING THAT LAST ONE.

MAYBE IT'S DISTRICT SEVEN, UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S KIND OF SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE CITY.

UH, AND THEN THE ONE THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, OR THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS THE PUBLIC ARTIST PRE-QUALIFIED LIST.

SO WE CAN HAVE A POOL OF, OF LOCAL AND TEXAS-BASED ARTISTS, UM, HAVE THEM SELF-IDENTIFY AS EMERGING, UH, MID-CAREER AND EXPERIENCE.

UH, HELP US JUST WHEN, WHEN WE ARE GOING TO RELY ON THE, THE LIST OR THE POOL, UM, JUST TO MAKE THEIR SELECTION PROCESS A LITTLE BIT QUICKER ON SOME OF OUR, UH, UPCOMING OUR CALLS.

AND SO WE'RE EXPECTING TO OPEN THIS NEXT MONDAY, AND IT'LL, UH, CLOSE ON AUGUST THE THIRD.

UH, I WILL BE, WE, WE WILL BE SHARING INFORMATION, UH, OUT VIA ALL OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS.

UH, WE'RE GONNA PUT OUR NEW COMMUNICATIONS PERSON TO WORK.

UM, SO YEAH, JUST WANTED TO GIVE EVERYBODY A HEADS UP ON THIS.

AND THEN, YEAH, I DID GET UPDATED.

TIMELINE, AND THAT'S MY UPDATE FOR STAFF BRIEFINGS.

APPRECIATE EVERYBODY IN THE BACKGROUND DOING THIS.

UH, JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU, I, I GAVE THIS UPDATE LAST MONTH, UH, BUT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.

UH, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO PRESENT TO THE COUNCIL'S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE BACK IN MAY.

YEAH, MAY.

UM, THEY DIDN'T HAVE QUORUM, SO THEY GAVE US A LITTLE BIT OF REPRIEVE, GAVE US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, EXTRA TIME TO, TO GO THROUGH THE GUIDELINES AND MAKE SURE WE'RE ABLE TO INCORPORATE ALL THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE HEARD, UH, JUST CLEAN UP ALL THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE HAVE.

AND SO LOOKING FORWARD, OUR NEXT STEPS, WE, WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE'RE GONNA PRESENT TO THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE AFTER JULY MEETING.

UH, AND THEN PRESENT, UH, ALL THE, ALL THE DOCUMENTS, THE ORDINANCE AND THE ORDINANCES ISN'T CHANGING FROM WHAT WAS LAST PRESENTED, BUT PRESENTING THE ORDINANCE AND THE GUIDELINES AND OTHER, UM, POLICIES AT THE PANEL'S, UH, AUGUST MEETING.

AND THEN WE'LL MEETING, WE'LL PRESENT TO Y'ALL AT YOUR AUGUST MEETING SO THAT WE CAN PRESENT TO COUNCIL, UH, AFTER BUDGET, WHICH IS, UH, AUGUST 27TH IS THE FIRST NON-BUDGET COUNCIL MEETING.

SO THAT'S OUR EXPECTED

[02:20:01]

I HAVE A A A DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? STAFF BRIEFING? NO.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

AND THIS IS, THIS IS OUTSIDE OF YOUR BRIEFING, BUT I THINK THIS IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE BECAUSE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES DOES THE UTILITY BOXES, RIGHT? NO, NO.

WHO DOES THE UTILITY BOXES? THAT'S OUR FRIENDS OVER AT TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS.

THEY HAVE THE ART BOX PROGRAM, AND I AM WORKING WITH THEM.

OH, THEY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF, PART OF HOW WE SET UP THE, THE PRE-QUALIFIED LIST, UHHUH, IS TO ALLOW FOR OTHER CITY PROGRAMS TO USE THAT.

SO WHEN, THAT'S WHY I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET THAT CALL OUT THE DOOR.

'CAUSE WHEN THAT'S SET UP, WHEN WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE ARTISTS IN THE POOL, UH, THE ART BOX PROGRAM HAS, UH, ALREADY, UH, GESTURED THAT THEY, THEY'RE INTERESTED IN USING THE POOL TO IDENTIFY ARTISTS FOR, FOR THEIR OPPORTUNITIES.

OH, GREAT.

THAT'S SO GREAT.

SO TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS IN THE ART BOX BECAUSE SUNSET VALLEY HAS SOME GORGEOUS UTILITY BOXES.

I MEAN, THEY'RE GORGEOUS.

AND I'M GOING, WHY AREN'T OUR UTILITY BOXES LIKE THIS? OKAY.

SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES? THANK YOU, JAIME.

I HAVE A QUESTION BECAUSE JUST LIKE SCROLLING THROUGH AFTER THE TUNNEL UNIT, UH, UNITY TUNNEL WAS PAINTED, THERE WERE A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT YOU COULD KIND OF SKIM THROUGH AND THEY MIGHT NOT BE AS RELEVANT, BUT SOME OF THE CONCERNS FROM AUSTINITES WERE WHY WAS IT THAT A HOUSTON ARTIST WAS SANCTIONED TO PAINT UNDER THE BRIDGE? THE OTHER QUESTION IS, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ART, HOW DO WE PREVENT VAGRANCY OR LIKE GRAFFITI WORK ON TOP OF THE ART? SO HOW DOES A IPP KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TAKE CARE OF THAT OR ADDRESS THAT? UM, I GUESS THAT THOSE ARE MY TWO QUESTIONS.

PERFECT.

UH, FIRST QUESTION FIRST, UH, HOW DID WE SELECT THE HOUSTON BASED ARTIST TO CREATE ARTWORK FOR AUSTIN? UM, SO THROUGH OUR PROCESS, WE INCLUDE, WE HAVE MANY TOUCH POINTS WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND AFTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ART CALL, IDENTIFYING THE GOAL OF THE ARTWORK, UH, WE DID RECOGNIZE ONE OF THE GOALS WAS THAT WE WANTED AN ARTIST THAT HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

BUT BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE HELPING TELL THE STORY OF EAST OF THE EAST AUSTIN COMMUNITY, AND WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE, UH, VERY ACTIVE IN, IN A LOT OF OUR CITY PROJECTS.

AND SO THAT WAS THE CRITERIA.

UM, AND REGINALD LADS JUST IS A VERY EXPERIENCED ARTIST, AND HE, HE FACILITATED ALL OF HIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS VERY WELL.

UM, I STILL REMEMBER THAT FIRST ONE WHERE, I MEAN, HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF.

HE SAID, I KNOW I'M FROM HOUSTON, BUT I'VE, I'VE WORKED HERE.

I HAVE FAMILY HERE.

I VISIT AUSTIN ALL THE TIME.

AND HE, YOU KNOW, HE WAS JUST REALLY WELCOMING AND OPEN TO THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY.

HE SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M, I WAS COMMISSIONED TO MAKE THE ARTWORK, BUT I'M TELLING YOUR STORY.

SO I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME THIS INPUT SO THAT I CAN DESIGN THE ARTWORK THAT YOU WANT.

RIGHT? AND THAT'S THE LEVEL OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WE REALLY ASPIRE TO HAVE ON OUR PROJECTS THAT ARTISTS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT IT, THIS IS, IT IS A CONVERSATION.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT DOES GET ABSTRACT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

BUT, UM, WE WENT THROUGH A PROCESS.

WE INCLUDED THE COMMUNITY IN THAT PROCESS AND FOUND AN ARTIST THAT, THAT UNDERSTOOD THAT ASSIGNMENT AS WELL.

AND SO THAT, UM, WE DO THAT ON ALL OF OUR PROJECTS.

WE TRY TO GET THE, THE BEST ARTISTS.

AND, AND THAT IS A CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE CONSTANTLY SECOND QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, GRAFFITI AND, AND VANDALISM ON, ON ARTWORK THAT IS PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS.

SO AS ARTISTS ARE DESIGNING THEIR ARTWORK AND THEY'RE SAYING, I WANNA CONSTRUCT IT OUT OF THIS MATERIAL, UM, THE DEPARTMENTS GIVE FEEDBACK TO MAKE SURE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF THAT HAPPENS, LIKE MY CREWS, OUR CREWS ARE GONNA HAVE TO GO BY.

LIKE, ARE THEY RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING THAT UP? THAT'S A CONVERSATION WE ALL HAVE TOGETHER.

