CC Min 2012-02-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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manage this. This Council Member asked if Council was going to opine on art work, will it also be opining on all the grants that are allocated by BCCs. She posed the question, if Council appoints these people maybe Council should let them make these choices in a way that Council is not involved. This Council Member believes the best option is to have a discussion but she is not opposed to this. She believes the Council has given the CCC the responsibility to be the arbiter and decide on these issues. This Council Member trusts the decisions of the CCC and hopes BOB won't rust and it will be safe. This Council Member would prefer a local artist as well. Mr. Beth provided additional details and said that staff could go back and revisit the concept. One Council Member inquired about the location where this art will go and staff said there was no final decision on this. Staff added that if the concept does not work staff can go back and review this approach. This Council Member asked what else is the money being spent on. Mr. Beth explained that the rest of the $65,000 goes into other projects like the Blues festival, Canada College Olive Festival, Art on the Square, etc. This Council Member believes the return on investment in this project is low and he finds this to be a lot of money that could be used for something else. This Council Member would like a better prioritization so that there is clarity about what will not get funded because of this project. This Council Member is struggling with this now that the Redevelopment Agency is gone and he does believe it is the Council's priority to look at these items. One Council Member noted she does not like micro-management but she does like to set policy. A Council Member noted that public art is a policy discussion and she recalls a vote when Civic Cultural Commission was going to be merged with Parks and Recs and it was a 4-3 vote and that shows the passions in the Council. She believes that the economic times intensify those emotions. She would never group the Housing and Human Concerns Commission grants with public art, because for her these are different. Another Council Member opined that this is a discussion about process and how Council wants to be involved and in his view there is an unfinished conversation about public art. This Council Member does not recall taking a vote. This Council Member is not passionate about this art but he is neutral. He believes this is an enabler for a policy discussion on the matter and for him this could be a positive thing. He also inquired how other cities handle this and Mr. Beth said that some cities do a percent per art ordinance. He noted that Palo Alto is one of these. This Council Member would like to see the process revised so Council can have a say. Vice Mayor Gee noted that for him this is about process. He believes there is an opportunity for greater conversation between the Council and the commissions so the Council can determine policy. He is not interested in micro-managing but the process needs to improve. Another Council Member would like to set parameters to address these issues, but he does not believe Council should be the one deciding. He wants to research it and set the guidelines, but not really having Council voting on items. Mayor Aguirre noted that we have great artists in Redwood City and for her this was a concern. JOINT CITY COUNCIL/SUCCESSOR AGENCY February 27, 2012 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 9 MINUTE BOOK NO. 64 Page No. 59