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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5.1 FundingOfficialCitySong -- ~~~ ..;;;;.\_...,~", ' tY~.;~": . ~:'.~" <~,~" r '. AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: APRIL 9, 1;896 SUBJECT:. Written communication from Steve Stewartn=questingthat Council fund the production of the official City Song,. . '. Report Prepared by: Steve Honse, Adtninistraive Assistant .- . ~~ITS ATrACHED: 1. Request from Steve Stewart with propo.sedbudgtt 2. Commendation of steve .StewartfTomGovemor Wtlson 3. Lyrics to official City song . RECOMMENDA nON1#'. Discuss request and provide staff with lIJIlllOPIiaW dUectioD FINANCIAL Sf ATEMENT: No funds have been designated'in this year's budget for this request. Should Council chbose to grant Mr. Stewart' s request imd fund the project, futtdmg for the endeaVor could be de$igmitcdin the fl$cal year 1996-97budget."" '. .. . DESCRIPTION: In early 199:3, a contest was held in order to select the officiarCitySong. The City .Council selected Steve Stewart's "Dublin Town" as the winner. optis is a request from Steve Stewart that - the City CoUncil provide funding in the. amount of $5,000 so that the offIcial City song can 6e professionally recorded. The Council may choose to: . - ' ... ". Grant the request and fully fund the productWn costs; or .' , , - .' ..' .,.'.. ." . Grant the request in part by providing a portion of ,the funding, pl'<)videdthat therenWtKler is secured from other sources; or . . Deny the request and provide no funding. "'-'- Mr. Stewart has. submitted a budget (a~ched}in which he proposes to produ~ the song for .' , approximately $5,000. According to the proposal, Mr. Stewart wU10fferltis Services as:. pr()(lucer ~d perfonnerat no cost to the City. The bulk of the funding is required .to obtai.tJ the services: of professional musicians (8 @ $150 ea. for a total of $1,200) and the use of a recording studio (20hrs. @.$7sJttt.for a total of$1,500). Once the song has been recorded, the Gty wUlbeentit1ed to the ~tet copy of the recording and have the right to record an unlimited number,ofco~s. Included inlhe$S.OQOpl()duction cost are 1,000 taped copies of the i'ecoxding for the City. ' ... . . . . . ^,.., , Mr. Stewart has demonstrated his ability to successfuny complete projects of this type. He has produced recordings for several. cities including Livennore and Union' CitY. As a result of these efforts, he has been dubbed the "municipal minstrel" by Governor Wilson (see attached letter). Based upon MI'.Stew;ut's .s~CS~S.!~u!~c!_~~!.<!.~E~~~':~P.!1!.!i~~~_~~~a.!.~~_~~~J.!1~I!S~~~~!.!~i!i!Y_'!'~~!!t~ig_t~_ '. : COPIES TO: '. .' . ".' .. Steve Stewart ,.' ,U........ lTEMNO. '. . Hlcc.rormslagdastmLdoc ' , . successfully complete such a project. However, the issue is not Mr. Stewart's ability, but whetheT~e""'::':'.:.':-l. , "<. '.. ./. benefits associated with the production of the official City song are worth the cost. " " ',_i ' ' This request raises several issues, discussed below: Why should the song be produced? Staff has asked Mr. Stewart why should the City expend money to produce the City song? Mr. Stewart offered the following reasons: . · The City song would generate pride in the community; and · The song is a vehicle by which Dublin can communicate with the rest of the world; and · If marketed, the song provides a means to raise money~ for worthy projeCts in the community. · There are several precedents for city funding. For example, Uvennore and Union City financed the production of their official city songs. ",:~' Staff offers no opinion as to the validity of these reasons. Whether an expenditure generates community pride, to such an extent as to warrant a $5,000 expenditure, is a decision that only the City Council can make. If the song is produced, how should it be promoted/distributed? At this point, there is no plan as to how to promote and distribute the recording should it be produced. Mr. Stewart has suggested that the City could provide copies of the song to charitable groups to sell in order to raise funds. According to Mr. Stewart, the City would benefit to the extent that the song was distributed and played because it casts the City in the most positive light. The groups that sold the recordings would be entitled to retain all proceeds from the sale. Staff has no objection to the procedure described above. However, the idea must be qualified: First, the sale of the City, song should not be seen as a method to rec~ver production costs. While a charitable group could provide the human resources necessary to market the song, the distribution and promotion of such a product is labor intensive. City staff would not have the time or expertise to market the recording. Second, at this point the viability of this idea is untested. It is unclear whether civic organizations would have an interest in distributing such a recording. . When should the production be funded? Staff prefers, whenever possible, to plan for expenditures and to budget accord.iIJily. Since this request was unanticipated, no funds were allocated in this year's budget for such a project. Should the Council decide to fund this project, it is recommended that the project be deferred until July 1, 1996 at the earliest so that the it Can be funded from the 1996-97 budget. Recommendation It is staff's recommendation that the City Council discuss Mr. Stewart's request and provide staff with appropriate direction. -.