Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arts Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Arts Commission hears HOT revenue update as staff flag possible cut to Creative Space Assistance Program
Summary
Staff reported October HOT collections of $27.9 million and cultural arts‑fund receipts of $2.67 million; commissioners pressed for trend analysis and staff warned that the Creative Space Assistance Program (CSAP), funded outside HOT, is listed in a preliminary base‑budget cut of about $500,000.
City cultural‑funding staff presented October collections for the hotel occupancy tax and warned commissioners to watch proposed base‑budget changes that could affect non‑HOT programs.
Jesus Pantel, cultural funding supervisor, told the Arts Commission that total hotel occupancy tax collections in October were $27,915,677 and that the cultural arts‑fund portion for October was $2,669,756, representing roughly 17% of the FY26 approved budget to date. "With these October numbers we are approximately 17% towards our approved FY '26 budget," Pantel said, noting that HOT reporting lags and October collections reflect September stays.
Commissioners urged staff to provide comparative visuals. Heidi Schmalbach asked for a slide comparing October collections year‑over‑year; Garza asked for a monthly bar chart across the year so contractors can plan around tourism peaks and valleys. Commissioner Schmalbach also emphasized the need to track short‑term rentals' share of HOT revenue following the convention center closure.
Assistant Director Morgan Messick said the department discovered a council member's message‑board item recommending the removal of a $500,000 line item from the manager's proposed base budget that appears to be tied to the Creative Space Assistance Program (CSAP). "We learned about today that we will be tracking. It is $500,000, and it is wrapped up in the economic incentive reserve fund," Messick said. Messick also clarified that CSAP is not funded by HOT; Jesus Pantel reiterated that HOT‑funded programs are not in immediate danger but that CSAP is in a different funding pool and may be targeted because it sits outside HOT protections.
Earlier public comment from an arts‑sector contractor raised related concerns about language access. Luis Rodan Gutierrez told the commission that two Spanish‑speaking artists coached by his organization were awarded city‑backed funding but received English‑only contracts from a third‑party venue (the Long Center); he said one artist signed because she needed the money and the other waited pending a Spanish contract. "The Long Center for a second time around does not provide a Spanish language contract... The answer ultimately is that the city has to contract in English," he said, urging city follow‑up on translation and humane contracting practices.
Staff committed to delivering more detailed trend visuals and to tracking short‑term rental data when it becomes available. Commissioners encouraged colleagues and community members to contact city council offices if they want to advocate for preserving programs such as CSAP during budget deliberations.
Next steps: staff will attempt to provide monthly HOT trend graphs and short‑term‑rental share analyses; ACME leadership plans to be available at council discussions to answer questions on program funding.
