Council adopts budget, approves community grants, bus passes for Audubon neighborhood, new parking officer
By SARA HALL
City Council approved the 2022-23 budget, with some revisions to the 2021-22 adopted budget, during their meeting this week.
Council unanimously approved several recommendations on Tuesday (June 21). A few notable items include a new parking services officer, funds to purchase discounted summer bus passes for the Audubon neighborhood, and community and cultural arts grants, which included an additional $10,000 from leftover general fund money for three smaller organizations.
Most of the budget discussion revolved around the Community Assistance Grants and the Cultural Arts Grants programs.
Councilmember George Weiss noted that the subcommittee did a good job on allocating the funds, with the exception of the amount recommended (less than the requested amount) for the Laguna Beach Community Clinic. During the 2021-22 fiscal year, the clinic requested and received $25,000. In the current year’s budget, the clinic requested $35,000 and the subcommittee recommended $25,000.
With the ongoing COVID-19 cases and inflation, it’s important that the clinic receives funds, he noted, particularly compared to other cultural arts group that get funds from both the Community Assistance Grants and the Cultural Arts Grants.
“Health is something that’s so important to productivity and to the welfare of the community, I would have liked to see a better amount of money going to the free clinic,” Weiss said. “I’m still opposed to double dipping on these grants from the community grants to the arts grants because there’s three or four organizations that get both. It’s just odd to me.”
It’s a challenge to fairly distribute the funds when the organizations’ requests total more than they have to hand out, noted Mayor Sue Kempf, who was on this year’s subcommittee that reviewed the grant requests and allocated funds.
“These are hard because…the appetite is way bigger than the stomach,” she said.
The clinic raises quite a bit of money during their fundraisers, Kempf added, responding to Weiss’ point.
Councilmember Toni Iseman noted some concerns that some organizations have trouble fundraising, while others excel at hosting fundraising events.
“They know how to put on a party and those parties create money,” she said. “And then there are other organizations that don’t have that luxury.”
She also echoed Weiss’ concern about some organizations that “double dip” on both grant programs.
She suggested some adjusting be made so the Laguna Beach Cultural Center, Seaside Legal Services and PUP Laguna Beach would receive more.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center founder Rick Conkey
The LB Cultural Arts Center has created a special niche in the community, Iseman said.
“The doors are open, but they need more money,” she noted.
In 2021-22, the Cultural Arts Center requested $25,000 and didn’t receive any from the Community Assistance Grants program. This year, the Center requested $10,000 and the subcommittee recommended $5,000.
The Center also requested $43,850 from the Cultural Arts Grants program and the subcommittee recommended $15,000. During the last fiscal year, the Center received $4,000 from this grant funding program.
Seaside Legal Services requested $20,000 in 2021-22 and received $6,000. The same amount was requested during this fiscal year and the subcommittee recommended $5,000.
PUP Laguna Beach requested $4,000 and the subcommittee recommended $500 (the group didn’t make a request during the previous fiscal year).
Iseman suggested they reduce some of the money recommended for KX 93.5 LB Radio, Inc.
The subcommittee recommended the radio station receive $23,000 between the two grant programs ($15,000 from the community grants and $8,000 from the cultural arts grants).
Iseman suggested keeping the $8,000 earmarked for the radio station, but distributing the $15,000 to the other, smaller organizations she pointed out.
The radio station has money in the bank and makes good revenue, Iseman said.
“I don’t think we need to worry about them going hungry,” she said. “We’re trying to distribute our money to those that need it and I think that we have some that need it.”
But her fellow councilmembers were not on board with the idea.
Kempf said she’s worked with them during emergencies and it’s vital to help keep the station running.
“They’re invaluable to us,” Kempf said.
The radio station is a cultural outlet and a channel for safety information in the event of a fire or major disaster, Councilmember Peter Blake noted.
“I’m not taking a penny from the radio station,” he said. “That’s hardly enough money to support all of their staff.”
Blake suggested taking funds from No Square Theatre or another organization.
He’s already vetted all of the organizations, added Blake, who was on the subcommittee that divvied the funds up between the organizations’ requests.
The subcommittee did a good job allocating the funds, said Mayor Pro Tem Bob Whalen.
“There were a few organizations that went down from last year, but the total pot went up from last year as well,” Whalen said.
He also didn’t support reducing the radio station’s grant funds.
Whalen pointed out that they had $151,000 left over from the one-time general fund budget modifications and some of that could be added to the grant program and split up between a few other organizations.
Working from that idea, Iseman suggested the Cultural Arts Center receive $20,000, and both PUP and Seaside Legal receive $10,000 each.
Weiss then noted that the council had been discussing taking $5,000 to $10,000 from the leftover one-time general fund, not the large total amount Iseman was suggesting. Other councilmembers agreed it should be closer to that range.
Ultimately, all but Iseman agreed that $10,000 should be taken from that fund and allocated to the grant programming.
Iseman then suggested $5,000 to the Center and divide the rest between PUP and Seaside, resulting in an additional $2,500 to each.
Council unanimously approved the recommended grants with the suggested additions.
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