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TO: Mayor Thomas J. Weisner
FROM: Daniel Barreiro, Chief Community Services Officer
DATE: May 2, 2014
SUBJECT: title
A Resolution Approving the Second Cycle of Festival Funds in the Amount of $21,750 for 2014
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PURPOSE:
The City's Neighborhood Festival Fund program provides financial assistance to organizations holding public events in Aurora. These events greatly impact the quality of life in the city and help to build a sense of community. Neighborhood Festival Funds have made it possible for dozens of organizations to sponsor various events. These events have ranged from educational to recreational events throughout the year. The impact of this program continues to grow with over 21,000 people in attendance annually at all of these events combined.
BACKGROUND:
The City has been supporting organizations to stage local festivals for over two decades. One of the events recommended for financial assistance has received funding from the City for 26 years. Last year, a total of 20 organizations were recommended for financial assistance. The Neighborhood Festival Fund program has been formalized over the years to assist with the application and review process. The acceptance of applications is widely publicized to encourage participation. In addition, application packets are mailed to those organizations who received funding in the past. The application packets include the guidelines and criteria for receiving City support.
Late last year, efforts were made to enhance the program by collaborating with the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board and the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board. Both boards agreed to participate with a joint festival fund application and process. The City's 2014 Neighborhood Festival Fund application was revised to include information about both advisory boards and funding criteria. Another change was the addition of two funding cycles to assist organizations holding events in the second half of the year. Shortly after applications were received, for the first cycle for 2014, they were forwarded to the advisory boards. We shared information on initial funding recommendations with the advisory boards resulting in more equitable funding recommendations. In some cases, the City and the boards were able to reduce funding recommendations from each source while maximizing support of the organizations as a whole.
DISCUSSION:
Two festivals that are recommended for support have aggregate grant amounts that exceed the grant threshold of $5,000 that requires City Council approval and therefore a resolution approving the second funding cycle is necessary.
In March the City Council approved the first Cycle of Festival Funding totaling $12,250 and supporting 11 events.
The applications for the second funding cycle were reviewed by the Community Services Department and the Mayor's Office. In addition the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board and the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board reviewed applications and made recommendations for funding. For the second funding cycle a total of 10 organizations are recommended for funding totaling $21,750. The $21,750 is split among three funding sources: Neighborhood Festival Funds ($8,750), Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board Funds ($8,000), and African American Heritage Advisory Board Funds ($5,000). All organizations were recommended for funding by at least one funding source. The amount of funding ranges from $500 to $7,500. In addition, four organizations will receive in-kind support through a certificate of insurance, with a value of $300, provided by the City. It is more cost effective for the city to provide insurance for these events that are held on city property and require a certificate of insurance. Organizations pay a premium to get this coverage on their own. This in-kind coverage is included as part of the overall funding package.
The 2014 Special Event Budget has a provision of $18,000 in account 101-1341-450.50.60. This is an increase of $3,000 over 2013 to assist with the increasing amount of requests. The City also allocates $25,000 for the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board (215-1341-450.50-56) and the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board (215-1341-450.50-57). A list of these organizations is sent to finance to assure none have any outstanding debt with the City.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Most of these events will not have a financial impact on the City of Aurora. Four of these events will be held on City property and will be required to submit a Special Event Permit and/or a Music Festival Permit. The use of the Water Street Mall, LaSalle Street and Phillips Park will be used to stage four of these events. Any additional cost to the City for services will be addressed in each Special Event Permit.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approve the resolution for the second cycle of festival funds.
cc: Alderman O'Connor, Chairman
Alderman Mervine
Alderman Bohman
Alderman Peters, Alternate