Arts center funding is a no-brainer

By Staff
November 23, 2003
Both the city and county governments have crucial roles to play if our community is to become a real showcase for the tremendous accomplishments of talented Mississippians.
Why the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center's board wouldn't seek equal financial contributions from Lauderdale County and the city of Meridian was not fully explained last week. The fact that it didn't created a needless controversy that can nonetheless be resolved.
The board asked for $150,000 from Lauderdale County supervisors and got it, contingent on the city providing the same level of funding. The arts center board asked for $100,000 from the city and got it, forcing county supervisors to revisit the issue.
Supervisors may take additional action at their December meeting. Whether they will drop the contingency and earmark $150,000 anyway or whether they will decide to drop their contribution to $100,000 remains to be seen. We hope they stick with the $150,000.
Either way, it seems to us that given the somewhat contentious nature of the relationship between city and county governments simply asking for equal amounts from each governing body would have been the way to go at this juncture in the arts center's development.
We continue to wholeheartedly support development of the arts and entertainment center. It can be a real boost to our community's cultural environment. Both the city and county governments have crucial roles to play if our community is to become a real showcase for the tremendous accomplishments of talented Mississippians.
Over the developmental period, we hope the city and county governments will be full partners in the endeavor, along with the state of Mississippi, private contributors and, perhaps, even the federal government.