Title
Approving the 2022 Round 2 Cultural Sales Tax Revitalization (STAR) Grant Program awards.
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WHEREAS, on July 13, 1994, the City Council of the City of Saint Paul established the Cultural Capital Investment (“Cultural STAR”) Program, and
WHEREAS, the Cultural STAR Program is funded with ten percent of an additional one-half of one percent sales tax on sales transactions that occur within the City, pursuant to Minnesota Laws 1993, Chapter 375, Article 9, Section 46, as amended, and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Cultural STAR Program is to promote economic growth in Saint Paul by strengthening the arts and cultural sector and by supporting downtown as a vital cultural center, and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Minnesota Laws 1998, Chapter 389, Article 8, Section 37, Subdivision 1, a citizen review panel, commonly known as the Cultural STAR Board, completed its review of all proposals for the expenditure of funds in Round 2 of Cycle 28 of the Cultural STAR Program and made recommendations regarding the proposed expenditures, and
WHEREAS, the Mayor reviewed the applications for funds in Round 2 of Cycle 28 of the Cultural STAR Program and made recommendations, which are listed in the report attached to this resolution entitled “2022 Round 2 Cultural STAR Board and Mayoral Recommendations” (“Recommendations”), and
WHEREAS, Cultural STAR Guidelines generally require the project timelines to occur between January 15, 2023 and January 14, 2024, however, due to the longer timeline for completing complex capital projects, an exception to the timeline shall be given to the Capital Projects listed on the Recommendations, to allow for two years to complete the project, or January 15, 2023 to January 14, 2025; and
WHEREAS, due to the community significance of Forecast Public Artworks’ Cultural District Mural Project, a waiver to City Council approved Cultural STAR Guidelines is being recommended to eliminate the required $1 for $1 match with private resources for that project; and
WHEREAS, none of the recommended grants listed in the “Recommendations” require a public hearing due to provisions in the Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 116J, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby approves the Cultural STAR applications as set forth in the Recommendations and approves the projects and amounts listed in Financial Analysis attached hereto for the funding in Round 2 of Cycle 28 of the Cultural STAR Program, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council extends its gratitude to the members of the Cultural STAR Board for their hard work in reviewing the proposals and making recommendations to the Mayor and City Council in this second round of 2022.