Dear ArtsBuild,
Hope you are doing well.
ArtsBuild, why do you want more tax money? For what?
According to your ArtsBuild, formerly Allied Arts, 990 tax filing to the IRS in 2013, your organization is flush with cash, and your organization even has a sizable investment account generating revenue.
I obtained copies of ArtsBuild tax filings from a site called Guidestar that has three years of 990 filings. ArtsBuild, your organization is doing fine financially, and you do not need public welfare. In fact, the city of Chattanooga should discontinue gifting $275,000 annually to your organization. Your organization is wealthy in my opinion.
It is perplexing to understand why the ArtsBuild organization needs more tax dollars, and is seeking $3 million annually by leveraging government tax authority on cigarettes. Smoking and art have no connection in terms of the cost implications of smoking, no connect at all.
Bottom line, I question ArtsBuild need to leverage government’s taxation authority for the love of art.
Your organization does not need the money according to your own tax filings.
ArtsBuild had total annual income of $3,970,688 in 2013 that was comprised of $1,590,361 from grants and government gifting from our city and county tax revenue, and revenue from other sources of $2,339,785.
ArtsBuild even has an investment saving account that generated $40,522, best guess ArtsBuild has at least a million or more in the bank for a rainy day fund.
Your ArtsBuild board is stacked with former elected officials and insiders to local government. This ensures that ArtsBuild is always included in gifting from our city government and Hamilton County Commissioners who enjoy leveraging their discretionary funds to buy favor with the lobby called ArtsBuild, very savvy move.
What is even more interesting is that our local governments gift your organization, ArtsBuild, with funds to grant to other art nonprofits. How fun is that? This gives an entirely new meaning to vote then pass through funds, especially when elected officials are employed by these organizations.
The city of Chattanooga government gifts $275,000 annually to ArtsBuild for local property and sales tax revenue.
The CEO of ArtsBuild is compensated at $120,000 a year according to ArtsBuild 1099 IRS tax filings in 2013.
I have a reasonable question. Why does a nonprofit art organization need public assistance from our local property tax base when,
1) ArtsBuild is flush with cash in revenue and investment income, why do you need welfare through taxation?
2) Why are the taxpayers funding a six-figure salary for the ArtsBuild CEO, when the city of Chattanooga already funds a public art manager and staff support for that position?
The city of Chattanooga has a public art manager and staff, why should the public fund ArtsBuild at all? Let the current staff of city and county government perform the functions of ArtsBuild. It would be less expensive than paying these outrageous salaries.
Finally, how is art connected to the cost of cigarette smoking? I could see a cigarette tax imposed to cover Hamilton County Government’s cost of first responder EMTs that must transport smokers to the emergency room, or the Fire Department that is chronically dealing with cigarette-related fires. Art has absolutely no role in the taxpayers' cost of dealing with smoking.
These are reasonable questions. Please respond and explain why ArtsBuild needs public welfare from the taxpayers.
Aprile Eidson
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If you think Arts Build is getting a good deal, pull the 990 from Friends of the Festival and ask your same questions. At least Arts Build funds some arts organizations with their money instead of passing it along to all the old county singers looking for a gig.
Max Pettit