Loading...
Transmittal - 1/21/2022 MARY BETH THOMPSON Finance Director ERIN MENDENHALL Mayor DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE POLICY AND BUDGET DIVISION 451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 238 PO BOX 145467, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5455 TEL 801-535-6394 CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL ________________________ Date Received: ___________ Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer Date sent to Council: ___________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________ TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: January 21, 2022 Dan Dugan FROM: Mary Beth Thompson, Chief Financial Officer Katie Lewis, City Attorney SUBJECT: Sustained occupation and usage of Salt Lake City Corporation property located at 54 Finch Lane, also known as the “Art Barn,” to Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation, a Utah nonprofit corporation: Public Benefit Analysis under Utah Code Section 10-8-2. SPONSOR: NA STAFF CONTACT: Randy Hillier, Policy and Budget Analyst (801) 535-6606, Felicia Baca, Executive Director, Salt Lake City Arts Council, Taylor Knuth, Deputy Director, Salt Lake City Arts Council or Sara Montoya, City Attorney (801) 535-7685 DOCUMENT TYPE: Public Benefits Analysis and Recommendation (Revised to correct typographical error) RECOMMENDATION: The Administration recommends that a public hearing be held on the matter of the Public Benefits Analysis and to consider adopting a resolution allowing the sustained occupation and usage of the Salt Lake City Corporation property located at 54 Finch Lane, also known as the “Art Barn” to the Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation. BUDGET IMPACT: NA BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation & Arts Division is requesting to continue utilizing 54 Finch Lane, or the “Art Barn” as the administrative headquarters, housing 6.5 Arts Council FTEs and multiple seasonal and part-time employees, as well as to provide a home for the Finch Lane Art Gallery and its numerous exhibitions. Katherine Lewis (Jan 21, 2022 12:35 MST) Lisa Shaffer (Jan 28, 2022 15:54 MST) Over the past 18+months, the Arts Council was tasked with formalizing an Operating Agreement between the Arts Council Foundation and Salt Lake City. As part of this work, the Arts Council completed drafts of the Operating Agreement, revised the Foundation Bylaws, and completed a comprehensive Human Resource policies and procedures manual for the Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation. Although the Arts Council has utilized the Art Barn for decades, a Public Benefits Analysis, as per Utah Code 10-8-2, has never been completed. With the completion of the newly formalized operating agreement, the Attorney’s Office thought it would be appropriate to complete a Public Benefits Analysis to satisfy the requirements of this code. Utah Code 10-8-2 (1) (a) (v) states that after first holding a public hearing, a municipal legislative body may authorize municipal services or other nonmonetary assistance to be provided to or waive fees required to be paid by a nonprofit entity, whether or not the municipality receives consideration in return. While a study is not required under Utah Code 10-8-2 before the City can enter an agreement for a below market value lease, it is beneficial to consider whether such an agreement will meet the public benefit requirements under Utah Code 10-8-2. The attached memo to Rachel Otto, Mayor’s Chief of Staff, outlines the public benefits identified by the Administration that the City will realize from allowing the continued usage of the City- owned 54 Finch Lane “Art Barn” as the primary administrative headquarters of the Salt Lake City Foundation & Arts Division. PUBLIC PROCESS: Public Hearing MEMORANDUM TO: Lisa Shaffer Chief Administrative Officer FROM: Felicia Baca Executive Director Salt Lake City Arts Council DATE: January 21, 2022 SUBJECT: Sustained occupation and usage of Salt Lake City Corporation property located at 54 Finch Lane, also known as the “Art Barn,” to Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation, a Utah nonprofit corporation: Public Benefit Analysis under Utah Code Section 10 -8-2. ____________________________________________________________________________________ In continuation of longstanding support from Salt Lake City since 1979, the Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation & Arts Division respectfully requests the continued usage of the Art Barn in Salt Lake City as both the administrative headquarters of 6.5 Salt Lake City Government staff and multiple seasonal and part time employees of the Arts Council foundation. Additionally, maximizing efficient usage, this site serves the community and local artists as the Finch Lane Art Gallery, home to exhibitio ns of diverse emerging and established Utah artists since 1931. The Salt Lake City Arts Council has served as an integral component of Salt Lake City as a governmental non-profit under Utah Code 11-13a-101. Over the past 18+months, the Arts Council was tasked with formalizing an Operating Agreement between the Arts Council Foundation and Salt Lake City, As part of this work, the Arts Council completed drafts of the Operating Agreement, revised the Foundation Bylaws, and completed a comprehensive Human Resource policies and procedures manual for the Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation. Under Utah law, after first holding a public hearing, a municipality may “authorize municipal services or other nonmonetary assistance to be provided to a nonprofit entity, whether or not the municipality receives consideration in return.” Utah Code §10-8-2(1)(a)(v). Because Salt Lake City Arts Council is a nonprofit entity, the City may waive the consideration it would ordinarily collect in exchange for conveyance of the City Property so long as the municipal legislative body holds a public hearing and