Burbank Will Search Budget for Arts Funds

The Burbank City Council has agreed to try to find up to $1 million for the arts in the city’s budget.

The Fine Arts Federation of Burbank, a citizens group, had asked the City Council several months ago to adopt an ordinance under which fees that developers paid to the city would have been increased by 1%, with the extra proceeds going for support of the arts.

Developers, who also could have been required to include some sort of art in their development site, protested that they were being unfairly targeted by the group.

City staff members had attempted to write a compromise ordinance that would not single out developers, but council members Tuesday night instructed them to try to find $400,000 to $1 million for the arts within the city budget, which is slated to be adopted next month.

The city now provides no funding for the arts.