to: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from: Jeffrey J. York, Public Arts Administrator
Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Director of Business Management
subject: Budget Ordinance Amendment to Accept Transferred Funds from the Chapel Hill Public Art Commission
date: September 8, 2008
The purpose of this budget amendment request is to facilitate the transfer of CHPAC funds to the Town as intended and directed by the Council at their January 14, 2008 meeting. The fund transfer will enable the new Public Art Office to meet operational and programmatic expenses to fulfill its current mission of enlivening the community through public art.
On January 14, 2008 Town Council enacted an amendment to Article XII Chapter 2 of the Town Code. This amendment created an Office of Public Arts to assume financial and programmatic responsibilities formerly under the auspices of the Chapel Hill Public Art Commission (CHPAC), a separate 501c3 organization, funded primarily through Town appropriation. To initially fund the operations and programs of the newly created office, two sources of funding were indentified. The first source of funds is a re-authorization of funds from fiscal 2008, which had been allocated to CHPAC, but were retained until the Public Arts Office had been established and a Public Arts Administrator hired. These funds are being requested through a separate budget amendment submitted to Council by the Business Management Director. The second source of funding is derived from CHPAC funds not expended in Fiscal 2008. As part of the transition agreement, CHPAC agreed to a transfer of their remaining funds to the Town after the transition took place and an administrator was hired.
On June 16, 2008 a Public Art Administrator assumed responsibility of the Public Art Office. Since that time, this staff person has been working with the CHPAC board to meet its incurred financial obligations and close its bookkeeping so that the remaining funds could be transferred to the Town for appropriation and use by the Public Art Office. The amount of the transfer will be $24,014. Such appropriated funds would generally be used for popular existing programs established by the CHPAC: the Artist@Work school residency, the Community Art Project, temporary exhibitions at Town Hall and the public library, to administer the percent for art selection procedures, the annual outdoor sculpture exhibition, and to revise current programs or develop new collaborative programs with Town staff and Chapel Hill organizations as determined through dialog with the Town Manager, Town Council, and the new CHPAC Advisory Board.
That the Council enact the attached budget ordinance amendment to accept the transference of funds from CHPAC to the Town for operation of the new Public Art Office.