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General Fund Highlights <br />Cultural Services Subfund Overview <br />The Cultural Services Subfund, established in FY99, provides cultural services programs and <br />activities for the community. The programs are primarily supported by the City's Transient <br />Room Tax and program fees. The Hult Center and Cuthbert Amphitheater annually host <br />approximately 400 public events, including 6-10 events presented directly by the Cultural <br />Services Division and a number of arts education programs serving youth and adults in the <br />region. Total annual usage exceeds 800 events, including rehearsals and other non-public uses.. <br />• The City Council identified "Strengthen and Promote Arts and Outdoors Assets" as one <br />of their top priorities for the coming year and adopted "World's Greatest City of the Arts <br />& Outdoors" as an official slogan. <br />• Recent capital improvements include the seismic upgrade to the famous basket weave <br />ceiling in Silva Convert Hall and replacement of the 20-year-old technology used to <br />operate the marquees located at the Hult Center on 6th and 7th avenues. <br />• Over the last seven years, for every $1 of Transient Room Tax spent on Cultural Services <br />operations, $5 was returned back into the economy. <br />• The Hult Center and Cuthbert Amphitheater are operated primarily as rental facilities. <br />Local activity has stayed consistent for a number of years; however, touring show activity <br />has varied significantly from one year to the next. Over the last few years, a decrease in <br />popular touring events resulted in reduced revenue for the division. <br />c_ • The health of the subfund is subject to fluctuations related to the hoteUmotel market <br />within the city of Eugene and the overall health of the state's tourism and hospitality <br />industry. Loss of market share to hoteUmotel properties outside the city of Eugene has an <br />~` _ adverse effect on tax receipts. A healthy hoteUmotel market is vital to ensuring long term <br />~- ~ financial support for cultural services. Currently, Transient Room Tax receipts are stable. <br />• The City Council approved $125,000 in FY06 and an additional $125,000 in FY07 to <br />.fund an extensive review of cultural-services in the community. The development of the <br />Request for Proposals for managing the review has been completed. The contractor <br />selected to manage the process will report to a "Mayor's Steering Committee" comprised <br />of the Cultural Services Advisory Committee and interested community individuals and <br />representatives of business and arts related groups and organizations. The collection of <br />data, public meetings, and research will be the first phase and expected to commence <br />before the end of March. The FY07 Proposed Budget also includes $169,970 of <br />"stabilization" funding from the General Fund Main Subfund to carry the existing service <br />system forward while this review is taking place. <br />37 <br />