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Volusia County Council deadlocks on reinstating $611,000 in cultural grants after weeks of public outcry
Summary
After hours of public testimony and council debate, a motion to approve county cultural grants failed 4–3. Speakers on both sides urged the council to either restore the $611,000 or redirect the funds to roads; councilmembers disagreed on whether the money should come from the general fund or ECHO.
Public speakers and cultural organizations pressed the Volusia County Council on Tuesday to restore $611,000 in competitive cultural grants the council had previously placed in question, but the council did not approve any awards.
The council considered a motion to approve the list of current grant applicants, a package staff and the Volusia County Cultural Council had scored and recommended; the motion failed on a 4–3 roll call. The failure leaves the grant program’s future unresolved as the county moves into budget season.
The debate opened with residents and nonprofit leaders describing the economic and social return on the county’s small cultural investment. Cameron Vincent, executive director of Art House Foundation and vice president of the Volusia County Cultural Alliance, told the council that the $611,000 equates to “a dollar per person per year” and that the county’s analysis shows the grants return about $1.99 in local economic activity for every dollar invested.
“It's an investment that pays,” Vincent said, noting more than 2,300 residents had signed a…
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