By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The growth of the Decatur Arts Commission has caused a minor problem which the organization and the city are attempting to work out.
A member of the commission, Ron Storey (photo), told city council at its latest meeting that the organization was created in 2019 and the extent of its success was not anticipated at that time.
Paintings are on sale at The HIVE downtown, and when a purchase is made, the artist gets 80% of the sale funds and the commission gets 20%.
That 80% comes out of the commission’s budget and requires city Clerk-Treasurer Phyllis Whitright to write each check – requiring “a lot of paperwork,” she said at the meeting.
The commission, Storey said, would like to establish a non-reverting fund into which all revenues would go and checks could be written out of.
Several factors and possible roadblocks from state regulations came up during a 20-minute discussion.
Eventually, Mayor Dan Rickord suggested taking a deeper look into the situation in order to gain the best resolution.
“We know what you’re looking for, we just don’t know what the best answer is,” he said.
The HIVE cultural center “is going great; I’m seeing more and more people in there,” said Councilman Matt Dyer, who works next door.
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