DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Council on Culture and Arts — known as COCA — is fighting to preserve its funding structure as Leon County prepares to decide whether to consolidate the organization under its tourism division.
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A County budget workshop on June 16 will determine the outcome. COCA leaders say the move has the potential to reduce their budget, cause layoffs, and prevent their ability to direct funds to organizations that have relied on them for more than 40 years.
COCA Executive Director Kathleen Spehar said the organization's track record makes the case for keeping it independent.
"When you look at what we're able to do for the community, we're nimble. We give back 93% of our budget to the community. Grant program has doubled in size over the last few years. Our tourism impact, even just with our grantees, has grown over 30%. I mean, those are the kinds of things that I think are going to be really important," Spehar said.
The County currently gives about $2 million in tourism tax dollars to COCA. COCA leaders say the organization generates $1.73 for every dollar it receives, and that organizations receiving grant funding from COCA generate $10 for every dollar they are given.
Community members turned out in large numbers at a recent County Commission meeting to oppose the consolidation, including performer Terry Galloway.
"So I want them to know they will be willfully, wantonly destroying an incredibly important locus of this community," Galloway said.
The County has said consolidating COCA under its tourism division would save $213,000. Kerri Post, Executive Director of Visit Tallahassee, said the move would benefit the community.
"Aligning the arts and cultural program and marketing into tourism, the tourism development dollars would significantly increase the impact of arts and culture in our community," Post said.
COCA is hosting informational Zoom meetings every Friday at 1 p.m. leading up to the June 16 County workshop. To join those meetings you can click the link here.
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