Marietta council approves tourism-grant package after Parks Committee recommendation; allocations named

The City Council approved a tourism-grants package and a set of individual allocations after the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Committee forwarded a recommendation at its committee meeting.

At the committee meeting members discussed how to divide a tourism grants pool and whether to hold some funds in reserve for large events (the committee discussed the upcoming Club World Cup, an All-Star Game and July Fourth weekend). Committee members recommended a lump-sum total and asked staff to present the item at a special-called council meeting that same evening.

At the special-call meeting the council voted to approve the lump-sum amount recommended by the committee (read during the meeting as “$9.43 $1.70” in the record). The motion to approve the total passed on a 5–1 vote, with one abstention. Council then voted to approve the 18 individual awards listed on the second page of the committee packet; that motion also passed 5–1.

The council hearing included a line-by-line reading of the recommended awards and amounts. Staff read the recommended awards aloud; those amounts in the record included the following (names and amounts as read at the meeting): Alley Stage Foundation $20,000; Brumby Hall & Gardens $68,000; City staff services (city marketing/staff request) $221,170; Cobb County NAACP $25,000; Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society $35,000; Georgia Metro Dance Theater $22,000; Georgia Symphony Orchestra $24,000; Historic Marietta Square branding $6,000; Lemon Street Classic $18,000; Marietta Arts Council $18,000; Marietta Educational Garden Center $6,000; Marietta History Center $160,000; Marietta Theatre Company $26,000; Marietta Cobb Museum of Art $95,000; Old Zion Heritage Museum $30,000; Strand (Smith) Theater $100,000; Georgia Ballet $17,000; Theater Square Art Alliance $35,000.

Separately the council considered three related items — funding for the Marietta Visitor Bureau, the Welcome Center lease and a city staff marketing request — and approved those items. Staff read the recommended amounts for those three items during the special-call meeting: Marietta Visitor Bureau $400,000; Welcome Center lease $887,000; city staff marketing request $30,000. The council approved those items in a separate motion; the meeting record shows that vote carried unanimous for that motion (6–0) for the items cited on the special-call agenda.

Committee members noted that some money could be held in reserve to respond to unexpected major events. The council also approved a motion to “re-look” at these grants in December for any special tourism grant requests that arise later in the year; that motion passed (recorded as 5–1 with one abstention). Staff said grant applicants would be notified after the special-call meeting and that the city would proceed to process contracts and allocations consistent with council action.

All quoted award amounts and totals were read aloud from the committee packet and recorded in the meeting transcript; staff and council members occasionally used shorthand when reading the overall lump-sum number during the public meeting.