Fresno Spent $150,000 on a Cultural Arts Plan. Where Is It?

The Fresno City Council voted in April 2022 to pay a consultant $150,000 to develop a Cultural Arts Plan. The deadline was March 2023. That was nearly two years ago.

The Breakdown

• City Council approved $150,000 for a consultant to develop Fresno’s Cultural Arts Plan on April 28, 2022.
• The consultant, Network for Culture and Arts Policy, was selected after an RFP process run by Fresno Arts Council.
• The contract term ran through June 30, 2023, with the plan scheduled for City Council adoption in March 2023.
• Both deadlines have now passed.

The contract went to Network for Culture and Arts Policy, a group chosen after the city initially got only one proposal. Staff extended the deadline, got five total bids, and picked NCAP.

The Fresno Arts Council ran the selection process for the city. The contract ran from signing day through June 30, 2023.

That June deadline is now 19 months past. The March 2023 target for bringing the plan to council for adoption — 22 months gone.

What This Means for You

The City Council you elected authorized spending $150,000 of public money on a deliverable with a stated deadline. That deadline is nearly two years past.

What to Watch

$150,000 bought a consulting contract with a hard deadline. The deadline passed.