Parks staff seek three positions to run Measure P arts grants as commissioners and grantees press for transparency and payments

Shelby McNab, assistant director of the city parks department, told the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission on March 16 that staff will ask City Council to authorize three full‑time positions — a program administrator/project liaison, a community outreach specialist and a community coordinator — to support administration of the Expanded Access to Arts and Culture (EAC) Measure P grant program.

McNab said the positions would raise the department’s authorized full‑time positions from 164 to 167 and enable parks staff to take on cycle 2 administration and prepare for cycle 3. “Adding positions will enable program administration,” she said. The positions are permanent city classifications, McNab said, but could be reassigned in the future to other departmental duties if needed.

Why it matters

Commissioners and many public commenters said the city’s immediate priority should be resolving payment and contracting problems for grantees after the termination of Fresno Arts Council’s contract. Multiple speakers reported unpaid awards, bounced checks and little or no city communication. Kylo Push Schmidt of the South Tower Community Land Trust said private security closed Broadway Park more than 30 minutes before posted hours and criticized permitting and insurance requirements that block neighborhood events. Amy Kitner of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts urged the city to create a cultural affairs division and hire “a professional director of cultural affairs” to oversee grants, policy and outreach rather than rely on junior administrative roles.

Investigation and payments

Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff for specifics about what happened to grant money and when organizations can expect payments. McNab said staff are reconciling thousands of documents and roughly 210 hard‑copy folders of grantee records and are working with the city attorney and risk department to determine contracting steps. She acknowledged an active investigation limits what staff can disclose but said parks is compiling questions and will provide updates at standing PR meetings and through memos when information becomes available. “We understand you want timely information…we hear the needs of the community,” McNab said.

Commissioners pressed for greater detail on bounced checks, recouped funds and auditing. McNab said a senior management analyst will review invoices and receipts for grant payments, that the finance department has internal auditors and the city contracts an external auditor for an annual Measure P audit. She also said HR/personnel must approve job classifications and that job postings will list arts and culture experience as a preferred qualification while retaining minimum requirements for grant administration and fiscal controls.

Public feedback and concerns about positions

During the public hearing, dozens of artists, grantees and fiscal sponsors urged stronger cultural expertise and local review panels. Voices included Aaron Bird (Arts Enrichment for All), who said his organization has received no city emails and that delays are harming arts education delivery; Hugo Morales and others who urged a senior cultural affairs director; and multiple fiscal sponsors reporting bounced checks and an inability to access Submittable for required reporting. Johannes, a public commenter, said the Fresno Arts Council had “engaged in unacceptable conduct,” and called for transparent, accessible panels and clear written guidelines.

Commission action

After discussion, the commission voted to recommend City Council adopt the third amendment to the position authorization resolution (No. 2025‑178) to add the three positions to the parks department. The motion was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote; opposition was recorded from at least one commissioner (Commissioner Barazza) and one other commissioner. Chair McCoy also established an Expanded Access to Arts and Culture subcommittee and appointed herself, Commissioner Trilio and Vice Chair Ward to the panel; the subcommittee will be a standing body subject to the Brown Act.

What remains unresolved

Staff did not provide a timetable for when unpaid grants will be contracted or when bounced checks will be replaced. Several commissioners and commenters urged a clearer plan for replacing lost funds, for defined audit and payment procedures, and for recruiting people with arts and cultural expertise (and paying panelists) to ensure equitable local review. McNab said staff will continue to reconcile records and log grantee questions and that the position authorization resolution will be presented to City Council for adoption on March 26.

Next steps

The commission forwarded its recommendation to council and created the EAC subcommittee. Staff said it will continue records reconciliation, work with city attorney and risk on contracting, and begin recruitment once positions are authorized. Many public speakers requested near‑term community meetings, clearer timelines for payments and stronger transparency measures; several organizations offered to host staff for listening sessions.

Ending

The commission’s recommendation sends the three positions to City Council, but a number of grantees and commissioners said the city still needs a higher‑level cultural affairs leader, faster resolution of payments and clearer public transparency to restore trust in administration of Measure P funds.