Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cultural Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panama City CRA approves MOU to fund Publishing Museum; public asks for standardized agreements
Summary
The Panama City CRA on Nov. 4 authorized a three‑year memorandum of understanding with the St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership to fund operations and programming at the Panama City Publishing Museum, formalizing annual funding of $35,000 plus up to $10,000 in matching funds.
Panama City — The Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 4 formalizing a partnership with the St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership to support the Panama City Publishing Museum at 1134 Beck Avenue.
The MOU as presented establishes a three‑year term with two one‑year renewal options and codifies an annual allocation of $35,000 included in the FY26 budget plus up to $10,000 in matching grants or donation funds for museum operations and programming. ‘‘Center for the Arts was at about $220,000 the last time I looked at the budget in September. We’re getting $35,000 from you all,’’ Nancy Hudson, president of the historic St. Andrews Waterfront Partnership, said, describing the need for consistency in how public assets and cultural partners are funded.
Hudson also recounted the museum’s purchase history: "The city purchased the publishing museum … in 2005, October 24 from Mr. West. And the CRA basically granted the funding to the city, said we will pay this back. So over 3 years, we paid it back." Board members and staff discussed accounting and deed questions — whether ownership rests with the CRA or the City of Panama City — and asked staff to explore options to standardize agreements and funding between cultural partners such as Panama City of the Arts and the Waterfront Partnership.
Board member Street said he would like a standardized multi‑year approach to stabilize partner organizations and provide predictable support; staff noted that the CRA owns some buildings and that accounting histories and deeds vary. After discussion the board moved and approved the MOU and authorized execution.
Why it matters: The agreement formalizes ongoing CRA financial support for a local cultural institution that operates on CRA‑owned property, and board members asked staff to clarify ownership records and evaluate whether similar partners should be handled consistently in future budgets.
What’s next: The board authorized execution of the MOU and requested staff return any deed or accounting clarifications and recommend whether standardized multi‑year arrangements should be adopted for cultural partners.
