Costa Mesa Creates Art-Boosting Agency

The Costa Mesa City Council voted Monday to create an agency that could boost support for local arts and tourism from less than $300,000 to more than $2 million a year.

The nonprofit Costa Mesa Tourism, Arts and Promotion Corp. will be managed by a seven-member board of directors to be named. Details have not been determined but city officials say the corporation probably would be funded through fees charged local hotel and motel guests. The corporation could also seek private donations.

This year, local arts groups received $159,000 in grants from the city’s general fund and $100,000 from the fund was spent promoting tourism. But general-fund dollars are subject to the state’s Gann spending limit, which limits the amount of tax money a city may spend. Funds from the new corporation would not be considered taxes and would therefore be free from spending limits.

According to Mayor Peter F. Buffa, the corporation was conceived essentially to increase municipal arts support, as requests from arts groups for subsidies are increasing.

Corporation board members--five must be Costa Mesa residents and two must represent the local hotel industry--will be named by the City Council after the public has a chance to apply for the positions, which are voluntary. After the board members devise policies and a spending plan for the corporation, its funding mechanism will be determined, probably around early November, according to City Manager Allan L. Roeder.

The city’s Cultural Arts Committee, a 10-member panel that recommends arts grant recipients to the council, may act as adviser to the new corporation, Roeder said.