HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-04-01 Budget Committee MinutesBUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 1-7
Economic and Cultural Grant Presentations
Minutes
April 1, 2009, 7:00 PM —Presentations from Applicants
April 2, 2009, 7:00 PM -Proposed Allocations determined by Committee
Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street
CALL TO ORDER
The Citizen's Budget Subcommittee meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm on April 1, 2009 in Council
Chambers at 1175 East Main Street, Ashland Oregon.
ROLL CALL
Committee members Lemhouse, Jackson, Navickas, Heimann, Silbiger and Boenheim were present.
STAFF PRESENT: LEE TUNEBERG, ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES/FINANCE DIRECTOR
BRYN MORRISON, ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE
MELISSA HUHTALA, ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY
ELECTION OF A CHAIR
Silbiger/Lemhouse m/s Heimann as chair. All ayes.
PUBLIC INPUT
None
STAFF REPORT AND PRESENTATIONS: In order of receipt.
The Committee discussed that each presenter would be allowed 5 minutes.
Mr. Tuneberg suggested discussion at the end of the presentations on whether or not to allow presenters to
use PowerPoint for their presentations.
He spoke that this year there is $157,079 available, $45,000 for tourism and $112,079 for non -tourism.
There are 22 applicants with a requested total of $302,970.
Ms. Jackson suggested emphasizing the economic benefit of applications and to try and save some of the
funds for the City. The States budget is down 25-30%.
Mr. Lemhouse spoke to the presenters that he would like them to state what the City will economically
get back from their organization.
Ashland Independent Film Festival- They thanked the City for their support. They have over 300
volunteers in their organization. This festival brings in many people from outside the area, 20% of the
people attending the film festival will be from outside the 50 mile range. The economic impact on the
community in 2008 was $2.8 million. During the 5 days of the festival there will be 136 events and 7
venues.
Ms. Jackson questioned what scale of a festival can the % go down? They hope it will drop in future.
Since their local business sponsorship dropped by half and other grants from around the area dropped 2/3
and they had to cut 20% if their budget. They cannot give an exact percentage. Ms. Boenheim
questioned what the consequences would be if they didn't get the funds requested? They will do as much
as they can with what they have.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 2-7
ScienceWorks- Their economic impact is high due to there many programs some things they can impact
are: jobs, educators, event planners, marketing and management. Some programs they are
recommending this year a workforce development with their high school programs also after school
programs. ScienceWorks reached 6000 tourists from 43 states in 2008 that is 15% of their visitation.
They reach 9 counties regularly. They are asking for more this year due to more opportunities. They are
offering new things such as a robotics competition. They have Astronomy course for seniors and an early
childhood development exhibit.
Southern Oregon Repertory Singers -They are proposing grant money for the Songs of Shakespeare
Concert. The money will help fund local actors and local musicians. This year they are going to have
new composition. The benefit to the City is that when a piece of music is recorded it will indicate that the
1st performance was in Ashland. They have been contacted by an organization that was interested in
giving them an award in the effort of coordinated choral music. They have visited every senior complex
in the city of Medford and try and bring groups to events. They have since added 20-30 new people from
the retirement homes to attend the events. They are also working with the students at SOU at identifying
where core group of sponsors and patrons are. They are advertising to Mt. Shasta, Bend, Grants Pass, and
Klamath Falls.
Ms. Jackson questioned what the charge is for attending the concert? They answered $15 for adults and
$5 for students. Package deals are available for retirement homes.
Southern Oregon Concert Band -They are the oldest and largest free music organization in the Rogue
Valley. They are celebrating 100 years of providing many concerts. Thanks to the grant received last
year they have been able to support and feature many local talents. They performed in a joint concert
with SOU symphonic band. Their concerts benefit tourism by offering free performances. Visitors are
drawn to the diversity of their concerts. Culturally they provide to hundreds of audience members each
year. This last December there were approximately 800 people who attended veteran's concert. Their
concerts are always free to the public however they require significant costs for the band and rely on
grants and donations. All 63 members of the band are volunteers with age ranges from 14 to 93.
