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[Call to Order]
SO I'M GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.UH, WE ARE A SPECIAL COLD ARTS COMMISSION MEETING ON FRIDAY, JUNE 26 MEETING VIRTUALLY YOU'RE TELECONFERENCING.
UH, SO IF I SAY YOUR NAME, PLEASE CHIME IN.
OR IF YOU STAY MUTED I'LL, I'LL ACKNOWLEDGE YOU.
SO, UH, COMMISSIONER FANTE PRESENT COMMISSIONER KEATON.
CAN YOU NOT HEAR COMMISSIONER KEATON AUDIO ISSUES OR, OH, HEY, THANK YOU.
UH, COMMISSIONER BARN OR COMMISSIONER WARRANTS HERE.
COMMISSIONER MOCK COMMISSIONER SYSMON COMMISSIONER FLORES, COMMISSIONER PULL GUARD, COMMISSIONER GARTHA.
UH, AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE RAISED HIS HAND AND COMMISSIONER VANDYKE.
[Item 1]
FIRST ON THE AGENDA, THE CITIZENS COMMUNICATION, UH, COMMISSIONER POLDER, CAN I, THAT WE LIMIT THOSE COMMENTS TO TWO AND A HALF MINUTES IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.SO WE HAVE TIME TO A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER POLGAR TO LIMIT CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS FOR TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
LORIS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER FLORES, UH, HEARING NO OBJECTIONS.
WE'LL, UH, HERE WE'LL WE'LL MOVE FORWARD AND HEAR CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS AT TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
UH, AND STAFFER, I ASSUME THAT Y'ALL WILL KEEP TRACK THAT TIME.
UH, I'LL HAVE A TIMER GOING AND SHOULD HAVE THE BUZZER AUDIBLE.
UH, SO FIRST UP WE HAVE CYNTHIA PEREZ FROM LA PENA.
CYNTHIA, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? YES, I'M ON THE LINE.
YOU HAVE TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
THE D A THING HAS BEEN EDITED TO TWO MINUTES.
I HAVE TO SCRATCH MY, CAN YOU GO TO SOMEBODY ELSE THEN I'LL COME BACK.
I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR THE ATLANTA ORGANIZATIONS AND I WANTED TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR YOUR COMMISSION TO TAKE THE HISTORIC STEP OF PUSHING THROUGH THE NORMALIZING OF EQUITY.
WHY? BECAUSE IT'S NEVER GOING TO BE A GOOD TIME TO DO IT.
WHY? BECAUSE HISTORICALLY, YOU'VE ALREADY LET OUT ALL THESE, UH, PEOPLE OF COLOR ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SO, UM, SO WE WITH FIRED BY
THEY'VE ALL BEEN UNDERFUNDED HISTORICALLY, AND NOW WE'RE AT THIS OTHER CROSSPOINT.
AND SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THE HISTORIC THING AND SUPPORT US AS ATLANTA MEMBERS AND, UH, TRYING TO MAKE THAT CONSIDERATION HAPPEN, UH, FOR ALL ORGANIZATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND BE COURAGEOUS.
AND, UH, MY NIECE SENT ME THIS TODAY.
I WANT TO PASS THIS ON TO YOU.
WHO KNEW THAT IN MINNESOTA, THE REVOLUTION WAS GOING TO START? PRINCE DID.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE THING THAT GOES WITH IT.
I'LL SEND IT TO YOU GUYS LATER, BUT I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WORK.
IT'S BEEN HIS VERY DIFFICULT WORK, SO GOOD LUCK.
UM, JUST A REMINDER FOR EVERYONE ELSE TO STAY MUTED.
UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE SANDRA FULL METAL FOWLER ALSO FROM LEPING.
ARE YOU ON THE LINE? UM, YES, SIR.
CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, YOU HAVE TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SECOND WHAT CYNTHIA SAID, UM, IT'S WONDERFUL THAT THE COMMISSION IS TAKING THIS APPROACH WITH AN EQUITY CENTERED LENS.
I THINK IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT DURING THIS TIME.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY COMMENT ON WHAT COMMISSIONER FANTE SAID IN THE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY.
UM, SHE NOTED THAT I THINK THAT THIS, UM, THERE WILL NEVER REALLY BE A CHANGE IN FUNDING TO A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS WITHOUT A DESIGN INTERRUPTION.
AND I THINK THAT ACTUALLY DEPENDS ON IT CAUSE AN IDEAL TIME, BECAUSE IT HAS ALREADY BEEN SUCH A GREAT INTERRUPTION AND I DON'T REALLY FORESEE, UM, A HUGE CHANGE HAPPENING WHEN EVERYTHING IS OTHERWISE MOVING SMOOTHLY.
UM, SO ACTUALLY, CAN I DO ALL FOR, UM, TAKING OR TRYING TO TAKE A DIFFICULT STEP AND CHANGING HOW THE ARTS ARE FUNDED
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IN AUSTIN DURING THIS TIME? UM, WHEN A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS ARE ALREADY GOING TO EXPERIENCE SUCH HUGE CUTS, UM, AND HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERFUNDED AND I WOULD QUICKLY LIKE TO, UM, JUST PROPOSE OR SUGGEST, UM, WHAT THE COMMISSION AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE CITY COUNCIL MIGHT DO TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS.UM, A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, UM, IN GETTING COVID RELATED RESOURCES, PARTICULARLY MATERIALS SUCH AS PRESS MASKS, WHICH IF I'M CORRECT CAN NOT BE PURCHASED WITH CITY FUNDING.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY ASKING FOR MORE FUNDING, BUT JUST PERHAPS, UM, FUNDRAISING SUPPORT OR LOOKING INTO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, PERHAPS CHANGING OF GUIDELINES THAT WERE DRAFTED IN PRE COVID TIMES BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS SO UNPRECEDENTED NOW AND NOT EVERY GROUP HAS THE CAPACITY TO CHANGE AND ADAPT, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS RELYING ON IN PERSON COMMUNICATION.
THANK YOU, BONNIE COLUMN FROM CORTEX.
ARE YOU ON THE LINE? I AM EXCELLENT.
I'M THE CO FOUNDER AND PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE VORTEX.
WE'RE THE FIRST THEATERS MAKE A HOME FOR THE ART ON THE HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED SORT OF EAST SIDE, THE SIX SQUARE BLACK CULTURAL DISTRICT.
MY BUSINESS AND MY HOME ARE BOTH IN COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE THROUGH THIS UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS, EXPERIENCING THE PAIN AND PRESSURE OF MY ARTS ORGANIZATION AND ALL OF THE UNEMPLOYED ARTISTS WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE THEATER.
AGAIN, I CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURE THAT YOU MUST FEEL AROUND THE WHOLE ARTS COMMUNITY.
AND I APPLAUD YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON RACIAL EQUITY.
THIS IS LONG OVERDUE, AND I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE IT.
I DO WANT TO OFFER FEEDBACK THAT THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS FUNDING MATRIX DOES NOT CONSIDER MANY OTHER FACTORS.
I'M A 30 YEAR RECIPIENT RECIPIENT OF CULTURAL CONTRACTS.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS ANNUALLY.
WE RECEIVED $5,000, A $5,000 CONTRACT IN 1991.
AND WE HAVE SLOWLY AND STEADILY GROWN IN OUR PROGRAMMING AND PROFESSIONALISM.
AND IN RECENT YEARS WE HAD THE BUDGET TO GET AN AUDIT AND RECEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL FUNDING.
AND WHILE I'M PROUD OF THAT LONG STRUGGLE, I DO NOT WANT THE VORTEX TO BE PENALIZED FOR THIS ACHIEVEMENT.
WE STRUGGLED FOR 30 YEARS TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE NOW.
NOW, IF I WERE A NIMBLE YOUNG THEATER ARTIST WITH NO VENUE OR OVERHEAD, I WOULD TAKE MY 58% CUT AND I WOULD MAKE SOME REALLY INTERESTING THEATER IN A PARK WITH LOW PRODUCTION VALUES AND PAY ALL OF THE ARTISTS.
BUT SOME OF US HAVE VENUES THAT ARE SIMPLY SITTING EMPTY AND WILL NOT LIKELY TO BE FILLED WITH THEATER MAGIC AGAIN, UNTIL WHEN FOR A YEAR, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO SAFELY HAVE THE COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE OF THEATER.
AND SO WHILE THE VORTEX MAY SURVIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE A BUTTERFLY BAR, WHICH JUST GOT CLOSED DOWN AGAIN TODAY, AND WE HAVE A LOW RENT, I'M PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SURVIVAL OF ALL OF THE MIDSIZE THEATER AND DANCE VENUES.
THESE ARE VENUES THAT SERVE MANY BLACK AND A LOT OF ARTISTS.
I FEEL THAT THE WAY THIS IS GOING, NOT ONLY WERE OUR COMPANIES NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE ANY KIND OF THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE IN OUR THEATERS, BUT ALL OF THESE VENUES, WE'LL STILL HAVE TO PAY RENT UTILITIES AND TAXES WITH NO REVENUE.
SO WHAT WE'LL BE LEFT WITH WILL BE THE CITY OWNED FACILITIES, AND WE'LL HAVE ZACH IN THE LONG CENTER AND THE DOCK AND THE MACK AND THE BOY ADVANCE THEY'RE SITTING EMPTY DURING THIS CRISIS, BUT THEY MAY BE THE ONLY VENUES LEFT STANDING IN AUSTIN.
SO YES, LET'S HAVE THIS MATRIX AND HAVE IT ONLY BE ABOUT RACIAL EQUITY AND HIGH TIME FOR THIS AUCTION.
BUT GOING FORWARD, I'D LIKE TO ASK THE ARTS COMMISSION TO CONSIDER SOME OF THE OTHER COMPLEXITIES IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EQUITY.
THINGS LIKE DIVERSITY OF ARTISTS SERVED BY THE VENUE YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY, THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTIONS OR PROGRAMMING NORMALLY CREATED AT THE VENUE, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ON STAFF OR IN ARTISTIC ROLES, WHO'VE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE CLOSURES.
WOMEN RUN COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.
EQUITY IS MORE THAN JUST GETTING ARTISTS OF COLOR TO APPLY FOR FUNDING.
WE NEED TO KEEP THE VENUES THAT SUPPORT THESE ARTISTS ALIVE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE PLACES TO DO OUR WORK AS WE EMERGE FROM THIS CRISIS.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE.
NEXT SPEAKER IS FROM TAPESTRY.
UM, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF, YOUR EXHAUSTING EFFORTS IN THIS VERY DIFFICULT TIME.
AND FIRST I'D LIKE TO, TO KNOW THAT I AGREE WITH THE FOUR PILLARS OF
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COMMISSIONERS FUNDING MATRIX THAT HAVE BEEN STATED, ESPECIALLY THE EQUITY ELEMENT.AND I WANT TO APPLAUD BONNIE COLUMN FOR EVERYTHING.
SHE JUST SAID, BEING A 30 YEAR OLD ORGANIZATION THAT HAS SUPPORTED MANY ARTISTS OF COLOR AND ARE BLESSED AGAIN, TO HAVE A SPACE THAT IS NOW SITTING EMPTY AND WE ARE PAYING RENT FOR AN EMPTY SPACE AND NO EARNED INCOME.
UM, IT IS THE SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION OF THOSE FOUR ELEMENTS THAT IF YOU HAVE SET UP, IT IS KEY.
HOWEVER, WE ARE ON THIS LAST DAY, YOUR RENT IS DUE.
AND THIS FEEDBACK AT THIS TIME, MAYBE MINT, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SIGN THE ARTS COMMUNITY LETTER TO THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION REGARDING THE DESPERATE NEED FOR FUNDING.
NOW WITH REGARD TO $5 MILLION FOR THE SURVIVAL OF OUR ARTS COMMUNITY AND JOBS, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LOST REVENUES IS CITIES.
CONSIDER MY SIGNATURE NOW ADDED VIRTUALLY.
I HAD BEEN IN HOSPITAL AND PERSONALLY FOR OVER EIGHT DAYS, AND IT WAS LET OUT EARLY ABOUT THE TIME ALL OF THESE ADDED COVID PATIENTS JUST CAME IN.
