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CC - (1) Adoption of a Resolution Adopting a City Council Policy Regarding a Special Events Grant Program, as Recommended by the Finance Advisory Committee; and (2) the Creation of the Special Events Grant Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Program, and Appointment of Two Council Members Thereto.
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Meeting Date: January 9, 2017
Contact Person/Dept: Jeff Muir/Finance Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5865
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Email) An Affair of the Arts (12/13/16); (Email) Annual 4th of July Fireworks Show (12/13/16); (Email) Artwalk (12/13/16); (Email) Asian World Film Festival (12/13/16); (Email) The Culver City Car Show (12/13/16); (Email) The Centennial Celebration Committee (12/13/16); (Email) CicLAvia (12/13/16); (Email) Earthfest (12/13/16); (Email) Engage LA (12/13/16); (Email) IndieCade (12/13/16); (Email) LA Film Festival (12/13/16); (Email) LA Modernism Show (12/13/16); (Email) Taste of the Nation (12/13/16); (Email) TedX Events (12/13/16); (Email) Washington West Business District (12/13/16); (Email) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/04/17); (Email) Meetings and Agendas - Fiscal and Budget Issues (01/04/17)
Department Approval: Jeff Muir, Chief Financial Officer (11/20/16)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Adopt a Resolution adopting a City Council Policy regarding the Special Events Grant Program, as recommended by the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC); and,
2. Create the Special Events Grant Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Program, and appoint two Council Members thereto.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City Council receives regular requests for funding assistance and sponsorship for special events. Sponsorship requests for the City have historically been approved on a case-by-case basis in the form of fee waivers for City permits and staffing costs, cash sponsorships or financial reimbursements. The fiscal effect of the increasing volume and value of requests has generated concern by Council Members. On November 10, 2014, the City Council directed the FAC to develop a policy recommendation for City Council consideration as to how the City may best proceed with its support of special events.
The FAC established an ad-hoc subcommittee (FAC Subcommittee) in December 2014 and began its review of the City’s past practices and procedures, including the competitive process sponsorship policy previously adopted by the City Council and former Culver City Redevelopment Agency (CCRA) in 2011. The policy’s implementation, however, was short-lived due to the dissolution of the CCRA, which was the primary funding source for the City’s NOFA (Notification of Funding Availability) application process.
Additional research was conducted on other cities’ practices. The FAC Subcommittee discovered that many cities have adopted similar policies with competitive application processes that impose specific parameters for financial support requests of special events. This can take the form of special event grant programs with an aggregate funding cap as well as an outlined criteria for City sponsorship (e.g. minimum attendance, non-profit status, maximum number of years of support, etc.). The benefits of establishing the proposed Special Events Grant Program Policy are (1) a centralized process with a specific set of objective criteria to evaluate requests for City support of special events; (2) a system of greater transparency; and (3) improved budget reliability by reducing unanticipated costs.
After conducting extensive research and meeting with various City staff members, the FAC Subcommittee presented its initial proposal to the FAC on October 14, 2015. The proposal was a Special Events Grant Program, calling for annual applications in an effort to streamline requests to the City. The FAC passed the motion to approve the transmittal of the FAC Subcommittee's recommendations as written to the City Council pending staff review and edits that would not materially change the intent of the item. Staff spent several weeks circulating the proposal and acquiring feedback from impacted departments. Due to significant format and language changes, the proposal was returned to the FAC on April 13, 2016. Following additional discussions, the FAC passed a motion to accept the feedback received from staff on the draft of the Special Events Grant Program Policy and to transmit the final policy recommendation to City Council.
The policy recommendation from the FAC regarding special event sponsorships is to:
• Implement a Special Event Grant Program, which shall include an annual call for applications, specific qualification and objective evaluation criteria for grant applications, and defined funding levels and with outlined not-to-exceed amounts;
• Establish a funding process for the Special Event Grant Program, which shall take place through the City’s budget annual process; and
• Designate specific accounts for the purpose of appropriating funds and tracking expense fee credits as recommended through the program, which shall improve transparency by ongoing monitoring of actual costs.
Staff brought forth the proposed Special Events Grant Program Policy, as recommended by the FAC, to the City Council for consideration and direction to the FAC and/or City Manager at the meeting on October 10, 2016. Per the City Council’s direction, the Policy has been revised to include the following updates:
• SECTION B: City Council recommended an Ad Hoc Subcommittee be established to serve as the advisory panel for review of Program applications. This Ad Hoc Subcommittee would be appointed initially upon adoption of the Policy, and each year thereafter during the regular City Council subcommittee appointment process.
• SECTION E: The City Council advised that language should be incorporated that explicitly allows the Council to retain the discretion to approve off-cycle special event support requests, which shall be evaluated under same objective criteria as set forth in the Special Event Grant Program Policy.
• MISCELLANEOUS: Various non-substantive edits for the purpose of providing further clarity in the Policy.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact resulting from the creation and appointment of City Council Members to the Special Events Grant Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee or approval of this Policy. Funding associated with this program shall occur through the City’s annual budget process.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Resolution, including Exhibit A (Council Policy for Special Events Grant Program)
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Adopt a Resolution adopting a City Council Policy regarding the Special Events Grant Program, as recommended by the Finance Advisory Committee; and
2. Create the Special Events Grant Program Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Program, and appoint Council Member and Council Member thereto.