Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVING A FACILITY-USE AGREEMENT WITH THE MARIACHI ACADEMY (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
This item is on the agenda at the request of Councilmember Lula Davis-Holmes.
Beginning in 2013, the City Council granted fee waivers to the Mariachi Academy (Academy) for the use of space at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (Community Center). In 2015, a four-year extension was authorized and expired on June 30, 2019. Tonight, the City Council is asked to consider approving a new one-year, pilot program agreement that would enhance the relationship between the City and the Academy (Exhibit No. 1). Under the proposed agreement, the City would grant a “license” (i.e. a right) to use rooms at the Community Center - and, in one case, Dominguez Park - to conduct classes, and the City would market the classes and collect the registration fees. In exchange, the City would be entitled to a “license fee” in the amount of 22% of the gross revenue generated from the classes.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE the facility-use agreement between the City of Carson and the Mariachi Academy.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the agreement, following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
The City of Carson has provided funding for fine arts programming through the Cultural Arts Commission since the 1980s. With the City’s budget challenges in 2010, this program was suspended until a time when it would be financially feasible for the City to again support this endeavor. In the interim, the City Council approved waiving fees for the Mariachi Academy for a two-year period for use of the Community Center. In 2015, a four-year fee waiver extension was approved, and expired on June 30, 2019.
Academy representatives met with Community Services staff to explore a new agreement, and developed the following:
a. The City grants a “license” to the Academy for room use at the Community Center and Dominguez Park for the purpose of conducting Mariachi classes.
b. City staff collects registration fees from patrons.
c. City staff markets the Mariachi classes by, among other means, providing links on the City’s website and class descriptions in the quarterly Community Services Recreation Guide.
d. The City retains 22% of all registration fees generated by the room/facility use, and remits the remaining 78% to the Mariachi Academy on a monthly basis.
e. The classes are considered Mariachi Academy classes (not City classes), and the Academy maintains full control of the classes.
f. The term of the proposed agreement is one year, after which both parties will re-evaluate the relationship.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Should the agreement be approved, the City could realize between $1,600.00 to $2,300.00 in revenue per month, depending on the class size. The minimum number of students required to hold a class is 70% of capacity, or it will be canceled.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Draft Facility Use Agreement with the Mariachi Academy. (pgs. 4-16)
Prepared by: Dani Cook, Human Services Supervisor