ARTISTS, THE SPONSOR OF THE DEPARTMENT AND A IPP.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR A MURAL, THE CONVERSATION'S KIND OF EASY.

IT'S LIKE WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GRAFFITI CO UH, ANTI GRAFFITI COATING SO THAT THAT SACRIFICIAL, UH, LAYER CAN BE REMOVED.

AND THEN THE, THE ARTWORK CAN BE RESTORED OR, OR RETOUCHED UP AFTER THAT GRAFFITI HAS BEEN REMOVED.

UM, BUT ALL OF THAT TAKE, IT'S TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? UH, UH, A SMOOTH STEEL PLATE IS EASIER TO CLEAN THAN, UM, LIKE PLASTER OR SOME OTHER LIMESTONE OR SOME OTHER MORE POROUS, UH, SURFACE.

SO, BUT THOSE, THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS.

AND IT IS, UH, LIKE I SAID, IT'S WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL.

'CAUSE THEY, THEY MANAGE OR THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHILE A IPP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR, FOR REPAIRS AND RESTORATIONS.

AND SO WE, WE ALL NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO DO? HOW OFTEN DO WE NEED TO DO THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ARTWORK IS, UM, AS PRESENTABLE AS POSSIBLE.

[Items 15, 16 & 17]

NOW

[02:25:01]

WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 17, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ESTABLISH A DS SESSION JURY TO REVIEW ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, ARTWORK, CROSSWALK, CROSSWALK ON THE LAKE PRESENTATION BY HEMI CASTILLO, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES MANAGER.

ALRIGHT, UH, SO AGAIN, JAIME CASTILLO, MANAGER FOR ART AND PUBLIC PLACES.

WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT INITIATING THE DEES PROCESS FOR CROSSWALK ON THE LAKE.

UM, THIS ARTWORK IS IN OUR COLLECTION.

IT WAS CREATED BY, UH, MARY GODINA, COLETTE AND LUIS GUTIERREZ.

UH, THIS WAS A DONATION INTO OUR COLLECTION.

UH, IT WAS CREATED SORT OF AS A PILOT TO SEE WHAT SORT OF REQUIREMENTS DID THE CITY HAVE TO HAVE TO ALLOW FOR A MURAL TO BE PAINTED ON, ON THE STREET AT A CROSSING.

UM, AND THIS WAS DONE, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS AGO.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR PARTNERS AT, AT AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, WE, WE LEARNED THAT THE TDOT, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ISSUED A DIRECTIVE, UH, OF ACROSS THE STATE.

ANYONE THAT HAD MURALS ON, ON THE, ON THE STREETS NEEDED TO REMOVE THEM, NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH, UM, STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS ON, ON STREET MARKINGS, MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEY'RE CLEAR AND SAFE FOR, UH, FOR TRAFFIC.

AND, UH, WE DID, WE, THE CITY DID SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR AN EXEMPTION, UH, FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIVE FROM, FROM TXDOT.

AND THEN FINALLY LAST MONTH, WE DID RECEIVE TEXT DOT'S DECISION WHERE THEY DENIED, UH, ALL OF ALL THE REQUESTS WE WERE LOOKING AT.

UH, I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED UP THIS NUMBER, BUT ABOUT A DOZEN STREET MURALS THAT, THAT WERE IN CONSIDERATION FOR REMOVAL.

UH, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, LIKE TWO OR THREE OF THEM WERE REMOVED BECAUSE THEY WERE PART OF A FEDERAL GRANT THAT HAD COMPLETED ITS LIFECYCLE.

SO THOSE WERE REMOVED, THOSE WERE ON THE LIST, BUT THOSE WERE REMOVED BECAUSE THAT PROJECT HAD CONCLUDED.

UM, AND THEN LAST MONTH WE GOT THE, THE NOTICE THAT ALL OF THE REMAINING MURALS WERE DENIED THE REQUEST OF EXEMPTION.

UH, AND THAT INCLUDED OUR ARTWORK.

AND BECAUSE IT IS IN OUR COLLECTION, UH, WE NEED TO REMOVE IT FROM THE ARTWORK BEFORE IT'S ACTUALLY REMOVED FROM THE GROUND.

AND SO TONIGHT IT'S, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PRESENTING, UH, THE SITUATION AND ASKING Y'ALL TO FORMALLY, UH, TO INITIATE THE FORMAL DEES PROCESS BY FORMING, UH, DEES JURY.

AND, UH, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS THAT YOU ASSIGN OR IDENTIFY THE A, A QUORUM OF THE A IPP PANEL TO, UH, CONDUCT THE BUSINESS OF THE DESES JURY.

AND SO WE WOULD TAKE THAT UP AT THEIR, THEIR NEXT MEETING AND IF NEEDED, CALL A SPECIAL CALLS MEETING IN JULY TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT, UM, THE BUSINESS OF THE D SESSION.

AND WITH, WITH THAT MEETING, THEIR RECOMMENDATION WOULD COME TO YOU AT YOUR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING, AT JULY'S MEETING, AND THEN YOU WOULD CONSIDER THE INFORMA THE RECOMMENDATIONS PROVIDED BY THE PANEL AND MAKE YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL.

AND THEN WITH COUNSEL'S FINAL DECISION, THE ARTWORK, ASSUMING THAT COUNCIL APPROVES THE DEES, WOULD BE REMOVED FROM OUR COLLECTION, ALLOWING US TPW STAFF TO REMOVE THE MURAL FROM THE STREET.

AND THEN, AND THEN, UM, I ALSO HAVE, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR LEWIS LEFT FROM ATT UH, FROM A TPW IN, IN CASE HE WANTED TO PROVIDE ANY COM ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.

BUT THIS IS THE OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE'RE AT.

IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE A CHOICE.

I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ASSESS, TO CREATE A, USE A QUORUM OF THE ARTS AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL AS THE DE SESSION JURY FOR CROSSWALK ON THE LAKE.

I NEED A MOTION.

SOMEBODY GOTTA MOVE IT.

COMMISSIONER SKODA MOVED.

ANY SECONDS.

I WILL.

BUT THERE'S NO, THERE'S TRULY NO.

IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED THAT WE, UM, ASSIGN A QUORUM OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL TO BE THE DE SESSION JURY FOR CROSSWALK ON THE LAKE.

ANY DISCUSSION WITH THE, OH, THIS COMMISSIONER SMALL.

YEAH, SORRY.

THE SOUND WENT NUTTY AGAIN.

I HAD TO LEAVE AND COME BACK.

UM, THERE REALLY IS NO OTHER OPTION.

I GUESS THAT'S A LEWIS QUESTION.

LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE BEING FORCED TO DESTROY ARTWORK THAT DOESN'T NEED TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF IT AIN'T HURTING NOBODY BRINGING SOME LIFE AND JOY TO THE WORLD.

, BUT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.

[02:30:01]

I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN, AGAIN, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S ALTERNATIVES.

I JUST WONDER IF YOU COULD SHARE ANY OF THAT WITH US.

'CAUSE IT FEELS REALLY UGLY TO BE PART OF THIS AS ARTS COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, TO, TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE DESTRUCTION OF ART THAT SHOULDN'T BE DESTROYED.

SO IT, I THINK IT'S JUST LIKE, IT'S TOUGH FOR US.

STUFF FOR ME.

I WON'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE ELSE, BUT I'M GUESSING IT'S TOUGH FOR EVERYBODY.

HEY, GOOD EVENING, UH, COMMISSIONERS LEWIS LEFF.

I'M AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS.

UM, YOU'RE RIGHT, COMMISSIONER HEIDI.

UM, IT IS UNFORTUNATELY A DIRECTIVE COMING FROM THE STATE.

UH, WE'VE CONSULTED WITH OUR LAW DEPARTMENT, UM, WHEN WE HAVE A DIRECTIVE RELATED TO THE MANUAL OF UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES, WHICH IS, UM, TEXAS HAS ITS OWN VERSION AND THERE'S A FEDERAL VERSION.

WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTA COMPLY WITH THAT.

UM, THANKFULLY I THINK WE'RE FOLLOWING THE PROCESS THAT'S BEEN LAID OUT WITH A IPP AND 'CAUSE IT'S PART OF THE PUBLIC ART COLLECTION.

