Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower has suggested removing $611,000 in cultural arts grants and putting the money back into the general budget. However, this has caused concern for local arts and culture venues who rely on the grants to fund their programs. Brower believes that the private sector should be responsible for supporting the arts, rather than the government. He argues that rising costs and the need to reduce spending means that the county needs to be financially responsible. The arts community disagrees, with many organizations stating that without the grant money, their programs and hiring will be severely impacted.
In light of the recent news by a recent article in Hometown News Volusia, the decision made by Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower to cut $611,000 in cultural arts grants is causing a stir among local arts and culture venues. While Chair Brower argues that it is not the government’s responsibility to be generous with taxpayer dollars in areas that are already receiving support from the private sector, those in the arts community believe that losing these grants could have a tragic ending for many of their programs.
Terri Hoag, director of the Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary, explains that the cultural grant money they receive each year is crucial to supporting additional programs for the community, scholarships for kids in the summer, and hiring professional teachers for their programs. Without this funding, the center would be forced to cut back on hiring contract professionals to direct theatre performances throughout the year. Hoag’s sentiments were echoed by the 30-plus organizations that rely on the grant money, who met to discuss the potential impact of losing this funding.
While Chair Brower argues that the county is taking a hit with rising costs and needs to keep their heads when it comes to finances, those in the arts community believe that cutting these small cultural grants could create a big stink. They argue that the funding is necessary to support local arts and culture venues that may not receive support from the private sector. Additionally, they point out that the $611,000 in cultural grants is a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $5 million annual bill for rising insurance premiums.
The debate over the cultural grants highlights the larger issue of balancing the county’s budget with the needs of its residents. Chair Brower argues that the smart way to reduce spending is to cut redundancy, but those in the arts community argue that cutting small grants could have a big impact on their programs. The decision ultimately comes down to whether the county believes that supporting local arts and culture venues is a necessary part of its responsibility to its residents.
In the end, it remains to be seen whether the county will decide to cut the cultural grants or find other ways to support local arts and culture venues. However, the debate highlights the importance of finding a balance between the county’s budget and the needs of its residents, particularly in areas that may not receive support from the private sector. As Shakespeare once said, “money complicates things,” and the decision to cut cultural grants is no exception.
