20220302-4A: Budget Recommendations for FY23 — original pdf

Recommendation

EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION 20220302-4a Seconded By: Maga Rojas FY2023 Budget Recommendations Date: March 2, 2022 Subject: Motioned By: Navarro Recommendation The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Advisory Board (MACC) recommends the City Council direct the City Manager to take the following actions and to allocate additional funds for the following items for FY 2023. These recommendations include actions that can be taken immediately outside the budget process and recommendations for the FY 2023 budget: Description of Recommendation to Council 1. Allocate sufficient funding for a Music HUB and provide a feasibility assessment for a Music Residency Program at the ESB MACC. Convert long-standing Part-Time Employees to Full-Time Employees. 2. Rationale: ALIGNMENT & PURPOSE As the City of Austin continues to champion the integration of equity into the budget process - such as pursuing formal structural changes, being deliberate in finding opportunities to prioritize equity, and redefine collaborations - the ESB MACC Advisory Board recommends the creation of a Music Hub and a Music Residency program at the ESB MACC. The 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic has created unique challenges for the local Latino music community leaving many without the means to adjust to digital platforms. Coupled with the total lack of local recording studios catering to Latino artists, many musicians have been forced to leave the profession or move from the city entirely. Together with our community, we want to shape a Music Residency program that can help put artists back to work by sharing their knowledge and experience with emerging local artists while providing much needed services and training on how to succeed in the music industry. The MACC is fortunate to have the support of our community through the 2018 voter-approved bond initiative that has allowed us to begin the work of expanding our center to better meet the needs of the community. And as we begin to collectively imagine a brighter future, music infrastructure has been identified as one of key areas of improvement. Our goal is to always stay on pace with the needs of our community, and a Music Residency program, in parallel with the creation of a music HUB at the ESB MACC, will provide our local Latino musicians with services that allow them to grow on pace with our city’s population growth, and to help us remain the “live music capital of the world.” HISTORY 1 of 2 Austin is fortunate to have music as a key component of our city’s global image. Residents and visitors alike take pride in our musical heritage in Austin with many flocking to take a photo with our Willie Nelson or Stevie Ray Vaughn statues. All the while, a home-grown sound originating from our Latino communities has persisted and gained national recognition while not being fully embraced, recognized, or appreciated by a broad local audience. There is a disconnect. As Austin continues to increase its prominence as a live music and production center, Latino artists continue to lack the resources afforded to other more mainstream genres. Even so, our local Latino musicians have overcome these challenges to receive global recognition and awards. The passing down of our music and culture has historically depended on interpersonal relationships. This makes the continuation of a regional style all but certain to disappear into a more generic format. By providing a music HUB and a Music Residency program at the ESB-MACC as part of our Phase 2 expansion, Austin can help preserve and grow a locally created style of music that is a reflection of our past, our geopolitical location relative to Latin America, and ever evolving Austin- culture. PROPOSED PROJECT SUMMARY As the MACC moves into the Phase 2 Expansion design phase, we see the design and construction phase as the ideal time to envision both the physical expansion of our center and the programmatic expansions through a more holistic process. Our request is to have a three phase program: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation a sustained budget of not less than $150,000 annually for a Music Residency program will allow for an appropriate investment in the program’s management and implementation. Planning: For the initial phase, we want to engage with our community and key music stakeholders to understand the resources needed to support local musicians. Industry expertise is needed to help identify successful models in other cities while creating a program that is tailored to the needs of our local community. We need people who know this industry best and what is needed to help sustain and inspire future generations of musicians. Implementation: The Music Residency program would begin on Day 1 after the reopening of the MACC after the Phase 2 expansion. Rather than waiting for the completion of the center before coming together to create this program, we want to see the vision put forward by the Planning phase implemented immediately. An emphasis will be placed on the hiring of local musicians to assist with the program management so we can better share their expertise and technical acumen with the community at-large. Evaluation: We acknowledge the need to have a program that is continually adapting to the needs of the community, and a program evaluation that is designed to assist the program by providing greater community oversight is important. At the MACC we have learned the more we involve our community in the planning and oversight of key programmatic offerings, the greater value these programs bring to a greater number of communities. Vote For: Goujon, Navarro, Gandy, Maga Rojas, Salas, Silva Against: None Abstain: Absent: Lopes Attest: Michelle Rojas, Staff Liaison 2 of 2