06-01-1999 CC RPT 21A - Laserfiche WebLink

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People Serving People CITY OF RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM Riverside All-America City HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: June 1, 1999 ITEM NO: 21a SUBJECT: MISSION INN FOUNDATION AND MUSEUM FUNDING BACKGROUND: Funding for the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum (MIF) has varied over time and been reduced from a high of $137,000 during 1988-1991 to $37,900 which is the funding in the FY 98/99 budget. The proposed FY 99/00 budget currently includes a continuation of this funding pending discussion and action by the City Council. The Mission Inn Foundation and Museum serve the City by providing access to the Mission Inn and its varied historic treasures. Additionally, the MIF serves as a steward to document, inventory and tract the many historic items related to the Mission Inn, including those located in the hotel. There is an inherent public interest in preserving these assets and the MIF uses the City' s funding and many volunteer hours to meet this responsibility. Last year during the budget review process, the Finance Committee discussed the funding for the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum. At that time it was determined to continue the funding of $37,900 with a focus on completing an inventory of the various assets with priority given to those assets located in the hotel. Attached to this report is a letter from John Worden, Executive Director, of the Foundation and Museum noting the progress that has been made toward this goal (Attachment A). As we considered funding for the upcoming year, it became apparent that there is an ongoing need to provide access to this historical collection while maintaining a stewardship function to ensure its availability for future generations. We have discussed the possibility of the City's Museum Department taking on this role and have determined that it would be more costly than the current program operated by the MIF. Also attached to this report is a listing of the business plan/goals the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum have assembled, which includes the proposed FY 99/00 operating budget (Attachment B). In order to facilitate discussion, the MIF has provided a breakout of the expenses directly related to maintaining the collection (Attachment C). The Finance Committee considered this item on May 24 and unanimously (3 members present) recommended that funding continue at $37,900. Additionally, the committee requested that the Mission Inn Foundation report to the City Council in the Fall of 1999 on the progress of the collections inventory. Should the City Council approve the Mission Inn Foundation funding, a contract will be brought to the City Council in early July. 21a-1