WE, UM, WE FELT STRONGLY AND, AND STAFF REALLY ADVOCATED FOR THAT FROM ACME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW THAT PROCESS AND, AND HAVE IT GO THROUGH, UM, WITH ALL THE ATTENTION THAT'S BEEN ON THE PROGRAM.

SO YEAH, WE, WE ALSO TRIED, UH, WITH AN EXCEPTION REQUEST THAT WAS ALLOWED, UM, WITH THE INITIAL OCTOBER DIRECTIVE, SENT THAT BACK, WE PRESENTED THE SAFETY DATA.

UH, WE OBVIOUSLY TRY TO SUPPORT, UH, THE ART IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AS MUCH AS WE CAN AS WELL.

UM, UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE RESPONSE BACK WAS TO, UH, REMOVE THE 15, REMOVE OR, UH, LET FADE SOME OF THE 15 LOCATIONS.

AND, AND THIS IS ONE WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD WITH AFTER COUNCIL TAKES THEIR FORMAL, FORMAL STEP.

SO DO WE HAVE TO PARTICIPATE? IF COUNSEL'S GONNA DO IT ANYWAY, CAN WE JUST NOT DO IT? ? SO THE PROCESS IS THAT YOU, THE ARTS COMMISSION INITIATE THE PROCESS BY IDENTIFYING THE JURY, AND THEN THE JURY MEETS, THEY MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO, TO YOU, THE ARTS COMMISSION, AND THEN YOU MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL.

SO COUNSEL WON'T DO IT UNTIL THEY RECEIVE THE RECOMMENDATION FROM ME, FROM YOU.

AND IF WE DON'T DO IT, THEN WE'RE GONNA BE IN TROUBLE WITH THE STATE OR DRAW ATTENTION TO YOUR PROGRAM, WHICH YOU WOULD PREFER WE NOT, RIGHT? CORRECT.

WE'LL BE IN TROUBLE WITH THE STATE .

JUST MAKING SURE, BECAUSE I'M READY.

BUT NO, IF YOU DON'T, IF THAT WOULD BE BAD IN THE END THEN, BECAUSE I KNOW HEIDI'S READY, HEIDI HEIDI WILL GO TO THE MAP ON THIS, BUT JUST READY TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE NOT GONNA VOTE.

YEP.

I, AND I THINK I, AT THIS POINT, I'LL ADD ADDITIONAL CONTEXT, RIGHT? THE, THIS DIRECTIVE WE UNDERSTAND THE, THE TARGETS WERE THE RAINBOW CROSSINGS AND BLACK LIVES MATTER MURALS ACROSS THE STATE.

UM, AND THOSE ARE ACTUALLY HAVING CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEKEND.

UM, THE BLACK LIVES MATTER ON, ON FRIDAY, UH, JUST AFTERNOON, JUST AFTER THE JUNETEENTH PARADE.

UM, AND THE, THE, IF YOU RECALL LAST FALL THAT THE MAYOR CREATED TASK FORCE TO, TO ADDRESS THIS, TO INVESTIGATE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE COULD CELEBRATE, UM, WHAT THESE MURALS REPRESENTED.

UM, SO WE IDENTIFIED SOME OTHER THINGS AS A CITY THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO, BUT THE CELEBRATION OF THESE MURALS WAS THE FIRST THING THAT, THAT THE TASK FORCE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH.

SO FRIDAY, JUNE 19TH, AT AROUND 12 O'CLOCK, THERE'S GONNA BE A LAST PHOTO OP OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EAST 11TH BLACK ARTISTS, BLACK ARTISTS LIVES MATTER.

AND THEN ON SATURDAY IN THE AFTERNOON, I'M FORGETTING THE EXACT TIME RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE THERE'LL BE ANOTHER CELEBRATION FOR THE RAINBOW MURAL, UH, DOWNTOWN.

UM, AND I CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION OUT.

SO IN CASE Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING.

UM, AND, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO CONTEXTUALIZE, LIKE IT'S NOT JUST THIS ONE, IT'S, IT'S ALL OF THEM.

AND WE AS A CITY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND WAYS OF HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE SHIFT THIS CELEBRATION OF, OF REPRESENTATION THAT, THAT WE HAVE.

UM, RIGHT.

AND I THINK YOU MENTIONED THE ART BOX PROGRAM EARLIER.

LIKE, LIKE WE, WE ARE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE HAVING ART ACROSS THE CITY.

RIGHT? UM, AND YOU MENTIONED LET IT FADE.

IS THAT AN OPTION? CAN WE, CAN WE RECOMMEND THAT WE, THAT IT BE ALLOWED TO FADE INSTEAD OF OFFICIALLY REMOVED? OR NO? DID I SAY THAT? UH, LET IT FADE? I I DIDN'T, I THINK I MENTIONED THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF LOCATIONS, UM, THAT HAVE FADED TO THE POINT WHERE, UM, THEY DIDN'T FEEL, I THINK THAT IT WAS STILL A DISTRACTION TO MOTORISTS AND PEOPLE ON THE ROADWAYS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.

SO, UM, THAT WITH THEIR DIRECTIVE, THEY WERE AGREEING TO HAVE A, A COUPLE, TWO OR THREE LOCATIONS TO BE ABLE TO FADE.

UM, I DID WANNA MENTION JUST ALSO IN THE INITIAL DIRECTIVE, YOU KNOW, FAILURE TO COMPLY WAS, WAS LANGUAGE THAT WAS USED FROM, UH, TDOT IN THEIR MEMO.

AND THAT COULD AFFECT STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, AGREEMENTS BETWEEN TDOT AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO A A NUMBER OF, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, LARGE IMPACTS, UH, WOULD, WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DID NOT COMPLY.

AND SO, UH, WE FELT STRONGLY ABOUT MOVING

[02:35:01]

FORWARD IN THIS WAY.

SCARY LING LEGAL LANGUAGE, AS LAURA SAID EARLIER, COMMISSIONER, SMALL BOT.

OH YEAH, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE HAVE AN I ANY IDEA YET OF HOW MUCH MONEY THE CITY'S GONNA HAVE TO SPEND ON REMOVAL OF THESE CROSSWALKS? WE ARE, UH, TRACKING THE COSTS.

YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THE, THE COSTS WILL BE TIED TO, TO LABOR AND MATERIALS FROM OUR STREET AND BRIDGE OPERATIONS CREWS, THE ONE THAT, THAT HANDLE PAVEMENT CONDITIONS AND, AND FOG SEAL AND SEAL COAT AND THE, THE TYPES OF TREATMENTS THAT WE DO ON, ON THE ROADWAYS EVERY DAY.

SO WE ARE TRACKING THOSE COSTS AND THERE'LL BE SOME, UH, OTHER COSTS WITH KIND OF REAPPLYING CROSSWALKS AND SOME OF THE THERMOPLASTIC THAT'S USED FROM THE SIGNS OF MARKINGS GROUP.

SO WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A, A GOOD SENSE OF THAT I THINK ONCE ALL THE WORK IS COMPLETED.

THANKS FOR DOING WHAT YOU COULD DO.

ANY OTHERS? COMMISSIONER HUSSEINI? UM, UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK, I THINK IT WAS MR. LE JAIME, ALL THE FOLKS WHO TRIED TO PUSH BACK ON THIS AND, UH, FOLLOW THE EXEMPTIONS.

WHATEVER WEIRD SQUIRRELY LEGAL PROCESS, RIGHT? LET'S JUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS, UM, FOR TRYING TO ERASE OUR IDENTITY AND OUR CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN OUR CITY.

THEY CAN TAKE OUR SYMBOLS AWAY, BUT THEY CAN'T CHANGE OUR HEART.

AND SO THANK YOU FOR CALLING OUT WHAT THE INTENT ACTUALLY IS HERE AROUND THESE, UM, PRIDE CROSSWALK AND THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS IT? BLACK LIVES, BLACK LIVES MATTER, BLACK LIVES BLACK AUSTIN MATTERS.

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT WAS ON THE STREET.

UM, BLACK ARTISTS, ARTISTS.

UM, AND SO, UH, BOTTOM LINE.

UH, WE'RE, WE ARE GETTING NONE.

UM, AND, UH, YEAH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT ELSE WE GET TO DO.

'CAUSE WE'RE NOT DOWN AND OUT.

WE'RE NOT GOING AWAY.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IT IS WITH A HEAVY HEART THAT I CALL A QUESTION TO ASSIGN D SESSION JURY TO A QUORUM OF THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL.