WE NEED MORE FUNDS TO SUPPORT AND RETAIN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, INCLUDING EVERYTHING.
BONNIE JUST SAID, IT IS A TRIAGE SITUATION.
NOW IN THIS PROCESS IS MUCH LIKE COMMISSIONER POKER ON WEDNESDAY, BUT THOUGHTS AND PLANNING MUST MOVE AND THINK, WHAT DO WE WANT AND NEED AFTER THIS PANDEMIC? MANY OF US WILL NOT SURVIVE TO PRODUCE PROJECTS MOST, IF NOT ALL.
AND ESPECIALLY THE THING IS WILL NOT BE THERE FOR ANY ARTISTS TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE.
UM, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE OUR TRADITIONAL CONCERTS TO PRODUCTION IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT PERSONALLY, I FEEL ZOOM AND ONLINE OPTIONS HAVE ALREADY LOST AND WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE VILLA LORE.
THE AVERAGE VIEWING OF THOSE SITUATIONS IS 15 MINUTES.
SO MY APOLOGIES, BUT A LONGER, AND THE OLD CONVERSATION, WHAT DOES, AND IS THE CONVENTION CENTER FUNDING NOW GOING TO PROTECT AND OUR FUTURE VISION OF AUSTIN WHEN TOURING COMPANIES AND CONVENTIONS WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT RETURN FOR YEARS, THOSE EVENTS ARE SET UP TO, IF NOT MORE YEARS IN ADVANCE ANOTHER CONVERSATION, I KNOW YOU WERE HAVING, WHY SHOULD STOP FUNDING SUPPORT COME FROM THE SAME POT OF MONEY, SUPPORTING ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS, THE CITY OF AUSTIN MAYOR AND, AND, AND, UH, COMMISSIONERS HAVE MUST SET PRIORITIES.
THEY ARE A VITAL PART OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, LITERALLY, AND THEY GO WAY BEYOND TOURISM.
I FEEL THAT THIS JOB RETENTION AND SPACE RETENTION AND PLANNING MUST BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF FUNDING FOR THAT, INCLUDING COLLABORATION AND NOT COMPETITION WAYS FOR THE CITY TO HELP US MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY ADVANTAGEOUS.
I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY RETAINED THE ONLY FULL TIME PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANY, CELEBRATING ON THE FOUNDATION OF PRESERVATION AND APPRECIATION OF THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF A BLACK AMERICAN INDIGENOUS ART FORM OF TAP DANCE.
AND YES, I AM A GAY WHITE DUE TO THIS INCREDIBLE ARTISTIC APPRECIATION OF ARTISTS AND THE NECESSITY AND THE FABRIC.
OFTEN I'M NOT IN NEW YORK WITH MY PEERS DUE TO THIS.
THE COURT IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT OF ITS ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS 30 YEARS.
AND WE ARE STILL ALIVE NOW, BARELY, BUT MY CONTINUOUS TRAVEL WORLDWIDE TO THE FESTIVALS AND EXPANSION OF THIS ART FORM CAN TRULY BE TIED TO THREE ORGANIZATIONS WHO BROUGHT THIS ART FORM OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
ONE IS IN CHICAGO TAPESTRY DANCE COMPANY AT HOME HERE IN AUSTIN.
YOU CAN DIRECTLY TIE THOSE NEW ARTISTS THAT ARE NOW DOZENS AROUND THE WORLD.
THOSE OPPORTUNITIES EXPANSIVE TO THOSE THREE ORGANIZATIONS OFTEN SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT AS WELL AS THE AUSTIN ARTS COMMISSION AND GOVERNMENT TAP OF THREE IS NOT THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT HAS HAD AND IS HAVING THAT IMPACT OF WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY LOST.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE WHAT MAKES AUSTIN, AUSTIN.
WE HAVE TO THINK FURTHER THAN THIS MATRIX DEADLINE.
AND I THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THIS PAINFUL AND DIFFICULT DECISION THAT YOU WERE ALL MAKING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
NEXT UP, WE HAVE ETHAN AZARIAN HELLO, YOUNG.
THE LONGER THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU, YOU HAVE TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
AZARIAN FROM BLUE COW'S STUDIO.
I'M SPEAKING EXTRA SLOWLY BECAUSE MY WIFE SAID WHATEVER YOU DO SPEAK SLOWLY.
AND CLEARLY I APOLOGIZE FOR HOW ANNOYING SOUNDS GLUCOSE STUDIO IS FISCALLY SPONSORED BY ACA AUSTIN CREATIVE ALLIANCE AND HAS RECEIVED FYI
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FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.SOMETIMES IT'S MORE, SOMETIMES IT'S LESS, BUT ALWAYS SO APPRECIATED.
I'VE NEVER FELT THAT THIS FUNDING WAS OWED TO ME.
I HAVEN'T TAKEN IT FOR GRANTED.
JUST GLAD THE CITY OF AUSTIN ETHIC, CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION, THAT CHAMPIONS THE ARTS TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE DIFFERENT MATRIX MATRIX FUNDING SCENARIOS FOR THE END OF WEDNESDAY'S MEETING, WHEN THINGS WERE GETTING A LITTLE HEATED, SOME OF YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ZERO CUTS TO THE ATLANTA LBGTQ AND BLACK MINORITY APPLICATIONS.
YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED AND THE HUNDRED PERCENT HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE THAT CORE PROGRAM SHOULD BE WITH EQUITY.
HOWEVER, I WOULD ASK YOU TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT FUNDING SCENARIOS, THAT THERE ARE GENERAL CORE FUNDED ARTISTS AND NONPROFITS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH PUBLIC ART AND OR COMMUNITY ART PROJECTS THAT FOCUS ON PROVIDING ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN.
PROJECTS THAT ARE WORKING WITH TWO REMEDIES AT TITLE ONE SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM, NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY CENTERS HERE IN AUSTIN.
THESE CURRENT CORE FUNDED PROJECTS WILL BE IN JEOPARDY.
IF FURTHER CUTS ARE MADE TO THEIR OPERATING BUDGETS.
I KNOW YOU GUYS PROBABLY NOTICED, AND I FELT IT WAS MY DUTY TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AND PUT IN MY 2 CENTS.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK SLOWLY AND CLEARLY.
NEXT UP WE HAVE A SHADY LITTLE, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? THAT'S FINE.
CAN YOU HEAR ME TWO AND A HALF MINUTES? THANK YOU.
NOW LOOKS LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK, AND HOPEFULLY WE LEARN SOME HELPFUL LESSONS FROM THE STRUGGLES WE FACED THEN, OR AT LEAST WE ARE REMINDED ONCE AGAIN, WHAT CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE SO THAT THE ARTS COMMUNITY, THIS COMMISSION AND CITY STAFF ARE ABLE TO COLLECTIVELY AND NAVIGATE FUTURE ISSUES OR FUTURE CHANGES TO HOW AUSTIN SUPPORTS THE ARTS MORE TIME AND MORE COMMUNICATION ARE KEY FACTORS WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO ADDRESS SO THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE A VOICE AT THE TABLE, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT I'VE SEEN OVER MY MANY YEARS IN THE ARTS AND VERY MUCH IN RECENT DAYS IS HOW DIVIDED OUR COMMUNITY IS.
IT IS INCREDIBLY HARD FOR US TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK ON GROWING THE PIE AND GETTING MORE FUNDING.
WHEN WE WERE FIGHTING OVER THE SCRAPS LEFT AFTER THE CITY HAS ALREADY ALLOCATED FUNDING TO OTHER INDUSTRIES AND SECTORS THAT CAN WORK TOGETHER AT LEAST LONG ENOUGH TO ASK FOR MONEY.
I SUPPORT WHATEVER DECISION IS MADE FOR THE CORE FUNDING MATRIX.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT IS THE BEST SCENARIO, BUT LEADING WITH RACIAL EQUITY IS CRITICAL.
AND LIKE CYNTHIA PRES SAID EARLIER, THIS COULD BE HISTORIC.
ADDITIONALLY, I DO BELIEVE AND BELIEVE FIRMLY THAT IF WE HAD MORE TIME AND BETTER COMMUNICATION AND A MORE UNIFIED ARTS COMMUNITY, WE COULD HAVE, WE COULD HAVE COME TO THIS ISSUE IN A MUCH HEALTHIER AND POSITIVE WAY, WHATEVER ROAD WE GO DOWN, WHATEVER CHOICE IS COMMISSIONED MAKES, I HOPE IT WILL LEAD US THROUGH THIS CRISIS AND OUT THE OTHER SIDE AS WHOLE AND AS INTACT AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOWARDS A HEALTHIER AND UNIFIED OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS AS CENTRAL TO AUSTIN SUPPORTED AS SUCH.
UM, MAYBE GOD'S OF DECISION MAKING.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? AND WE CAN HEAR YOU.
YOU HAVE TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
MY NAME IS
UH, WE ARE AN ARTIST'S RUN AT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT HOSTS AN ANNUAL MONTH ON FESTIVAL AND PROMOTES THE ART OF PRINTMAKING.
I FIRST WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR THOUGHT FOR WORK AND YOUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO THE AUSTIN ARTS COMMUNITY.
I'M A MEXICAN AMERICAN ARTIST BASED IN AUSTIN AND THE DIRECTOR OF PRINT AUSTIN COLLECTIVE CULTURAL CONTRACTOR UNDER THE CORE FUNDING PROGRAM TOGETHER WITH CATHY SAVAGE.
ALSO AN AUSTIN BASED ARTIST AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF PRINT AUSTIN WITH OUR SUPPORT FOR COMMISSIONER FLORES, A STATEMENT MADE DURING THE LAST SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE ARTS COMMISSION
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ON JUNE 24TH, 2020, THAT BROUGHT ATTENTION TO THE NUMEROUS JOBS AND INCOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT CURRENT CULTURAL CONTRACTORS, DESPITE OUR ATLANTA STATUS PROVIDE FOR ARTISTS AND ARTS PROFESSIONALS AND AUSTIN THROUGH THE CORE FUNDING.FOR OUR FESTIVAL, WE WORK WITH ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO CREATE EXHIBITION AND ART.
SO OPPORTUNITIES FOR OVER 150 ARTISTS, INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS, BELONGING, TO BIP, SOC LGBTQ PLUS, AND DISABILITY COMMUNITIES, THE FUNDING WE RECEIVED FOR THE 20TH AND THE CORE FUNDING PROGRAM THAT MADE UP 43% OF OUR ANNUAL INCOME.
AND THEN PRIMARILY TOWARD PAIN ARTISTS, CONTRACTS, AND CONTRACT STAFF, AS WELL AS PRODUCTION COSTS.
YEAH,
AND AUSTIN HAS CHANGED THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE FOR AUSTIN, LIKE MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND FESTIVALS COME AROUND TO RELY ON EVENT BASED INCOME TO PUT ON OUR ANNUAL PROGRAMMING.
AND WE ARE NOW TURNING TOWARDS GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE FOUNDATION FUNDING BY THE NEVER BEFORE WE UNDERSTAND AND FULLY SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION IS DOING IN COLLABORATION WITH MJR PARTNERS TO RESTRUCTURE THE CULTURAL FUNDING PROCESS SO THAT THEY MAY ADDRESS THE RACIAL INEQUITIES OF OUR CITY AND ARTS COMMUNITY AT NELSON.
WE'RE ALSO COMMITTED TO FOCUSING OUR OWN RESOURCES TOWARD ENSURING RACIAL EQUITY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES, OUR PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES, THE FUNDING THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROVIDES FOR US AS CULTURAL CONTRACTORS THROUGH THE CORE FUNDING PROGRAM IS ESSENTIAL AND FACILITATING THIS WORK FOR US TO ASK THAT YOU TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN VOTING FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 21 FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS.
YOU JUDY RICHARDSON FROM LEAP OF JOY.
IS NEXT, ARE YOU ON THE LINE TODAY? UH, YES.
CAN YOU HEAR ME RIGHT? I CAN HEAR YOU.
YOU HAVE TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
UM, I UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT THESE DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT YOU'VE HAD TO MAKE.