Ashland Community Theater- They have been around for many years have not applied for a grant for
several years. They do 4 productions a year which are readings. Their goal is to take some of the best
readings and put them in full scale productions in Ashland. They did a full production a year without a
venue. This year without a venue they still plan on doing a production (Charlottes Web). With the
tourism aspect they want to work with bed and breakfast and chamber of commerce about what their
productions are with newsletters. They have and advisory board of 12 members. Their plays support
local play writes.
St. Clair Productions -This is their loth annual blues festival which is held on Mr. Luther King weekend.
Without funding festival wouldn't happen. They stated that people come from all over and the better
known artists they get the more people they can attract. Venues feature 80 local musicians. They
purposely hold the event in January to honor Martin Luther and it is a community event to attract locals.
Still it is very diverse and attracts many others from other areas.
The Jefferson Center -They thanked the City of Ashland for the prior grants they received. As a result
they can now give 4 lectures a year instead of 2. They gave an overview of their upcoming programs.
The economic impact they bring is the lecturers come from out of the area the lecturers bring their
families to the community. They are an all volunteer no pay employee, and support employment for SOU
staff, and the Tidings for advertising.
Ballet Rogue -Ballet in the Park has been going on for 25 years. They would like the grant money to
replace the ballet floor. They bring in tourists and locals who enjoy the dance experience. Ballet in the
Park has benefited the local economy and the cultural atmosphere in Ashland. They thanked the
Subcommittee for their support and time.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 3-7
Ashland Gallery Association -Ashland Gallery Association promotes locally owned small businesses.
Their goal is to showcase local talent and provide cultural opportunities for the community. They draw in
tourists to Ashland with their marketing all year round. Specifically they promote with First Fridays every
month, and A Taste of Ashland which brings in many tourists. They reach many people with their
Gallery Guide as well. Currently 64% of their patrons come from more than 50 miles away from
Ashland. The grant money would help to keep up with marketing.
Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon/KSKQ-The Multicultural Association is Ashland
Community Radio, which is a program of the Multicultural Association. They are a volunteer program
and since last year they have had growth and increased their signal strength. They are an information
station such as emergency broadcast, road and school closures. They are locally produced and have
increased their number of producers. Internet streams have doubled. They have sponsored many local
events. They are requesting the grant to buy equipment to build the capacity of the radio station so they
can do live remote broadcast. They also need to improve their antennas.
Siskiyou Singers -The Siskiyou Singers have been going for over 26 years. They have 130 singers
singing any time, 1/3 of the singers come from the outside of Ashland. They put on an average of 6-8
concerts a year. They also participate in the Feast of Will and Veterans Day Concert. They have
participated in joint concerts with other choirs to raise money for SOU and hold elder hostile classes.
They advertise by their flyers and have a website. They are requesting the money for rental space, music,
and would like to increase what they already do by adding special events. The City will benefit
economically from the Siskiyou Singers by bringing people into the community. They have low concert
fees and many people come to see them. If not granted the money they will have to raise ticket prices or
registration fees and cut back on what is offered for the community.
NAAPA/Le Cirque Center- The NAAPA would like to create a free circus performance and circus
classes in the park that will be held this summer. Their objective is to promote arts in Ashland and
around the country. The last 4 years they have developed a circus program which started with 10 students
and now have over 100. They are developing performers and diversifying entertainment. Their programs
are Educational program and performance program. So far they have not had a show that has not been
sold out. They would like to develop a professional group of people that will go into other cities to
perform and bring people into Ashland. The grant is requested so they could offer more scholarships, and
purchase a dome. Their classes in the park are non-profit.
Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon- They thanked the City for its support. The Youth Symphony is
made of community volunteers and is a non-profit organization dedicated to the youth where they learn
and perform symphonic music. It is a great program to get the youth involved and play music outside of
school.
Oregon Stage Works -Oregon Stage Works is an Ashland Children's Theater. In an audience survey
they found that they bring in 17% of audience members outside of the 50 mile radius. Their theater
brings in national visitors, trains employees and educates locally. They are requesting the grant to reach
bench marks such as building an audience, adding more programs and to keep Oregon Stage Works
sustainable. They want to build their marketing infrastructure. There are 3 parts of Oregon Stage Works,
the main stage production, play writes unit, and Ashland Children's Theater.
Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon- Lithia Arts Guild put on events to enrich the community and boost the
local economy. They are requesting this grant so they can continue to put on Mid -Summers Dream
Festival as well as other annual events that require start up funds. Mid -Summers Dream is a firmly
established event that people in Ashland and surrounding areas look forward to and expect each summer.
It benefits the local economy in many ways through artists and musicians spending money locally as well
as tourists and locals. They have an arrangement with the Ashland school district which provides
valuable education of the arts for the students. Their goal is to attract as many people possible and to
diversify music.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 4-7
Thrive -Thrive is an organization that provides tools for families and businesses to make good decisions
regarding the environment and the community. They have a Thrive Rogue Flavor Campaign and a Food
Connection program that tries to connect business together to help the local community. Studies show
that by spending dollars locally a high percentage of those dollars tend to stay in the local economy.
Thrive gives businesses the tools to be more sustainable and serve the local community. Thanked the
City for past support and contributions.
Ms. Jackson questioned what Thrive would do differently with the increased amount of money asked?
They said would increase staff and use the money for two years worth of printing the Rogue Flavor
Guide.
Ashland's Bed and Breakfasts Association- They spoke to last years funding. This year's money is
going to pay for an incentive program to attract new visitors by offering $50 dollars off coupons of their
inns. At the travel shows in Seattle and Los Angeles they were the only Ashland representatives. The
City needs more funding to market Inns to bring people here. They want to bring more new and repeat
visitors to Ashland. To do so they would like to enhance their website. The internet is the primary tool
that visitors use to choose their destination and lodging. They want to provide more information about
the City, activities and attractions. They want to generate more tax revenues due to more visitors and use
the funds to leverage and expand
Rogue Valley Symphony -This is Rogue Valley Symphony's 42 d season. There has been a change in
the grant request; instead of 2 guest conductors for 2 a 2 concert series they will have 5 conductors for
their 5 concert series. Their offices are located at SOU and 2/3 of their budget is spent here in Ashland.
They have an economic impact of more then $800,000 in Ashland alone. They do not bring as many
people from 50 miles away due to the fact that are one of the few symphony's that travel. Predominately
their impact to the area is cultural. The symphony started as a community orchestra and has been
continuing to grow to be aprofessional orchestra.
Dancing People Company -This is a local non-profit fully professional dance organization that has been
in the area for almost 4 years. They are requesting funding for the annual Winter Solstice Production.
This production brings in community dancers with no experience and local musicians. About 600 people
attend this production yearly. Each year their work is original. The organization has had growth; they
now have a studio in Ashland so they are able to expand class offerings. They offer classes for all ages
and have a high school residency program. They have over 30 performances in the rogue valley.
Rogue Opera -Thanked the City for support. The Rogue Opera is requesting funds for the entire season
which consists of 6 programs. Last year they had people come from all over to be in one of their
productions. Their opera in the schools program reached over 18,000 students last year 246,000 students
have scene it and they did 99 shows. Their Singer education programs is based at SOU and SOU
provides space for rehearsals, classes and workshops and Rogue Opera provides services to music
students that would otherwise not be available due to the funding crisis at SOU. Some students have
chosen to go to SOU due to these programs. This year they are spending 21% of their $270,000 budget in
Ashland. The economic impact they provide is their promotions and marketing that go out to thousands
each year.
Ashland Artisan Gallery & Art Center -They are asking the City of Ashland to join in and invest in
their Art Center. They need this money to expand. They have a business plan that is going to create
business, jobs and a dynamic. This Art Center is a business about culture. They will provide 150 artists
with career development. In terms of education they will provide after school programs, mentor
programs, scholarship and residency programs. They have multiple revenue streams in their business
plan which will ensure their sustainability. This expansion will include a much bigger space where they
will have walk in art classes. They will also have retail and artist studios. Ms. Jackson questioned if this
would be one time request. They answered not necessarily but it will be a one time capital request. They
are asking for 10% of their budget.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 5-7
Mr. Lemhouse asked for them to elaborate on teaching artists to become business people. They explained
that they will be training artists how to get basic skills of running a business such as getting a license and
making a website.
