Mayor Dan Reitlinger told the Muncie Board of Public Works and Safety at its Dec. 30 meeting that the city will extend its memorandum of agreement with the Muncie Arts and Culture Council for three years at $10,000 per year. "So we're extending this another 3 years... It's $10,000 per year," Reitlinger said, and added the agreement now permits the council to use the funds for operating expenses.

Reitlinger said the change removes a prior requirement that the funds be used only for specific programs, saying that operating support is increasingly necessary for local nonprofits. "It is so challenging in these days, for nonprofits to have operating funds," he said, and noted the revised language will allow the council to cover general operating costs as well as programs through 2027.

The mayor characterized the revision as largely administrative and said it did not require a Board vote; he asked that the agreement be publicly entered into the meeting record. The Board acknowledged the announcement and entered the memorandum into the record without a formal vote.

The memorandum covers calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027 at $10,000 per year and explicitly allows operational expenses; the transcript does not specify additional reporting requirements, performance metrics or a detailed budget for the Arts and Culture Council's use of the funds. The board did not take a formal vote on this item during the meeting.