UH, AND I'M SORRY, I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ALL OF THIS OUT BEFORE I AM A WHITE WOMAN.
OVER 10 YEARS AGO, WE CELEBRATED OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY.
WE WORK EXCLUSIVELY IN TITLE ONE SCHOOL.
WE WORK WITH UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS.
UM, ALTHOUGH WE ARE OVER 50%, UH, HELLO, MULTI MULTIETHNIC TEACHERS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, WE DO WORK WITH ALMOST A HUNDRED PERCENT OF HISPANIC, LATIN, UH, BLACK KIDS, A FEW ASIANS, AND LIKE MAYBE I HAVE A PERCENTAGE OF WHITE KIDS.
ORGANIZATION IS DOING A LOT OF WORK WITH THE YOUNG CHILDREN AND WE TEACH DANCE AND THEATER AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMMING.
WE'RE TRYING NOW TO ADJUST OUR PROGRAM TO GO VIRTUAL AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
YEAH, WE HIGHLY RELY ON FUNDING OF COURSE.
AND WE'D LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED AN ALANA, UH, ORGANIZATION BECAUSE OF OUR, BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE SERVE FOR MANY, UH, ETHNICALLY, UH, THE ETHNIC INDIVIDUAL.
UM, LET'S SEE, I'M NOT SAYING THIS AS WELL AS I WAS HOPING THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT SIMPLE, BUT, UM, WE'D LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER THE FACT THAT WE USE DANCERS AND THEATER TEACHERS FROM THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, ARTISTS FROM THE ARTS AND COMMUNITY.
WE GIVE THEM WORK AND WE SERVE THESE YOUNG CHILDREN.
UM, ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO CONSIDER, UH, AND OUR FUNDING WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
AND I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT THERE NO ONE ELSE ON THE LINE TO SPEAK DURING CITIZENS COMMUNICATION.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I GOT EVERYBODY
UH, HERE, NOBODY WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON ON BEFORE WE, BEFORE WE GET PRESENT, UPDATED PRESENTATION, GET INTO DISCUSSION.
I DID, I DID WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO COMMISSIONER MOCK.
UM, THE END OF OUR MEETING WAS NOT OKAY.
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I DID NOT HANDLE THE TIME CONSTRAINT APPROPRIATELY.I DO WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT I, I DO WANT COMMISSIONERS TO SPEAK UP AND WE DO NEED SPACE TO DISCUSS THE TOPICS THAT ARE, THAT ARE RAISED
SO, UM, I, I'M GOING TO TOUCH ON IT A LITTLE BIT.
I DO HAVE A LITTLE PREAMBLE BEFORE WE GET INTO THE, UH, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION.
I HAVE REMINDERS THE FIRST REMINDER FOR EVERYONE, UH, CAN BLAME IT ON ME.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I SAID, UH, LAST WEEK THAT STILL HOLDS, OKAY.
NOT, EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE HAPPY WHEN WE GET OUT OF THIS MEETING TODAY.
SECOND REMINDER, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
THIS IS WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? WHAT IS IT? IT IS FROM PEOPLE THAT COME TO VISIT AUSTIN AND STAY IN HOTELS AND MOTELS.
AND THE RATES THAT THEY ARE CHARGED HAS A TAX THAT TAX IS COLLECTED BY THE STATE AND IS ALLOCATED TO MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE STATE.
AS A MUNICIPAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ALLOWED TO DEDICATE 15% OF ITS FUN OF THE HOT FUND TO THE ARTS.
THE S WHERE THERE'S A ONCE A YEAR ESTIMATE DONE AND IT'S DONE FROM FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OCTOBER 1ST OF A YEAR TO SEPTEMBER 30TH OF A YEAR.
THERE WAS AN ESTIMATE TAKEN
SO THERE'LL BE READY TO GO OCTOBER 1ST.
THAT MEANS WE DO NOT HAVE FINAL NUMBERS OR FINAL ESTIMATES, FINAL ESTIMATE OF WHAT THE HOT FUND IS GOING TO BE.
SO WE ARE WORKING WITH AN ESTIMATED NUMBER OF WHAT WAS COLLECTED, UH, OCTOBER 1ST OF 2019.
AND I SEE, SO NOBODY'S GOING TO CORRECT ME, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 20, 20, RIGHT.
THAT'S A YEAR THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ESTIMATE.
SO HOWEVER YOU DO WANT TO JUMP IN AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S CORRECT.
SO WE'RE GIVING A NUMBER OF WHAT THEY THINK THEY WILL COLLECT FROM OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 20, 20 WRONG.
AND IT'S ALWAYS BASED ON AN ESTIMATE AND WHAT IS TRANSFER IS ACTUAL COLLECTIONS.
SO WHAT YEAR IS OUR BEST ESTIMATE TODAY? YOU'RE RIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
UM, AND THAT, THAT, THAT WAS GOING TO BE, MY NEXT POINT IS LIKE, WE'RE WORKING WITH AN ESTIMATE.
WE STILL HAVE JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HOTEL STAYS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN THOSE THREE MONTHS.
SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS OR WILL BE.
AND THIS IS HOW WE FUND THE ARTS IN AUSTIN.
THIS IS PART OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH THE CULTURAL FUNDING REVIEW WITH MJR PARTNERS.
THAT CONVERSATION IS STILL GOING ON.
PART OF THE CONVERSATION FROM WEDNESDAY.
I EMPHASIZED THAT RACIAL EQUITY AS A PRIORITY, AND I WOULD LIKE A VOLUNTEER.
IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING SUIT, IF DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE X, THE ACRONYM B L M STANDS FOR ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO CHIME IN OPENLY BLACK LIVES MATTER, BUT ALL LIVES MATTER.
NOW, BEFORE, BEFORE ANYONE ANSWERS SIT WITH YOUR FEELINGS, HOW DID THAT FEEL AFTER COMMISSIONER'S IS BEEN SAID BLACK LIVES MATTER THAT I JUMPED IN WITH THE STATEMENT THAT I MADE.
HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? I DON'T HAVE ANSWERS, BUT WHEN I SAY THAT WE'RE LEADING WITH RACIAL EQUITY, WE ARE LEADING WITH RACIAL EQUITY, ALL THE POINTS THAT EVERYONE IS RAISING IN TERMS OF CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT.
WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THEM FOR TODAY'S CONVERSATION FOR TODAY'S DECISION.
WE MAY NOT ADDRESS THEM, BUT EVERY POINT HAS BEEN RAISED IS IN CONVERSATION.
IT IS IN CONSIDERATION WITH THE WORK THAT MJ, OUR PARTNERS AND CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS DOING.
SO DO NOT FEEL THAT YOU'RE BEING LEFT OUT.
EVERYBODY IS HURTING RIGHT NOW.
EVERYBODY NEEDS PAYROLL TO MEET.
[00:30:01]
HAS RENT TO PAY.EVERYBODY NEEDS TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
WE'RE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF HURTING ARTISTS OR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.
WE DID NOT CHOOSE TO DECREASE FUNDING.
THAT IS JUST A MATTER OF FACT, HOTEL FUNDS ARE LOCAL BECAUSE WE'RE EXPECTING LOWER THAN USUAL HOTEL STAYS.
THAT IS WHAT'S MAKING THIS DIFFICULT.
AND AS WE'RE CALLING EVERYONE TO COME TOGETHER, CONVERSATIONS ARE NEEDED TO BE HAD.
WE'RE ALL AT A DIFFERENT POINT IN OUR OWN PERSONAL JOURNEYS OF DEALING WITH SYSTEMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL RACISM AND UNDERSTANDING OUR COMPLICITY WITHIN THESE SYSTEMS. YES, I AM COMPLICIT IN THE SYSTEM.
SO KEEPING ALL OF THIS IN MIND, WE HAVE A DIFFICULT DECISION TO MAKE TODAY.
[Item 3]
AND I LIKE TO INVITE STAFF, UH, TO GIVE US AN UPDATED PRESENTATION.I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE I GET STARTED.
I JUST WANTED TO YIELD MY TIME TO YOU, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
UM, CITY HALL STAFF, IF YOU COULD BRING UP THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, PLEASE.
UM, AND WHILE THEY'RE DOING THAT, UM, CAUSE SHE'S, PENTEL CULTURAL FUNDING SUPERVISOR, UM, UM, AS CHAIR CASTILLO SAID, THE ARTS COMMISSION WORKING GROUP DID CONSIDER MANY, IF NOT MOST OR EVEN ALL OF THE, UM, COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE DURING CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS AND THE, UM, UM, EMAILS AND LETTERS WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING OVER THE LAST 48 HOURS.
SO THANK YOU TO THE ARTS COMMUNITY, UH, FOR, UM, CONTACTING STAFF AND CONTACTING GARTH COMMISSION.
WE AFFORDED THAT ON TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, I WILL TRY AND GO THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT STILL, UM, ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP AT THE LAST MEETING AND SHOWING THINGS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN GOING AT THIS FOR OVER A MONTH NOW.
UH, THE FIRST WORKING GROUP MEETING WAS ON MAY 14TH.
I THOUGHT WE LOOKED AT OVER A HUNDRED SCENARIOS.
NOW I'VE BEEN WORKING ON SCENARIOS EVEN UP TO EARLIER, UH, THIS MORNING.
SO, UM, SO WE ARE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THIS AS BEST AS WE CAN TO AS MANY OPTIONS AS WE CAN, IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
UM, THROUGHOUT THE NATION, I'M NOT GOING TO READ THIS AS I HAVE THE PAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS, BUT JUST A REMINDER THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING NATIONWIDE THAT ALL FUNDERS ARE LOOKING AT NEXT SLIDE
I MEAN, TO BE IN COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AT CURRENT LEVELS FUND TEMPO AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, KEEP DOING A HALF PERCENT IN THE RESERVES.
I WOULD LOOK AT CHEERED CUTS ROOTED IN EQUITY AND MAINTAINING A $3,000 MINIMUM AWARD.
UH, THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, WHAT KIND OF SHOW A VISUAL PRESENTATION, A REPRESENTATION OF WHAT THIS ALL MEANS? SO AGAIN, KEEPING THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT WHOLE TWO AND A HALF PERCENT IN RESERVES TEMPO AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AT 500,000.
WHAT THAT MEANS WITH THE FUNDING, A MATRIX, A WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION IS A 58% REDUCTION IN FUNDS FROM THE AFLAC 20 LEVEL TO GENERAL CONTRACTOR.
48% REDUCTION FROM FII 20 LEVEL TO LGBTQ AND DISABILITY, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, CONTRACTORS.
30% TO A LOT OF CONTRACTORS, UM, EXCEPT FOR BLACK CONTRACTORS LOOKING AT A 10%, BUT FROM FYI 20 LEVELS.
UM, AND WITH ALL OF THESE MAINTAINING A $3,000 MINIMUM AWARD, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF HOW IT SHAKES OUT COMPARED FROM FYI 2221 FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP AT THE LAST MEETING, UM, ABOUT FUNDING TEMPO, WHY CAN'T THE FUNDS LABELED EXPENSES THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED, UH, CHANGED AND WHAT DOES FULLY FUNDING ALL ILANA CONTRACTORS LOOK LIKE? SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, WE'LL START WITH THE FIRST QUESTION ABOUT TEMPO TEMPO ARTIST'S SELECTION OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS IS DEPICTED HERE.
UH, THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM AIPP CONTACTED WITH A
[00:35:01]
TOTAL OF 71 ARTISTS.UH, BUT THE BIGGEST INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ARTISTS CAME TO THE TEMPO TO THE PROGRAM IN 2017 AND 18, WHICH CREATES A MORE ACCESSIBLE ENTRY TO THE AIPP PUBLIC ART PROCESS.
THE TEMPO PROGRAM DEEPLY ALIGNED WITH THE ARTS COMMISSION SUPPORT PILLARS.
IT HAS INDEED BEEN CUT OVER SOME OF THE PREVIOUS BUDGETS, AS YOU SEE IN THE LOWER RIGHT WHERE IT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, THE $200,000 RANGE AS RECOMMENDED BY FUNDING MATRIX WORKING GROUP, BUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS A REDUCTION OVER PREVIOUS YEARS.