authorizes the waiver. Though a formal study is not required under Utah Code section 10-8-2(3)(e) for services or assistance provided to a nonprofit entity after public hearing, an informal analysis considering the same factors as a formal study is set forth below to assist the Salt Lake City Council in their consideration of the costs and benefits of the requested waiver. Utah Code § 10-8-2(2)(a). Those factors are: (1) The specific benefits (including intangible benefits) to be received by the City in return for the arrangement; (2) The City’s purpose in making the appropriation, including an analysis of how the safety, health, prosperity, moral well-being, peace, order, comfort or convenience of the residents of Salt Lake City will be enhanced; and (3) Whether the appropriation is “necessary and appropriate” to accomplish the reasonable goals and objectives of the City in the area of economic development, job creation, affordable housing, blight elimination, resource center development, job preservation, the preservation of historic structures and property, and any other public purpose. See Utah Code §10-8-2(3)(e). Background: The Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was established in November of 1979, under the direction of Mayor Ted Wilson, with objectives to promote and support artistic programs; to ascertain community cultural needs; to facilitate community efforts in developing cultural and artistic programs to reach the public in new ways in Salt Lake City; to act as the advisory body to the City in relation to the arts; and to bridge communication between the cultural community and City government. These objectives are related in City Ordinance Chapter 2.32, which connects the City to the nonprofit via the appointment of board members by the Mayor and confirmation by the City Council, by defining the responsibilities of the Executive Director, and by providing staff support to the Salt Lake City Arts Council. The affairs of the Foundation are managed by a Board of Trustees who are also the officers of the Salt Lake City Arts Council Board. While the goals of the Arts Council have grown over the last forty-three years, these elements remain at the core of the organization. City employees of the Arts Division manage the day-to-day operations of programs and Division initiatives, with oversight and direction from both City Administration and leadership of the Department of Economic Development. The Foundation is c onsidered a component unit of the City by the IRS, which means that the Foundation’s annual financial audit is considered as a part of the City’s annual financial audit. The City funds the Arts Council by providing funds in a City department cost center, mainly consisting of salary and benefits, as well as through a non-departmental funding contract with the Foundation for grantmaking and programming. The Foundation raises additional funding from private donors/sponsors, other government entities, and through earned income. Collaboratively, over the past 18+ months the City, and Foundation Board’s Executive and Governance committees revisited the subject of this Operating Agreement. Board members and the Arts Council’s Executive Director worked with Bruce White, an attorney at Parsons Behle & Latimer specializing in nonprofit organizations and governmental non-profits to develop an updated draft of the Operating Agreement in order to articulate this long standing relationship between the two entities. This draft was presented to the City Attorney Megan DePaulis for review and comment in March 2020 (see in References). The Bylaws for the Foundation (last updated in the 90’s) were also re-drafted to comply with City ordinance and current best practice. In addition to this, a comprehensive Human Resources handbook was contracted for the Foundation employees regarding policies and procedures specific to the non-profit who employs non-City employees. The Operating Agreement and Bylaws revision are major steppingstones in a mutually beneficial relationship. On average, the Arts Council’s programs have reached approximately 100,000 individual audience members and over 1,000 artists per year. These programs are intended to serve residents along the Wasatch Front, with a focus on the Salt Lake County area. However, events such as the Living Traditions Festival attract attendees from across Utah and throughout the region. Programs are thoughtfully curated each year with the intention of supporting artists and arts organizations and making Salt Lake City a more vibrant, equitable, and engaging place to live. The Arts Council’s programs: Finch Lane Gallery hosts year-round visual art exhibitions in three gallery spaces at the historic Art Barn in Reservoir Park. The gallery gives local artists an opportunity to exhibit a current body of work, explore exhibition themes or media relevant to the community and field of arts at large, and foster the development of curatorial skills through exhibition production and collaboration. T hrough a new initiative, Flash Projects, the Gallery opened its spaces for short-term, interdisciplinary, community-oriented, and/or experimental projects in 2020. In response to COVID-19, the Gallery is currently hosting exhibitions online, virtual experiences, as well as limited in-person gallery visits by appointment only. Living Traditions Presents features the traditional artforms of Salt Lake’s native, immigrant, and ethnically diverse communities. Over the years, program offerings have been expanded in an effort to reach more geographically diverse communities in typical programming years, this includes a three-day festival; Mondays in the Park, a concert series throughout the summer at the Chase Home in Liberty Park; hands-on workshops with traditional folk artists at libraries and community centers throughout Salt Lake; and a summer end Garden Party which is a smaller festival event at Jordan Park. We hope that future years will allow us to