REGULAR MEETING of the MUSIC COMMISSION September 8, 2025 6:30 PM Austin Central Library 710 W Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701 Some members of the Music Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Shelbi Mitchell, 512-974-6318, Shelbi.Mitchell@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Nagavalli Medicharla - Chair, Pedro Carvalho – Vice Chair, Joe Silva – Parliamentarian, Scott Strickland – Secretary, Nelson Aguilar, Tami Blevins, Clarissa Cardenas, Clayton England, Cornice “Ray” Price Jr., Penny Jo Pullus, Celeste Quesada AGENDA CALL TO ORDER MUSICAL PERFORMANCE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Music Commission meeting on August 4, 2025. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on Live Music Fund collections by Kim McCarson, Program Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, Austin Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment. 3. Staff briefing on FY23 Austin Live Music Fund final reports by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, Austin Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment. 4. Staff briefing on Austin-Bergstrom Airport (AUS) live music performances/booking by Erica Shamaly, Division Manager, Music & Entertainment Division, Austin Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment. DISCUSSION ITEMS 5. 2026 Bond Program following presentation by Eric Bailey, Deputy Director, Austin Capital Delivery Services. 6. Downtown Commission engagement following update by Anne-Charlotte Patterson Communications Director, District 10. 7. Short-Term Rentals (STR) HOT collections following update by Anne-Charlotte Patterson Communications Director, District 10. 8. ACME funding guidelines final draft update by Morgan Messick, Assistant Director, Austin Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS 9. Discussion and possible action on recommendation of the updated ACME funding guidelines. 10. Approval of Emmett Beliveau’s nomination to the Rally Austin Board of Directors, Theresa Alvarez, CEO & President, Rally Austin. 11. Approval of recommendation for performance rights organizations and transparency in licensing revenue distribution practices following presentation by Secretary Strickland. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS …
Capital Delivery Services Capital Delivery Services Public Improvement Bond Program Public Improvement Bond Program Integrated Bond Program Development and Delivery Plan Integrated Bond Program Development and Delivery Plan Music Commission Update Music Commission Update Eric Bailey Eric Bailey Deputy Director Deputy Director Capital Delivery Services Capital Delivery Services September 8, 2025 September 8, 2025 “Effectively and Efficiently Deliver Quality Projects with the Concept of Speed” 1 AGENDA Improved Bond Development Process • CDS Overview • What is a General Obligation Bond Program? • • Staff Work Completed to Date • Guiding Principles, Technical Criteria, & Scoring Matrices • Progress to Date & Upcoming Milestones “Effectively and Efficiently Deliver Quality Projects with the Concept of Speed” 2 Created in 2023 with the goal of reducing project delivery time Who we are • Engineers • Architects • Project managers • Community Engagement Our partners • Consultants • Contracting teams • City asset owners • Community members • Mayor & Council Role in 2026 Bond Program One City – One Team – One Approach to effectively and efficiently deliver quality public projects. • Convene asset owner departments to develop needs assessment • Guide the process to ensure projects are vetted and scopes/schedules/budgets are accurate and realistic • Coordinate projects across departments to achieve mutual benefits What is a General Obligation Bond Program? Typical Bond Projects: • Flood and Erosion Control Improvements • New or Replacement City Facilities • Rehabilitation of Existing Facilities • Housing Infrastructure/Housing Projects • Street and Thoroughfare Improvements o Sidewalks o Traffic Signals • Park and Recreation Facilities • Public Safety Facilities (Fire/EMS/Police) • Land Purchase 4 What is a General Obligation Bond Program? Types of work NOT included: • Routine operations and maintenance activities o Potholes o Minor street repair o Landscaping maintenance o General building maintenance Improvements for short term leased space • • Code enforcement initiatives • Employee salaries (including police & fire) • AE/AW Capital Projects typically funded by using debt are funded via AE and AW revenue bonds, not General Obligation debt and thus are not for the 2026 GO Bond Program City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach to Capital Delivery 5 Improved Bond Delivery Process for 2026 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Council calls for Bond Election (Aug) Bond Election (Nov) BEATF Meetings, Council, and Public Engagement HOW WE’VE DONE BONDS …
09.08.2025 City of Austin SHORT-TERM RENTAL UPDATE Collections & Regulations Unlicensed STRs Around 80% of Austin’s STRs are unlicensed, which has led to issues with regulation and collection of the City portion of Hotel Occupancy Taxes. This year the City of Austin began to implement efforts to collect HOT and improve regulation. HOT Collection Previously, only the operators of licensed STRs were collecting and remitting HOT to the City. As of April 1, 2025, the city requires requiring platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to automate collect and remit Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues on behalf of STR properties, and remit to the City. Regulation updates In February 2025, City staff introduced detailed new regulations, and processes for bringing unlicensed STRs into compliance. Council vote and implementation was delayed by legislative action. City Council will now vote on new regulations on September 11, 2025, to go into effect on Oct 1 • Each operator must designate a local contact who be present at the short-term rental within two hours if requested by a City employee. • Noise and other neighbor complaints may lead to fines and denial of license renewal Density caps are meant to limit STR proliferation in areas prone to gentrification • If an individual owns more than one STR, the STRs must be at least 1000 feet apart unless the STRs are located in a multi-family site • On a site with four or more dwelling units, an owner may operate the greater of one or 25% of the units Regulation changes since Feb. • The appeals process for operators has been shortened and removes review by the Building & Standards Commission • While an appeal is pending, operators may still host bookings accepted before license revocation • Intent-to-revoke process now includes pre- revocation conference and compliance plan Resident Concerns • Short term rentals replace housing, especially affordable units • The density caps are not extensive enough to prevent proliferation of corporate STRs • Regulation is not sufficiently stringent to protect neighbors from noise, nuisance, and crime.