UM, AND AGAIN, I TALKED LAST TIME ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AND WE CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF ALLANA, UM, CONTRACTORS HAS INCREASED.
SO THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT AMONGST THE WORKING ON NEXT SLIDE.
UM, FOR ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WAS BROUGHT UP LAST NIGHT, UM, WELL, I CAN'T DO THESE EXPENSES BECAUSE, AND WE ACTUALLY DID LOOK AT EACH AND EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE EXPENSES THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED, UH, SECTION.
SO, UM, THE ZACH'S GOT MAINTENANCE AS PART OF A 99 YEAR CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY AND ZACH SCOTT THEATER CENTER THAT WAS SIGNED IN 1987.
SO OTHER WORKING GROUP BID REQUESTS THAT STAFF REACH OUT, UM, TO ASK, UH, TO ASK, TO CONSIDER THEM FOREGOING THIS PAYMENT FOR OUR FLIGHT 21 AND REACH OUT TO THE LARGER DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT REQUEST IS BEING MADE, UM, FOR MARKETING, UH, IT HELPS TO SUPPORT BURT SERVICES, LIKE VISIT AUSTIN FOR OUR LOCAL CONTRACTORS TO USE FOR FREE TO HELP THEM REACH TOURISTS.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, THERE WAS A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT THERE, UH, FOR PAR THESE ARE DOLLARS THAT ARE ACTUALLY THE REMAINING FUNDS FROM AN FYI 18 CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATION, UH, WHEREVER MEANING HIGH FUNDS FROM BACK HERE, WHERE WE ALLOCATED TO THE CITY'S CULTURAL CENTERS TO FUND EXPANDED ACCESS TO THESE FACILITIES, UH, THIS, AND IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR CULTURAL CONTRACTORS.
UM, THIS IS NOT FUNDING COMING FROM THE ATHLETIC 21 HOT ALLOCATION TECHNICALLY.
UH, BUT IT'S WHAT IS LEFT FROM THE MONEY THAT WAS INITIALLY ALLOCATED IN FYI 18.
IT'S BASICALLY BEING SHOWN HERE IN THE INTEREST OF SENSE OF TRANSPARENCY.
UM, AND SINCE IT IS STILL TECHNICALLY IN THE HOT FUND, SO IN OTHER WORDS, THE MONEY WAS ALLOCATED, IT'S STILL THERE IN THE HOT FUND.
SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF SEWING THAT IT'S THERE, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS ALREADY BEEN, UM, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, UH, THIS YEAR, LAST YEAR, MAYBE EVEN THE YEAR BEFORE, UM, WE HAVE LOOKED AT, UM, SEEING IF THOSE DOLLARS COULD BE FUNDED OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND OUT OF, UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS, UH, GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET, UH, THESE DOLLARS FROM THE MAJORITY OF EXPENSES RELATED FOR STAFF OF THE CULTURAL ARTS FUNDING PROGRAMS. UM, AND AGAIN, THE, I KNOW SOME OLIVIA WAS ON A PHONE OR, YOU KNOW, EMAILING THE BUDGET OFFICE ALMOST DAILY.
I'M LOOKING TO SEE IF WE COULD GET THESE MOVES.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE DID LOOK AT MOVING THESE ITEMS AS WELL, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, THE TOURISM AND PROMOTION, UH, THESE ARE FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S CULTURAL TOURISM PLAN, UH, DOLLARS WERE REDUCED, UH, FROM LACK OF ONLY HELP SUPPORT OR UNESCO CITY OF MEDIA ARTS DESIGNATION, UM, OF WHICH WE ARE A MEMBER.
SO AGAIN, IT'S A SLIGHT DECREASE, BUT LOOKING AT EVERYTHING, EVEN THOUGH IT'S UNPATCHABLE, WE WERE LOOKING AND WE CAME TO ANY OF THESE, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO WHAT DOES FULLY FUNDING ALL A LOT OF CONTRACTORS LOOK LIKE? UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEPING, UM, ALL OF THE OTHER ASSUMPTIONS, THE SAME, A TWO AND A HALF PERCENT IN RESERVES COME PUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AT 200,000.
UH, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT A 72% REDUCTION TO FIT 20 AWARDS FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
UM, AND THAT'S DOING A 30% REDUCTION TO LGBT AND DISABILITY, COMMUNITY CONTRACTORS.
UH, SO WE ALSO LOOKED AT THAT AT A 40 AND 50% REDUCTIONS FOR LGBTQ AND VISIBILITY CONTRACTORS.
SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, UH, SHOWS FOR THE 40%, UH, WHICH SHOWS, UM, GOES FROM 72% TO A 69% REDUCTION FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE, IF WE GO TO A 50% REDUCTION, WE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THE NUMBERS WORK, UM, EFFECTIVELY 51% REDUCTION TO LGBTQ AND DISABILITY COMMUNITY CONTRACTORS RESULTS IN A 66% REDUCTION FROM F 20 LEVELS.
UH, FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE, UM, DON'T AWARD THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT, UM, AND THAT WOULD FREE UP, UM, AROUND ALMOST $400,000, 267,791.
UM, UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THREE OF THESE SCENARIOS ACTUALLY HAVE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
[00:40:01]
AT $195,000, NOT $200,000.UM, UM, AND THAT'S, SO THE ADJUSTMENTS AMOUNT WILL STAY ABOUT $40,000.
UM, AGAIN, WHERE ALL THE OTHER ASSUMPTIONS ARE REMAINING THE SAME.
WE LIKE HAVING THAT ADJUSTMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 40 TO 80,000 OR SO, JUST IN CASE THERE'S ANY, UM, UM, UM, ADJUSTMENTS OR MATH ERRORS, MATRIX ERRORS MADE.
SO, UM, SO KIND OF LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, THE NUMBER THAT'S LISTED FIRST IS A REDUCTION FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
THE NUMBER OF LISTED SECOND IS FOR DISABILITY AND LGBTQ COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, AND THE LAST NUMBER IS FOR A ATLANTA OF CONTRACTORS.
SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, YOU KNOW, 60, 64, 62%, YOU KNOW, RANGING ANYWHERE FROM AN 18% REDUCTION FOR ATLANTA TO 10% TO 0%.
UM, SO IF WE, UM, KEEPING WITH THE ASSUMPTION OF CUTTING THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT, IF WE LOOK AT, UM, ORGANIZATIONS WITH BUDGETS OVER $250,000, UH, THEY WOULD RECEIVE A, UH, 67% REDUCTION IN THEIR AFLAC 20 AWARD, UH, WHICH MEANS GENERAL CONTRACTORS WITH BUDGETS A HUNDRED, 250,000, UH, WOULD GET A 50% REDUCTION FROM THEIR FYI 20 AWARDS.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE 51% FOR LGBTQ AND DISABILITY COMMUNITY VERSUS 30%, UM, FOR OVER AND UNDER THE 200 AND AS WELL AS KEEPING ALL ALLANA CONTRACTORS AT A ZERO, UM, CUT, UH, BUT 20% FAT FOR THOSE.
UM, AND, UH, WE BUDGETS OVER $250,000.
I KNOW THAT IS A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
SO WE TRIED TO PUT TOGETHER, UM, SOME COMPARISONS THAT SHOW YOU LOOK IN BLUE, BASICALLY.
WHAT IS THE LOWEST HUT, UM, EACH OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, TYPES OF CONTRACTORS.
SO THE INITIAL RECOMMENDATION OR DISTILL THE OUTSTANDING RECOMMENDATION MADE BY THE WORKING GROUP, UM, AT THE JUNE 17TH MEETING, UH, 58%, UH, REDUCTION FROM 20 AWARDS FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS, 48% FOR LGBT AND DISABILITY COMMUNITIES, 30% FOR A LONG CONTRACTOR.
IF WE FULLY FUND A LOT OF CONTRACTORS ARE GOING, WE'RE LOOKING AT 66% GENERAL, UH, CONTRACTOR REDUCTION ABOUT HALF FOR LGBTQ AND DISABILITY CONTRACTORS.
UM, OR IF WE WANT TO, UM, PRIORITIZE LGBTQ AND DISABILITY, UM, COMMUNITY CONTRACTORS, UM, WITH THE 0% CUTS FOR, UM, ALANA, WE BE LOOKING AT A 62% GENERAL CUT.
I'M A GENERAL CONTRACTOR, UM, NEXT SLIDE.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND, UM, HOPEFULLY IT ADDRESSED THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP LAST TIME AT THE MEETING.
UM, WE DO HAVE TO GET THE INFORMATION UNFORTUNATELY INTO THE BUDGET OFFICE TODAY.
I KNOW AT PREVIOUS MEETINGS WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A MEETING SOMETIME BEFORE JULY 13TH, JULY 15TH IS THE DATE THAT THE BUDGET WILL BE CONSIDERED BY CITY COUNCIL, BUT THE BUDGET OFFICE NEEDS THE INFORMATION PRIOR TO THAT TO GET EVERYTHING READY.
UM, SO AFTER THE JULY 13TH MEETING, UH, COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON THE CITY BUDGET IN MID AUGUST.
AND SO THAT IS MY PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO OPEN UP DISCUSSION AND TRY TO TRY TO, I KNOW THIS IS DIFFICULT.
WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET IT DONE BY LIKE TWO 15, WE'LL TAKE A TEMPERATURE CHECK.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M THINKING.
WE SHOULD TRY TO FIT OUR DISCUSSION.
I SEE YOUR COMMISSIONER MOCK, GIVE ME A MOMENT.
UM, WOULD IT BE HELPFUL IF WE KEEP THAT SECOND TO LAST SLIDE UP OR I'M SEEING ONE HEAD NOD, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, ALL RIGHT.
CAN WE BRING UP THAT PRESENTATION AND GO TO THE SECOND TO LAST SLIDE AND COMMISSIONER MARK, DID YOU DISCUSSION AND ALSO VOTING, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BARNS, YOU'RE MUTED.
UM, SO I KNOW THAT THE CURRENT CONTRACTS ARE BASED OFF OF AN ASSUMPTION.
TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS IF THE MONEY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN CONTRACTED, IT'S NOT COLLECTED.
WHERE DOES THE DIFFERENCE TO FULFILL THE, THE ISSUED CONTRACTS COME FROM? HOW ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS YEAR? FYI 20?
[00:45:01]
UH, IT JUST GOT, THE FUN GOES NEGATIVE.UM, SO THE GENERAL FUND BASICALLY ABSORBS IT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO, UH, WELL THE GENERAL FUND OF THE CITIES OR OTHER DEPARTMENTS, OR WHAT, TELL ME, UM, SO IT'S LIKE THIS, WE HAVE THE FUND THAT'S SET ASIDE FOR HOT AND WE WILL WRITE THE CHECKS AND THE CHECKS WILL CLEAR, BUT IT'S COMING FROM WHAT I CALL OUR POOL ACCOUNT.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO END IN A NEGATIVE AND THE BUDGET OFFICE IS ALLOWING US THREE YEARS TO CLEAR THAT NEGATIVE.
SO NEXT YEAR WE'LL, UM, ABSORB ABOUT A NEGATIVE 400,000 IN THE NEXT YEAR, 400,000 THAT'S IF IN FYI 21, WE COLLECT THE ESTIMATE, REMEMBER YOU'RE YOU'RE VOTING ON AN ESTIMATE.
SO THE FUND IS GOING TO GO NEGATIVE CHECKS WILL STILL CLEAR.
IT'S JUST COMING OUT OF THE POOL ACCOUNTS, LIKE COMING OUT YOUR SAVINGS.
SO WE'LL START NEXT YEAR'S DISCUSSIONS ALREADY RIP A $400,000 DEFICIT, WHICH THE WORKING GROUP HAS ALREADY FACTORED IN.
SO THEY DID NOT FACTOR IN THE FULL 1.2.
THEY REALLY FACTORED IN ABOUT A THIRD OF THAT, AS WELL AS LEAVING A TWO AND A HALF PERCENT RESERVE.
BUT THE RESERVE IS BASICALLY REDUCING THE NEGATIVE BALANCE.