Mr. Navickas questioned their confidence in the success of their business plan. They feel confident that it
will be successful.
The Imagine Project -The Imagine Project is an Ashland Historical audio walking tour. This is a one
time grant request to startup the project after that it will sustain itself. This project will be active
everyday through out the year and is geared for all ages of traveling groups. The tours can be done in
groups or individually. There will be 3 tours; each tour will have a personal guide its one mile and an
hour long. Two options will be provided; basic and expended informational tours. The Ashland Springs
Hotel will be where tourists pick up tour map and audio player.
Mr. Navickas expressed that he does not feel it is appropriate to allocate some of this grant money to the
general fund. Ms. Jackson stated that situations are different since last October and just felt it was
appropriate to talk about.
Mr. Tuneberg stated that we are following a resolution and if any changes need to be made it has to be
agreed by the entire Committee.
This meeting will be continued on April 2, 2009.
ALLOCATIONS
Mr. Heimann proposed starting with the most agreed and then work on to the most disagreed.
ScienceWorks- They are a great education component to the City. They agreed to the average.
AIFF-The festival is growing and people from outside the area come in. They have a strong business
plan. They are great for tourism.
St. Clair Productions- They have room to grow in the Blues scene and are bringing people in the
Community.
Ballet Rogue- Unsure how much they are bringing into the City. They are making a good investment
with adding a new floor.
Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon- They have been consistent throughout the years.
Ashland Artisan Gallery & Art Center- They have a good business plan. They have stability with their
buildings long term lease. If they cannot raise 50% of their budget's capital that they need to continue
with the business then they will only get half of the grant money up front. Lemhouse/Jackson ms to give
$10,000 now and $10,000 upon contract agreement for a total of $20,000. All ayes. Mr. Tuneberg
explained that if they don't follow through with the contract the money is returned and the City's uses it
for the subsequent fiscal year.
THRIVE- They have a lot to offer but may not do a whole lot for tourism. They are working with local
restaurants with local growers so the money stays in connection with the Community.
Southern Oregon Repertory Singers- They bring unique music to the community. They are based
around locals and wouldn't bring a lot of people or money in the Community. They could still function
without the money. They didn't have a strong plan for advertising.
Southern Oregon Concert Band- Small events make our Community vibrant and enticing to tourists.
By maintaining the small events we continue to bring members to the Community.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 6-7
Ashland Gallery Association -They have a strong history.
Ashland Bed and Breakfast Association- They advertise for people to come and enjoy all of Ashland
not just their Bed and Breakfast. They are fairly new and do not have a strong history of receiving grants.
Rogue Valley Symphony- Symphony relies on grant monies. As a society we should invest in the fine
arts.
Dancing People Company- They are able to fund living wage jobs for their workers so they are bringing
money in and creating jobs.
Rogue Opera- They are partnering with SOU and that will hopefully drive students to SOU.
The Imagine Project- They have a solid idea and a good proposed product but they may not bring much
into the City's economy.
Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon- They have a strong history and they support the Mid -Summers Festival.
Oregon Stage Works- They were a little unclear as to where they are going.
NAAPA/Le Cirque Center- Not clear what the long term benefit would be for the City.
Siskiyou Singers- They need to do more for the Community.
Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon/KSKQ- They are not adding to the economy. They
have a good to have historical prospective. They are doing large shows that are fully Community oriented
24 hours a day. Unclear as to what they will bring back in dollars for the Community.
Southern Oregon Concert Band- They are not adding to the economy.
Ashland Community Theater- Interesting because they are doing readings which gives exposure to new
plays.
The Jefferson Center -They are not bringing people into Ashland or making an economic impact.
DISCUSSION:
Mr. Navickas spoke regarding Ashland Artisan Gallery & Art center. He felt that they are a risky venture
to grant money to. The Committee stated that they felt that they could raise the money to meet their
contingency.
