Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AGREEMENT FOR USE OF CITY FACILITIES FOR SOPHISTICATED DANCE (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
Beginning in 2013, the City Council granted fee waivers to Sophisticated Dance and other groups for room use at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson. In 2015, a four-year extension was provided to Sophisticated Dance for room use. Those fee waivers expired on June 30, 2019. Sophisticated Dance then applied for facility use through the Cultural Arts grant program. They were awarded $10,000 in facility use for calendar year 2020, but staff’s goal was to establish a more balanced relationship moving forward. A license agreement similar to the one created for the Mariachi Academy was proposed. In the meantime, Sophisticated Dance is operating under the Cultural Arts grant.
Tonight, the City Council is asked to consider approving a new agreement that would enhance the relationship between the City and Sophisticated Dance. Under the proposed agreement, the City would grant Sophisticated Dance a “license” (i.e. a right) to use rooms at the Carson Community Center to conduct its classes, and the City would market the classes. In exchange, the City would be entitled to a “license fee” in the amount of 22% of the gross revenue generated from the classes. The term of the proposed agreement would be one year, after which both parties would re-evaluate the relationship.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. APPROVE the “Agreement for Use of City Facilities and for Provision of Marketing Services for Sophisticated Dance, Inc.” (Exhibit 1), and AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the same 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 restart the program. In the interim, the City Council voted to waive fees for Sophisticated Dance for a two-year period for use of the Community Center.
In 2015, a four-year fee waiver extension was provided to Sophisticated Dance. Those fee waivers expired on June 30, 2019.
Sophisticated Dance then applied for facility use through the Cultural Arts grant program. They were awarded $10,000 in facility use for calendar year 2020, but staff’s goal was to establish a more balanced relationship moving forward. A license agreement similar to the one created for the Mariachi Academy was proposed. In the meantime, Sophisticated Dance is operating under the Cultural Arts grant program.
Sophisticated Dance representatives met with Community Services staff to explore this new agreement. Attached is the agreement, which proposes the following:
a. City grants a “license” to Sophisticated Dance for room use at the Carson Community Center for the purpose of conducting dance classes.
b. Sophisticated Dance staff will continue to collect registration fees from patrons who wish to take dance classes.
c. City staff markets Sophisticated Dance classes commensurate with the City’s own programs, such as by providing links to the available classes on the City’s website and class descriptions in the quarterly Community Services Guide.
d. Sophisticated Dance retains 78% of all registration fees generated by the licensed room/facility use, and remits the remaining 22% to the City of Carson on a monthly basis.
e. The classes are considered Sophisticated Dance classes (not City classes), and Sophisticated Dance 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.
If the initial term of the proposed agreement is a success, future agreements or renewals involving expanded facility use by Sophisticated Dance (which may extend to use of rooms in City parks) is a possibility that would be explored.
Staff requests the City Council to consider approval of this proposed agreement.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Should the agreement be approved, the City will realize monthly revenue subject to class size and the number of classes offered. The minimum number of students is 70% of class capacity. If a class does not reach the minimum number of students, it will be canceled.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Agreement for Use of Facilities for Sophisticated Dance (pgs. 4-14).
Prepared by: Dani Cook, Human Services Supervisor