Arts commission approves $2,500 supplemental stipend for large tunnel alcove mural

The Lebanon Arts & Culture Commission voted to pay an artist an additional $2,500 to compensate them for time spent on a large alcove mural in the downtown tunnel. Jennifer Chambers moved the measure and a fellow committee member seconded it; the commission approved the supplemental stipend unanimously.

Paul Coates summarized the rationale, noting the alcove piece is substantially larger than other tunnel murals and that the extra payment would cover time rather than materials. "If you factor out supplies, their total compensation would be about $3,500," Coates said during discussion. The commission had previously approved a $1,000 stipend increase and discussed how the added $2,500 would better match the mural's scale.

The motion as read at the meeting was: "I moved to pay the artist that did the alcove work an additional $2,500 to compensate them for their time." The commission recorded the motion, a second and then a unanimous approval. Members said materials had already been reimbursed for prior murals and that the additional payment would be strictly for labor and time.

Next steps discussed included updating the minutes with the artist's name and processing the payment through the commission's budget. The commission did not amend the funding source during the meeting; members noted the cost could be absorbed within the current arts budget if minor adjustments were required.