continue this series of events. We have budgeted for these events in 2020- 2021 in the event social distancing changes are made, but for now these events have been postponed or modified. Twilight Concert Series is a music concert series presented each summer featuring nationally recognized and upcoming musicians from across the country and around the world. The series is held at the Gallivan Center and produced through a more sustainable private partnership that ensures continued access to residents and enables the Arts Council to focus on more diversity in its gene ral programming. Musical acts are prioritized on the basis of diversity through both musical genres and those that represent, speak to, and serve as role models to multiple communities including underrepresented demographics. For almost 35 years the Twilight Concert Series has brought communities together to share this experience, creating a vibrant and relevant downtown atmosphere, and promoting Salt Lake City through the arts. The 2020 series was cancelled due to COVID -19, but our new and modified efforts are expanded on in the description below. Outreach and Engagement is a priority for our organization. The Salt Lake Arts Council provides additional professional development and activation opportunities to local performing artists to engage with audiences through such programs as the Brown Bag Concert Series and Busker Festival, among others. These programs contribute to the cultural vibrancy of public parks, plazas and businesses by creating temporary placemaking. Modified presentations in 2020 included the Cultural Caravan, which was a traveling pop-up version of the Busker Festival and presented with social distancing measures in place in all seven City Council Districts. Additionally, the Art Barn serves as a facility that can be rented by the community and that other City agencies can utilize for meetings and events. A variety of venue rentals and partnerships facilitate long standing Literary Arts programs in the community. In 2020 in response to the pandemic, the Arts Council partnered with Emergency Management and the Salt Lake City School district to act as a food distribution center for families in need. Recent partnerships and programs related to exhibition at Finch Lane have facilitated tree plantings in Reservoir Park, and trainings related to exhibitions on Suicide Prevention and Domestic Abuse Survivor Training. Salt Lake City’s Public Art Program provides opportunities for artists to create site-specific artwork that enhances or is integrated into public buildings and spaces. Approximately four new projects are commissioned each year with 2019 resulting in the installation of the State’s largest dollar art commission in history. The Arts Council recognizes that art in public spaces reflects the history, culture, and pride of our people and civic spaces. City Arts Grants Program supports the arts activities of artists, arts organizations, nonprofits, and elementary schools conducting programming across Salt Lake City through five grant categories. The City Arts Grant program allows the Arts Council to reach more geographically diverse areas, support multiple artistic disciplines, and fill gaps that may exist in education and programming for residents. Technical Assistance, Services, & Research Arts Council staff members have expertise in various artistic disciplines and provide assistance to artists, organizations, and community members through communication efforts (such as a monthly newsletter, website blog posts, and a strong social-media presence), technical assistance (by providing on-site support to performing arts partners, artist consultation, and by serving on committees and boards), and through referrals. Additionally, the organization participates in national studies such as the Americans for the Arts & Economic Prosperity® V study and conducts local-level research for the benefit of the arts and creative industries. The City Property: The City Property in question consists of approximately 7,000 leasable square feet on .34 acres with a fair market lease value (based upon an average price per square foot formula comparing approximately nine similar facilities in the area) of approximately $194,250 averaged at market rate provided by Real Estate Services at $27.75 per square foot See highlighted parcel on diagram below. A Brief History of the Art Barn: The Art Barn was built during the Great Depression with assistance from the City of Salt Lake, the federal Works Projects Administration, private contributors, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alta Rawlins Jensen was one of the visionaries who worked toward the building of a community arts center that was described in the Salt Lake Telegram as “A Greenwich Village for Salt Lake.” Ms. Jensen believed that despite desperate economic times, an art center could help to lift the spirit and rekindle the dreams of the community. In March of 1931, the Salt Lake City Commission gave the Art Barn founding group permission to build in Reservoir Park. Designed by architect Taylor Woolley, a former associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Art Barn’s projected construction cost was $10,000. The groundbreaking took place in October 1931, and the cornerstone was laid in December of the same year. Difficulties in raising the funds necessary to complete construction delayed the official opening until June 11, 1933. Governor Henry H. Blood and Mayor Louis Marcus addressed the crowd that filled the building and the lawn surrounding it. The Art Barn has been a significant community center for arts activities since that time. The road that runs through Reservoir Park in front of the Art Barn, at the insistence of the founders, was named Finch Lane to honor the Commissioner of City Parks, Harry L. Finch. Commissioner Finch had been instrumental in securing the property from the City at a lease rate of $1 per year, and in obtaining the Federal funds