I WANT TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF ONE OF THESE, UM, PROPOSALS.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK HIS HAYES'S FOR ALL THE, THE NUMBER CRUNCHING THAT HE DOES AND HIS MASTERY OF SPREADSHEETS.
UM, I KNOW THAT THESE ARE COMPLICATED FORMULAS AND I ALSO SORT OF PUSHED HIM INTO DO SOMETHING EVEN MORE COMPLICATED.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATED THE TIERED CUTS, UH, UH, RATIONALE, WHICH WE NEVER HAVE USED BEFORE.
UM, AND LOOKING AT IT TO ME, IT IS THE MOST EQUITABLE CHOICE THAT WE HAVE ON THE BOARD.
IT, UH, IT PRESERVES US LOOKING AT ALL FUNDING THROUGH A RACIAL EQUITY LENS, BUT IT ALSO PROTECTS SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LESS ABLE TO WEATHER, UH, DEEP CUTS.
UH, I REALLY DON'T THINK THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FULLY FUNDED AWANA, UM, BATCH AND THE TIERED CUTS OVER UNDER TWO 50.
AND LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT VOTING FOR ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T FULLY FUND ALLANA BECAUSE I, I FEEL THAT THAT IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
SO, UM, I LOVE THE IDEA THAT WE ARE PROTECTING OUR SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH DON'T HAVE THE STAFF TO GO OUT AND RAISE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
UH, AND OFTEN ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EVEN BEING PAID THEMSELVES.
SO I LIKE TO SEE THOSE GROUPS PROTECTED.
AND I THINK IF YOU ARE AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS MAKING OVER $200,000, UM, YOU CAN WEATHER THESE CUTS A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN THE SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS.
AND NOW IS THE TIME TO KIND OF STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND PROTECT, UH, SOME OF THESE SMALLER AUSTIN INSTITUTIONS.
AND IS THANKS FOR RUNNING ANOTHER HIT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY AT THIS POINT YOU'VE RUN SCENARIOS.
THIS IS AMAZING WORK, AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION AND ALL OF THIS, AND THANK YOU TO STAFF AND THANK YOU, THE WORKING FOR IT.
AND THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, COMMISSIONER FANTA HAS JUST TALKED ABOUT CHEERED CON CUTS FOR BUDGETS OVER AND UNDER $250,000.
AND GIVEN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I AM HEARING AND HAVE HAD, AND THE, UM, THE EMAILS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED AND THE PEOPLE WHO'VE COME TO TALK TO US, I AM, I WOULD CAUTION AGAINST MAKING ANY ASSUMPTION ABOUT THE STABILITY OR ABILITY TO WEATHER BASED ON AN ARBITRARY BUDGET NUMBER.
UM, WE HEARD FROM TAPESTRY, WE HEARD FROM VORTEX TODAY.
THESE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRYING TO MAINTAIN VENUES.
UM, THE, AND WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING TO TRY TO MAINTAIN VENUES.
WE LOST LOST FIVE SIGNIFICANT VENUES IN THIS COMMUNITY IN TWO YEARS.
UM, SO I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THAT AS A MEMBER OF THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, I WAS VERY, VERY INTERESTED IN CONTINUE TO BE IN AN EQUITY AND IN THE CHEERING ON THAT ACCOUNT, I'M ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN TRYING TO LIMIT THE DAMAGE ACROSS THE BOARD, RIGHT.
[00:50:01]
TO, TO HAVE THE LEAST DAMAGE TO THE MOST PEOPLE, GIVEN THAT THIS IS SUREAND AGAIN, THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP PUT IN A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.
UH, I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER WHOLE GUY AT THIS TIME.
I KNOW THE TIERED APPROACH IS INTRIGUING AND IT DID SORT OF, UH, MY INTEREST IN IT, BUT I FEEL LIKE I DON'T HAVE THE TIME.
AND I THINK I AGREE WITH MICHELLE'S ASSESSMENT BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS WE ASK IN THE COMMUNICATIONS, WE HAVE HEARD THAT I THINK LE KEEPING, UM, JUST THE REGULAR WORKING GROUP, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS, ACHIEVES, UH, EQUITY, UH, TO THE ATLANTA GROUPS, TO THE LGBTQ DISABILITY CONTRACTORS, ADDITIONAL, UH, PRES UH, LOWERING OF THE CUTS TO, UH, OUR BLACK CONTRACTORS AND ALSO THE LEAST DAMAGE TO THE GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
UH, I MEAN, WHAT WE ARE CALLING THE GROUP THAT'S GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, WE HAD NOT AT THAT TIME CONSIDERED NOT FUNDING WITH, UH, UH, ULTIMATELY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENTS.
I'M NOT SURE IF WE DID THAT TO THE FIRST SCENARIO WOULD THAT WOULD DO, UH, I'M SURE IT WOULD, COULD LOAD THOSE PERCENTAGES.
I THINK, UH, MAYBE A BUMPER TWO FOR THE GENERAL AND THE LGBTQ VISIBILITY CONTRACTORS, UH, AND THAT TO ME WOULD FEEL A BETTER, BUT IF WE KEEP THE, UH, CSF MS. THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT THAT ALSO DOES IN ORDER TO THE BENEFIT OF A LOT OF GROUPS MOST.
AND SO I AM OKAY WITH KEEPING THAT IN THOSE MONIES IN AND LEAVING, UH, LEAVING US WITH THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE CAME UP WITH FROM THE WORKING GROUP, THIS WASN'T, THIS WAS WORK THAT WAS VERY, UM, THOUGHTFUL AND, UM, CONSIDERED.
AND I WOULD JUST, UH, FEEL THAT I THINK AGREEING WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER PAUL GUY, THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONE THAT WILL DO THE LEAST AMOUNT OF HARM TO THE MOST FOLKS AND WILL HELP US, UH, PUSH THE NEEDLE TOWARDS EQUITY.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARZA.
I WANT TO LIKE REALLY SUPPORT MICHELLE IS, AND LULU STATEMENTS.
I'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH SEVERAL OF OUR CONTRACTORS AND I PRESENT, YOU KNOW, A MATRIX AND ASKED FOR THEIR OPINIONS, BASICALLY A, ABOUT A HALF SUPPORT, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, THE WAY THEY ARE.
UH, THE OTHER HALF KIND OF ASKED YOU FUN ALANA, 100%.
UH, I DON'T THINK A SINGLE ONE OF THEM ASKED US TO DO THAT.
UH, MOST OF THEM HAVE FAILED THAT A LOT OF OUR CORE ORGANIZATIONS, THEY'RE NOT ALL THE SAME.
AND SO NOT EVERY GROUP HAS BEEN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON PROGRAMMING AND ON STAFF AND WHATNOT.
AND WE TREAT THEM ALL THE SAME.
THAT'S REALLY NOT, NOT WHAT EQUITY IS ALL ABOUT OR BEING THE OTHER ONE.
I WAS LOOKING AT THE CS CSMS CUTS, UH, AS SOMEONE WHO STUDIED MARKETING AND ADVERTISING, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT IS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT WHEN WE DO THAT MONEY THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT MONEY, HOW MUCH ARE WE GETTING BACK AND HOW MUCH SUPPORT WE GET BACK? AND THEN WE CUT THAT OUT.
ARE WE ACTUALLY SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT? YOU KNOW, IF WE PUTTING OUT $40,000 AND WE GETTING BACK $60,000 RETURN, AND SO WE'RE GETTING MORE BOOST WITHOUT INFORMATION THERE, I REALLY DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING THAT, BUT I WOULD, I'M STILL LEANING TOWARDS OUR, OUR RECOMMENDATION.
I WOULDN'T MIND THE 0% A LOT, BUT I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT THAT WOULD HAVE ON OUR GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
AND SO COMMISSIONER CARTER, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH CUTTING CSMS, NOT NOW WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWING WHAT OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT HAS BEEN SO FAR.
I WANT TO SEE IF, DOES IT HELP US OUT? IS IT HELPING US OUT? A LITTLE BIT OF SOMEONE DOES A LOT? IS IT NOT HELPING US ZERO? AND WITHOUT THAT SPECIFIC NUMBER, I ELABORATE WHERE WE'RE MAKING A BLIND CUT AND I CANNOT SUPPORT THAT.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER VON VAN DYKE.
UH, COMMISSIONER CASTILLO, YOU SAID IN THE BEGINNING THAT TODAY'S MEETING WAS JUST ABOUT RACIAL EQUITY, BUT
[00:55:01]
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ALSO, THEN I UNDERSTOOD WRONG.CAUSE WE ARE ALSO INCLUDING LGBTQ
SO A LITTLE BIT OF CLARIFICATION.
I SAID THE PRIORITY IS RACIAL EQUITY AND HISTORICALLY WE HAVE, UM, OR THE CITY SHOULD HAS ASKED FOR SELF IDENTIFICATION OF ATLANTA GROUPS.
AND RECENTLY WE INTRODUCED SELF IDENTIFICATION OF LGBTQ AND DISABILITY GROUPS.
SO THAT'S WHY THOSE ARE REFLECTED IN THESE PROPOSED SCENARIOS.
UH, SYNOVIA, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR NO? OKAY.
WAS, DOES THAT ADDRESS WHAT YOU HAD? COMMISSIONER VAN DYKE.
DID I SEE YOUR HAND GO UP?
MMM
I DID WANT TO ASK IF THIS IS A QUICK CALCULATION THAT COULD BE MADE STAFF.
UM,
SO IF WE GO FIRST TO BLACK CONTRACTORS, AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY MONEY LEFT OVER TO ALANA, LGBTQ, AND ANY MONEY LEFT OVER TO GENERAL IT'S DO WE KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE OF? LET ME RUN THAT REAL QUICK.
UM, AS YOU RUN THAT, I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN WHY I'M INTERESTED.
UM, AGAIN, THIS, THIS IS A BRIDGE YEAR.
WE KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THE PENN NAME IS GOING TO END, SO WE ARE NOT CLEAR AS TO WHAT CONTRACTORS ARE GOING TO DO.
SO I WAS HOPING THAT THIS MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE THAT, THAT MARKETING SUPPORT MIGHT BE COVERED BY OUR LINE ITEM OF MARKETING AND LINE ITEM OF PROMOTION TOURISM.
SO, UM, IT'S NOT A HARD AND FAST RULE.
I'M JUST, THAT'S WHERE MY LOGIC CAME FROM.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, WHAT THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE IF WE STRIKE CSMS
UM, BUT THE SCENARIO I RAN REAL QUICK, UM, THAT COULD BALANCE IS IF WE DO NOT USE THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENTED WITH, YOU KNOW, KEEPING A 58% REDUCTION FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS FOR 8%, FOR LGBTQ AND DISABILITY COMMUNITY, WE'RE LOOKING AT A 10% CUT FOR ATLANTA CONTRACTORS AND 5% CUT FOR BLACK CONTRACTORS.
UM, AND I'LL START RUNNING SCENARIOS NOW WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, GO WITH ZERO AND SEE HOW MUCH THE REAL CUTS FOR BLACK CONTRACTORS AND, UM, BUILT FROM THERE.
SO, UM, WHATEVER ELSE Y'ALL MIGHT WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
I WOULD LIKE, I, I KINDA LIKED THE PURCHASES TOO FIRST.
I JUST WANT TO VERIFICATION CMSS GOES TO ALLANA A LOT OF, PLUS I DON'T JUST WANT AN ANSWER BACK, FOR INSTANCE, I'M THINKING CORRECTLY, IT GOES, IT GOES TO, THIS IS THE HENRY.
WELL, HE HE'S RUNNING THOSE NUMBERS.
SO THE, UM, A LOT OF CONTRACTORS, UM, I WOULD SAY MOST OF THE FUNDS FOR THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC, UM, MARKETING SUPPLEMENT GOES TOWARDS, UM, A LOT OF CONTRACTORS.
SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS SCREEN THAT SAYS, LET'S COMPARE THE DIFFERENT, UM, SCENARIOS.
