OC Council sizes up money situation
By MICHAEL MOLITORIS

Councilman Neil McElwee says the city won't be a 'sugar daddy' much longer to arts revitalization and the Oil Region Alliance.

With a look into the city's 2007 budget coming up, an economic development group and a fledgling downtown revitalization effort might want to brace themselves for some tough-love words from Oil City Council.

"We're not a sugar daddy that's going to be giving to them much longer," said Councilman Neil McElwee.

It was the city's downtown arts revitalization committee that took the brunt of Monday afternoon's beating - not for the work it is doing, but from the standpoint that the group needs to find its own money to keep rolling along.

The arts group and the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism both have asked the city for money in next year's budget. Rather than pull those funds from a reserve account, City Manager Tom Rockovich simply told council that continued contributions should become budget line items.

"What I'm going to do is put the $30,500 that had been there and the allocation will go toward whatever council feels is appropriate," Rockovich said after Monday's meeting. "I wasn't looking for anything more than finding out if this was OK or acceptable."

That request resulted in 30- to 40-minute verbal jousting match among members of city council - minus Sandy Montgomery, who was excused from the afternoon meeting.

The downtown arts movement, charged with infusing the city's business community with live-and-work artists, hired consultant Joann Wheeler partway through this year, and council allocated $15,000 for her salary and $4,000 for expenses. The arts committee has asked for more money in 2007.

"Wasn't our hope that the arts council can fund Mrs. Wheeler?" Mayor Ed Sharp asked.

"That's the goal. But it's going to take time," said Councilwoman Sonja Hawkins.

"I realize it takes time, but like everything else we said, it was going to be a one-shot deal," Sharp said.

Wheeler's one-year deal isn't up until partway through 2007.

Rockovich alluded Monday to recent correspondence requesting that extra money be made available to bump Wheeler's compensated weekly hours from 15 to 20.

"She's spending more hours than that on a weekly basis," Rockovich said. "She's trying to find funding opportunities out there. It's the chicken and the egg thing. She's working on some things, but if she's working on fund-raising things, she can't work on operational things."

"I want to know 'Do they have a plan in place to make this happen, or are we going to be funding them forever,' " Sharp said.

"I think we have to realize that she's only been working six months, and I think for us to expect that this would be funded at this point from outside sources is too much," Rockovich said.

"I just want to make sure there's something in place," Sharp continued. "It's important we know what and where to go with things. I just need to know is there something they're working on to make this happen."

"I agree with you," McElwee interjected. "This is not to be taken for granted."

Rockovich suggested the panel might want Wheeler to address the group at an upcoming work session after it was pointed out that she did not personally ask council for more money; rather, it came through the arts revitalization committee.

"Joann's not here asking for money," Sharp said. "Why should we go to her?"

In an aside, Hawkins said she believed that Wheeler had located some operational money for the arts project.

"They have to work toward independence," she said.

"We could have said, 'Here's your $19,000. Now hit the bricks,' " Sharp said.

"If that's the way you want to play the game," Hawkins retorted, asking Sharp, "How many times do you have to repeat it," referring to his statements about the group finding financial independence.

"Just because this is your pet project," Sharp snapped back.

"It's not my pet project and I don't appreciate that," she said. "There are projects we voted on together."

"We have to find are they working toward the future?" Sharp said. "We've got to figure out what we're doing."

Senior Councilman Merrill Whitling said the panel has to decide if "this is something we're going to do, fine. If not, let's just forget about it." But he cautioned against using reserve funds for continued expenditures like the ones discussed Monday.

"Mr. Rockovich and I have talked, and if you think we're going to be (funding) this without taking from reserves or raising taxes - which I don't want to do - you're kidding yourself," Sharp said.

It was then that Hawkins asked about the Oil Region Alliance's request for $20,000 in 2007.

"The money will be there (as a line item in the industrial park budget) and you can work it out," Rockovich said.

"We're going to have to say this is definitely it or the next year, the ORA will get $10,000 and the arts revitalization committee will get $10,000," Sharp said.