ALL IN FAVOR? UH, WE ALREADY MOVED AND SECONDED.

OH, HAD DISCUSSION.

ALL IN FAVOR? NONE OPPOSED.

WE ASSIGN THE DEES JURY TO THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PANEL.

[12. Staff briefing regarding an update on ACME Museums and Cultural Facilities by Marjorie Flanagan, Division Manager and Michelle Rojas, Acting Division Manager.]

STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING AN UPDATE ON ACME MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL FACILITIES BY MARJORIE FLANAGAN, DIVISION MANAGER AND MICHELLE ROJAS, ACTING DIVISION MANAGER.

ARE THEY HERE? ARE THEY ON? YEAH, SHE'S ON.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

HI, MICHELLE.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.

UM, I'M MICHELLE ROJAS.

I'M THE CULTURE AND ARTS EDUCATION MANAGER FOR THE EMMA ESPS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER.

I'M ALSO CURRENTLY THE ACTING DIVISION MANAGER OVER THE CULTURAL ARTS FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, THE MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, THE CARVER MUSEUM AND GENEALOGY, AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL AND HERITAGE FACILITY.

AND SO I'M HERE TODAY.

THIS IS A, LIKE A SERIES, I GUESS, OF PRESENTATIONS.

AND THIS IS THE SECOND IN, UM, THE SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS THAT THE CULTURAL AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS DIVISION IS GOING TO BE GIVEN.

UH, LAST MONTH, MARJORIE, UH, WAS ABLE TO PRESENT ON THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS COULD PARTICIPATE AND ACCESS, UH, FACILITIES AND THE DIVERSE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AT THE CULTURAL SITES, UM, AND MUSEUMS. AND SO TODAY SPECIFICALLY, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE MAC.

UM, IF WE COULD START THE PRESENTATION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

RUNNING, UH, DIVERSE TYPES OF FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS.

AND, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT, UM, MY POSITION.

I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY OF BOSTON FOR 15 YEARS NOW.

I'VE BEEN WITH THE MAC FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

UH, PREVIOUS TO THAT, I, UM, HAVE SERVED IN VARIOUS CAPACITIES AT PUBLIC ART, UH, AT PUBLIC FACILITIES, INCLUDING CULTURAL CENTERS, RECREATION CENTERS, UM, AND SENIOR CENTERS AS WELL.

AND SO, UH, YES, I, UH, PURSUED A DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, BUT, UM, MY PASSION IS DEFINITELY IN, UM, PROVIDING, UM, LEADERSHIP, UH, FOR PUBLIC FACILITIES.

AND SO, YES, I, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN AT THE MAC FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, BUT DEFINITELY HAVE EXPERIENCE

[02:40:01]

AND SO, UM, I WANTED TO START OFF WITH, UH, GIVING YOU SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE MACS MISSION.

SO THIS IS A BIT OF LIKE A REINTRODUCTION TO THE MAC.

UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE DID REOPEN LAST SATURDAY.

AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO NOW, UM, BE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO BE PART OF THE MAC.

UH, AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE DURING THE THREE AND A HALF YEARS THAT WE WERE CLOSED, AND WE PROVIDED, UM, PROGRAMS AT NUMEROUS SPACES, UH, TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO KEEP THAT CONNECTION WITH COMMUNITIES.

UM, AND SO WE HAD PROGRAMMING AT RECREATION CENTERS, AT LIBRARIES, AT, UM, NONPROFIT OFFICES.

AND SO JUST, UH, WANTING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP THAT CONNECTION SO WE COULD RE-INVITE EVERYBODY BACK ONCE WE FINALLY DID OPEN.

AND SO REALLY EXCITED, UM, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A BIG CELEBRATION LAST WEEK.

AND SO THE MAX MISSION, UM, THE MIS BARTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTERS DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION CREATION PRESENTATION AND PROMOTION OF THE CULTURAL ARTS OF MEXICAN AMERICANS AND OTHER LATINO CULTURES.

AND, UM, RIGHT NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, SINCE, UM, WE'RE NOW A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND A HALF, UH, THAT WE'VE MOVED OUT OF THE, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND INTO THE NEARLY FORMED, UM, ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT HAS GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT OUR VISION AND TO REALIGN OUR GOALS AND TO DEVELOP OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

AND SO, UM, OUR VISION, THE ONE THAT WE ARE, ARE WORKING TOWARDS IS THAT THE ARTS CULTURE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF MEXICAN AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS AND LATINO LATINE COMMUNITIES ARE ACKNOWLEDGED, RECOGNIZED, AND CHERISHED AS PART OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND SO I TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLANS.

UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE ARE ALSO, UM, CURRENTLY IN THE CREATIVE RESET, UM, PHASE TWO PORTION OF THE SERIES.

AND SO HOPEFULLY YOU ALL HAVE, UM, EITHER, UM, PLAN TO OR HAVE ALREADY FILLED OUT A SURVEY REGARDING, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UM, FACILITIES OPERATIONAL, UM, INFORMATION.

AND SO HOPEFULLY YOU RECEIVED AND, UH, FILLED OUT THAT, UM, SURVEY THAT ACME HAS SENT OUT.

BUT, UM, PART OF OUR 360 GOALS, UM, ARE ALIGNMENT WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLANS, RIGHT? SO REVIEWING, UM, NOT ONLY, UH, ACME STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH WILL BE, UM, UH, IS BEING WORKED ON AND WILL BE PART OF THIS CREATIVE RESET PHASE TWO.

UM, CAN WE GET THE SLIDES, UM, UH, FOR FORWARD THE SLIDES? YEAH, WE NEED TO GO FORWARD A COUPLE OF SLIDES.

YEAH, I'M LIKE ON SLIDE THREE RIGHT NOW.

AND, UM, VENDOR MARKET PERFORMANCES.

AND SO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT OUR, UM, PROGRAMS ARE HIGH QUALITY, THAT WE PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY EVENTS PROGRAMS, AND THAT THEY'RE ALSO ALIGNED, UH, WITH OUR GENER, UH, REVENUE GENERATING ANCHORS.

AND SO REALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN, UH, MAKE IMPROVEMENTS FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND PROVIDING LOW COST, UM, RENTABLE SPACES FOR THE COMMUNITY AND ALIGNING THAT AGAIN WITH, UM, UH, ACME STRATEGIC PLAN.

AND THEN OF COURSE, LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY.

SO ADOPTING, UH, OPERATIONS CULTURE OF AN AGILE ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES, UM, NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT STRUCTURES, BUT ALSO IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN ITSELF.

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALWAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, AGILE IN THE WAY THAT WE RECEIVE INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, CREATE PROGRAMS AND, UH, PROVIDE PROGRAMS THAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE.

AND THEN BRAND EQUITY AND RECOGNITION.

SO BUILD CONSISTENT BRAND IDENTITY TO DRIVE PARTICIPATION IN REVENUE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH REVENUE, UM, GOALS AREN'T SPECIFICALLY SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CULTURAL SIDE SPECIFICALLY THE MAC, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY REVIEW THEM, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT DRIVES, UM, OUR, OUR FACILITIES.

AND SO, UH, BUT BRAND IDENTITY IS CERTAINLY ONE.

AND SO I KNOW THAT, UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE A MARKETING, UH, PERSON, A DEDICATED MARKETING PERSON, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOWARDS CREATING THOSE CONSISTENT BRAND, UM, IDENTITIES ACROSS ALL OF OUR FACILITIES, BUT DEFINITELY SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MAC AND NEXT SLIDE.

AND, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON AN, AN INTEGRATED

[02:45:01]

STRATEGIC APPROACH.

AND SO WE, UM, HAVE EMBARKED THIS PAST YEAR ON IDENTIFYING OUR PROGRAM PILLARS, AND SO PRIORITIZING SPACE, UH, AUDITS AND LAUNCHING OUR PROGRAMS, UM, SINCE WE HAVE REOPENED.

AND SO WE ARE INTENTIONAL WITH OUR SPACE ACTIVATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ALIGN AGAIN WITH COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND, UM, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING PROGRAMS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY GEARED TO, UH, THE COMMUNITIES THAT THE MAC SERVES.

AND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THE CONDITION OF THE SPACE ALIGNS WITH THE TYPE OF PROGRAM THAT WE'RE HOSTING.

