IVINS, Utah ' The Ivins Arts Commission voted Jan. 9 to recommend that the City Council award $17,000 each to Tuacon and the Kayenta Arts Foundation from the city's Recreation, Arts and Parks (RAP) regrant pool and leave the remaining balance in commission reserve.

The recommendation follows presentations by nonprofit representatives and discussion among commissioners about past festival attendance, capital needs and the commission's own project pipeline. Commission members made the recommendation by motion and vocal vote; the commission chair said she will present the recommendation to the Ivins City Council on Jan. 16.

Commissioners said the funds would help two local nonprofit arts organizations sustain festivals and programs that draw visitors and support local artists. The commission reported RAP collections of $215,034.19 for the current period and said a $5,000 set-aside is reserved in a bond-and-trust account; after those deductions the commission said $45,011.40 remained available for regranting this cycle.

At the meeting, representatives described how last year's festivals had been affected by the departure of a long-standing contractor who had managed artist contacts and event administration. "A long term contractor had been running all of our festivals ... he resigned from his position but also took all of the data and contacts with him and was not willing to share that information with us," said Miranda, a commission staff member who reviewed applicant reports. She said the organizations moved administration in-house and that attendance looked "more sparse" even though overall numbers were not drastically lower.

Kayenta Arts Foundation and Tuacon told the commission they are using new application platforms and regional marketing funds to rebuild artist rosters and attract visitors. "We changed to the Zap application process for Art in Kayenta ... that application portal is managed by Creative West and contains a database of thousands of artists across the western region," Miranda said. She also said the organizations had qualified for separate Utah tourism marketing funds to help attract out-of-state visitors.

Commissioners pressed applicants on specific needs. Tuacon described a capital request to add restrooms at the Entrada venue. The applicant said the building's facilities were designed for a high-school population and now serve rehearsals, classes and performances with short intermissions. The Tuacon representative described the full project cost as about $147,000 and said the organization was requesting a "small portion" from this RAP cycle for plumbing and fixture work.

After discussion about community arts priorities and the commission's limited discretionary pool, a commissioner moved that the commission recommend awarding $17,000 each to Tuacon and the Kayenta Arts Foundation, with the remainder retained in the Ivins Arts Commission reserve. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The commission chair said she will present the recommendation to the Ivins City Council on Jan. 16 for final approval.

What the commission decided not to do tonight: the funding recommendation is advisory. The council will vote next week; commissioners said they wanted the council to hear the full discussion and applicant presentations before a final appropriation.

ACTIONS AT THIS MEETING

Motion: Recommend awarding $17,000 each to Tuacon and the Kayenta Arts Foundation from the available RAP regrant pool; retain the remaining funds in the Ivins Arts Commission reserve.
Mover: Commissioner (name not specified in transcript)
Second: Commissioner (name not specified in transcript)
Outcome: approved (recommendation to Ivins City Council for final approval Jan. 16)
Notes: Commission reported RAP collections of $215,034.19 and a $5,000 set-aside; available regrant funds after set-aside: $45,011.40.

Short-term context: The commission recommended matching last year's awards to the two nonprofits while preserving some reserve for city projects such as murals, utility box wraps and crosswalk-safety art that commissioners said they plan to pursue.