Arlington Heights to discuss new Metropolis plan tonight
The future of Metropolis Center for the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights could include more high-profile plays, more dance and arts classes for students, more fundraising, but also more financial support from the village.
The Arlington Heights village board on Monday will meet as a committee of the whole to discuss a 40-page business plan created by Metropolis outlining goals and necessary improvements for the theater's finances, programming, the school of the performing arts, fundraising and sponsorship, marketing and infrastructure.
The board will also consider revising its contribution to Metropolis for the eight-month fiscal year that began May 1 and ends Dec. 31. Officials put a placeholder amount of $113,900 in the approved budget because the business plan was not completed. Now, the Metropolis business plan is asking for $206,500 in village money from the Arts and Entertainment Fund for the rest of 2015, which they say would allow them to break even.
But, village staff is recommending an additional $18,500 in a separate restricted account to help Metropolis build up its reserves.
The money for Metropolis comes from the Arts, Entertainment and Events fund, which receives 20 percent of food and beverage taxes brought in by Arlington Heights. The rest goes into the general fund.
To provide more money to Metropolis without increasing taxes, village staff is recommending changing the formula so 25 percent of food and beverage tax receipts go to the A&E fund, which also pays for annual special events in town.
From the programming end, the new Metropolis business plan calls for 50 percent to 75 percent of its productions to be Broadway or off-Broadway commercially recognizable productions to bring in more people. That includes Monty Python's “Spamalot” and “Rent” in the 2015-2016 season.
The plan also calls for increased focus on developing relationships with financial contributors and corporate sponsors, increasing marketing efforts and renting the theater for events to boost revenues.
The school plans to add at least two new classes, reintroduce spring break music camps and eventually work toward getting students college credit.
Under the plan, Metropolis would have a seven-member board, including three members to be appointed by Mayor Tom Hayes.
The downtown Arlington Heights theater has struggled in recent years, including declining revenues, ousting its executive director last May, losing its board president and financial director and receiving a $450,000 bail out from the village in October to make it through the rest of the fiscal year.
The village has provided more than $5 million in subsidies and other funding to Metropolis since buying the building a decade ago. Trustees have said the theater is important to the village and they want to see it stay open, but have requested more controls on Metropolis for the future. Hayes created a Metropolis Oversight Committee in October, and the board approved an economic impact study to gauge the theater's contribution to Arlington Heights.
Officials say the theater is on the brink of a turnaround after bringing in new executive director Joe Keefe and hiring a CPA to lead the theater's finances.
The study presented in January found Metropolis brings $3 million in direct spending to the village each year, and 75 percent of the people who buy tickets come from outside Arlington Heights.
The new Metropolis business plan and funding memos are available at www.vah.com
Trustees will discuss the business plan and possible funding changes during Monday's meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the board room at Village Hall, 33 S. Arlington Heights Road.