Downtown arts supporters urge council not to cut ACCA funding; request formal debate and recorded votes
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Summary
A longtime resident urged aldermen to debate and vote on proposed reductions to city funding for the Aurora Cultural Arts Commission/Paramount Center (ACCA). The speaker said the ACCA spurred downtown revitalization and called the mayor's proposed cut 'way too much.'
Mike McCoy, a lifelong Aurora resident, urged the Committee of the Whole on Aug. 5 to publicly debate proposed cuts to the Aurora Cultural Arts Commission (ACCA) budget and to record aldermen’s votes.
McCoy said ACCA and the Paramount Center played a central role in downtown revitalization over recent years and noted reports that the ACCA board planned to suspend a programming series because of anticipated budget cuts of up to 65 percent. “We want to know who's for this defunding and who's against it,” McCoy said, asking the council to hold a formal debate and vote. He said the mayor had publicly stated that $7 million allocated to ACCA in the current budget was “way too much.”
McCoy asked aldermen to clarify their positions and warned that defunding could undermine downtown economic development. His remarks were part of the public comment period and did not prompt immediate action from the committee; councilors did not take a formal vote or make a motion on the matter at the Aug. 5 meeting.
