Jasper Arts Commission: Budget cuts

Jasper’s Arts Department hasn’t been immune to the budget cuts required in the 2017 budget.

Unlike other departments, the arts is largely funded through ticket sales for the events it holds throughout the year.

Arts Director Kit Miracle reported that the cuts for the remaining 2016 and the upcoming 2017 budgets will take a chunk from their operations and affect planned purchases for the department.

Accordingly, Miracle presented the new adjusted budgets for 2016 and 2017. The remainder of the 2016 budget has been reduced by $35,000 while $27,000 was removed from the 2017 budget. She went on to explain that because of tax caps and other lower revenues for the city of Jasper, the moves were necessary.

Board president Mike Jones was quick to point out that the cuts affect all departments, not just the arts department.

Of the items cut, Miracle said that $3,000 was cut from the alcohol line item, $3,000 from general supplies, and $8,000 from contractual services.

She also said that they also had to eliminate $10,000 that they had allocated towards a new lighted sign that will upgrade the existing sign on Third Avenue in front of the entrance to the VUJ campus. Miracle reported that while they offered to help VUJC share in the cost of the project, no plan or agreement was reached for the project, so the money was cut from the budget.

In total, the cuts amounted to 5.5 percent from the 2016 budget.

From the 2017 budget 4 percent was trimmed. A total of $4,000 was taken out of the repair line item, which Miracle says will affect repairs to the aging Arts Center facility. That leaves a total of $15,000 for repairs at a time when heating and cooling equipment is showing signs of excessive wear and tear and is beginning to break down.

Technical Director and Building Manager Doreen Lechner reported that one of the HVAC units died recently and the price tag to replace the unit was $3,350.00. The board approved the expenditure. Lechner reported that the unit was around 12 to 15 years old and the remaining units are older still.

Miracle says that to mitigate problems like this, the commission board can move money around twice per year to try to handle unexpected expenses.

She reported that a total of $27,000 was removed from the 2017 budget. But, in spite of the cuts, they managed to give employees in the Arts Department a 1.5 percent raise next year.

Another item eliminated from the budget is chain motors for the auditorium that are used to raise and lower the speaker systems for artists that bring their own. Lecher reports that the motors eliminate reduce the time it takes for musicians’ technical crews to set up their own sound systems for concerts.

A motion was made and seconded and passed by the board to accept the revisions to the 2017 budget.

The board also heard:

• Miracle tell the board that the March show with the Willis Clan has been cancelled, but has been replaced with the Annie Moses Band. The board approved the move. The Annie Moses band is a family of violin and string players with a lot of energy and spirit and has performed at the Arts Center previously for a Christmas.
• Board member Linda Kahle reports that yard signs and T-shirts for vote “yes” for the library referendum are available at the library Annex building. She says that Jasper LEADs has over $4 million in hand, but is hoping to have $6 million by the Nov election.