UM, THE ONLY SCENARIOS HERE THAT ACTUALLY FUNDS ALANA ALANA AT 100% OF WHAT THEY RECEIVED IN
SO THE SECOND COLUMN, UM, THE A HUNDRED PERCENT CUTS TO CSMS IS ACTUALLY, IT'S NOT REALLY A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UM, IT'S NOT A ONE-TO-ONE FROM
AND FOR THE TIERED CUTS, THAT ONE ALSO IS NOT REFLECTED.
THEY HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT CUT TO A LAWN OR A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, FULFILLING THEY'RE RECEIVING THE SAME AWARD AMOUNT AS LAST YEAR BECAUSE, UH, MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALANNA THAT HAVE A BUDGET OVER TWO 50 WOULD RECEIVE A 20% CUTS AS WELL AS THEY WOULD NOT BE RECEIVING THE CSMS TO THAT.
THE CSMS IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TIERED CUTS EITHER.
[01:00:01]
TO BE THINKING ABOUT, SO MY ASSUMPTION BEING FUNDS FOR CSMS, BASICALLY WE ARE, UH, IF WE'RE LOWERING THE REDUCTIONS TO THE ILANA GROUPS AND I'M INCLUDING BLACK CONTRACTORS IN THAT, IN THAT CATEGORY, THAT MEANS THEY'RE BASICALLY MAKING UP FOR THE LOSS OF THE CSMS, NOT, NOT DOLLAR PER DOLLAR, BUT IT'S GOING TO THE GROUP THAT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE CSMS FUNDS.SO BY LOWERING THE PERCENTAGE OF PETS TO THEM, YOU'RE BASICALLY PUTTING IT IN THE, IN THAT, THE POOL THAT WOULD BE MISSING OUT ON THOSE EXTRA FUNDS.
I MEAN, YEAH, NO, IT WOULDN'T BE A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR.
THEY'D STILL BE GETTING A CUT BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T BE RECEIVING THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENTS.
UM, BUT THEY WOULD BE MAKING UP THOSE, THOSE DOLLARS WOULD BE MAKING UP THEIR PRIMARY AWARD EITHER THROUGH CORE OR CULTURAL HERITAGE FESTIVALS.
SO THEY'RE THE PERCENTAGE SHE, THEIR CUT WOULD BE LOWER.
SO THAT WOULD SORT OF MAKE UP FOR IT MORE OR LESS.
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THEIR CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT WAS COMPARED TO THEIR AWARD AMOUNT, BECAUSE THEY'RE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, TWO OR THREE OR A COUPLE THAT HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, OR A LOWER AWARD AMOUNT OUT WHERE THE CSMS IS A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF THEIR TOTAL AWARD.
WHEREAS A LARGER ILANA ORGANIZATION MAY HAVE A LARGER AWARD, BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CSMS IS A SMALLER PORTION.
SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT AN EVEN PERCENTAGE CHANGE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ILANA ARTISTS BY CUTTING THE CSMS, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
ALRIGHT, SO I'M CALLING ON MYSELF AND THEN COMMISSIONER BARNS.
UM, SO I FEEL LIKE THAT CONVERSATION THAT WE JUST HAD KIND OF STRENGTHENS MY, MY POSITION.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO THROW THIS CAVEAT OUT THAT I WISH WE COULD HAVE HAD TIME FOR CONVERSATION WITH, WITH A LOT OF GROUPS.
UM, BUT IF IT, IF WE'RE PROVIDING CSMS, RIGHT, CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPORT, THOSE FUNDS ARE RESTRICTED TO MARKETING, BUT IF WE'RE APPLYING THOSE FUNDS IN THEIR GENERAL AWARD, THEN THEY CHOOSE WHAT THEY'RE USING.
THEY'RE SPENDING THAT MONEY ON
THAT'S WHAT I THINK IS THAT COMMISSIONER BARNS.
SO MY QUESTION IS THIS, I MEAN, JUST GIVEN THE UNKNOWNS AND I DON'T REMEMBER THIS SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT FOR THE CULTURAL HERITAGE FESTIVALS AND WHATEVER THE P STANDS FOR.
UM,
SO I'M WONDERING, DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO POSSIBLY EITHER LOWER THAT NUMBER TO REFLECT MAYBE A PARTIAL, A PARTIAL AWARD AND THEN APPLY THOSE MONIES SOMEWHERE ELSE AS OPPOSED TO KEEPING THAT PROGRAM? UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT WHOLE,
I'LL THROW OUT VIRTUAL EVENTS AS SEUSS AND THEN FLORES HAVE TWO FOLLOW UP VIRTUAL EVENTS DO NOT COST THE SAME AS IN PERSON EVENTS.
OH, I DID RUN OUT REAL QUICK TO DO A 0% CUT TO, UM, UH, BLACK CONTRACTORS, UH, THAT WOULD, UH, RESULT IN A 12% CUT TO OTHER ILANA CONTRACTORS AND THEN LEAVE THE OTHER CUTS THE SAME 58 AND 48%.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO SAY REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE COMMISSIONER PHOTOS, UM, GOES NEXT, IS THAT, UM, CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT DOES NOT HAVE A MATCH.
UM, HOWEVER, WE ARE ALSO EXTENDING THE, UM, UH, WAVING OF THE MATCHING REQUIREMENT FOR FYI 21.
SO I REALIZED THAT RIGHT WHEN I WAS SPEAKING.
SO IF, WHEN I WAS GOING TO MAKE THIS MOOT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO, UM, MOST OF OUR, UM, FUNDING AWARDS HAVE A MATCHING REQUIREMENT.
SO THE CITY IS NOT GOING TO BE THE SOLE FUNDER.
IF WE'RE GIVING YOU $10,000 PER SET, LET'S SAY, UM, IF YOU GOT A ONE TO ONE MATCH, YOU NEED TO COME UP WITH AN ADDITIONAL $10,000 TO MEET THE MATCH.
UM, IN THIS EXAMPLE, YOU'D HAVE TO COME UP WITH $5,000.
UM, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE WAVING THE MATCHING REQUIREMENT AGAIN FOR FY 21.
SO SHARE CHRISTINA'S POINT ABOUT GENERAL FUNDING BASICALLY, UM, AS OPPOSED TO MARKETING
[01:05:01]
FUNDING, UH, STILL STANDS AGAIN WITH, YOU KNOW, NOT LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE NUMBERS TO SEE WHAT THAT KIND OF OVERALL IMPACT WOULD BE THROUGH YOU LOT, RIGHT? YEAH.FLORES, WELL, TO ADDRESS, UH, MR. BARNES'S QUESTION ABOUT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING, UM, WE DID CONSIDER THAT IN OUR WORKING ROUTE BECAUSE THIS IS FOR FYI 21, AND THAT STARTS IN OCTOBER AND GOES ONTO THE FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER.
I MEAN, WE'RE IN CRISES MODE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO CUT THE FUNDING FOR PROGRAMMING THAT PUT IN FACT HAPPEN.
I MEAN, WE'RE ASKING OURSELVES TO READ INTO THE FUTURE AND I THINK BY FUNDING THOSE PROGRAMS AND YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, ET CETERA, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UH, KEEP THAT MONEY IN THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, TO FUND THEM AT THE LEVEL THAT IS ON THE JUNE 17TH RECOMMENDATION.
AND I AGREE WITH YOU CHAIRMAN CASTILLO ABOUT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CSMS AND CUTTING THAT AND PUTTING, BRINGING IT DOWN TO THE, TO THE BOTTOM TO THE ATLANTA.
CAUSE AS I SAID EARLIER, THOSE ARE THE GROUPS THAT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THAT CSS.
AND S UH, AND SO IT MAY NOT BE, UH, AN EXACT, YOU KNOW, REPLACEMENT, BUT IT'S GETTING CLOSE AND SO LOWERING THEIR PERCENTAGE WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE.
I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS, UH, COMMISSIONER BARNES ASSUMPTION THAT, UH, HERITAGE FESTIVALS ARE GOING TO BE MOVING TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM.
I THINK THAT THE EXPENSES THAT COME WITH MOVING TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM OR DIFFERENT, YOU HAVE SOFTWARE THAT YOU NEED TO ANTICIPATE, YOU HAVE EDUCATION THAT YOU NEED TO ENROLL IN.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE, UM, AND CONVERT A LIVE PERFORMANCE TO SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY FUNCTION TO A HIGH, UM, TO THE EXPECTATIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE, ARE NOW BECOMING, UM, USED TO, WHEN IT COMES TO LIVE STREAMING EVENTS, YOU ARE GOING TO NEED CAMERAS.
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED MICROPHONES.
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TECHNICIAN STAFF.
SO I THINK WHILE IT'S EASY TO ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A HUGE VENUE AND THE BASIC OVERHEADS THAT COME WITH AN IN PERSON, UH, FESTIVAL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT EXPENSES THAT COME AND DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE FESTIVAL AND WHAT THE SCOPE OF THE PRESENTATIONS ARE GOING TO BE, YOU CAN VERY EASILY GET RIGHT BACK UP TO THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT.
SO WE CAN'T SAFELY ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A FREE ZOOM ACCOUNT, THAT ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE A FLUID TRANSITION TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM.
UM, THE CARVER CENTER JUST PUT ON THE GYM TEAM PRODUCTION, AND THAT WAS A HIGH, UM, WHILE I'M SURE THEY MADE IT WORK THE BEST THEY COULD.
I'M SURE THAT WAS NOT A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN PERSON.
SO WE JUST NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT AND BE AWARE THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO MOVE A FESTIVAL, A LARGER SIZE TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM, AS WELL AS THE MARKETING.
THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO GO INTO THAT NOW THAT WE'RE COMPETING WITH EVERYTHING BEING ONLINE, UM, AND THINGS BEING FREE.
SO, UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE INCURRING DIFFERENT EXPENSES.
UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THIS WORLD OF THE PANDEMIC, IF WE ARE EVEN SEEING REGULATIONS BEING LIFTED IN A YEAR, IF THERE'S STILL FEAR WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING INTO A SPACE WHERE THINGS NEED TO BE AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY AS WELL AS IN PERSON, IF THINGS DO OPEN UP, BECAUSE WE HAVE POPULATIONS THAT ARE VULNERABLE.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE DIRECTION THAT THINGS ARE GOING.
UM, I, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE CAN SEE THE FLEXIBILITY WITH THE CSMS AND OPEN THAT UP TO FUNDS THAT ARE MORE, HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE BEING USED.
UM, I DO NOT WANT TO SEE, UM, OUR GENERAL CONTRACTORS CAN CUT ONE 58%.
I THINK IT'S SHORTSIGHTED AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO OUR EFFORTS TO, UM, TO LIMIT THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY ORGANIZATIONS, JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T FALL WITHIN, UH, THE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE.
UM, WE'RE IN SURVIVAL MODE, THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE IN SURVIVAL MODE.
AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING THE BLACK COMMUNITY MARKER, PRIORITIZING ALANA LGBQ, THIS DISABILITY COMMUNITY, BUT WE CAN'T NEGLECT THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALSO DOING THE WORK WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THE TIME IS TWO GUYS FOR A MOTION SINCE THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING.
I'M JUST GOING TO SAY IT'S TWO 13.
[01:10:01]
SO THAT CONVERSATION I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE, UH, THE WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION WITH THE ADDED, UM, REVISION, HEADING THE C S FUNDS AND REPRIORITIZING THOSE FUNDS TO THE ALANNA, UH, BLACK CONTRACTORS AS DISCUSSED.SO WE, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR.
WE DISCUSSED TWO SCENARIOS THERE.
I DON'T WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHICH ONE YOU'RE, YOU'RE MOVING.
YOU'RE MAKING A MOTION FOR THE JUNE 17TH RECOMMENDATION WITH, UH, WITH THE CUT TO SEE AS MS, WITH THOSE FUNDS GOING TO LOWER THE ALANNA CONTRACTORS TO 12% AND THE BLACK CONTRACTORS TO 0%.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE LANDED.
AND THE OTHER TUESDAY THE SAME, THANK YOU, MOTION BY FLORES TO ACCEPT THE WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION FROM JUNE 17TH, WITH THE ADDED OF ADDENDUM OF STRIKING CSMS AND APPLYING THE FUNDS TO BLACK CONTRACTORS AND ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO ALANA CONTRACTORS.
