Valley designates funding for arts
The Spokane Valley Arts Council is slated to receive funding from Spokane Valley for the first time next year, while other new groups vying for a portion of the city budget did not fare so well.
“I definitely want to give an encouraging dollar amount,” Councilman Dick Denenny said of the Arts Council money.
Others on the council concurred, saying that they encouraged artists in the community to form the group a few years ago, and since then there have more art showings and other activities that are worthy of the city’s support.
Every year, the modest portion of city funds that the council dedicates to Valley nonprofit and economic-development agencies provides one of the conversational highlights of assembling the $76 million budget for the next year.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members tentatively agreed to give $130,000 to seven groups, an increase of $10,000 over the amount set aside for the agencies last year.
Besides the Arts Council, three other organizations joined the list of first-timers asking for money this year.
The Institute for Systems Medicine requested $100,000 from the city but did not receive anything after council members said information in the request should have focused on its economic impact in Spokane Valley.
A request from the Inland Northwest Women’s Business Center was also turned down, as was a request from Pet Savers.
“We already give $400,000 in our budget to animals,” said Councilman Bill Gothmann, referring to the city’s contract with Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service.
The amount for the Spokane Area Economic Development Council will stay the same, although City Council members spent several minutes airing concerns over the development council’s merger with the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and how that might affect economic development funds for Spokane Valley.
The tentative amounts for each agency were reached by an informal consensus of those present and may change before their formal adoption, scheduled for next Tuesday.
Councilmen Gary Schimmels and Mike DeVleming were not at the meeting.