ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: April 13, 1999
Author/Local: A.Niwinski/6007
RTS No. 00558

CS&B Date: April 29, 1999

CC File No. 2051

TO:	Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	Reconsideration of 1999 Cultural Grant Recommendations

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council approve the Director of Cultural Affairs original $75,000 Operating Grant recommendation to the Arts Club Theatre (# 2), source of funds to be the Operating Grants budget.

B. THAT Council not approve a grant to Black Star Production (#10), in accordance with the Director of Cultural Affairs’ original recommendation.

Approval of Recommendation A and B will leave an unallocated balance of $13,740 in the Operating grants budget and $18,000 in the Project grants budget.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services presents the foregoing for Council’s CONSIDERATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

On November 22, 1994, City Council established the policy that cultural grant recommendations will be reconsidered only if the reconsideration requests are based on one or both of the following premises: (1) eligibility criteria have not been properly applied; or (2) the applicant’s financial situation has not been accurately assessed.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

This report relays the results of the staff reconsideration of two Cultural grant applications, as requested by grant applicants. It proposes no change in staff’s original recommendations.

BACKGROUND

In November 1994, Council approved a grant reconsideration process for Community Services and Cultural grants with the following features:

· specified grounds for reconsideration (referred to in Council Policy, above) must be identified and explained;

· staff’s reasons for initial recommendations, applicants’ reasons for seeking reconsideration, and staff’s responses, are presented in writing (see Appendix A);

· grants that are not in dispute can be considered by Council earlier than those being reconsidered; and

· some portion of the grants budget is set aside to allow for funding of new or increased grants arising from the reconsideration process.

In a letter dated 1999, all Operating and Project grant applicants were advised of staff recommendations, along with reasons for recommended reductions, or no grants. Two organizations requested reconsideration, as follows:

	Original Request	New Request	Orig. Recommen.
Arts Club Theatre:	$175,000	same	$75,000
Black Star Productions:	$1,500	$9,780	$0

On March 30, 1999 Council approved staff recommendations for the Operating and Project Grant applications not involved in the reconsideration process. The approval left a balance of $88,740 in the Operating Grants budget and $18,000 in the Project grants budget.

DISCUSSION

After the two applicants for reconsideration provided written information to support their requests, staff conducted a second review of each request. Discussions were held with representatives from both organizations, and a staff committee reviewed the original applications, supporting materials, and the information submitted with the reconsideration requests. Written submissions from applicants requesting reconsideration, together with staff responses are provided in Appendix A.

CONCLUSION

Staff are proposing no changes in the original recommendations for the reasons provided in Appendix A, and are, therefore, recommending the following:

Arts Club Theatre: $75,000
Black Star Production: $0

Given that there are no changes in staff recommendations to the two applicants requesting reconsideration, the unallocated balance in the Operating and Project grants categories, following approval of the original $75,000 recommendation to the Arts Club Theatre, will total $31,740. Staff believe that this amount will be adequate to address Project grant applications received for the second Project grant deadline that has been established for June of this year.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver