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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_ARTAB_05.16.2007Minutes of Meeting of the Arts and Culture Board City of Georgetown, Texas Wednesday, May 16, 2007 Arts and Culture Board Members present: Charles Aguillon, Nancy Blansett, Addie Busfield, Paul Gaffney, Jane Paden, Penny Plueckhahn, Ruth Roberts Members absent: Rich Bartko (unexcused), Georgene Richaud (excused) Staff attending: Eric Lashley, library director; Judy Fabry, library administrative assistant A. Chair Ruth Roberts called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m. B. Announcements from the Chair and Board members. ® Ruth Roberts spoke about broadening one's definition of art and the virtues of recycling. ® Penny Plueckhahn spoke about the previous evening's City Council meeting and the announcement made there that funding for next years Festival of the Arts should come from the Arts and Culture Board's appropriation from the City budget. Considerable discussion ensued about whether additional money would be appropriated beyond the promised 0.0025% of the general fund; whether the Board could choose the amount to appropriate for the Festival or whether $15,000 had been predetermined by the Council; whether this would be an annual grant to the Festival; and whether other organizations would /could apply to the Board for financial support, following the precedent of the Festival. Eric Lashley said he would ask Paul Brandenburg for clarification and direction in relation to this issue. As a part of the above discussion, Eric clarified that being a City- sponsored event (as the Festival of the Arts is) means that certain fees, e.g., for police protection, are waived. o Nancy Blansett described a website she found, artmarket.com, which has lots of helpful information about how to market events such as the Festival of the Arts. ® Addie Busfield told the group that she is working with others from the San Gabriel Writers League to launch the Hill Country Book Festival in November 2008. ® Charles Aguillon reminded everyone that the Boston Brass will perform Friday evening at the PAC to benefit the GISD music programs. ® Eric announced that there will be a reception Thursday evening, May 17, to open the Williamson County Art Guild's display on the second floor landing at the library. Refreshments will be served. C. Citizens wishing to address the Board. None were present. D. Consideration and approval of minutes of last meeting. Ruth Roberts made corrections to page 3, item 6, changing "had" in line 1 to "has" and making "moved" in line 5 bold. Addie moved that the minutes be accepted with those changes, Jane Paden seconded the motion, and the Board approved it unanimously. E. Consideration of and possible action on 1. CVB events calendar and the Arts and Culture Board —judo Fabry Judy said that Shelly Hargrove was unable to attend the meeting and would be invited to attend the Board's June meeting. Judy also passed out the City's media policies and asked the members to review them. It appears that flexible policies are in place already and that it would not be necessary to amend them to get more cultural events listed on the CVB calendar. Eric said that he had spoken with Shelly about the discussion at the April meeting and that she seemed to have no objection to online submissions of event information. 2. Report on proposal scoring - Charles A ug illon Charles is still waiting for the latest version of the software he needs to demonstrate the scoring method he is proposing for future public art proposals. He hopes to have it for the June meeting. 3. Report on Citv Doiz Park - Eric Lashle Eric spoke with Randy Morrow, director of Community Services, about the dog park. Randy said he only has enough budget to fence the area this year. He did say, though, that they will soon begin the process to update the Parks Master Plan and that the consultant has already told him that they need to have a public art component in the new plan. He said he would like to have the Arts and Culture Board meet with the consultant in August. As a related issue, Penny asked where the City is on the improved "entrance to Georgetown" that supposedly had been approved more than a year ago. Eric said he would ask Tom Yantis about that. 4. Report on City Attorne s response to request for donation form - Eric Lashley The form that the City Attorney designed was used for the donation by Larry and Barbara Welch of the painting by Su Allen. Ruth Roberts proposed several changes to the wording: (1) in paragraph 2, line 3, omit "the" (2) in paragraph 3, line 1, replace "it" with "donor" (3) in paragraph 3, line 4, omit "gift or" (4) in paragraph 3, line 4, add "d" to "authorize" Eric said he would make those changes to the form. Someone also suggested that the wording would have to be changed only slightly to make the form appropriate for other City departments. 5. Prioritiziniz Citv facilities or locations for public art - Tudv Fab Judy opened the discussion by suggesting that since the Board will have money to spend in the next fiscal year, a place to begin would be to decide which City facilities might be appropriate for public art. The group decided that Council Chambers, the Georgetown Municipal Complex (GMC), and possibly the Community Center should be considered. The Recreation Center will be undergoing renovation and expansion during the next year and after that it should also be considered. b Preliminary discussion regarding expected budget allocation for public art - Eric Lashley One idea for spending part of the allocation was to provide the lighting and hanging system for the large open space at the entrance of the GMC. This permanent improvement would allow rotating displays of art like those that will hang at the library. Not everyone was convinced that this was a good use of money intended for public art and some thought that individual departments should pay for the infrastructure themselves if they want to be able to display art. Eric and Judy mentioned that a number of departments share the GMC, and questioned how they would decide who should foot the bill. In addition, they pointed out that no City department has a budget for this kind of improvement. Paul Gaffney said he would visit the GMC again and come back with a report next month about what he thinks the board might do there. There also was discussion about the board doing fund- raising to increase their budget. Penny suggested an art auction and proposed putting out a call for donations. Nancy Blansett believes that Austin's program of hanging the work of local artists in City Hall for a year, allowing visitors to vote for their favorite, and then purchasing the piece that gets the most votes, is one that Georgetown could copy. She said she would sign up everyone on the board for the Austin Art In Public Places email newsletter so that members may be aware of the way Austin's public art program operates. The board agreed to revisit the budget and possible locations for public art next month. Eric said he thought the amount of money the board will have to work with should be available by then. 7 Nomination for Certificate of Excellence - Judy abry Nancy Blansett nominated Wolf Ranch for a certificate for its public art and landscaping. Ruth seconded the nomination. Paul offered an amendment to revisit the nomination next month after everyone has a chance to identify specific parts of the project to commend. Motion passed by consensus. F. Agenda items for next meeting - TudyFFabry ® Paul Gaffney on the GMC possibilities ® Public art budget ® Nomination(s) for certificates Respectfull y sub tied, Changes are prompted by two ordinances recently passed by City Council that relate to all City boards and commissions. Ordinance No. 2007-13 changed the number of persons on the library board from nine to seven. Ordinance No. 2007-16 relates to the beginning and ending dates for terms of board members and Council's power to remove members of boards and commissions. Text in red is the proposed wording_ • BYLAWS CTTY OF GEORGETOWN ARTS AND CULTURE BOARD ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE Section 1.1 Name. Arts and Culture Board of the City of Georgetown Section 1.2 Purpose. A. The purpose of the Arts and Culture Board shall be to encourage, stimulate, promote, and foster programs for the cultural enrichment of the City, thereby contributing to the quality of life in Georgetown, and to develop an awareness in the business community, in local government, and in the general public of the value of the arts. B. "The Board is responsible to, and shall act as an advisory body to • the Council and shall perform such duties and exercise such additional powers as may be described by ordinances of the Council not inconsistent with the provisions of the Charter." ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP Section 2.1 Number of members. Until March 2008 the Board is to becomposed-of nine__ -- Deleted: T ------------------- - (9) members, at which time it will be reduced to even members. Five -5 of the-- Deleted: nine (9) members should represent a broad spectrum of citizens including artists and those with Deleted: Seven a background in the arts, arts organizations and businesses, education, structural and landscape architecture. One (1) member shall be an authorized representative of the Georgetown Independent School District and one (1) member shall be an authorized representative of Southwestern University. Section 2.2 Eligibility. All members of the Board shall reside in the corporate City limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Georgetown. Arts and Culture Board Bylaws Page 1 of 5 L' Changes are prompted by two ordinances recently passed by City Council that relate to all City boards and commissions. Ordinance No. 2007-13 changed the number of persons on the library board from nine to seven. Ordinance No. 2007-16 relates to the beginning and ending dates for terms of board members and Council's power to remove members of boards and commissions. Text in red is the proposed wording_ • Section 2.3 Selection and removal of Board/Commission Members. Members of the Arts and Culture Board shall be appointed in accordance with the City Charter. Any member of the board may be removed from their position for any reason or for no reason by a majority vote of the City Council. Section 2.4 Term of Office. The term of office for members shall be two (2) years, and a maximum of two consecutive terms shall be allowed. Excentions to term limits are provided in Ordinance 2007-16. Normal yearly appointments shall be made in February.,__ -._--- Section 2.5 Vacancies. If for any reason a Board Member's position becomes vacant, then the position shall be filled in accordance with the City Charter. In the event the position is not filled immediately upon the expiration of the prior term or when a vacancy occurs, the member serves in a holdover capacity until the position is filled. Section 2.6. Compensation and Expenditure of Funds. Members of the Board serve without compensation. The Board and its members have no authority to expend funds or make an obligation on behalf of the City. Upon advance approval of the Council, Members may be reimbursed for authorized expenditures. Section 2.7. City Council Policy. Members will comply with the City Council Policy regarding Responsibilities of Board Members, as approved by the City Council. Section 2.8. Ex-officio and Alternate Members. Ex-officio members are not permitted to serve as members of the