City Council (finally) reaches the budget discussion

(This is a continuation of the June 2 City Council meeting coverage; see the first part of the recap here.)

As predicted, advocates for the arts drew far and the largest group of supporters to Monday night's City Council meeting. Other groups spoke up for non-city agency (NCA) funding, but none as organized and numerous as the arts groups, galvanized by emails and meetings in the weeks since the budget proposal has hit the streets.

Whatever you think about the cuts to NCAs, it's a bit sobering that 95%+ of the 2-hour-plus marathon discussion focused on a few million dollars in spending out of a $356 million budget. Not that this level of civic interest in the arts and youth groups isn't important -- it absolutely is.

Yet one might think that with a higher level of interest in where we spend, you know, the other $354 million each year, we might cough up some funds for these programs in the first place. I'm just saying.

But, no. Three speakers on the $5 million-plus pay parity plan for public safety employees, one of the key budget drivers. Three on, of all things, taxi standards. And one (the very plucky Victoria Peterson) calling for matching funds to meet a state anti-gang grant. Every other speaker focused on the tiny, but emotionally-tugging, non-profit funding.

Hey, Mr. Bonfield - that's your new city for you. Don't worry about back-room politics with Sunshine State developers; you'll get to deal with all the public input you want, anytime you want it. Just think, you inherit all this next year. You can thank us later.

The kids: A number of youth stepped up first to the plate, supporting Duke's Youth Noise Network (YNN) program and the Triangle Champions youth track program. After a round of applause for their patience and their bravery in speaking before such a large crowd, it was off to the races with public comment on a range of topics:

The arts: Sherry DeVries, the executive director of the Durham Arts Council, was the first "big person" to appear before the mic. She noted that she was joined by a number of arts supporters in the room, a number that seemed to reflect a good one-half of those residents.

DeVries called the arts cuts a "devastating blow" to the community, including the hits to the African-American Dance Ensemble, Full Frame Festival, St. Joe's, and the Walltown Children's Theater. She noted the impact of the arts on everything from adding $103 million in Durham economic impact to reducing the drop-out rate among community youth.

She listed three priorities: provide three-year funding committment for the Cultural Master Plan; restore the lost non-city agency funding; and for the scheduling of a joint meeting between city leaders and arts leaders.

The head of the Mallarme Chamber Players, Mickaella Guarascio, echoed DeVries' plea, noting on a personal level that her choice of Durham in relocating from Los Angeles over other N.C. cities, Charlotte and Chapel Hill included, was due to the Bull City's leadership statewide in its support for the arts.

Sarah Tondu from the American Dance Festival echoed these comments, and noted the economic input from the summer residencies of dancers arriving and renting apartments, buying food, and the like.

Barker French, chair of the Durham Cultural Master Plan Advisory Board, reminded the Council of the intent for ongoing, continuing funding over a 15-year period to encompass its wide-ranging mission, from planning public arts and education to the creation of a history museum.

"As of now, on June 30, the Durham Cultural Master Plan Advisory Board will cease to exist, as there will be no funding for it to continue its mission;" Barker noted the failure to fund the Master Plan would mark having "wasted money in beginning a journey we would never finish."

French highlighted the recent selection of Durham as the #12 city in the US to live and launch a business, and that the magazine had called out Durham's arts focus and investments as a major driver of its creative class growth.

"Please don't drive a stake through the heart of the Durham Cultural Master Plan by not funding this important project," said French.

Michelle Gonzalez from SeeSaw Studio noted that her organization had lost its home on Geer St. under earlier leadership, and was now under the wing of St. Joseph's, which had brought it in as an organization-in-residence. "I'd like to know what there is for anyone under than 18 other than the arts," Gonzalez said, noting that arts organizations were an active partner in the fight to keep youth out of gangs.

Similar statements supportive of arts funding came from at least two dozen or so other arts organizations and stakeholders. St. Joseph's noted that the cuts in funding for the Hayti Heritage Center would take their funding level back down to 1995 levels, for instance.

Chuck Davis, artistic director of the African-American Dance Ensemble, urged Council to "put us back to where we were, and restore my bragging rights."

"There are only two African-American dance ensembles touring nationally and internationally," Davis said. "Chicago gave [an Illinois-based group] $9 million. We're only asking for $40,000. I don't want them to say, oh-kay, shall we loan you some money, since your city didn't give you any?" Davis said, to loud applause from the audience.

Pay for employees: Andy Miller, a Durham P.D. officer and North Carolina Sheriff Police Alliance president, brought his daughter along to plead for a pay increase for fire and police officers.

"Competitive pay should not be a front line battle," Miller said, wryly noting he was "begging from crumbs" again this year for front-line police and fire staff, stating that a "revolving door" existed of police and safety officers exiting Durham.

$7,000 across the board for police officers would translate to $5 million -- "not cheap," Miller noted, but he added that no one would come to Durham in the first place if they couldn't be assured of safety.

"Is it fair to ask you to do this to make up twelve years? No, it's not," Miller said, noting that the failure to keep pace in salaries dated at least until the late 1990s. "But it's the position we are in. Investing in public safety workers is investing in lives," he said.

James Reardon, president of the local firefighters association, noted his groups "feels it has been slighted in the past," including the failure to implement a past pay parity plan in 2003-05. He noted that the increase has been recommended for several years, yet was finally put on hold most recently last year due to a desire to improve compensation for all city employees.

Reardon noted that among major N.C. cities, Durham's fire department is a model of efficiency, receiving less funding that any other comparable department in the state.

Other groups: Nadine Bir from El Centro Hispano talked about the importance of her group in reaching out to youth, many of whom in the Latino community were caught up in language barriers as well as a fear of their new environment.

A representative from the Durham People's Alliance spoke up in support of the proposal for $1.5 million towards housing for the homeless and disabled, home repairs for poor and vulnerable populations, and neighborhood revitalization. Hawkins also called for the creation of a neighborhood advocate position, a request of a number of neighborhood activists this year.

Representatives from the Durham Striders also made a call for the financial support of this well-known youth track program, which reaches out to at-risk youth and coordinates teenager athletics with a volunteer team. Frank Davis, the program's head, noted the long tenure of the group and its focus on academics and good behavior among its program's participants.

Bell, noting the late hour (11:11 pm by this point) asked if all seventeen members of the Triangle Champions track club really wanted to speak. Though it turned out to be a somewhat moot point: many of the group's members in attendance had already flown the proverbial coop due to the late hour. Their first representative (of a half-dozen or so) noted that Durham was dedicating only 1/3 of 1% of the budget to fund youth programs.

Other groups appeared here and there in the mix of arts-and-youth programs. Schoolhouse of Wonder made a push to get their lost funding back, noting their dismay at getting lower scores from this year's NCA funding request. Meanwhile, in one of the more, er, orthogonal moments of the evening, two representatives of the taxi industry called for parity between regulated taxi services and unlicensed shuttle services in Durham. (The discussion of which drew some confused applause in the midst of speaker after speaker calling for NCA funding.)

Line of the night: Apologizing for her verbal stumbles in front of the Council, one woman said, "It's my first time, and I'm very scared."

"Mine too," Farad Ali quipped.

Yes, Mr. Ali, welcome to budget season. You can break in Bonfield next year, too.

Bell closed the public hearing by noting that "hard choices" remained in the weeks ahead with the budget -- though he seemed mystified at the laughter coming at the back of the room (this observer included), which was in reference to Eugene Brown's silent clapping at the mayor's silent declaration that the public meeting was over.

Walltown: The meeting closed with a final item -- the structural steel for the Walltown recreation center. A representative of the neighborhood association, referring to some of the hard words during the budget discussions, told the Council that they should "know that members of the Walltown Community Association deeply appreciate each of you individually and collectively, for responding and listening and funding projects that have not been funded in more than fifty-some years." She called for the re-addition of a pool to the project.

Audrey Mitchell, president of the Walltown Community Association, joined her neighbor in calling for more city attention to the project. Mitchell expressed concern that the design of the project was changed without the neighborhood being notified, pushing back the construction start date.

An exhausted Council wearily voted on the structural steel item without comment, 6-1 in favor, with Eugene Brown, a long-time project opponent, the only hold-out.

With that, at 12:14, the meeting was over -- almost. Howard Clement raised what might be loosely thought of as a point of personal privilege to raise his concern that the Council consider the taxi/shuttle issue seriously. Not serious enough for Farad Ali, it seems, who booked out as Clement began his statement in his trademark booming voice.

So, make that 12:18 am for the end of the night.

Comments

[barry]

I should have taken that over/under bet.

[Durham Bull Pen]

Thanks for the play-by-play. I really appreciate all your hard work and reporting on the important civic events in Durham.

DBP

[Mike Woodard]

I too appreciate Kevin's reporting, especially given the length of the evening. Gronberg, Dees, and I get paid to be there (not much in my case; the other two can weigh in if they wish), but Kevin's doing this for free.

Thanks for the valuable community service.

Mike Woodard

[MrsSteel]

Yes, Kevin, thanks so much for sticking it out to the end & giving us all of the details.

[hurley]

Thousands of parents in Durham sign checks all the time so their kids can play soccer or baseball or football or basketball.

It's about time that the arts organizations in Durham started asking themselves "Why aren't these parents writing us any checks?" It's not like there aren't plenty of kids who love drawing, painting, and dancing.

In my opinion, helping the poor in innovative ways is the only legitimate reason a government should fund any non-governmental group. If their methods produce results, then incorporate these ideas in departments funded by the regular budget.