to hire unemployed laborers for this public building project. In its 90th anniversary year, this space has touched thousands of people, serving artists of all disciplines and those who experienced their work. Not only has the physical facility survived, with occasional renovations and additions, but it is still serving the public as its founders intended. Benefits to Salt Lake City: All Arts Council programs and services are provided at no charge or at an affordable, low cost to the public (Twilight Concert Series). Annually, the Arts Council obtains operating and programming funding from numerous resources, including federal, state, county, and private funding with Salt Lake City providing on average 65% of our total support. In late 2018 Union Creative Agency analyzed the operating model of the organization reporting, “The hybrid model has potential to be a premier and innovative model for Local Arts Agencies. While this model may require more work and development than simpler models, it has the capacity to deliver unprecedented impact.” This hybrid model of operations, recently also adopted by the State’s Utah Department of Heritage and Arts as an innovative model, benefits the City and residents in myriad ways: ● Ability to fundraise a significant portion of the funds that support programming and staff, creating a direct benefit to residents through leveraging City dollars. ● Wide community buy-in from other government and private funders both national and local. Increases accountability to community and public when funding sources are diverse. ● Procurement and commissioning procedures that are effective for best practices in the field, resulting in responsiveness, efficiency, and effective partner collaboration -in particular when it comes to executing on issues of equity and inclusion. ● Ability to engage in Citywide issues relevant to the community through Mayor, City Departments, etc. Effective collaboration, access to information, and resources. ● Mission as an Arts Council to fill niche gaps, incubate, and fulfill comm unity needs. ● Staff and public presence at the facility maintain a constant presence and awareness in Reservoir Park, as many parks in Salt Lake City see usage by unsheltered populations, as well as an active University of Utah Student population nea rby. Accomplishing Salt Lake City’s Goals: The Salt Lake City Arts Council recently completed a 5-year strategic plan in concert with the Salt Lake City Arts Council Board, Mayor, Department of Economic Development, and multi-year stakeholder engagement process involving residents, stakeholders and City Departments. Additionally, the Executive Director is tasked with implementation of the goals of PLAN SLC, the Mayor’s Current Plans, and guiding strategic plans and policies of the Department of Economic Development. The Board of the Salt Lake City Arts Council acts as an advisory body to the City in all matters pertaining to the arts and cultural development of the City. ● Streamline City art initiatives and improve the structure and funding of the Arts Council (Mayor’s Plan 2021) ● Ensure access to, and support for, a diversity of cultural facilities citywide.(Plan SLC) ● Increase Overall Participation in arts and cultural activities (Plan SLC) ● Strengthen Organization Health and Development (Salt Lake City Arts Council Strategic Plan) Below is a breakdown of funding sources from the previous three years. FY 2018-2019 FY 2019-2020 FY 2020-2021 FY 2020-2021 ACTUAL ACTUAL APPROVED BUDGET APPROVED AMENDED BUDGET CITY REVENUE 1,149,148.00 1,063,941.00 1,223,801.00 1,411,437.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 107,514.24 8,188.10 110,000.00 139,645.00 EARNED INCOME 136,288.76 106,823.98 46,250.00 18,500.00 GOVERNMENT GRANTS 409,054.45 345,980.00 304,552.00 505,647.00 OTHER REVENUE 10,622.36 4,013.65 2,505.00 5,160.00 TOTAL REVENUE $ 1,812,627.81 $ 1,528,946.73 $ 1,687,108.00 $ 2,080,389.00 The Arts Council receives funding from Salt Lake City’s Non-departmental each year to help with the expenses of managing the Art Barn facility. In FY19 and FY20 support was given at $7,500 and in FY21 support was at $10,000. The Arts Council Foundation uses this funding to pay for the building utilities. The Arts Council Foundation also incurs the cost of monthly building cleaning, building security, and purchases building supplies such as cleaning products, bathroom paper supplies, and PPE. Conclusion: In conclusion, we would like to take this opportunity to thank both the City Administration and the City Council for this opportunity to present our Public Benefits Analysis for the Salt Lake City Arts Council. We have demonstrated in this document that the Salt Lake City Arts Council and Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation provide a clear, direct, and substantial benefit to not only Salt Lake City Residents and Visitors, but to the Greater Salt Lake City Area. Additionally, we believe that our hybrid st ructure as both a division of Salt Lake City Government and as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization provides an excellent example of; (1) robust and healthy public-nonprofit partnerships to our industry at large,(2) remarkable stewardship of public funds, (3) innovative and solutions focused business practices, and (4) sustainable and inclusive organizational structure. In closing, we invite any member of the Administration or Council, as well as members of the general public, to request additional information to clarify any remaining questions you might have regarding our Public Benefits Analysis. Thank you! References: Draft Operating Agreement Draft Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation Bylaws Articles of Incorporation and supporting City documents establishing the agency Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Chapter 2.32 (City Ordinance) Salt Lake Arts Council Foundation Bylaws (current) City Commission Minutes 1976 Establishment of Arts Council