UM, AND THEN CONSISTENT SCHEDULED PROGRAMS. UM, SO THAT HELPS US DRIVE PARTICIPATION, RIGHT? SO MAKING SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PUBLICIZING OUR CALENDARS, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT CERTAIN PROGRAMS HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY, UH, EITHER MONTHLY, WEEKLY, UM, ET CETERA.

AND THEN, UH, A RENTALS MARKETING CAMPAIGN, WHICH IS, AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT OUR ENTIRE DIVISION IS CURRENTLY EMBARKING ON.

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE PROCESS FOR RENTALS AND, UM, HOW THEY CAN ACCESS THE SPACE.

AND SO, UH, THE OTHER IS TO BUILD VISIBLE MOMENTUM, SO INCREASE ATTENDANCE AND SPACE UTILIZATION.

SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, BEING CLOSED THE LAST THREE YEARS DID GIVE US THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES THAT WERE NOT NECESSARILY AWARE, YOU KNOW, THAT THE MAC EXISTED.

WE DID HOST A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS IN LIKE FAR SOUTH AUSTIN, NORTH AND EAST AUSTIN.

AND SO MANY OF THE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, UM, EITHER, YOU KNOW, JUST WERE NOT AWARE THAT THE MAC EXISTED OR JUST HAVE A LACK OF, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET DOWNTOWN WHERE THE MAC IS LOCATED.

AND SO, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES THAT WAY.

BUT, UM, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS ALSO A WAY TO INVITE, UM, COMMUNITIES TO COME BACK TO THE MAC ONCE WE REOPENED.

WE ARE STILL PLANNING TO HOST PROGRAMS, UM, IN OTHER PARTS OF, OF THE CITY, NOT JUST DOWNTOWN.

UH, BUT THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY OUR, UH, MAIN PROGRAMMING WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN AT THE MAC, WILL BE HOSTED AT THE MAC.

AND THEN, UH, MAXIMIZING CROSS PROMOTION, UH, OPPORTUNITIES.

AND OF COURSE, LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY.

LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY IS, UH, DEFINITELY ONE OF OUR, OUR HIGHEST PRIORITIES.

UH, SO MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL OF OUR MATERIALS THAT WE ADVERTISE OR DISPLAY, UM, IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT 90% OF THE MAC STAFF THAT ARE FULL BILINGUAL.

UM, AND SO ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

AND SO JUST, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND SO, UH, ALWAYS MAKING, UM, IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT AREA.

AND THEN OUR THIRD IS, UH, EVALUATE BY DESIGN.

SO INTEGRATE AS AN OPERATIONS COMPONENT.

SO WE KNOW THAT DATA IS SO IMPORTANT AND THAT WE COLLECT, UH, DATA ON ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.

UH, WE DOCUMENT IT AND THEN WE SYNTHESIZE THAT INTO ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE LIFECYCLE OF OUR PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.

AND NEXT SLIDE.

AND THE NEXT ONE, UM, JUST WANTED TO GIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A QUICK RECOGNITION TO COMMISSIONER MALDONADO.

I KNOW SHE'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT COMMISSIONER MALDONADO DID ATTEND THE MAC GRAND REOPENING CELEBRATION, WHICH HAPPENED ON JUNE THE SIXTH.

UM, AND SO, UH, IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENT.

IT WAS AN EXHAUSTING EVENT FOR THE MAC, UH, STAFF AND FOR, UM, OTHER ACME, UM, STAFF MEMBERS AS WELL AS VOLUNTEERS.

WE PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, HAD A 15 HOUR DAY THAT DAY.

UM, WE DID HAVE A RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY AT 11 O'CLOCK, WHICH, UM, THEN PROGRESSED INTO, UM, OUR, UM, RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY, WHICH WE, UH, WERE ABLE TO HAVE, UH, MEMBERS OF, UH, FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS SUCH AS CONGRESSMAN GREG CASAR IN ATTENDANCE, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.

UM, AND SO IT WAS A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT NOT ONLY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING CULTURAL SPACES OPEN AND AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO, UM, INVITING MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT HAD EITHER PARTICIPATED IN THE GRAND OPENING OF THE MAC FROM 2007 TO PARTICIPATE, UM, IN OUR CEREMONY.

AND IT WAS JUST A REALLY, YOU KNOW, MOMENTOUS OCCASION FOR EVERYBODY THAT WAS THERE.

AND THEN WE WENT INTO OUR FESTIVAL AND, WHICH INCLUDED, YOU KNOW, FOOD TRUCKS

[02:50:01]

WE ACTIVATED THE ENTIRE ENTIRE FACILITY.

WE REALLY WANTED TO SHOWCASE ALL OF THE SPACES.

AND SO WE HELD WORKSHOPS AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

AND SO, AGAIN, REALLY WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNEW AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT THOSE SPACES WERE GONNA BE USED FOR.

AND WE HAD OVER 3000 ATTENDEES.

UM, IT WAS A LONG EVENT, LIKE I MENTIONED, SO THERE WAS CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, A SURGE OF ATTENDANCE AT THE VERY BEGINNING, AND THEN IT JUST KIND OF WENT UP AND DOWN AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSED.

UH, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED PLUS PAID PERFORMERS AND VENDORS, UM, AND THAT ALSO INCLUDED, UM, ARTISTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN, UM, OUR EXHIBITING, UH, GALLERY, SO THE SAM CORONADO GALLERY, UH, WHICH HAD A COLLECTION, UM, BY GILBERTO CARDENAS AND DOLORES GARCIA.

AND, UM, WE ALSO HAD, UH, TWO OTHER EXHIBITS, ONE IN OUR COMMUNITY GALLERY AND ONE IN OUR, THE ATRIUM TO OUR AUDITORIUM.

AND THEN WE HAD OVER THREE 30 VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATE.

AND I JUST WANTED TO READ THIS QUOTE.

WE DID ALSO, UH, GIVE OUT SURVEYS, AND WE HAD ABOUT 300 SURVEYS THAT WE COLLECTED.

AND SO, UM, THIS ONE WAS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LANE'S ASSISTANCE.

AND SHE SAYS, ALTHOUGH A CM LANE WASN'T ABLE TO BE THERE ON SATURDAY, I ATTENDED WITH MY MIDDLE SCHOOLER, AND I FIGURED WE'D STAY FOR AN HOUR OR TWO INSTEAD, WE SPENT OVER SIX HOURS AT THE MAC.

WE ATE FOOD FROM THE, FROM THE VENDORS, LEARNED SOME ELLO, AND MY DAUGHTER PERFORMED IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE, UM, IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE, UH, SPENT A GOOD HOUR IN THE MAIN ART GALLERY AND LEFT AFTER THE DANZA AZTECA GROUP FINISHED.

MY DAUGHTER REPEATEDLY COMMENTED ON HOW FRIENDLY EVERYONE WAS, AND THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT THE MAC, AND I WAS ON, UH, I WAS FLOORED BY THE, UM, LET'S SEE WITH MY SCREEN.

BY THE EXTENT OF THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT ARE ALREADY BEING PROVIDED, KNOWING THAT THERE'S EVEN MORE TO COME, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TIMES, AUSTIN IS LUCKY TO HAVE THE MAC UPLIFTING AND AMPLIFYING MEXICAN AMERICANS AND MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE, WITHOUT WHICH THE CITY WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE.

SO WE APPRECIATED THAT FEEDBACK.

AND NOW, NEXT SLIDE, MOVING INTO, UM, THE FA FACILITY PRIORITY.

SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE COMPLETED PHASE TWO, WHICH ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 19,000 SQUARE FEET OF NEW SPACE WITH ENHANCED, UH, WAYFINDING, THAT'S BOTH IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

WE ADDED A SHADE STRUCTURE, WHICH WAS VERY MUCH NE NECESSARY.

UM, GIVEN THAT MODE, THE MAJORITY OF THE SPACE, UM, YOU KNOW, IS RIGHT OFF OF LADY BIRD LAKE AND RECEIVES QUITE A BIT OF SUNSHINE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

UM, IMPROVED A DA ACCESSIBILITIES THROUGHOUT THE SPACE AND ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMABLE SPACES, LIKE I MENTIONED.

AND THE OTHER PRIORITIES AS PART OF PHASE TWO WAS TO UPGRADE, UH, OUR PERFORMANCE SPACES.

