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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-2001 Meeting I I I MUSEUM & ATTRACTIONS FUNDING SUBCOMMITTEE COMl\tIITTEE ROOM January to, 2001 PRESENT: B. Young, Mayor, M. Williams, Chairman, U. Bridges, B. Kuhlke, members, S. Loehr, RC Museum, T. Stout, Sports Council, B. White, CVB, C. Betts, LCL Museum, L. Bonner, Clerk of Commission. ABSENT: R. Colclough, member. MEDIA: Augusta Chronicle Mr. Williams: Mr. Shepard delegated me to be the chairman of this subcommittee. And we have come together to discuss and find out we can distribute and see how these funds for the museum can be (inaudible) resolved. Mr. Kuhlke brought to the floor about giving the Augusta Museum $300,000 annually. And I mentioned the other museums. That's how we got to this point because there are other entities that need funds. So we wanted to get input from everybody here to see how we can resolve this and get this on and see how we can try and produce or raise some funds and to help the city continue to grow. Mr. Kuhlke: I've suggested that we have the CVB give us an overview of their particular fund and what they do and the intention of that fund. I think that needs to play into. Actually that fund was intended to be used for to be distributed other organizations that provided overstays in Augusta. And it might be helpful for them to give us an idea of how they handle that now. Mr. A. Serotta, Chairman CVB makes a presentation on behalf of the CVB. Several years ago when this additional I percent tax was conceived being a team player we coordinated probably twenty to twenty-five groups to meet to talk about what should be in an ordinance and to recommend to the Commission what general things should be done. When the ordinance was adopted most of what we recommended be adopted. And that was to not have a political arena but to have some objective way to determine what a grant should be done and how it should be done. The makeup of the committee, which is made up of Commissioners and people at large and people from the CVB. We've had a good tourism committee and gone over and everybody has had their input. The county used to fund the museum directly. The county used to fund the 73 Amendment they used to do 575,000 for these groups. When the county had some financial trouble they wanted to come up with another way to do it. They intentional shifted to the Augusta Museum the monies they were paying out in the form of an ordinance with a theoretical decreasing amount. That was money that the county was spending that was shifted over. So of the four hundred and something thousand dollars we have to distribute part of it is regulated by an ordinance which is the S300,000 for the year 2000. The tourism committee gave out the rest of it based on criteria that was set out in the ordinance. Mr. Kuhlke: I think what prompted LlS to get together is that we're looking at the Laney Museum and the Augusta Museum of History. What we have done in the past, I think that the way it was structed is that we would fund the Augusta Museum of History 5300,000 but it would decline over a period of time. They have made a concerted effort and have gone out and raised funds. What they would like to see is for this year 2001 is for that $300,000 to remain and it I would give them and us too a year Mr. Chairman, to look and see if there are alternative ways to do some funding to both museums. It has been discussed and I don't know the exact figure that our funding of the Coliseum Authority is above what legally we are supposed to do. I think that's one area that we can take a look at that we might be able to begin to shift some of that money to the museum and then let the CVB utilize all of the funds that come in on that additional 1 percent tax for organizations that produce overnight stays. We were probably in [mancial trouble when we went to through that process we're in worse shape now than we were then. IfI'm not mistaken your allocation at this point is about $155,000 and the $300,000 is still available at this point. It could assist the museum in its operation in 2001. Mr. Williams: I would like to know how we could come up with a figure that we can work with the Laney Museum. We need to work with all of our different agencies and try and work this thing out to the objective and assist them all. After further discussion, Mr. Young: I think it would be helpful if prior to the next meeting these organizations would submit a financial statement for the last two years. The consensus of the Committee is to have each entity bring back to the next meeting a financial statement for the last two years and to take into consideration the funding sources. The next meeting will be held January 29, at 12 noon. I With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned, Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission Ibb I