Start until we're recording.

All right.

Welcome everybody.

I'd like to call this meeting of the Johns Creek City Council work session order this Monday, May 19th at 5.05 p.m.

Thank you.

At this time will you lead the pledge?

You glad to pledge allegiance to why of the United States?

Liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Mayor's remarks?

None at this time, thank you.

I'm not aware of anything under strategic priorities, which leads to the first item under ongoing projects.

It is the performing arts center staffing and operations.

We have assistant city manager Greer.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Picking up our conversation from the last work session, the agenda report in your packet reviews the anticipated revenues and expenditures for staffing and operations for a potential performing arts center.

Each assumption is noted in case you'd like to review it further.

But given the executive level decision-making lens of the council, I want to keep my remarks at the big picture.

The anticipated revenues and expenditures would put Johns Creek's performing arts center in line with the regional and local trend of requiring an annual investment to cover the operational cost.

The preliminary pro forma anticipates year one expenditures of roughly 1.64 million and revenues of 1.33 million, which would require some combination of an operating endowment, naming rights, grants, or other investment from the city totaling approximately 254,000.

Rather than debate the individual assumptions, my big ask of council is a policy question.

Do you think an annual investment in a performing arts center is an appropriate to add to our facility for recreational offerings?

In addition to my policy question, I'm interested to hear whatever feedback you'd like to share on the information provided.

But your consensus will really guide the next steps.

As noted in the agenda report, the one hard deadline we're working with is that if council has an interest in advancing the conversation to a potential bond referendum for this year, Fulton County Board of Elections has indicated they need to know the bond question in July for it to appear on a November ballot.

So absent further direction, that will be our focus for the June work session, but I am confident you all have thoughts to share.

All right.

All right, thank you, uh City Manager Greer.

And first off, I just appreciate uh I thought it was a strong thorough memo and I appreciate it.

Uh council, before we go into anyone's comments, including my own.

Uh I know that last time maybe we got a little off track with the schedule, and I think we went almost maybe a full two hours just on the performance hall.

Um I don't think everyone got a full fair shake at speaking.

Uh would it be in agreement with you that we self-impose an hour for this topic?

I think that maybe that's about what it's already uh planned for, and maybe we'll try to do a better job of we'll each go around, say our two or three minute intro, whatever you know your pieces, and then we can just have a full mealy debate, whatever you want.

Would that be acceptable to everybody?

And then we'll hold each other to that.

All right.

So at about uh six o'clock, I'll be like, okay, we got about seven minutes left.

So just so that we get to other things as well.

So uh all right.

With that, uh I will I'll tell you what, let's let's Bob, why don't you lead us off?

Thank you.

Uh I feel at this point we are more or less agreed that there is a bond needed for this.

Uh some of the parameters which are needed for the bond is how much money will be raised by the public versus how much it'll be going to be the raised by the private citizens of private entities.

At this point, I believe, since you just told us about Fulton County saying that they needed this information in a very short period of time.

We may not be giving adequate time for the people to raise the the money or to get some kind of promise.

I believe that at this point the bond aspect of this whole does not have adequate runway to meet that goal of fundraising.

So maybe it may be moving to a slightly further date.

But that's how I look at it.

I feel we we shouldn't be setting them some setting them up for failure by giving them a very short period of time and say raise this money.

Because whatever they don't raise within that money, that period will go on as public's contribution.

So that's where I look at it.

Thank you.

And do you have any thoughts about the questions?

Yes, by the way.

State manager posed.

Yes.

I did verify these numbers with other city which had similar this thing.

They were very, very saying this very close to what is reality.

And that is uh something I personally wanted to thank whoever is was behind this document.