How to spend $12 million

On Saturday the Music and Arts commissions will hold another joint meeting to discuss how the city will move forward with allocation plans for $12 million in bond money approved by voters last year for creative spaces. The meeting, which starts at 11 a.m. and will be held in the Economic Development Department offices on East Ben White Boulevard, will include a presentation from a joint working group that has spent much of the past year looking at options for how to evaluate proposals from groups that plan to apply for some of the funding. A prime consideration for the evaluation criteria will be equity, with city survey results showing the respondents want the money to be focused around existing music and arts facilities in East Austin. The meeting will also include 90 minutes of public comment. It is expected each commission will need to approve the recommendations, or suggest changes, before City Council decides how to move forward with the request for proposal process.