AND SO WE DID GET SOME UPGRADES IN THE AUDITORIUM AND IN THE BLACK BOX THEATER, AND THEN RENOVATION TO OUR GALLERY AND EXHIBIT SPACES, AND INCLUDING, UM, OUR VISUAL ART SPACES WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO ADD A VISUAL ART STUDIO AND THEN WORK ON LIGHTING AND MODULAR WALLS AND IN THE FACILITY.

SO, SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO BE BACK AT THE MAC AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S KICKING OFF EVERYTHING INTO FULL GEAR AGAIN.

AND OF COURSE, OUR MARKETING INITIATIVE, WHICH INCREASED, WE ARE EXPECTING TO INCREASE VISIBILITY, INVITING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE DROP IN EXPERIENCE AS A FIRST GATEWAY TOUCHPOINT.

SO REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, FOCUSING ON THE MAC AS BEING A DESTINATION SITE, UH, OBVIOUSLY WHERE IT'S LOCATED.

NEXT SLIDE THERE.

OH, SORRY, IN THE MARKETING INITIATIVE ONE.

UH, COMMUNITY ARTISTS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, YOU KNOW, PROMOTIONS OF THE MAC.

UM, IT'S LOCATED, UM, IN A VERY, YOU KNOW, POPULAR AREA OF AUSTIN, AND WE DEFINITELY SAW, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TOURISTS THAT, UH, FREQUENT THAT AREA COME BY THE MAC, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE REOPEN, JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE SPACE.

AND SO WE TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE AND, AND TO SHOWCASE THE SPACE.

UM, AND SO OBVIOUSLY ALSO WORKING ON OUR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS, LIKE TAILORED EMAIL LISTS, SOCIAL MEDIA, COMMUNITY NETWORKS, AND MEDIA COMPANY PARTNERSHIPS.

UH, WE'RE WORKING ON A PARTNERSHIP RIGHT NOW WITH UNI, SPANISH LANGUAGE TELEVISION CHANNEL.

UM, THEY ARE TYPICALLY OUR PARTNER FOR OUR VIVA MEXICO CELEBRATION, WHICH IS OUR ANNUAL, UM, CELEBRATION OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY.

AND SO, UH, WE REALLY LEVERAGE ON THOSE PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP US WITH, UM, OUR MARKETING, UM, INITIATIVES BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE FREE MARKETING.

SO, UM, UM, THE OTHER IS DRIVE ENGAGEMENT.

SO CONTENT STRATEGY BEYOND JUST PROMOTION AND ADVERTISING THAT BUILDS BRAND EQUITY.

AND SO REALLY LO UH, SHOWCASING OUR,

[02:55:01]

UH, AND THAT'S WHY WE, WE LOVE TO SEE LOCAL PEOPLE, UM, JUST SHARE WITH US, UH, HOW IMPORTANT THE MAC IS.

IF YOU FOLLOWED US ON SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU SEE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS THAT, UM, DIFFERENT EITHER NEWS OR MEDIA OUTLETS HAVE SHARED ABOUT THE MAC.

AND SO, UH, WE'RE REALLY, UM, HAPPY TO HAVE THOSE PARTNERSHIPS.

AND NEXT SLIDE, UH, OUR UPCOMING SIGNATURE EVENTS.

AND SO, UH, WE ARE HAVING OUR AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE.

IT'S AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION THAT WE DO THAT HONORS, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN DIVERSE AREAS LIKE EDUCATION, EMERGING ARTISTS, UM, LEGACY.

AND SO, UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED ALREADY NOMINATIONS FOR THIS.

WE ARE CURRENTLY, UH, REVIEWING THOSE NOMINATIONS.

AND THAT CELEBRATION WILL TAKE PLACE ON AUGUST THE FIRST AT THE MAC.

AND LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, VIVA, MEXICO, UH, SEPTEMBER THE 12TH, AND NOVEMBER THE FIRST WE WILL HAVE ARE THE LOS MUTOS, UM, BACK AT THE MAC.

AND SO WE HOPE THAT YOU ALL CAN MAKE IT TO ONE OF THESE EVENTS WHERE ALL OF THE EVENTS AND NEXT SLIDE, UH, THE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS.

UM, SO CURRENTLY WE ARE, WE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

UH, WE STARTED THE DAY AFTER, OR TWO DAYS BECAUSE THE DAY AFTER WAS A SUNDAY, BUT ON MONDAY, UH, RIGHT AFTER THE GRAND OPENING, WE STARTED OUR SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM.

AND SO, UH, SUMMER CAMP TAKES PLACE DURING THE MONTHS OF, UH, JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST.

WE ALSO LAUNCHED OUR CA CULTURA PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. AND THEY'LL TAKE PLACE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

AND THEN WE EXPECT TO LAUNCH OUR LATINO ARTIST ACCESS PROGRAM, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE ARTIST ACCESS PROGRAM, UM, IN AUGUST, UH, AT THE END OF AUGUST, BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER.

AND ALSO, UH, DO, UH, PUBLICIZE AN EXHIBIT CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR OUR, UH, COMMUNITY GALLERY AND OUR SAM GUDO GALLERY SLIDE.

AND WHAT'S UP WITH CAMINOS? SO CAMINOS IS ANOTHER ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS. AND KAINOS IS OUR, UH, IS AN IMMERSIVE ONE YEAR LONG PAID INTERNSHIP THAT EMPOWERS AUSTIN AREA TEENS TO CARVE THEIR OWN PATH IN THE CREATIVE ARTS.

AND INTERNS WORK ALONGSIDE MAC PROFESSIONALS AND COMMUNITY ARTISTS ON A VARIETY OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED ACTIVITIES AND ARTISTIC IN ENDEAVORS.

AND MANY OF THE CAMINO'S, UH, GRADUATES GO MOVE ON TO, UM, WORK FOR THE MAC, UM, AS TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH ASPIRING FOR THEM TO ALSO BECOME, UH, ART LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND WE JUST HELD THEIR, UM, 2026 GRADUATION THIS PAST SATURDAY, AND WE ALREADY, UH, LAUNCHED THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S COHORT.

AND WE'LL BE SELECTING, UM, THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE CAMINOS PROGRAM.

THERE WAS ABOUT 11 GRADUATES.

UH, WE DID START LIKE A TWO YEAR SYSTEM, UH, THIS PAST YEAR.

SO WE HAVE A YEAR TWO OF, UH, MEMBERS OF CAMINOS AS WELL.

AND SO IT GIVES THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE MORE, UH, INVOLVED.

UM, AND SO, UH, YEAH, WE'RE, WE LOVE CAMINO'S PROGRAM.

IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE, THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OF THE MAC TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE THIS PROGRAM.

IT'S A PAID TEAM INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, WHICH IS NOT VERY COMMON.

UM, INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS FOR, UM, THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR TEENS.

AND THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, OUR MAC EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONCE TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, RECAP.

FOR THIS PAST YEAR, WE HAD NINE TOTAL PROGRAMS THAT WE WERE CONDUCTING AT VARIOUS SITES.

UM, WE DO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT, UM, FIVE OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SITES.

WE ALSO PROVIDE A LENDING LIBRARY, WHICH ALSO IS A OUTREACH PROGRAM, UM, AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM TO, UH, AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS AT THE RECREATION CENTERS.

WE DID S AND FAMILIA AT THE LIBRARY.

UM, WE HAVE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

WE CONDUCTED SPRING BREAK CAMP, WE DO OUR SUMMER PROGRAM.

WE ALSO PARTNER WITH ACADEMIA, , WHICH IS A LANGUAGE REV REVITALIZATION PROGRAM.

WE PARTNER WITH THEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS WELL AS SUMMER.

THEY JUST, UH, KICKED OFF THEIR SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM, UH, TODAY.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WE ALSO DO EVENTS AND TOURS.

AND THE NUMBER OF SITES SERVED WAS 35.

TOTAL PARTICIPATION THIS PAST YEAR SO FAR HAS BEEN 3,139.

AND THIS IS JUST IN OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AND WE WORKED WITH, UM, SEVEN GUEST INSTRUCTORS.

I'M GONNA TRY TO ZIP THROUGH

[03:00:01]

THE REST 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE SPENT A LONG TIME ALREADY IN THE MEETING.

UM, LIKE I'VE MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE THEMES THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR.

WE HAVE THREE SEPARATE SESSIONS.

