frameworkIntroduction.htm

Budget and Implementation

Metro Bus Shelter
design, David Epstein, PGAL
and Rachel Hecker, Houston

Main Street sidewalk proposal, Benito Huerta
& Rey de la Reza Architects, Houston

A two-year demonstration program can accomplish everything outlined, given the appropriate start-up funds and management.To be successful, this undertaking requires an annual budget of approximately $500,000, which will be secured from a combination of sources, even as more stable, long-term funding mechanisms are established. After two years, the Framework effort will be evaluated to gauge its impact on the region.

TABLE B: HOUSTON FRAMEWORK Civic Art and Design Action Agenda
Draft Minimum Baseline Budget

FY 97/98 FY 98/99

Administration Director2 Associate2 Assistant2

Subtotal

Supplies, Space, Contingency @ 33% of Subtotal

Demonstration Projects

8 Catalytic Civic Art and Design Projects

Catalytic Programs
Regional Design Institute (2/yr.)

3 Civic Art and Design Fellowships

Framework Maps

Regional Plan
Archive
Houston
Pattern Books

Policy Initiatives Economic Impact

Model Civic Art and Design Incentives

$78,750 $42,500 $30,000

$151,250

$49,913

$160,000

$25,000

$22,500

$33,250

$7,500

$25,000

$22,500

$15,000

$82,688 $44,625 $31,500

$158,813

$52,408

$168,000

$26,250

$23,625

$34,913

$7,875

N.A.

$22,500

N.A.

Total Baseline Budget $511,913 $494,384

Notes:
1 Assumes 5% inflation
2 Fully Loaded Cost

Funding Sources and Initiatives

Funds for each demonstration project will be used either as seed money or for design fees. CACHH will seek partners who can help raise additional funds for implementation. At the same time, community groups and others can utilize the Houston Framework as a tool to begin their own projects. One key Framework goal is to promote an entrepreneurial spirit that leverages public participation and attracts additional funds. To supplement public support, CACHH will pursue at least three sources of funding for the Action Agenda: fees for services, fees for information resources, and grants and will also develop a set of long-term funding initiatives.

Demonstration
Effort Funding

1
Fees for services
By offering management and consulting services for a fee, staff can generate funds for projects, programs, and initiatives.

2
Fees for information resources CACHH maintains directories of artists, art conservators, suppliers of materials, and other individuals and businesses useful to those administering civic art and design projects from conception through conservation. Making these and other databases available for a fee will provide another source of income for civic art.

3
Grants
Civic art and design projects have always been the beneficiaries of grants and donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and local, state, and federal governments. The budget allows time for staff to pursue all of these potential sources of money.

Long-Term Funding

1
Capital improvement program options

a Legislated Percentage of Capital Improvement Funds

Adding a fixed percentage to the money to be spent on all public construction projects and applying it to enhancements creates a powerful mechanism for contributing significantly to the identity and experiential quality of Houston and Harris County, as well as to the value of public assets.

b.Annual Project Selection

Under this approach, each year Houston and Harris County will select from their capital improvements programs a number of their projects to receive increased design support.

Both these options allow a multi-purpose approach to the expenditure of public resources, one that invests in both the physical and the cultural infrastructure of the region.

2
Private sector incentives
Harris County and the City of Houston can adopt a series of incentives for the private sector. For example, developers would be rewarded with tax abatements for voluntarily including civic art and design in their own projects or for contributing to Houston Framework projects and programs.

3
Building permit fees
A few dollars gathered from every office building, store, and apartment complex erected in Houston and Harris County can add up to substantial support for the civic art and design objectives of the Houston Framework.