The Scottsdale Cultural Council’s long-awaited overhaul of its master contract with the city calls on the private, nonprofit organization to have better long-term planning and accountability for meeting the city’s art goals.
The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on the agreement with the cultural council, the group charged with managing Scottsdale’s arts and cultural programs. It has been more than a decade since there have been substantial changes to the contract.
“We asked them to prepare a five-year strategic plan so we (the city) can agree upon the direction they are going,” said Councilman Wayne Ecton, who served on the contract task force. Ecton said the old agreement previously called for a yearly plan.
While the major components of the plan are in place, some key elements are still being ironed out.
The cultural council will have until the end of the year to come up with a new agreement about where and how art would be required to be installed at private developments. Agreements on the use of the Civic Center Mall and how the group will contract with concessionaires also will be forthcoming.
New language in the agreement would require the cultural council to measure its performance by presenting a report on how it was able to accomplish its goals.
Cultural council CEO Bill Banchs said the new agreement better addresses the needs of Scottsdale’s growing art scene and more succinctly clarifies the cultural council’s and city’s respective responsibilities.
“There will be a stronger partnership when everything is clear. It (the contract) gives us stability and a clear cut policy that we can pass on to our successors,” Banchs said.
If approved, the contract will carry a 10-year term plus a 10-year renewal.