AND IF THERE'S ANY LEFTOVER UP THE CHAIN OR DOWN THE CHAIN SECONDED BY, I THOUGHT I WAS LIKE, UM, SO THAT MOTION IS ON THE TABLE.
WE CAN ENTERTAIN FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE CLARIFICATION COMMISSIONER BARNS, THEN VAN DYKE, THEN FANTA, FANTA, YOU WERE MUTED.
SO, SO AGAIN, THESE ARE NOT GRANTS.
SO THERE ARE FEES FOR SERVICES, UM, THAT THESE GROUPS ARE PROVIDING TO THE CITIZENS AND VISITORS TO OUR CITY.
UM, GIVEN THAT THE WAY IT'S CURRENTLY FUNDED.
UM, SO AS YOU WERE TALKING, UM, COMMISSIONER SYSMON, I MEAN, I THINK, AGAIN, THAT IS A, THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING TO CONSIDER THAT DO GROUPS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO TAKE AN EVENT OR A PERFORMANCE VIRTUALLY ONLINE? HOW WILL THOSE, I MEAN, AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S THE ORGANIZATION'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FIGURE THOSE THINGS OUT.
UM, WE'RE NOT HERE TO DICTATE HOW THEY DO THEIR PERFORMANCES, BUT I JUST, I THINK THAT THERE ARE EXTENUATING CONCERNS AND THAT'S ACROSS THE BOARD.
THAT'S NOT JUST SMALL GROUPS, THAT'S LARGE, LARGE GROUPS AS WELL, BUT THESE ARE CONTRACTS THEY'RE THERE FOR, FOR FEES FOR PROVIDING A SERVICE.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE CONSIDERED.
THIS IS NOT JUST FREE MONEY TO KEEP AN ORGANIZATION AFLOAT.
AND THEN FANTE, UM, ARE WE GOING TO BE CONSIDERING THE ISSUE THAT CAME UP, UH, ABOUT WOMEN, UM, BEING INCLUDED AS A DISADVANTAGED GROUP TO THIS PROCESS? I'M SURE THAT'S A LARGE DISCUSSION, BUT THAT IS A LARGE DISCUSSION AND YOU ARE BRINGING IT UP NOW.
SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO DISCUSS, BUT I FEEL THAT, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE SORT OF ALREADY ADDRESSED IT.
UM, ANYONE ELSE CAN JUMP IN AS WELL.
UM, BUT I FEEL LIKE, AS I EXPLAINED EARLIER, LIKE A LOT OF GROUPS, CITY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS REQUESTED SELF IDENTIFICATION OF THAT WITHIN OUR APPLICATIONS.
WE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS REQUESTED SELF IDENTIFICATION OF LGBTQ I AND DISABILITIES.
UM, SO WE'VE WORKED WITH THOSE, UM, CATEGORIES AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT STAFF CAN LOOK UP TO GIVE US NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES.
WE HAVE NOT ASKED PREVIOUSLY FOR A FEMALE OR WOMEN RUN ORGANIZATIONS TO SELF IDENTIFY.
UM, SO INFORMATION WAS GIVEN, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT AS WHO'S
HOW ABOUT COMMISSIONER FANTINE WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING AND THEN I'LL COME IN WITH, WITH MY COMMENT.
I JUST WANTED A REPEAT OF THE, UH, NUMBERS, THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE REACHED BY PULLING CSMS AND GIVING IT TO A LOT ON BLACK CONTRACTORS.
BLACK WAS THAT A LOT, ANNA WAS AT 12.
LGBTQ WAS AT 48, 48 AND GENERAL WAS AT 58
UM, AND THEN THE COMMENT I WAS GOING TO MAKE IS, UM, SOME
[01:15:01]
OF THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISION STAFF DID RUN, YOU KNOW, REAL QUICK.UM, UH, SOME OF THE SMALLER, NEWER, UH, POC GROUPS, UM, COULD BE DISPROPORTIONALLY HURT, LIKE PUTTING IN REALLOCATING CS, AMS. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT UP A VERY QUICK AND DIRTY, UM, YOU KNOW, THING THAT WAS RUN BY OTHER CULTURAL FUNDING STAFF, UM, LISTENING IN ON THE MEETING.
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT PLEASE? UM, SO SMALLER NEWER OF GROUPS, UM, COULD BE DISH DISPROPORTIONATELY HURT CUTTING, AND WE ALLOCATE IN THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT.
SO THE OVERALL LORD, IN OTHER WORDS, UM, UM, COULD POTENTIALLY GO DOWN, UM, WITH THE LOSING, UM, UH, WE ALLOCATING THE CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY THEY LOOK AT, UM, UM, IF I CAN GET A TEXT ON THAT REAL QUICK.
UM, BUT, UM, UM, I WILL SHARE MORE IF I HEAR MORE, BUT JUST WANTING TO SHARE THAT, UM, IN Y'ALLS CONSIDERING THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PAUL GAR THEN FLORES.
I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE WHAT'S THAT NUMBER, RIGHT? IS THERE, IS THERE A DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT WE KNOW IS THE IMPACT AND IS THERE SOME MITIGATION THAT WE CAN DO WITH THAT?
I, YOU KNOW, I, I'M SORRY, WE DIDN'T HEAR THAT INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE MOTION BECAUSE I SORT OF HEARD IT, THAT MEMORY'S ANSWER, IT WAS COMPLICATED.
I DON'T WANT TO BE HURTING A SMALL ALANA GROUPS.
UM, EVEN IF WE LOWERED THE REDUCTION TO THEM, IF YOU'RE SAYING THAT BECAUSE OF THE COMPLICATION AND THE PERCENTAGE, I MEAN, THE FORMULAS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO END UP GETTING LESS SO THAN I THINK WE ARE THEN, UM, HURTING OURSELVES INSTEAD HELPING OURSELVES.
SO IF THAT IS THE CASE, AND YOU CAN TELL US HOW MUCH I MIGHT, UH, ASK THAT, UH, RECONSIDER AND I COULD RE REMAKE A MOTION TO YES, UH, ANN MARIE.
I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT THE SMALLER, UM, A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT WILL LIKELY HAVE A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MARKETING SUPPLEMENT OF AROUND A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO $3,750.
UM, MANY IF THEY'RE NEW CONTRACTORS THERE, THEY WERE CAPPED AT THAT $10,000 REQUEST AMOUNT.
SO THEY'RE LIKELY GOING TO HAVE, I'M GOING TO AWARD BETWEEN 3000.
UM, AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW, PROBABLY $5,000.
SO THAT PERCENTAGE, IF THEY WERE GETTING A $3,700 AWARD OR, UM, THEY WERE GETTING A $2,500 AWARD COULD BE A BIGGER CUT THAN A 10% CUT.
FOR EXAMPLE, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE MY INTERNET IS VERY SLOW, BUT THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE RANGE OF THEIR AWARDS FOR CSMS, FOR THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR IT FOR THE UNDER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR AMOUNT.
SO, UM, HOPEFULLY SOME OF THE COLLEAGUES WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THOSE NUMBERS SAYING IT'S THAT THE MIGHT BE SAFER TO THEM KEEP WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION, UH, WITH CSM AS A WHOLE, ANYWAY, THAT WOULD BE GOING MOSTLY TO THE ILANA GROUPS ANYWAY, AND STAYING WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? OR I DON'T KNOW.
SO I'M GOING TO BE DOING, I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S THE MOST STABLE AND SECOND, BUT COMMISSIONER FLORES, LET ME INTERJECT.
UM, SO I WANTED TO SAY THE SAME THING.
UM, AND AGAIN, THROUGH MY LOGIC, I WAS THINKING THAT MONEY OPENS IT UP FOR MORE USE IF IT'S IN THE AWARD AMOUNT, RATHER THAN SPECIFICALLY FOR MARKETING.
BUT ALONG WITH THAT, I WANT US AS A COMMISSION TO REVISIT OR CONTRACT WITH VISIT AUSTIN AND TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND MAYBE WE'RE LEVERAGING THAT BETTER TO HELP THESE GROUPS.
UM, THIS ISN'T THE END ALL BE ALL LIKE WE HAVE OTHER TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX, SO LET'S, LET'S DO AS MUCH GOOD AS WE CAN WITH THIS.
AND LET'S LOOK AT THE OTHER TOOLS AND SEE HOW MUCH GOOD WE CAN DO WITH THOSE TOOLS.
WELL, I GUESS COMMISSIONER POLAR AND I WAS GOING TO THROW IN.
SO, AND ALSO LOOKING AT THE OTHER TOOLS, MAYBE THERE'S A WAY TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW SIA CSMS IS DESIGNED TO GIVE IT MORE FLEXIBILITY.
UM, SO THAT, THAT IT CAN BE USED IN DIFFERENT
[01:20:01]
WAYS ANYWAY.SO THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO THIS.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE COMMISSIONER KEY AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO, BUT I JUST NOTICED YOU HADN'T SAID ANYTHING.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.
WE KNOW WHAT, AND I'LL REPEAT THE MOTION WHERE YOU'RE, WE ARE, UH, MOVING TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE WORKING GROUP, UH, JUNE 17TH, UM, WITH THE AGENDA OF STRIKING CSMS AND APPLYING THOSE FUNDS TO BRING BLACK CONTRACTORS TO ZERO, UH, A LOT OF GROUPS TO 12, UH, AND KEEPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF 38 AND 58, UM, OR FOR THE, UH, LGBTQ AND THE GENERAL 48 AND 58 48 AND 58.
COMMISSIONER FLORES, COMMISSIONER KEY AND COMMISSIONER BARNS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER POLL, GAR COMMISSIONER GARZA.
AND COMMISSIONER CASTILLO FOR AYE.
THOSE OPPOSED
ANY ABSTENTIONS COMMISSIONER VANDYKE AND AMY OH EIGHT.
I'M SEEING A YELLOW HE'S RECUSING HERSELF.
SO AMY RECUSED, UM, THAT I GUESS THE MOTION PASSES
SO, UH, THAT'S ALL THE BUSINESS THAT WE HAD TODAY.
THANK YOU TO THE WORKING GROUP FOR ALL OF THOSE MEETINGS.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR RUNNING ALL OF THOSE MULTIPLE SCENARIOS, UH, AND THE MULTIPLE SCENARIOS BETWEEN WEDNESDAY AND TODAY.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HEARD US ON WEDNESDAY AND FOLLOWED UP AND SENT US EMAILS AND SEND EMORY EMAILS.
WE WERE LOOKING AT TOUGH TIMES AT SYNOVIA.
IF YOU COULD JUST RESTATE FOR THE COMMUNITY, THE FINAL VOTE.
SO THERE IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR ON THE RECORD.
UH, JUST THE NUMBERS ARE OKAY.
UM, LET ME ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN MORE EYES ONE, NO, AND TWO RECUSALS.
IT'S ONE, ONE RECUSAL AND ONE ABSTENTION.
JUST START TALKING AND I'LL LET YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE, I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK JUST FOR THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES TO RESTATE WHAT THE VOTE WAS, BLACK, ALL OF THAT BREAKDOWN JUST FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR BLACK CONTRACTORS AT ZERO, A LOT OF CONTRACTORS AT 12.
AND GENERAL AT 58 COMMISSION GARZA.
DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT AS SOON AS PUT THAT UP IN THE SHOW US SO EVERYBODY CAN SEE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR ONE TIME, JUST ONE LAST TIME, CAN'T TAKE SNAPSHOTS OF IT OR WHATEVER, AND THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYBODY.
CAN YOU USE COMMUNICATIONS? OKAY.
WE WILL BE FAIR TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT THAT'S THE
[01:25:01]
BUG WAS SEVEN TO ONE TO ONE WITH ONE RECUSAL, A 58% REDUCTION FOR DENTAL CONTRACTORS, 48% REDUCTION FOR, UM, LGBTQ AND DISABILITY, COMMUNITY CONTRACTORS.UH, OPRAH TENDED TO A LOT OF CONTRACTORS AND NO COST COMMISSIONER KEATON, AND THEN SYNOVIA.
SO AS YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS YOU WANT TO DO, AND I'M STILL LEARNING RIGHT NOW.