MUSIC COMMISSION MEETING 9/08/2025 H O T E L O C C U P A N C Y T A X C O L L E C T I O N S L I V E M U S I C F U N D Kim McCarson Program Manager UPDATED 9.03.2025 FY 25 Year-to-Date Hotel Occupancy Tax Collections – Live Music Fund July 2025 w/ Encumbrances $21,687 FY25 Year-to-Date w/ Encumbrances $3,254,590 % Change in Year–to-Date Total -18% $17,874 $312,748 $827,586 $19,399 $338,773 $854,923 $12,938 $323,076 $798,287 $5,509 $217,400 $744,461 $4,573 $472,660 $716,095 $36,835 $335,537 $782,771 $19,180 $288,001 $856,608 $5,354 $172,557 $754,925 $21,687 $16,485 $352,514 $816,197 $48,397 $316,607 $809,445 $17,407 $159,710 $696,141 FY 23 FY 24 FY 25 October April November May December June January July February August March September
FY23 Live Music Fund Event Program Pilot - Compliance Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (AACME) Music Commission Meeting September 8, 2025 FY 2023 Live Music Fund Event Program Pilot • 367 Awardees for “Specific Future Projects” o 41 $5,000 Grant Awards o 326 $10,000 Grant Awards • Grant Agreements executed Oct–Dec 2023 • Agreement extensions provided to ensure 12-month terms and for compliant Awardees needing more time for awarded “Specific Future Projects” FY 2023 Live Music Fund Event Program Pilot • 4 Awardees forfeited before receiving any funds • 1 Awardee did interim report evidencing the 1st payment but paid back the 2nd payment (40% of award) and did not receive the 3rd payment of (10% of award) • As of today, 34 remaining non-compliant Awardees o 17 submitted an interim report evidencing the 1st payment, but incomplete or no final report o 17 submitted incomplete or no interim report FY 2024 Austin Live Music Fund • 136 grant awards accepted out of 136 total grant awards (100%) • 135 signed agreements out of 136 total grant agreements (99%) • 134 completed Grant Agreement Orientations out of 136 total awardees (99%) • 135 completed Financial Information Forms out of 136 forms sent to awardees (99%) • 134 first payments paid out of 136 total awardees (99%) • 95 second payments paid out of 136 total awardees (70%) • 41 final payments paid out of 136 total awardees (30%) Questions Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) Thank You For Your Partnership!
Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment 2025 - 2026 Funding Guidelines Presented by Morgan Messick Assistant Director, Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) Music Commission Meeting | September 8, 2025 Major Enhancements, Based on Feedback Guidelines User Experience Single guideline document, with standardized definitions, formatting, and department processes/policies More funding levels are available for individual artists across all programs Universal Appeals process for ACME programs Established policies on double dipping/conflict of interest, in response to Audit concerns Stacked application launch, with a single intake form Measuring Program Impacts Category What the City Measures Metrics Reach & Engagement Community reach and public participation Attendance counts, demographic data Promotion Visibility and marketing efforts Event flyers, social media screenshots, VisitAustin.org listings, marketing plan analytics Impact Access Expression Resiliency Economic and cultural benefits for the creative workforce Number of jobs supported, amount of funding distributed Accessibility and inclusion for audiences and participants Diverse locations, ADA features, free/low-cost tickets/creative space, multilingual options Support for authentic artistic and cultural expression Artist reflections, new work created, creative risks taken Organizational growth, adaptability, or long- term community benefit beyond City funding New partnerships, diversified revenue, business training and professional development Austin Live Music Fund Applications open every year; grant agreement term varies from 12 to 24-months For-Profit Applicant Award Amount Professional Musician & Independent Promoter $20,000 with 24-month Grant Agreement term Professional Musician & Independent Promoter $5,000 with 12-month Grant Agreement term Live Music Venue with at least a $60,000 operating budget $70,000 with 12-month Grant Agreement term Scoring Criteria Austin Live Music Fund – Professional Musician & Independent Promoter Category Criteria – Evidence Documentation from the last three years is prioritized Available Points Music Industry Accomplishments Music industry recognition Public shows with capacities of 300 or more Audience reach, including recordings; music streams and downloads; sync licenses; tours outside of Austin; distributed physical media; and radio and media broadcasts Artist Development Austin Music Economy Development Cultural Tourism Marketing & Outreach Career training and professional development Participates in music programs for schools, cultural centers, youth, private lessons, camps, workshops, etc. Performs / volunteers at benefit concerts to raise awareness for nonprofit charity organizations Limited or no access to financial lending (points awarded if no or limited access) Pays at least the City of Austin musician pay rate to hired professional musicians Hires creatives and creative businesses year-round for such operations as merchandise production, marketing & outreach, equipment, …
