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Ashland considers division of art money The budget subcommittee uses percentages that favor the chamber and the OSF By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND - City funding could buy a drape to block off sound and light in Ashland Community Theatre's performance space. Or it could purchase props, pay set designers and technical directors, and fund an outreach program. The theater group asked for $9,500 from the city's economic and cultural grant program. A city budget subcommittee recommended that they get $4,000, the same amount they got this year. The group will have to decide what to delay. "We have to beg, borrow or steal props," said Artistic Director Doug Mitchell. "We were hoping for the whole $9,500, but $4,000 is a tremendous boost." A total of 21 groups asked for $148,695 in grants from a fund that has $46,560 available. The subcommittee called for the full budget committee to look at how hotel-motel taxes, the grant's source, are divided between smaller organizations, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The city's hotel-motel tax is expected to raise $1,166,000 next fiscal year. Two-thirds goes into the city's general fund; the remainder is set aside under a city ordinance for three allocations. The chamber of commerce gets 60 percent, the festival gets 28 percent and all other groups split the remaining 12 percent. Next year the chamber will receive $232,000 and OSF will get $108,000, while the other groups will divide $46,560. Subcommittee member Russ Silbiger suggested at a mid-March meeting that the festival and chamber could take a smaller contribution from the city, freeing up another $93,000 for grants to smaller groups. "I think the purpose of the grants are to promote economic and cultural diversity as much as anything else," said Silbiger. "When so much of the money � is directed to two groups, it just doesn't do that." An OSF official said such a decision shouldn't be taken lightly. "Any change to that formula would need to be looked at really seriously with the full understanding of the implications," said OSF Executive Director Paul Nicholson. "The city's funding is very highly regarded by other funders as a strong measure of support for us." Chamber Executive Director Sandra Slattery said her organization promotes all the activities and groups in town. Last year it helped the Southern Oregon Film Society start the Independent Film Festival with $5,000 in assistance. She would like to see any increase in grant money come from the general fund's portion of the hotel-motel tax revenue. Subcommittee member David Williams opposes taking money from the general fund. "I thought it might set a bad precedent," said Williams. "That's why I support having the committee review the way they divide up the money between Shakespeare, the chamber and the grants." "We would like more support," said Francis Van Ausdal, executive director of the Rogue Valley Symphony. "The city is really generous to us. The other cities don't support us at all." Committee members recommended $3,500 for the symphony, $500 less than it received last year. The group had requested $8,000. "It's sort of a drop in the bucket for (Oregon Shakespeare Festival)," said Van Ausdal. The full budget committee meets on April 11. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.