IFCC Faces Axe from City Budget
article and photo by Brian Stimson of The Skanner
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center recently got word that $80,000 in city funding would be cut from their budget next year. As many other programs and departments also face cuts, the small arts organization says it is now figuring out ways to continue their programming.
“Like everybody, we were prepared to tighten our belts,” said Adrienne Flagg, creative director for the IFCC. “What we’d been told was 5 and 10 percent.”
What they weren’t prepared for was a 30 percent drop in funds, especially since the new budget, if approved by the City Council, will take effect mid-summer.
Kimberly Howard, managing director, said that because of a miscommunication with the Office of Management and Finance, they weren’t aware of their funding status until last week.
“They know we’re going to advocate and know we have support from the community,” Howard said. “It’s a conversation, it’s a proposal … If (city council members) are hearing from people about things in the community that aren’t there, it gives them an opportunity to say, ‘wow there’s a strong feeling here that this should be there.’”
“But the people have to speak up about it,” Flagg said. Read more at The Skanner.com