Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 05 04

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C ity tit Louisville COLORADO - SINCE 1878 Memorandum To: Louisville Historical Commission & Louisville History Foundation From: Bridget Bacon, Museum Coordinator Date: April 26, 2016 Re: Museum Business Plan The Museum Business Plan prepared by ArtsMarket, Inc. that is part of the May 2016 Historical Commission meeting packet and that will become part of the Museum Master Plan puts forth a number of recommendations and ideas with respect to Museum operations and funding. It provides an excellent starting point for discussion by City staff, City Council, the Louisville Historical Commission, the Louisville History Foundation directors, and members of the public. In fact, the Museum staff has already started to take action this year in response to ideas contained in the Business Plan, such as the recommendations that the Museum increase its programming and outreach offerings and strengthen its participation in downtown events and festivals. The Business Plan contains a great deal of helpful information that is pertinent for the Museum's future operations and funding sources, and it sets forth a proposal for one possible way in which the City of Louisville could set up funding for Museum operations based on examples from a sampling of other U.S. museums. The City will no doubt want to balance a number of different interests when the time comes to make decisions about the Business Plan recommendations. At this time, these issues are still up for discussion. The Commission, by accepting the Business Plan to be part of the Museum Master Plan, will not be weighing in on the recommendations contained in the Plan, but it would be helpful for Commission members and Foundation directors when reading the Plan to consider some of the following issues: • The Business Plan recommendations are based on there being on a certain level of funding for Museum operations from the Historic Preservation Fund, which is not currently permitted. It is still an open question as to whether the City Council will decide to write the ballot language for the Historic Preservation Tax renewal so as to include approval for the Fund to be used to help pay for Museum operations. If it is written to include such language, when it would go to voters has not been decided and it is not known whether voters would approve the ballot issue. 1