Title
Approval of a Resolution Establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for the City of Olympia Cultural Access Program
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) Committee recommends approval of a Resolution establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for the City of Olympia Cultural Access Program.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for the City of Olympia Cultural Access Program.
Report
Issue:
Whether to r to approve a Resolution establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for the City of Olympia Cultural Access Program.
Staff Contact:
Marygrace Goddu, Senior Planner, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning and Development, 360.480.0923
Presenter(s):
Leonard Bauer, Director, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8206
Background and Analysis:
On April 26, 2022, Olympia voters approved Proposition One, increasing the sales and use tax to fund a cultural access program for Olympia, “Inspire Olympia.” Subsequently, City Council approved the new tax and created the Inspire Olympia Fund in May, and on July 19, held first reading on an ordinance to create a new Cultural Access Program (CAP) Advisory Board to advise City Council concerning the formulation of processes, procedures, and criteria for carrying out the stated program goals.
The program’s public benefits expressed in City Council Resolution M-2280 (December 2021) include:
1. Ensuring greater access to arts, science, culture, and heritage organizations for public school students, through programs in and out of classrooms, before and after school programs, and during the summer, and opportunities for free visits to cultural attractions;
2. creating new resources to support or promote cultural activities, events, or projects reflecting our diverse lifestyles, interests and cultures;
3. expanding access and opportunities for the general public, including students, seniors, and economically underserved populations or those on a fixed income, to attend and experience cultural events, performances, festivals, exhibits, and related programs and activities;
4. boosting the City’s economy through enhanced cultural community, job creation, and increased tourism; and
5. ensuring that cultural organizations are financially healthy and able to provide public programs and services within their facilities, in neighborhoods and communities, and in public schools.
Advisory Board Recruitment and Timing
Following the City’s customary timeline for advisory board recruitment, the CAP Advisory Board will be ready to begin work in April 2023, three months after the tax collection is scheduled to begin on January 1. It is not likely that the new board will be able to quickly build the necessary program framework for a cultural access granting cycle in the remaining 8 months of 2023.
Proposing an accelerated board recruitment process was considered but is not recommended. The CAP Advisory Board recruitment and selection should be especially thorough and deliberative, with ample time given to build community awareness of the opportunity to serve on the board and encourage a strong pool of candidates, thereby engendering public trust in the new program:
• Give careful attention to meeting city goals for diversity and inclusion, which have been included in the draft ordinance creating the new advisory board.
• Include members who represent historically marginalized racial and gender communities, ethnic backgrounds, age, and other aspects of personal and professional identity, reflecting the program’s strong emphasis on equity and access.
• Abide by state requirement that cultural access advisory councils “must include citizen representatives of constituencies and organizations with interests relevant to the work of the program including, but not limited to, leaders in the business, educational, and cultural communities” (RCW 36.160.060).
For these reasons it is recommended that the City follow its normal schedule allowing sufficient time for board recruitment and selection.
However, to facilitate advance program planning with the aim of distributing Cultural Access Funds in 2023, it is recommended that an Ad Hoc Committee be appointed to begin program planning for Inspire Olympia in the fourth quarter of 2022. Doing so will save considerable time and advance the program implementation by at least six months. This measure has a companion resolution to authorize early program staffing and start-up funding, also in 2022.
Role and Goals of an Ad Hoc Committee
The role of the Ad Hoc Committee will be to develop recommendations for consideration by the future Cultural Access Program Advisory Board.
Through facilitated meetings, the committee will engage in strategic planning on program values and objectives, and develop recommendations for fundamental program elements such as:
• basic operating framework for the granting program
• criteria and methodology for funding categories and allocations
• eligibility requirements for funding categories
• data gathering for reporting on program impact
• structuring mentor and sponsor relationships among cultural organizations
• structure and phasing for a public school cultural access program
The committee will offer strategies to tailor these program elements to Olympia’s cultural non-profit organizations and the needs of the Olympia community.
Goals for Committee Membership and Function:
• Small, no more than five members.
• Technically oriented, experienced in granting, knowledgeable about the cultural nonprofit sector.
• Committed, having availability to meet at least twice/month through March 2023.
• Short-term, to enable intensive participation.
• Diverse, representing different community perspectives as much as possible within the small group.
• Productive, resulting in recommendations that will enable the CAP Advisory Board to hit the ground running and facilitate a funding cycle in 2023.
Committee Selection and Timeline
A list of qualified committee members will be identified based on the criterial noted above, to ensure a balance and breadth of collective experience and diversity. Staff will complete outreach to determine availability and interest of potential committee members and return to Council with a list of candidates for consideration.
July - August Identify possible candidates
August - Sept Candidate outreach
September Council approval of Ad Hoc Committee Members
October - March 10 committee meetings
April 2023 Recommendations to CAP Advisory Board
Options:
1. Approve the Resolution Establishing an Ad Hoc Committee for the City of Olympia Cultural Access Program.
2. Approve the Resolution with modifications.
3. Do not approve the Resolution.
Financial Impact:
Funding for Ad Hoc Committee support is included in the proposed 2022 Inspire Olympia budget.
Attachments:
Resolution
Proposed Program Timeline