Arts commission reviews master-plan funding gap; staff to seek comparable incentives and timing for consultant

City staff updated the Costa Mesa Arts Commission on Feb. 5 about funding options for an update to the Arts and Culture Master Plan, saying the city is in Year 5 of the plan and that no funding recommendation for Year 6 has yet been adopted by council.

Ms. Villasenor briefed commissioners that five vendors responded to the RFP for a consultant and that a contract recommendation will require council approval. Staff estimated it could present a recommendation to council between March and April and that a consultant’s scope typically takes about a year to produce a draft master plan once work begins.

Commissioners raised questions about the city’s arts funding sources, including how much cannabis-tax revenue is available for arts programs and whether line items previously allocated for large installations (about $60,000 annually) could be reallocated to cover a plan update. Vice Chair Darian referenced a previously discussed request for $3,035,000 for a master-plan-related item that had not been approved; staff confirmed no large appropriation had been granted to date.

Discussion also covered short-term budgeting options: reassigning line items, leveraging CIP (parks) budgets for projects like sidewalk poetry, and researching sustainable mechanisms such as a municipal arts fund or grant-writing capacity. Staff committed to gathering finance and development metrics (cannabis tax receipts, number of projects affected by any ordinance) and returning to the commission with comparative examples and data.

No formal budget vote occurred; staff said the master-plan update funding and any future appropriation will go to council for final approval.