~ 1 ~__. ',.,J .~_...,.. .. A' :1Jlf.l,q 2 0 ~996 CITY 0,- uJ8UN . Steve Stewart c/o AlphaTech 618 B Main St. Pleasanton, Ca. 94566 Dear Mayor Houston and City Council, I would like to petition the City of Dublin to authorize funds for the recording of "Dublin Town" the official song of the city. The completed project will cost a total of $4,934.00. (see Attached budget) I will gladly donate my services to organize and produce the entire project. Further, I would like to request that you place this imaginative idea on the councils agenda for consideration. 411bsider the impact of such a project on the community: * A COMMUNITY CHORUS of 150 residents assembled at council chambers to sing the chorus section of the song. ( All residents are welcome to audition * An ART CONTEST with the winning entry to be featured on the cassette cover. ..~, ... * A GOOD WILL tool that can benefit DUblin charities. I know that you have personally witnessed the very positive reaction to "Dublin Town" and I would urge you to act on this matter for the benefit of all concerned. Most Sincerely yours, . EXHIBIT "1 " .., ,'"'~. ,- Project "DUBLIN TOWN" Recording studio time 20 hours @ $75.00 per hour......$1500.00 24 track tape and accessories ........................$150.00 Music Charts...................................................... It......... .$250.00 Musicians (8) @$150.00 per hour (4 hour session)......$1200.00 1000 cassettes...................................... .$1255.00 Editing and mixing @ $25.00 per hour (8 hours)........$200.00 Printing and graphic design...........................$379.00 Total cost of production .............................$4934.00 PROJECT NOTE: There is no charge for my time and travel or -for my performance on the final take, I will organize auditions and recording on location and will produce the entire project. ..~, ..~, . . . -.-"1--- . ,". ,"\ ..,...,~ . ,- '~''\\<''~ t' 01'<"'- "/", ,'1'1';" ' "",', (--f.'~' jI/..'~ ,',',oS!. "(/ 4'~-{, ";.\ l ~-i!i.I)~ , . . '! I .(.~'~ 'I":! ~j,', .:'" ,..-,-, IH ,,~ ;"',/-: O~CeOrTHEOOVERNOR State Qf Calif'otnia ->~ August 24, 1993 ~~: TO: STEVE KING STEWART I'm pleased to offer my warmest wishes to you for your efforts to promote a sense of unity and patriotism within Northern California Qommunities through musical entertainment. As a wmunicipal minstrel,~ you've enabled people in cities throughout the Golden State to develop a sense of musical , appreciation and community pride. You've earned well-deserved praise for oreating such spirited anthems as WThat Onion City of Mine" and "Livermore C.A.,. which bring Californians young and old together to pay tribute to their communities. I'm especiQlly pleased that the proceeds from the sales of your anthemS will be directed towards the improvement of various schools and public libraries throughout Northern California. [As you celebrate the success of your most recent ~' composition, -Dublin ~own,. please accept my congFatulations on a job well done and my best wishes for every continued success. ~ Sincerely, . PETE WILSON r EXHIBIT "2" -. ' ~,j; 'f'~~,...""1. it~" DUBLIN TOWN MELODY AND LYRICS BY STEVE KING STEWART COPYRIGHT 1993 . Intro: You have to be an Irishman to truly understand, the feelings of the Irish for their families and their land But should you come to Dublin Town you~!l come to understand Chorus: 'f, You don't have to be Irish to love Dublin, or even have an Irish point of view, Chances are you've never seen hills that turn a Kelly green the way the hills of Dublin often do Like a rainbow above the hills of Dublin all colors come together bright and true; You don't have to be Irish to love Dublin If you'll smile and say hello, well that'll do. Verse 1: In a valley safe and wann a city rich with country chann lies nestled where the high road meets the low Windy skies of blue and gray, flowers grow and children play . And you can find most anything your heart desires In the jewel of the valley known as Dublin where dreams are coming tnle with every day. You don't have to be Irish to love Dublin If you'll smile and think of something nice to say. Verse 2: For in Dublin Town you see people just like you and me are working hard to make our home the best that it can be I~ From Heritage Center to City Hall there's a place for one and all, and together we will proudly stand and say Chorus: You don't have to be Irish to love Dublin or even have an Irish point of view, Chances are you've never seen hills that turn a Kelly green the way the hills of Dublin often do Like a rainbow above the hills of Dublin all colors come together bright and true; You don't have to be Irish to love Dublin If you'll smile and say hello, well that'll do. . K] Ij7 corresl citysonglwords. doc EXHIBIT "3"