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MPAC continued from page 14
However, MPAC does not
usually spend the entire
amount, only using
$465,000 in 2007-2008 and
‘$448,000 in 2008-2009,
‘MPAC also brings in rev-
enue from other sources
like sponsorships and
ticket sales ~ that amount
totaling $358,858 in 2007-
2008 and $467,998 in 2008-
2009.
‘The revenue funds daily
operation, staff salaries
and benefits, programming
and other needs, according
to city spokesperson Anna
Folmnsbee. None of the
funding comes out of the
city’s general fund.
Loughmiller said that
the city wants to see
MPAC's profits increase by
cutting unnecessary costs
and boosting potential
sponsorship and ticket
sales,
Currently, the depart-
ment and city council have
conducted two peer review
studies and three public
meetings about MPAC’s
management and must
weigh the pros and cons of
all options.
“A lot of comments have
been that people like what
MPAC has to offer, statist
cal comments, marketing
and how they could better
get the word out about
their programs,” Lough-
miller said, “We are als
looking at other facilities
how they manage, what
their target market is like
and how they're running
from a cost standpoint.”
MPAC wouldn't be’ the
first outsourced manage:
ment group in McKinney —
Loughmiller said the Oak
Hollow Golf Course has a
contact with an outside
party and still hires city
‘employees to operate the
municipal golf course.
Loughmiller also “said
the council and depart-
ment of parks and reere-
ation is in no hurry to
make a decision because
the fiscal year budget is set
until September 30. They
are hoping to resolve the
issue by the end of the
summer.
‘The reality is that we
aren't going to make this
decision next week,”
Loughmiller said. “We
need to continue to ana-
lyze the data we have from
the peer review studies
and public meetings. The
current staff also needs to
have input. ‘The end result
could be change or no
change, it all depends.’
David Taylor, director of
MPAG, said they are cur-
rently in a holding pattern
until the city council meet-
ing next week. For now, the
directors will continue to
evaluate different requests
and proposals with the de-
partment of parks and
recreation and city council
“We don’t have a choice
Dut to wait it out,” Taylor
said,
‘At the last city council
meeting, MPAC’s future
was brought up during the
citizen's comments portion.
~ all speakers pleading for
the council to reconsider
outsourcing MPAC’s cur-
rent management.
But until next week’s city
council meeting, the sup:
porters and directors of
MPAC can only wait to
hear the department of
parks of recreation’s pro-
posals and continue to find
alternative methods for
MPAC to sueceed,
“You've analyzed this for
a year now. The proposal
that’s on the table gives a
third party two whole
weeks to get their act to-
gether,” “said Jeremy
Rosenthal, a local attorney
and husband of MPAC As-
sistant Director Amy
Rosenthal, during | the
council meeting." “And
members of the council,
that is a fabulous way to
fail, 'm going to leave you
with the carpenter's rule
on MPAC: you measure
twice, you cut once.”