City council will decide on Aug. 27 what the future, if any, of the Arts and Heritage Foundation (AHF) will be when it considers seven separate options for the non-profit’s continued existence.
Council approved the options during an in camera session following its special meeting July 9. They were put forward by the negotiating sub-committee of Mayor Nolan Crouse and councillors Cam MacKay and Wes Brodhead.
The options range from negotiating a new stewardship agreement with the AHF to the city taking over most, if not all, of the AHF’s responsibilities and programming.
Other options include separating arts and heritage and giving each side a mandate over one, extending the current stewardship agreement, or forming a new city corporation to replace the AHF as well as possibly oversee other areas such as the Arden Theatre, Michif Institute and other non-profits.
“We said look, we have to put some options in front of council and council will vote on one or two or three,” said Crouse. “On Aug. 27 someone will pull one of those options off the sheet. And if it passes or fails, it moves on from there.”
Whatever option council chooses will dictate how it negotiates with the AHF before the current stewardship agreement expires on Dec. 31. More than the options put forward, Dr. Alan Murdock, chair of the AHF board, is more concerned about time.
“There are lots of concerns when you get to this point in negotiations or delay. We are running out of time,” Murdock said. “Our agreement is up on the 31st of December. We don’t know where we stand at the moment.”
Relations between the AHF, council and city administration cooled considerably last week after a report prepared by the director of cultural services Kelly Jerrott, highlighted, among other points, communication problems between the two sides, duplication of visual arts services and stated the city would actually save money without the AHF. The board took particular exception to a slide showing the AHF with a $209,000 deficit when that represents reserve funds spent on projects such as the Little White School restoration.
“I’m not sure whether it was a Pearl Harbour attack by administration or a hostile takeover,” Murdock said. “I was surprised because I thought they might present background on the AHF as an organization but as it appeared it was more like rationale for a takeover.”
Future talks
No further meetings between council’s subcommittee and the AHF are planned before Aug. 27, Crouse said. He added he has made no decision on which of the options he prefers, but pointed out that, even if the city voted against negotiating with the AHF, the foundation could still exist.
“We might bring everything in house that currently exists but they can still do their own thing,” Crouse said. “If they choose to restructure themselves, maybe they would. They might re-invent themselves into something else.”
But Murdock, who also wouldn’t comment on the options before a scheduled board meeting Thursday, said the AHF has done nothing to warrant being discarded by the city.
“We’ve raised a significant amount of money since 2005 to take full responsibility for restoring the Little White School and raised $600,000 for the grain elevators,” Murdock said. “I’m not sure what else we have to do, and some of the cuts they are proposing just don’t make any sense to us.”
Murdock is also perplexed at why administration hasn’t spoken with the AHF if there were concerns, noting further discussions will take place with council after it votes Aug. 27 on its course of action.
“[Administration] just doesn’t want us to be in existence. That’s what they said [during the July 9 presentation],” Murdock said.
“Maybe it will turn out just fine. I am always optimistic. I think we’ve done a very credible job, been honest and added value to the city.”
Negotiating options
At an in camera meeting July 9, council approved the following options for negotiating with the AHF. It will vote on at least one on Aug. 27<br />o Offer to AHF to extend the existing contract, as is, through 2013 only.<br />o Renegotiate the existing AHF agreement with appropriate revisions for an additional five years, through 2017.<br />o Negotiate an agreement with the AHF for it to provide heritage-only services and discontinue funding AHF arts services.<br />o Negotiate an agreement with the AHF for it to provide art gallery and related services complete with exhibit-related programming only, and bring the AHF-managed heritage services in house to the city.<br />o Manage all arts and heritage services currently provided by the AHF directly through city resources.<br />o Form a new city corporation and restructure entirely, complete with a board and governance model to deliver arts and cultural services on behalf of the city.<br />o Offer to AHF to transfer some of the current city-operated visual arts programming plus additional assets to the AHF, increasing their role and responsibilities and adding more funding.
