Senate panel delays action on bill giving Council on the Arts authority to spend $380,000 for Arts Across the Prairie; FTE request disputed

The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 2010, which would authorize the Council on the Arts to spend $380,000 from the Cultural Endowment Fund on fabrication of Arts Across the Prairie public artworks and would add one grant-officer full-time equivalent (FTE) in the agency. Committee members did not take a final vote and set the bill aside for further consideration at a later meeting.

The Cultural Endowment Fund currently holds $976,000 as of June 30 of last year; the bill would delegate $380,000 of that balance to fabrication in four regions the council says are ready to build. "The 3.80 is for 4 regions," said Jess, the Council on the Arts representative, explaining the request. She described the standard artist contract as a $55,000 artist fee and a $95,000 fabrication fee per region, and said stakeholders have been in a selection process that averages 27 to 29 months for each region.

Nut graf: The committee’s decision matters because the change would move money already appropriated into construction of permanent public artworks and because members are divided over whether the council should receive an additional FTE to support grant administration. Supporters said the funding would let contracted artists proceed and provide maintenance authority; skeptics warned about adding staff and about funding the infrastructure needed for safe public access.

Committee discussion and details

Jess said the council holds two endowments: a cultural endowment and a maintenance fund tied to Arts Across the Prairie. "Because those pieces are not yet built, my approach to this request was that it was more of a budget neutral approach to being able to build the actual structures," Jess said. She told the committee the $380,000 would come from the maintenance portion of the Cultural Endowment Fund and is intended to cover fabrication so the works can be built and then maintained.

Agency and budget staff told the committee that the maintenance fund received a $1,000,000 transfer in the 2021 biennium and that the fund’s balance has remained available. "They transferred $1,000,000 from SIF to the Cultural Endowment Fund, and then that fund balance has just been there. They're allowed to expend up to 50% annually for the maintenance of public arts projects, and this just allows them to expend $380,000 on the construction of Arts Across the Prairie projects," a budget staff member summarized.

The council also has a separate infrastructure decision package (decision package number 3) asking for roughly $559,000 in one-time funds to pay for parking lots, approaches, signage and ADA‑compliant access at several sites. That infrastructure request was not included in the Armstrong budget, and committee members were told the $559,000 would need separate approval if the committee wished to fund it.

Scope of the projects

Council testimony identified eight planned installations statewide, four of which the council said are ready to build. Jess walked committee members through the council’s new website and showed proposed designs for Regions 2, 4, 6 and 8, describing one as a large steel-and-glass sculpture and others incorporating steel, lighting and mosaics made from local soil and pottery studios. "We are ready to build in 4 of the 8 regions," Jess said. The council said each installation will be viewable from a roadside location and that signed easements exist; the first easement term was described as 30 years with the option to renew for another 20.

FTE request and debate

The bill also includes a request for an additional grant-officer FTE intended to provide internal grant-portal support, deeper grantee assistance and outreach to smaller communities. Jess described the position as hybridized with a prior administrative hire and said it would help smaller organizations that do not have dedicated grant-writing staff. "We want to make sure that we're also supporting the initiatives... that are in smaller communities or smaller... operating budgets who may not otherwise be able to write those grants," Jess said.

Several senators questioned whether the FTE should be added now. Senator Davison said he did not support the FTE and that his opposition should not delay other parts of the bill. Senator Mather said he was "very comfortable with the budget and that we proceed," noting the projects had been under development for years and that the endowment’s use would surface work that otherwise sat idle. Senator Cleary asked for clarity about why the maintenance dollars were not previously expended and pressed whether the Armstrong budget’s omission of the infrastructure request reflected intent or a funding shortfall.

Procedural actions

A motion to "do not pass" Senate Bill 2010 was made on the floor, but the motion failed for lack of a second and no formal vote on the bill was taken. The committee chair then set the bill aside to be taken up after two hearings the next morning; committee staff invited agency representatives to attend but said it was not required.

Quotes

"The 3.80 is for 4 regions," Jess said, describing the $380,000 delegation from the maintenance fund.

"We are ready to build in 4 of the 8 regions," Jess said while describing the council’s website materials and proposed designs.

"I don't support the FTE," Senator Davison said; he added that his no vote should not prevent the subcommittee from moving other parts of the budget if it had the votes.

Next steps

Committee members agreed to revisit the bill after morning hearings the following day; no final action occurred in the session covered by this transcript. The council said it could also accept donated funds for site infrastructure if language allowing donations remains in its appropriation.

Ending: The committee recessed and scheduled further consideration of Senate Bill 2010 for late morning the following day.