AND NEXT SLIDE.

UM, THE CA PROGRAMS, UM, THAT STARTED OFF THE, ALSO THE MONDAY, UM, AFTER WE OPENED AND WE KICKED IT OFF WITH, UM, CUMBIA PARA MAC, AND WE HAD LIKE OVER 33 PARTICIPANTS SIGN UP.

AND THEN WE JUST HAD A BUNCH OF PEOPLE JUST SHOW UP TO SEE IF THEY COULD STILL BE PART OF THE PROGRAM.

AND SO IT'S HAPPENING TODAY ACTUALLY AS WELL.

WE HAD TO MOVE IT FROM THE DANCE STUDIO OVER TO THE OUTDOOR SPACE BECAUSE OF THE POPULARITY OF THE PROGRAM.

AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, SAN, YOU KNOW, UM, CONTINUOUS PROGRAMS THAT WE'LL DO FOR CA, URA, AND THESE ARE ALL FREE BY THE WAY AS WELL.

AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE OTHER CA PROGRAMS THAT ARE STARTING, UM, THIS SUMMER AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE HAVE TWO SLIDES THAT JUST, UM, HAVE, UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, IN THESE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, STARTING WITH APRIL, AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE IN JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR CALENDAR'S PRETTY FULL WITH JUST A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT AGAIN, WE ARE EITHER RELAUNCHING OR, UM, STARTING NEW, UH, JUST BASED ON FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE COMMUNITY.

AND LASTLY, YOU KNOW, WE'D LIKE TO ENGAGE WITH, WITH ALL OF YOU.

SO IF YOU COULD FOLLOW US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, AND OF COURSE VISIT US ON OUR WEBSITE.

UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.

ANY QUESTIONS, UM, UH, FOR MR. ROJAS RIGHT NOW.

MR. ROJAS, WILL YOU STAY WITH US FOR AGENDA ITEM 13? YES, ABSOLUTELY.

SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET AGENDA ITEM 13, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO EXPLORE POSSIBLE COLLABORATION WITH COALITION FOR AUSTIN ARTS AND SPANISH LANGUAGE THEATER FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE LATINO ARTISTS ACCESS PROGRAM.

UM,

[13. Discussion and possible action to approve a recommendation to explore a possible collaboration with Coalition for Austin’s Arts & Spanish-Language Theatre for the expansion of the Latino Artist Access Program.]

THERE IS A DRAFT RECOMMENDATION IN OUR BACKUP.

THE MAIN, UM, THE, THE ISSUES THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED TO ME ABOUT THE RE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE, IS THAT THE BUDGET IS TOO SMALL, THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE THE KIND OF IMPACT THAT WE NEED.

HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SEE THIS RECOMMENDATION, MR. ROJAS? I HAVE SEEN IT, YES.

IT'S BEEN BROUGHT FORTH TO THE MAC ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL A COUPLE OF TIMES.

UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY, UH, SENT UP FOR A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE MAC ADVISORY BOARD WITH THE SAME AMOUNT.

ANY DISCUSSION? COMMISSIONER MADLA? THANK YOU CHAIR.

UM, FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS, MICHELLE.

I, I KNOW HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO, UH, OR HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MUCH WORK MUST HAVE GONE INTO, UH, THIS PHASE TWO.

SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THE GRAND OPENING.

I HAVE HAD THE, UM, GOOD FORTUNE OF VISITING THE FACILITIES A FEW TIMES, AND I HOPE THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, UH, THE CITY PRIVATE INDUSTRY, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO INVEST, UM, IN, IN, IN, IN THIS FACILITY AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE POTENTIAL THAT IT HOLDS TO GROW AND SERVE, UH, CONTINUE SERVING THE COMMUNITY IN THE FUTURE.

SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UH, I THINK I ASKED THIS QUESTION THE LAST TIME ABOUT THIS RECOMMENDATION, AND I HAVE THE SAME QUESTION AS, UH, HAS THIS, UH, UM, NOT TO SAY THAT'S THE ONLY CRITERIA THAT SHOULD BE CONSTRICTED.

HAS THIS BEEN ALREADY RECOMMENDED BY THE MAC BOARD OR HAS IT JUST BEEN SENT UP TO THEIR CONSIDERATION? IT WAS INCLUDED AS A RECOMMENDATION AT THE MARCH MAC ADVISORY BOARD MEETING, AND IT WAS APPROVED, UH, FOR RECOMMENDATION BY THE BOARD.

UM, SO, UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, THE, THE MAC BOARD DID APPROVE THE FIVE HIGH 550,000.

CORRECT.

ANY DISCUSSION OTHER? WELL, I, I, I AGREE THAT IT MAY BE TOO, TOO LOW.

I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT ASKING FOR A HIGHER AMOUNT IS GOING TO,

[03:05:02]

IS GONNA HAPPEN.

I DON'T KNOW THAT I WHO? YVONNE.

YOU'VE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING ALL NIGHT, YVONNE.

UM, WHAT, UM, WHAT IS YOUR, UM, VIEWPOINT ON ASKING FOR A LARGER AMOUNT TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THE FULL COVERAGE THAT WE NEED? I MEAN, BEING THE WAY THINGS ARE IS ASKING FOR ANYTHING IS, IS A FEAT, BUT WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON ASKING FOR AN EVEN LARGER AMOUNT TO ENSURE THAT WE GET EVERYTHING COVERED THAT WE NEED? MY POSITION IS, UM, THAT BY WORKING WITH THE MAC STAFF, UM, WE WILL PUT TOGETHER A BUDGET THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE FEASIBLE.

UM, SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD MAKE BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE MAC, AND THAT WOULD MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE SHORT TERM.

OF COURSE, THERE'S NEED FOR MORE, THERE'S DEFINITELY NEED FOR MORE, BUT WE WANT TO BUILD ON THE EXISTING FOUNDATION, UM, WITH JUST KNOWING WHERE THINGS ARE WITH, UH, CITY BUDGET AND WHATNOT.

UH, AND SO WE'RE JUST HOPING THAT THIS GOES THROUGH, UH, ANYTHING MORE THAN THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO AMBITIOUS, UH, IN MY OPINION.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

IT, SOMEBODY HAS TO MOVE YOU.

SO, UH, COMMISSIONER SCOTA HAS MOVED, UH, THAT WE ADOPT, UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION AND FORWARD IT TO COUNSEL, UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MELA.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? IT IS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

I'D LIKE TO CALL THE QUESTION ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

I CAN'T SEE HEIDI, HEIDI, UM, IS HAVING TROUBLE WITH HER CONNECTION.

OH, OKAY.

AND SHE IS TRYING TO GET BACK ON, BUT THERE'S AUDIO VISUAL ISSUES.

I'M NOT SURE IF ANYTHING CAN BE DONE, BUT YEAH.

SHE ALSO GAVE ME HER UPDATE ON THE NEXT ITEM, BUT LET'S KEEP GOING.

SO ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? SO WE'LL SEND THAT RECOMMENDATION UP TO COUNCIL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU MS. ROJAS.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

NUMBER 14, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL ON CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS AGREEMENT WITH REDA HOTEL.

AND NOW WE'RE ON TO ITEM

[14. Discussion and possible action to approve a recommendation to council on Circuit of the Americas agreement with RIDA Hotel, LLC.]

THIS IS IN OUR BACKUP AS WELL.

UM, THIS IS THE MUSIC COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION, WHICH LOOKS GORGEOUS.

UM, DID, HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT RECOMMENDATION? YEP.

ANY QUESTIONS? DO WE FEEL LIKE WE CAN DITTO THIS RECOMMENDATION.

FULL SUPPORT FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION.

COMMISSIONER MET CONVENIENTLY SECONDS THE RECOMMENDATION.

CAN I GET A MOTION? I MOVE THAT WE DITTO THE MUSIC COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION ABOUT THIS ITEM.

? DO I HEAR A SECOND? SECOND.

I SECOND.

I WROTE THE RECOMMENDATION.

I'LL, I I CAN, I CAN, SHOULD I ? SORRY.

IT'S OKAY.

PLEASE TAKE, UH, COMMISSIONER BUN FOR A SECOND.

CONFLICT.

WE'RE GONNA DO A COMMISSIONER.

VASCO IS GONNA TAKE THAT SECOND.

