CABQ spending on the arts: where does the money go?

Should cities subsidize various art programs? This is in addition to what we believe is a big waste of money (this is in addition to the 1% for the arts program which requires 1% of city construction and capital improvement bond proceeds to be set aside for purchasing and commissioning public art). 

Here is a list of the funding including funding information from the last few years. Funding includes $15,000 annually for the Lowrider Supershow, $60,000 for Railyards Market, $5,000 for ABQPridefest, and $25,000 for World Refugee Day. Clearly, however, if you look at the hundreds of millions of projects that have been funded in recent years, the annual number is down.

Mayor Keller says the City’s budget situation has forced the City to cut back on some of these spending items. That’s why many of the items have no line item for 2027. What do you think? Are these events worth your taxpayer dollars being spent? Should the City be cutting elsewhere (like Mayor Keller’s highly paid and fast growing staff or taxpayer-funded buses) to name two.