Beautification and Arts and Science Fund Allocations

At a glance

What: how the City's bed, board and beverage (BBB) tax revenue is split to fund the Beautification fund (20 percent) and the Arts and Sciences fund (7.5 percent), and how the Commission plans spending from those two restricted funds.
Where it stands: At its October 23 retreat the Commission was given a "Funding 101" briefing. The Arts and Sciences share was first stated as 9.5 percent and then corrected to 7.5 percent. Council can change the percentages by ordinance (two readings and a 30-day wait).
Next: The BBB revenue estimate is expected in December, firmed up in January, with budget requests due around the end of January or early February; the five-year plan goes to Council for approval in June.

Built from auto-generated captions of the October 23 retreat; names and numbers may be misheard.
The two funds are separated by ordinance: Beautification money can back other Beautification projects but not Arts and Sciences projects. Most of the Arts and Sciences fund goes to an ongoing contract with Creative Flagstaff.
A roughly half-million-dollar amount leaves the Beautification fund before the budget process for maintenance of earlier projects and Council-directed litter pick-up.
Original BBB split, as read out by staff: 3 percent administration, 32 percent beautification, 16.5 percent economic development, 48.5 percent tourism, with no share for Arts and Sciences or Parks and Recreation; those two were added later and the other shares reduced.
New budget guidance makes it harder to shift one-time project money between projects without a request to the budget team (staff said a two-day turnaround was being aimed for).

Funding 101 briefing: ongoing versus one-time funding, the 20 percent / 7.5 percent BBB shares, how Council can change them, history of the BBB split, and the new rules for moving project money. The Commission also heard it should expect less certainty until BBB revenue figures arrive.