Board. The Board members representing the Georgetown • Independent School District or Southwestern University may appoint an alternate to attend the Board meetings and to vote in his or her place, provided that (i) the Board member prepares a written letter or statement to the Board designating the name of their alternate before the meeting(s) at which the alternate will be representing the Board member; and (ii) the alternate is also an employee or authorized representative of the same entity that the Board member represents and is otherwise qualified to serve. ARTICLE III. OFFICERS Section 3.1. Title of Officers. Chair, Vice -Chair, Secretary Section 3.2. Election of Officers. The Chair of the Board is appointed by the City Council. All other officers of the Board are elected by a majority vote of the Board at its first meeting after the annual appointment process, except that the first chair, vice -chair and secretary shall serve until the end of the calendar year. Section 3.3. Term of Office. Officers serve for a term of one year. Vacancies in office shall be handled as follows: In the event of vacancy in the office of the Chair, the Vice - Arts and Culture Board Bylaws Page 2 of 5 Deleted: with all members initially appointed for two full years. The second appointments shall be staggered so that five (5) members shall be appointed for two-year terms, and the remaining (4) members appointed for one (1) year terms. Thereafter, all terms shall be two (2) years. Maximum of two consecutive terms shall be allowed. 0 0 Changes are prompted by two ordinances recently passed by City Council that relate to all City boards and commissions. Ordinance No. 2007-13 changed the number of persons on the library board from nine to seven. Ordinance No. 2007-16 relates to the beginning and ending dates for terms of board members and Council's power to remove members of boards and commissions. Text in red is the proposed wording. Chair shall serve as the Chair until the Council appoints a replacement. Vacancies in offices other than the Chair will be filled by election held at the next regularly scheduled meeting or as soon as practicable for the unexpired term. In the event an office is not filled immediately upon the expiration of the prior term, that officer serves in a holdover capacity until the position is filled. Section 3.4. Duties. The Chair presides at all meetings and performs all other duties pertaining to the office, including voting. The Vice -Chair in the absence of the Chair performs all duties of the Chair. The Secretary keeps records of proceedings of all meetings. Staff liaison will keep custody of all records and documents of the Board. ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS Section 4.1. Time and Date of Regular Meeting. The Arts and Culture Board meets the third Wednesday of the month, at 2:00 p.m., unless posted otherwise. Section 4.2. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by 2/5a' of the Board Members. Section 4.3. Quorum. A quorum, which until March 2008 shall consist of five (5) members, and after February 2008 shall consist of four (4) members, gW! be required_for the Board to convene a meeting as well as conduct business. No business meeting may be convened, nor business conducted without a quorum. Provided a quorum is present, an item must be approved by a simple majority of the Board members present at the meeting at which the item is posted for action and discussed. Section 4.4. Attendance. Board Members are required to attend 75% of the Board meetings, based on excused absences, and attend 671/o of the meetings considering the total absences. Excused absences shall be determined by the Board Chair. Attendance shall be reported to the Mayor in June and January of each year and excessive absenteeism will be subject to action under Council policy. Section 4.5. Voting. Board Members shall vote on all items, except on matters involving direct personal interests or matters which would create an appearance of impropriety. In these instances, the Member shall abstain. Any Board Member excused from voting for these reasons shall announce at the commencement of consideration of the matter and shall refrain from any discussion or debate on such matter. Section 4.6. Open Meetings Act. All Board meetings and deliberations shall be open to the public and shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Texas Conflict of Interest Statutes, the City of Georgetown's Ethics Ordinance and Council Policy. Arts and Culture Board Bylaws Page 3 of 5 Deleted: and • DONATION WAIVER FORM ( j► ORGFTf)WN Georgetown Public Library 402 E. 8t' Street Texas 78626 DONOR'S NAME AND ADDRESS: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ITEM(S) DONATED: DONOR'S STATED VALUE: is DATE OF DONATION: • CONDITIONS OF DONATION: The City of Georgetown, Texas ("Recipient"), on behalf of the Georgetown Public Library, welcomes donations with the understanding that all such item(s) are donated without restrictions and shall become the sole property of the Recipient, to do with as the Recipient sees fit. Recipient hereby acknowledges receipt from Donor of the item(s) described above as of the date indicated. Recipient voluntarily accepts the item(s) "AS IS", and acknowledges that the Donor disclaims having provided any warranty as to its condition, or the merchantability for any particular purpose. Donor hereby agrees to the foregoing conditions, and further agrees that it shall make no attempt to regain ownership of such item(s). By signing this document, Donor also certifies that the item(s) is free and clear of all liens and encumbrances and that the Donor is the lawful owner of such gift or donation, and is fully authorize to donate the item(s) to Recipient. Donor's Signature Staff Signature Date Date