Atlanta to cut arts grants, parks funds
The city of Atlanta's parks, recreation and cultural affairs department faces a $3.1 million budget cut that will force reductions in park maintenance and eliminate grants to rising artists, the department chief says.
The proposed cuts, which were discussed at a budget hearing Thursday morning, are part of the city's effort to close an overall $15 million shortfall in the 2012 budget.
As part of the cuts, grant funding that usually goes to arts organizations and community cultural development has been cut in half, from $470,000 to $235,000. Only 30 grants will be awarded next year and none will go to individual artists and rising artists, under the budget proposal.
“Those cuts were not just about the dollars, but about relationships,” said department commissioner George Dusenbury. “Obviously, the arts community feels like the program is important and it was a difficult decision to make those cuts. But we will do our best to work with those partners.”
In the parks division, Dusenbury said he is looking at nearly $1 million in savings by eliminating private security at parks, slowing the frequency of mowing at parks, closing a greenhouse and eliminating kudzu removal.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