SO MY QUESTION RIGHT NOW IS BEING THAT WE ARE IN A PANDEMIC GOING FORWARD.
AND MAYBE THIS QUESTION IS FIRST SO NOVIA, UM, WITH THE, OKAY, AS FAR AS BLACK CONTRACTORS, ANYONE WANTING TO APPLY FOR AS LONG AS THE ARTS GETS CONCERNED, WELL, THERE'LL BE VERBIAGE GOING FORWARD AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CASE THAT WE'RE IN NOW THAT OKAY.
THEY WILL KNOW IN THE FUTURE, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN, WHAT TYPE OF REDUCTIONS WILL HAVE TO BE ADHERED TO YEAH.
AS IT PERTAINS TO FUNDING IN GENERAL.
UH, WE WORK WITH AN ECONOMIST, JOHN HOPKINS, THE BUDGET OFFICE, ALONG WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER ON A THREE TO FIVE YEAR PROJECTION.
SO THAT INFORMATION WILL BE CONVEYED TO COUNCIL WHEN THE BUDGET IS PRESENTED, THEY USUALLY TELL LIKE WHAT'S THE PROJECTION, UM, OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX IN THE FUTURE.
AND AGAIN, UH, WE'RE IN UNCHARTERED WATERS AND WE TRY TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE TYPICALLY DEFINITELY BRING AN UPDATE AT BUDGET.
UM, IF SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS WITHIN THE
AND IF IT AFFECTS HOTELS, WE WILL DEFINITELY BRING UPDATES, UM, AT THAT TIME.
BUT THERE IS NO, LIKE
AND I KNOW PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE HAS TO BE REDUCTIONS COMING.
BUT I JUST THINK IT NEEDS TO BE IN WRITING.
PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO READ THAT AND SEE THAT.
AND I UNDERSTAND, AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT THE COMMUNITY IS ABLE TO COME AND SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO READ THIS AS WELL.
THAT, I MEAN, YOU'RE SAYING THREE TO FIVE YEARS, I'M SAYING 10, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU'RE, YOU'RE LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF YOU, IF YOU'RE GETTING
SO I THINK IT'S JUST IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO OKAY.
READ THAT AND NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TOO, TO KNOW SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
BUT I JUST THINK BARBARA IS RIGHT NOW IS VERY IMPORTANT IN WRITING.
SO WE TRY TO LINK TO THE WEBSITE, THOSE REPORTS WHEN IT'S PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, SO THAT THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE.
WE ALSO INCLUDE IT IN OUR NEWSLETTER WHEN THE SOUTH BY WAS CANCELED, I WAS IN FRONT OF THE ARTS COMMISSION, SAY, HEY, SOUTH BY IS CANCELED, UH, WALKING THEM THROUGH HOW HOT IS COLLECTED.
SO WE TRY TO VERBALLY PUT IT OUT THERE, SEND THE POWERPOINTS COMMUNICATED THROUGHOUT NEWSLETTERS.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN AT WORKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE SINCE IT, UM, SINCE SOUTH BY WAS CANCELED TO TRY TO GET GOOD NUMBERS, BUT IT IS A MOVING TARGET.
AND SO WE KNEW THERE WAS GONNA BE A DROP.
WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH UNTIL LIKE A MONTH AGO, BUT WE STAY IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH OUR BUDGET OFFICE, THE CONVENTION CENTER, OUR ECONOMIST, TO TRY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT ON THE PUBLIC.
SO YES, GETTING IT OUT EARLY TO EVERYONE IS CRITICAL AND WE TRY TO DO THE BEST WE CAN, BUT YEAH, WE TRY TO DO REPORTS AND NEWSLETTERS.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER KEATON.
WE ARE THREE MINUTES OVER TIME.
I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING IN THE PUBLIC REALM.
UM, AND I TAKE THREE O'CLOCK AND I WANT TO TAKE OWNERSHIP WITH ALL THE MOVING PIECES AROUND THE COBIT SPENDING FRAMEWORK.
I MADE AN ERROR IN TERMS OF INTERPRETATION WITH ALL THE AMENDMENTS.
SO PREVIOUSLY I HAD INDICATED THERE WAS $5 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR THE CREATIVES, UH, ASSISTANCE.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE ENTIRE BROAD CATEGORY.
[01:30:02]
SO WHAT WE WILL BE BRINGING FORTH TO THE COMMUNITY IS A PROGRAM OF A THREE POINT $5 MILLION FUNDING PROGRAM VERSUS A 5 MILLION.AND I JUST WANT TO APOLOGIZE UPFRONT TO THE COMMISSION, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF NUMBERS GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT IT'S STILL A PROGRAM TO HELP INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.
I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ERA AND PUTTING THE NUMBERS OUT IN THE PUBLIC.
SO NOVIA COMMISSIONER FLORES, MEGAN AND THE STAFF FOR, AND I KNOW SHE'S TRYING TO SAY THIS, BUT THEY, TO THE COMMISSIONER, NOT, THEY DO REGULAR COMMUNICATIONS TO ALL THE CULTURAL CONTRACTORS ABOUT THE SITUATION AS IT'S HAPPENING.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, AND I SAY, WE TRY TO MAINTAIN THAT, LET THEM KNOW AS SOON AS WE GET THAT INFORMATION.
SO THERE ARE WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS BY, UH, MEGAN AND THE CULTURAL ARTS DIVISIONS STAFF TO THE CULTURAL CONTRACTORS ABOUT THIS, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH NEW NUMBERS AND YOU PERCENTAGES BECAUSE IT'S ALL SHIFTING.
SO IT'S LIKE SHIFTING SAND UNDER US EVERY, EVERY YEAR.
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A WORKING GROUP AND A FUNDING MATRIX EVERY YEAR TO DEAL WITH THE PRESIDENT FOR THAT NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT'S A MOVING TARGET ALL THE TIME, BUT I THINK COMMUNICATIONS BY STAFF ARE, ARE, ARE IMPORTANT AND THEY ARE DOING IT AND I COMMEND THEM FOR IT.
I JUST WANT TO BRIEFLY SAY THANKS TO THE COMMISSIONER, THANKS TO THE WORKING GROUP.
THIS WAS BACK BREAKING SPIRIT, BRUISING WORKS.
WE ALL TAKE THIS RESPONSIBILITY VERY, AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S TREMENDOUSLY HARD TO PROPOSE ANY CUTS.
UM, WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR MORE SOURCES OF REVENUE TO SUPPORT THIS COMMUNITY WE'RE NOT DONE YET.
UH, SO WHILE HOT FUNDS, UH, ARE LOOKING PRETTY DIRE, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT ANY OTHER POSSIBLE SOURCES OF SUPPORT, SO THAT WILL CONTINUE FROM THE STAFF SIDE.
I ALSO JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, THE ONE BRIGHT, I THINK THAT'S A BRIGHT SPOT.
I'M NOT SURE IF EVERYONE WILL THINK IT'S A BRIGHT SPOT.
THE ONE SPOT IS, UM, THAT THROUGH THIS, THROUGH THIS PROCESS, I HAVE, UH, HAD LOTS OF FOLKS REACH OUT TO ME PERSONALLY, AND WANT TO DISCUSS THINGS WITH ME AND WHAT THE STAFF.
AND I THINK THAT COMMISSION ALSO HAS RECEIVED LOTS MORE COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE.
WE, WE WANT TO KEEP A TWO WAY STREET OF COMMUNICATION OPEN AT ALL TIMES.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO DO THIS WORK IS TO PLACE TRUST IN EACH OTHER, TO HEAR WHAT EVERYONE HAS TO SAY TO GIVE IT IT'S DUE TO HEAR THOSE VOICES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN THE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, THE APPROPRIATE PLATFORM TO BE HEARD IN THE PAST.
AND I W I WOULD LOVE FOR THAT TREND, THAT, THAT DIRECTION, THAT COMMUNICATION, THAT BRAVERY TO CONTINUE.
SO EVERYONE WHO SPOKE UP EITHER AT THE, IN THE MEETING OR SENT EMAILS OR REACHED OUT BY PHONE OR, OR, OR WANTED TO CHAT WITH US, PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
AND I KNOW IT TAKES FOUR TO TWO, THE SPIRIT TO DO THAT, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW, WHEN THERE'S SUCH A CRUSHING WEIGHT ON EVERYONE, UM, EMOTIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY, UH, I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT EASY.
WE HEAR YOU, AND WE, WE WANT TO KEEP HEARING YOU.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SPOKEN UP.
WE, WE HAVE UNDERGONE THIS BRIDGE YEAR BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF OUR CULTURAL PLANNING REVIEW PROCESS.
I, I, I WILL HAVE AN UPDATE VERY SOON FOR EVERYONE TO INDICATE HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE RESUMING.
UH, BUT PLEASE ALL OF THESE, ALL OF THESE BITS OF FEEDBACK, THESE PERSPECTIVE, THESE OPINIONS ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ARTS AND CULTURE IN AUSTIN ARE THE INTEGRAL PIECE OF WHAT WE NEED TO KEEP HEARING FOR THIS FUNDING REVIEW PROCESS.
WE NEED TO KNOW THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE, THIS PROCESS AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS REFLECT THE DEPTH AND BREADTH AND VARIETY OF OPINIONS AND, AND RESOURCES AND PERSPECTIVES OF EVERYONE WHO PARTAKES AND CONTRIBUTES TO OUR SOCIETY OF, OF REAL CLOSE KNIT FABRIC OF CULTURAL RICHNESS.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR CONTINUING TO RAISE YOUR VOICES.
IF YOU KNOW, SOMEONE IS, HAS SOMETHING TO SAY, UH, AND DOESN'T HAVE NOWHERE TO SAY IT, OR HAVE THE PLATFORM, OR KNOW HOW TO INTERCEDE, INTERJECT INTO OUR SYSTEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I WOULD BE GLAD TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND EXPLAIN ANYTHING TO THEM OR, OR GIVE THEM THE, THE PLATFORM THEY NEED.
UM, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE CONTINUE TO DO.
[01:35:01]
UH, WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT AND, UM, AND I, I REALLY AM GRATEFUL FOR THE GRACE OF THIS WHOLE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW.YOU WANT TO WRAP THIS CLOSE, CLOSE DOWN OUR MEETING? YEAH.
WELL, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYBODY FOR THE HARD, HARD WORK AND THE HEAVY LIFTING OF THE COMMITTEE AND THE STAFF, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT WORK.
AND, AND, UH, IT WAS, AS MEGAN SAID, GET THE NUMBERS AND THE ESTIMATES AT, AT THE LEVELS THAT THEY WERE, AND THEN TO REPEATEDLY RECEIVE MORE NEWS THAT WE WERE HAD EVEN LESS TO USE EVERY TIME WE THOUGHT WE HAD COME UP WITH SOME SCENARIOS THAT YOU KNOW, THAT FOR ALL BAD, BECAUSE THEY ALL CONTAINED FURTHER REDUCTION.
SO ALL OF US WERE VERY DISHEARTENED BY THAT, BUT WE DID OUR LEVEL BEST TO BE ASKED THERE, AND IT WERE WE'LL ASK POSSIBLE.
AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN DO THE HARD WORK, UH, FOR THE FUTURE ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A FAIR AND EQUITABLE SYSTEM MOVING FORWARD.
I DO WANT TO SAY PERSONALLY THAT I'M, I'M STILL WISHING FOR THE EMERGENCY FUNDING.
I KNOW IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT I WISH IT HAD, BUT I WILL MAKE, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT AND HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH OUR CHAIRMAN AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TEAM SO THAT WE CAN PUSH FORWARD ON THAT AS WELL.
CAUSE WE NEED ALL THE HELP IN TERMS OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE CAN FIND FROM EVERY CATCH FISHING, YOU KNOW, WHEREVER OUR OWN POCKETS GETTING, BUT WE REALLY NEED THEM TO DO THE HARD WORK.
AND I KNOW ALL MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS ARE COMMITTED TO DOING AS MUCH AS THEY CAN FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR LEADERSHIP.
EVERYONE WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ME WITH A FOUR COUNT FOUR COUNT BREATHING IN THROUGH YOUR NOSE.
EIGHT COUNT BREATHING OUT, MORPH.