Ragsdale budget a 'massacre' for nonprofits; panelist explains choices
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Deep cuts to community grants proposed by Mayor Mike Ragsdale to balance his proposed $648 million fiscal 2010 budget concern nonprofits that have received county funding in the past.
Ragsdale, based on the recommendations of citizen panels, proposed $1 million for community grants, down from $2 million in the current budget for social, cultural and health organizations.
"It's a massacre," said David Butler, executive director of the Knoxville Museum of Art, which would lose all its $27,500 in county funding.
"That's probably a (job) position for us," Butler said. "If you take $25,000 out of your budget, what do you do? I don't know. We've had our budget cut significantly this year and next year. Our top staff have all taken substantial pay cuts. We've reduced our programming. I've given back a lot of salary myself.
"We're mystified as are many other agencies. A lot of agencies the county has helped for a long time were just zeroed out of the budget."
The mayor used five citizen panels, who each got $200,000 to make a recommendation to the mayor on how the grant money should be spent, and the mayor used the recommendations, said Chuck Williams, who served on the youth panel.
Williams, a Pellissippi State student studying education, said he's tired of the cultural organizations "bashing" panel decisions on funding.
"Part of the reason we didn't select groups like that is their pulling money by various grants and charging admission," he said. "That's why we favored the other groups."
Nonprofit groups, however, question the mayor's decision to cut grant funding in half.
Lisa Duncan, executive director of the Dogwood Arts Festival, said in this year's budget her agency got about $41,000, but in the upcoming fiscal year, it's getting zero dollars.
Her budget is $1.2 million, plus $600,000 in in-kind contributions, such as advertising, and she has a staff of four employees.
"Tourism is an important economic impact for Knox County and surrounding counties," she said. "The Dogwood Arts Festival made a significant investment toward producing the increase in the awareness of the cultural and natural beauty of our region. Many events are free to our visitors. We rely on grants to make that possible.
"I'm truly disappointed that Knox County is turning their back on the arts community. I know it's tough right now, and their trying to find a way to fund the courts and the schools."
Duncan questioned why the mayor could not take $1 million from the $50 million in the rainy day fund to restore funding for community grants.
The Knoxville Symphony would receive half the $13,580 requested. The Knoxville Zoo would get $25,000, also half its request.
Williams, the grant panelist, said the panels tended to fund groups that operate mainly on grant funding, like the SOAR Youth Ministries, a Lonsdale-based organization that provides school supplies and other services to children.
For example, he said the Boys and Girls Clubs get outside funding but declined to answer questions from his panel so they got no funding.
"These cultural organizations are making money from other ways," Williams said. "We had to give to those that are needy rather than those that have outside money."
Deep cuts to community grants proposed by Mayor Mike Ragsdale to balance his proposed $648 million fiscal 2010 budget concern nonprofits that have received county funding in the past.
Ragsdale, based on the recommendations of citizen panels, proposed $1 million for community grants, down from $2 million in the current budget for social, cultural and health organizations.
"It's a massacre," said David Butler, executive director of the Knoxville Museum of Art, which would lose all its $27,500 in county funding.
"That's probably a (job) position for us," Butler said. "If you take $25,000 out of your budget, what do you do? I don't know. We've had our budget cut significantly this year and next year. Our top staff have all taken substantial pay cuts. We've reduced our programming. I've given back a lot of salary myself.
"We're mystified as are many other agencies. A lot of agencies the county has helped for a long time were just zeroed out of the budget."
The mayor used five citizen panels, who each got $200,000 to make a recommendation to the mayor on how the grant money should be spent, and the mayor used the recommendations, said Chuck Williams, who served on the youth panel.
Williams, a Pellissippi State student studying education, said he's tired of the cultural organizations "bashing" panel decisions on funding.
"Part of the reason we didn't select groups like that is their pulling money by various grants and charging admission," he said. "That's why we favored the other groups."
Nonprofit groups, however, question the mayor's decision to cut grant funding in half.
Lisa Duncan, executive director of the Dogwood Arts Festival, said in this year's budget her agency got about $41,000, but in the upcoming fiscal year, it's getting zero dollars.
Her budget is $1.2 million, plus $600,000 in in-kind contributions, such as advertising, and she has a staff of four employees.
"Tourism is an important economic impact for Knox County and surrounding counties," she said. "The Dogwood Arts Festival made a significant investment toward producing the increase in the awareness of the cultural and natural beauty of our region. Many events are free to our visitors. We rely on grants to make that possible.
"I'm truly disappointed that Knox County is turning their back on the arts community. I know it's tough right now, and their trying to find a way to fund the courts and the schools."
Duncan questioned why the mayor could not take $1 million from the $50 million in the rainy day fund to restore funding for community grants.
The Knoxville Symphony would receive half the $13,580 requested. The Knoxville Zoo would get $25,000, also half its request.
Williams, the grant panelist, said the panels tended to fund groups that operate mainly on grant funding, like the SOAR Youth Ministries, a Lonsdale-based organization that provides school supplies and other services to children.
For example, he said the Boys and Girls Clubs get outside funding but declined to answer questions from his panel so they got no funding.
"These cultural organizations are making money from other ways," Williams said. "We had to give to those that are needy rather than those that have outside money."
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