|
THE 2022-24 BUDGET
Every budget process can be confusing and complicated. Planning the 2022-24 Healdsburg budget is no exception. In the midst of the budget discussions, the departure of Dave Jahns (the staff Arts & Culture Master Plan liaison) left a great advocacy void.
In early budget drafts the initial line item funding for the Arts & Culture Master Plan implementation was approx. $600,000. That was broken into funding for a full-time staff member to direct the Arts & Culture Program and a few smaller collaborative projects.
But over the weeks of discussions, that line item funding was changed to $50,000, and the staff member was moved to the “future consideration” category. In budget terms, this wasn't a cut, just a shift to a "not-funded-right-now" designation.
If this position is not funded now, momentum will be lost. There is a real danger that the funding for this full time Arts & Culture Program Director may not occur until the 2024-26 budget.
In the upcoming California state budget, there are many programs slated to fund arts & culture in cities and communities over the next several years. We need an advocate on staff who can make sure that the Healdsburg community can get our fair share.
|
