* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Torrence
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
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Reduction to the Ordinance of Estimates for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023 - Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts
For the purpose of requesting that the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts take certain necessary actions to ensure strict compliance with its September 2020 contract with the City of Baltimore; and generally relating to a reduction to the Ordinance of Estimates for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2023 from the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts Service 824.
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The Baltimore City Council reduced Service 824 under the Baltimore Office for Promotion and the Arts by $196,000 in Council Bill 22-0235, the Ordinance of Estimates for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023, enacted June 23, 2022.
Members of the Baltimore City Council have concerns about the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts regarding its board membership, the Film Office, and Artscape. The Baltimore City Council now requests that the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts take the following actions:
1. Expand the membership of the Office’s Board of Directors with a focus on reflecting the diversity of the artists living and working in the City.
2. Establish Mayoral appointments to the Office’s Board of Directors.
3. Modernize the policies and procedures of the Film Office to make the City a viable center for entertainment productions.
4. Review and report on Artscape’s expansion to the Station North Arts District with attention paid to the expansion’s impact on the neighborhoods of Bolton Hill and Mt. Vernon, the campuses of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Baltimore, and the City’s infrastructure investments in and around these same areas.
5. Review and report on the City’s infrastructure investments along the Mt. Royal Avenue corridor to, among other things, ensure that the historic footprint of Artscape remains in Bolton Hill and Mt. Vernon.
6. Commit to maintaining the historical footprint of Artscape in the neighborhoods of Bolton Hill and Mt. Vernon.
7. Review and report on Artscape’s involvement and relationship with the Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Baltimore.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Baltimore City Council requests that the Baltimore Office for Promotion and the Arts Office implement the requests in the recitals of this Resolution by December 31, 2022.
And be it further resolved, That, through a supplemental appropriation for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2023, the City Council seeks to restore funding to the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts at a time to be determined by mutual agreement of the Mayor and City Council.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and to the Mayor’s legislative liaison to the City Council.