The Overture Center Ad Hoc Committee moved one step closer toward its decision on whether to accept the new business model presented by the city at a meeting Thursday night.
The committee members said they aim to present a recommendation to the City Council Oct. 19 concerning their views of the potential model, in which the city would own the building and a private non-profit organization would operate it.
Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said the council is looking for the committee’s evaluation of the proposal. He said the council wants to hear what aspects of the model the committee supports, questions and recommends.
As of Thursday night, the committee still had many questions and concerns about the viability of the model and the effect on the Overture Center’s employees.
The committee considered whether the non-profit operator would be able to raise enough money to sustain the model’s budget. According to the current draft, the operator would need $2 million a year in private donations to successfully run the Overture Center.
“If this plan fails – and I think it will- the non-profit operator can walk,” committee member Paul Soglin said.
Committee chairman Mark Bugher added if the operator failed, the city could execute an agreement with another private entity to manage Overture.
While the details of the budget are a main concern, the model also provides positives to the city, Bugher said. City taxpayers will have lower taxes if the city owned and operated Overture, he added.
He said a non-profit operator would have more flexibility than the city because the city ordinances would not apply to the private party. He added the model is currently the most easily understood option and the clearest pathway to success.
The meeting also highlighted the potential effects of the model on Overture employees. Overture human resources director Brad Wirtz presented a staffing study with potential employment models.
Overture union representative Davin Pickell said the estimates are based on optimistic revenues. He said though the committee acknowledges its pressing time constraint, it is not an excuse to forgo researching other options.
“The fact that the committee basically said ‘we don’t have time for diligence’ says something about the report,” Pickell said.
Overture president and CEO Tom Carto said the current model’s goal is to retain and add jobs. He said the current plan’s job distribution is not set in stone; it is a starting point for further development.
“[The model] might change the employer but it doesn’t slash and burn the workforce,” Bugher added.
Carto said he wants good employees for Overture and administration will work hard to have the right staff to maintain its quality and reputation.
“We have more subscribers than Boston, Miami and Seattle,” Carto said. “We have made our mark and we’re not going to let go.”
The committee will continue to hammer out its position on the proposal in a meeting next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Overture Center.
