Lerner board approves MOU funding Midland performance; city paid $62,500 to agency and will pay $62,500 to artist

The Lerner Theatre Board of Elkhart City voted Oct. 8 to approve a memorandum of understanding that memorializes city funding for the Midland concert and describes the roles of Friends of the Lerner and theatre staff.

Bob Garcia, the theatre’s director of events and finance, said the MOU was drafted and approved by the city legal department and allows the city to make two payments tied to the Midland engagement: $62,500 to the artist’s agency, United Talent Agency, which was paid Sept. 16, and a remaining $62,500 to the artist on the day of the performance. Garcia said Friends of the Lerner will sign contracts and collaborate with Lerner staff to meet event requirements and that Friends should not be required to reimburse the city for the payments.

Board members moved and seconded approval of the MOU; the board adopted the MOU by voice vote (the transcript records “Aye”; no roll‑call tally was provided).

The board recorded that the payments are funded from the Lerner 100 donated funds account. The MOU text on the record and Garcia’s remarks indicate the city and Friends of the Lerner have distinct roles: Friends will execute contracts and the city will provide the specified funding installments. The transcript does not record additional conditions, reimbursement schedules, or specific performance‑deliverable metrics beyond those payment terms.

The board’s action formalizes the funding plan for a paid concert in the centennial programming schedule; the board did not identify any additional budget appropriation at the meeting.