ANY, UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? I I, I DO FEEL STRONGLY THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE HOT FUNDS THAT WE HAVE.

WE, WE, WE NEED TO BE IN SEARCH OF OTHER FUNDS IN ADDITION, BECAUSE EDUCATION AND SERVICES NEED TO BE FUNDED AND WE CAN'T ASK TOURISTS TO DO THAT, BUT WE NEED TO PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE.

SO I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF THAT.

CAN I ASK A QUICK QUESTION? COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, CAN WE SIGN ON TO THEIRS? CAN IT BE THE FIRST JOINT RECOMMENDATION FROM ARTS AND MUSIC WITH LOTS OF, OH, CAN WE DO PRETTY SIGNATURES? CAN WE DO THAT? CAN WE DO A JOINT? CAN WE DO THAT? ARTS MU CAN WE JUST ADD OUR SIGNATURES? OH, IT'S ALREADY GONE.

IT'S ALREADY GONE, BUT, BUT I, I THINK, SORRY.

MAY I UHHUH? YEAH, I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THAT TILL WE, UM, HAVE A JOINT MEETING.

HAVE A, HAVE A JOINT MEETING.

SO WE SHOULDA HAD THE JOINT MEETING.

WE SHOULDA HAVE HAD THE JOINT MEETING BEFORE.

WE HERE.

SO IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED THAT WE WILL, UM, REAFFIRM THE MUSIC COMMISSION AND FORWARD THAT TO COUNCIL FROM ARTS COMMISSION.

ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? AND SO WE WILL FORWARD THAT UP.

PLEASE.

JESUS.

JUST CHANGE MUSIC TO ARTS AND WE, WE, WE BELIEVE EVERYTHING THEY SAID, IT'S

[03:10:01]

JUST ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

COMMISSIONER CHARLA? YEAH.

UH, SO, SO, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD STATE THAT, UH, BOTH THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GONNA GO IN AT THE SAME TIME TO COUNCIL MM-HMM .

SO EVEN IF WE ARE NOT DOING IT TOGETHER IN THE SAME DOCUMENT, IT'S STILL TOGETHER, GETTING IT GOING, GOING IN AT THE SAME TIME.

SO THEY'LL SEE IT FROM BOTH OF US AT THE SAME TIME.

THAT'S GOOD.

18, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE ANNUAL REVIEW AND REPORT TO COUNCIL.

CAN THE FOLDER BE JUST CALLED DITTO .

DITTO MUSIC COMMISSION.

NOW WE ARE ON TO ITEM

[18. Discussion and possible action to approve the Annual Review and Report to Council]

UM, COMMISSIONER MS. HUSSAINI.

AND I NEED TO GET THIS TO COUNCIL TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR.

LAST YEAR.

I JUST KIND OF PEGGED IT TOGETHER WITH JESUS'S HELP.

JESUS HAS CONVENIENTLY IN BACKUP GIVEN US THE INTERNAL REVIEW.

I CAN'T GET IT TO COME UP.

WHY WON'T IT COME UP? YOU KNOW, I CAN'T, I CAN'T MAKE IT COME UP, BUT IT'S IN BACKUP.

AND BASICALLY WE JUST NEED TO TELL THE COUNCIL WHAT THE ARTS COMMISSION HAS DONE IN THE PAST YEAR.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER THAT THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THE, UH, COUNCIL IS AWARE OF .

SO YOU'LL GET TO READ THE REVIEW AND ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT THAT WE WANNA POINT OUT OTHER THAN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS? SENATOR? UH, COMMISSIONER HUSSEINI.

SENATOR.

HEY, SENATOR.

HUSSEINI SPEAKING.

UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK, UH, JESUS FOR PULLING THAT TOGETHER.

RIGHT? TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION, AGREEMENT ON MUSIC.

AND HELPING.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN MEET AND FINALIZE THAT.

TINA? MM-HMM .

I JUST WANTED TO, TO MAKE SURE NOBODY HAD ANY PRESSING THINGS THAT JUST TAKE TIME TO THINK.

THOSE OF Y'ALL WHO HAVE BEEN HERE, TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE HIGHLIGHTED THAT YOU WANNA MAKE SURE DOESN'T GET MISSED.

JUST TAKE ABOUT A MINUTE TO THINK ON THAT.

SO I FINALLY GOT IT UP.

WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR IS WE APPROVED THE NOMINATION TO THE RALLY BOARD.

WE APPROVED RECOMMENDATION OF TWO NEW MEMBERS TO THE ARTS AND PUBLIC PLACES.

PANEL.

WE APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT RALLY AUSTIN 2026 BOND PROJECT.

HE APPROVES RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL FOR UPDATES TO THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES ORDINANCE FROM THE PANEL.

UM, WE, UH, GOT A RECOMMENDATION THROUGH FOR THE SPANISH LANGUAGE CONTRACTS FOR AUSTIN ARTS AND ACME TOOK CARE OF THAT FOR US.

DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL ON THE 27TH BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPROVED A RECOMMENDATION FOR UPDATES TO THE ORDINANCE.

WE DID THAT TWICE.

WE DID THAT TWICE FOR ARTS AND PUBLIC PLACES.

ANYTHING OTHER SPECIFICALLY THAT YOU THINK IS MISSING OR THAT YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TO? COUNCIL CHAIR? COMMISSIONER CHARLA.

I'LL BE ABLE TO INCLUDE TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION.

WE CAN INCLUDE TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION, CAN'T WE? BECAUSE IT'S NOT DUE TO THE 31ST.

RITA? RECOMMENDATION OUR DISAGREEMENT ON CROSSWALK.

JUST KIDDING.

FOR THE RECORD.

SO HEARING NO INPUT FROM COMMISSIONERS, I'M GONNA GO WITH WHAT WE HAVE.

WE DON'T HEAR ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY THAT WE NEED TO CALL OUT OTHER THAN THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE SENT AND THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE APPROVED.

ART AND PUBLIC PLACES THAT WE'VE APPROVED.

EVERYBODY'S GOOD? OKAY.

[19. Update from joint Arts/Music Commission Working Group on Urban Core Issues with Commissioners Schmalbach (Chair).]

ON TO ITEM NUMBER 19, UPDATE FROM THE JOINT ARTS COMMISSION, MUSIC COMMISSION WORKING GROUP ON URBAN CORE ISSUES WITH COMMISSIONER, SMALL BOX CHAIR.

WE DO NOT HAVE COMMISSIONER SMALL BECAUSE SHE HAD SOME VISUAL PROBLEMS. SO WE'LL TRY TO GET THAT UPDATE NEXT MONTH.

TINA, SHE GAVE ME HER UPDATE.

AM I ALLOWED TO SHARE IT? OH, THAT'S RIGHT.

YOU SAID COMMISSIONER HUSSAINI HAS COMMISSIONER SMALL BOX UPDATE.

SO COMMISSIONER HUSSEINI, IF YOU WOULD SHARE THAT THE URBAN CORE WORK GROUP HAS NO UPDATES.

THEY'RE MEETING AGAIN IN JULY.

, I HAVE AN UPDATE.

I ACTUALLY HAVE THAT .

SO NOW WE ARE

[20. Update from Arts Commission Bylaws Working Group with Commissioners Houston, Garza, Keys, and Anderson (Chair).]

[03:15:01]

ON TO ITEM NUMBER 20.

UPDATE FROM ARTS COMMISSION BYLAWS, WORKING GROUP WITH COMMISSIONERS, HOUSTON GARZA, KEYS, AND ANDERSON CHAIR.

WELL, UH, THERE HAS BEEN A DRAFT PRODUCED AND IT'S BEING DISCUSSED, SO THAT'S VERY EXCITING.

AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REPORT THAT COMMISSIONER BAILEY, WHOSE LAST NAME I'M BLANKING ON.

POWELL.

POWELL NOW, THANK YOU, UH, HAS OFFERED TO JOIN THE BYLAWS COMMITTEE.

AND THEN ARE YOU GOING TO ANNOUNCE THAT OTHER THING? GARZA.

AND, UH, COMMISSIONER GARZA IS NO LONGER ON THAT COMMITTEE BECAUSE HE EMAILED ME SAYING HE WANTED TO GET OFF OF IT.

SO THANK YOU BAILEY FOR STEPPING UP AND WE WILL HAVE A MEETING AND REPORT BACK IN JULY.

REPORT BACK IN JULY.