Minutes - Approved

Town of Ridgefield- Ridgefield Arts Council Meeting
February 7, 2024 at 7:00 PM

In-Person Attendees:
Town Hall Small Conference Room
400 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut

Those Attending Virtually:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3625596884
Meeting ID: 362 559 6884
One tap mobile +16469313860, 3625596884# US +19292056099, 3625596884# US (New York)

Minutes taken by Danielle Roth

Present (in-person): N/A
Present (virtually): Tracey Bryggman, Joe Collin, Jennifer Dineen, Joshua Fischer, Pamme Jones, Danielle Roth, Amy Casey, Raje Kaur, Mike McNamara
Excused: Colleen Cash
Guests: N/A

MEETING TO ORDER
Raje made a motion to call the meeting to order. Mike seconded. The meeting was called to order at 7:05pm.

MINUTES

• Joe made a motion to make a few revisions to the January 2024 Minutes to remove specific individual names from the Our Artist Our Schools agenda item. Dani seconded. All approved.
• Jennifer made a motion to approve the January 2024 Minutes pending those revisions. Mike seconded. All approved.

TREASURER’S REPORT

• No change from last month other than Brochure expenses. A few invoices were submitted by various council members in the last week. Those reimbursement checks will be submitted by next month.
• The council reviewed the Treasurer Report summary and how monies have been accounted for in the past and brainstormed what changes may be done moving forward.
• The council reviewed recent Brochure expense allocation. The Treasurer will follow up with Town Hall.

Old Business

• Ballard Park Stage
  • No new information was available regarding the status of the stage at this time. Council members will follow-up to see if more information can be obtained for the next meeting.
• Group Updates as needed
  • Make Music Day
    • Website is live.
    • Musicians have begun reaching out in regards to participation. An email will be sent out to musicians on our distribution list.
    • Marketing creatives from years past will be reviewed and council members will decide what changes can be made for this year’s event.
  • Banners
    • Several outside organizations have reached out for banner spots that are not arts organizations. The council discussed the current parameters surrounding banner access.
  • Our Artists Our Schools
    • Three visual artists are on the docket to come into RHS. More details to follow.
  • Behind the Scenes
    • Nomination requests will be sent out for the Nancy Comstock Award and BTS Awards in the coming weeks.
  • Brochures
    • The council will need to decide whether or not to run the next quarter of brochures at the March meeting.

New Business

• Solvency of the Trust Account
  • The council discussed historical revenue/expense tracking and allocation. Given the changes to the council programming and initiatives, grant revenue, and town budget, the council brainstormed ways to update our expense tracking/practices.
  • Pamme made a motion to table Town Solvency and Budget Strategy discussions until official approval of our next FY Town Budget. Mike seconded. All approved. In the meantime, council members agreed to review their initiative expenses/revenue so that all members are prepared for the discussion.
  • The Treasurer will research whether the name of the Trust Account can be changed.
• Town Budget Update
  • The Chair was not present at today’s meeting. Update to follow at the March meeting.
• 2026 Planning: 250th Anniversary of Declaration of Independence signing
  • Kick-off meeting happened last month. It will be a year-long celebration beginning on July 4th, 2025 and official celebration on July 4th, 2026.
  • Ridgefield will be a spotlight town for this celebration so all organizations are encouraged to help promote the event and get involved. \

ADJOURNMENT

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:21pm following a motion made by Dani and seconded by Tracey. All approved.
• The next meeting will be 3/6/2024 at 7pm.