Boenheim/Lemhouse ms to adopt the prior motion of $20,000 with contingencies. All Ayes.
The Committee discussed that with the allocations how do we know if certain amounts will be used for
tourism and will it be effective. Should the Committee be allowed to change what the organizations use
the money for, whether it be for Tourism or Economic & Culture. The Committee discussed if they want
to look at the allocation between Tourism, Economic and Cultural and make any shifts for someone that
might be more readily to use the money in one category then the other. Contracts would have to be
reworded.
Lemhouse/Jackson ms to give staff discretion to move the originally proposed tourism amounts around to
the other two categories where staff sees fit and then revise the listing of the break down and e mail it to
the Committee. All Ayes.
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING
APRIL 1, 2009-PAGE 7-7
The Committee discussed the use of PowerPoint's for the presentations. Some felt it took away from the
speaker. The most effective speakers were the ones who had a clear business plan. The Committee stated
that 5 minutes per speaker was too long, next time 4 would be better.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Huhtala
Administrative Secretary
Funds Available:
Tourism
Non Tourism
Total Funding Available
AIFF
ScienceWorks
Southern Oregon Repertory Singers
Southern Oregon Concert Band
Ashland Community Theater
St. Clair Productions
The Jefferson Center
Ballet Rogue
Ashland Gallery Association
Multicultural Assoc. of So.Oregon/KSKQ
Siskiyou Singers
NAAPA/Le Cirque Center
Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon
Oregon Stage Works
Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon
Thrive
Ashland's Bed and Breakfasts Association
Rogue Valley Symphony
Dancing People Company
Rogue Opera
Ashland Artisan Gallery & Art Center
The Imagine Project
City of Ashland
Economic and Cultural Development Grant
FY 2009-10
$ 45,000
112,079
$ 157,079
Amount Requested Eric Marion Bill Greg Kate Russ Average
$ 55,000 25,000 20,466 25,000 40,000 22,000 25,000 26,244
39,500 25,000 30,500 25,000 25,000 18,000 25,000 24,750
5,500 3,000 2,500 - - - - 917
4,000 2,500 2,500 833
4,000 3,000 2,500 917
10,000 5,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 7,000 5,000
5,000 2,500 3,000 - - - - 917
5,000 5,000 5,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 5,000 4,500
20,220 10,000 11,000 15,000 16,000 16,000 20,200 14,700
11,000 10,000 5,000 - - - - 2,500
6,000 2,500 2,000 2,500 1,167
10,000 2,500 2,000 - 750
5,000 5,000 3,500 2,500 5,000 3,000 5,000 4,000
10,000 5,000 5,000 3,000 - - 5,000 3,000
11,500 6,000 5,500 4,000 4,000 5,000 5,000 4,917
24,000 15,000 10,856 22,000 15,000 20,000 24,000 17,809
10,000 2,500 4,000 5,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 6,083
10,250 10,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 2,750 5,000 5,458
6,000 5,000 6,000 - 5,000 - 2,500 3,083
15,000 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 - 5,000 5,833
25,000 - 17,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 15,333
11,000 2,500 5,000 - 5,000 5,000 - 2,917
25,000
2,500
2,500
5,000
5,000
15,000
4,000
5,500
6,079
18,000
7,000
5,500
4,000
6,000
20,000
Tourism Economic Cultural
14,182 - 11,818
12,342 3,165 9,494
1,136 - 1,364
- 2,500
1,500 3,500
2,250 500 2,250
4,154 5,794 5,052
- - 4,000
1,650 1,925 1,925
1,824 2,432 1,824
- 18,000 -
7,000 - -
550 4,950
1,000 2,000 1,000
- 1,800 4,200
6,600 13,400
Amount Requested $ 302,970 $ 157,000 $ 161,322 $ 134,500 $ 164,000 $ 131,750 $ 161,200 $ 151,629 $ 157,079 $ 47,038 $ 42,765 $ 67,276
Note: Ashland Artisan Gallery & Art Center will receive $10,000 at July 1, 2009, and will receive the remainder of the adopted amount after providing documentation, to the City, that they have
secured 20 % of their capital grant funding priorto June 30, 2010.