Fulton County leads arts funding, but should it?

But not everyone thinks that should be the case.

There are those who would prefer to see county funds redirected to other needed services, and those who would rather see the responsibility for arts funding shifted from the county to municipal governments.

Carlton Stallings, state president of the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police said county funds must be divvied up carefully.

"The most important responsibility government has for its people is providing public safety," he said. "The second is our system of justice. Other things such as schools and tourism are going to be affected if those two things are not in place. We lose focus on that a lot of times."

Over the past five years, FCAC service contracts to arts organizations have ranged from a total $2.4 million to $3 million. This year, the awards declined by about $452,000. The total FCAC budget of $4.5 million, less than one percent of the county's budget of $589 million, covers council operating costs as well as costs for five community arts centers, arts education programs and summer camps.

Other counties haven't fared as well when it comes to art funding. DeKalb County allocated $225,000 to art centers this year. That's the same amount of funding that DeKalb arts centers received in 2009, and a 67 percent decline in funding from 2008.

And in Cobb County, though $2.3 million will go to debt service on the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, grants to nonprofit organizations, which are typically determined in September based on available funds, are not likely to be provided this year, said spokesman Robert Quigley.

Rep. Edward Lindsey (R-Atlanta), a member of the appropriations committee, said he is not opposed to arts funding for now, but suggested that down the road it would be important to look at the source for that funding.

"Whether arts funding should be something handled by the local municipal government or Fulton County, given it is 95 percent municipal, is a question we need to address at the next session," Lindsey said. "Should it drop down to the cities and should the county pull back on how much it taxes folks, and simply focus on very limited services such as the courthouse and jail and allow local governments more flexibility in their funding priorities?"

The arts account for about $722 million in annual spending and an economic impact of $386 million statewide, according to a study commissioned by the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition. Some of the most popular cultural attractions in the state are located in Fulton County and are among the greatest beneficiaries of county service contracts.

"I think sometimes the politics gets in the way of our better sense. You can't have cultural tourism without a sustainable creative community. Imagine New York without Broadway," said Michael Simanga, deputy director of FCAC. "Our support of the arts in Fulton County has been a significant lifeline in helping sustain [arts] businesses and keeping people employed in those industries. We are fortunate that we have political leadership that understands the importance of the arts and the quality of life to its citizens."

Here's a look at the 10 organizations that received the largest contracts under the FCAC Contracts for Services Program:

1. Center for Puppetry Arts  $117,000

2. Alliance Theatre                  $112,000

3. Art at Work                            $100,000

4. National Black Arts Festival (NBAF)  $97,000

5. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra              $95,000

6. High Museum of Art                         $80,500

7. Hammonds House                    $54,000

8. Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta (Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund)  $50,000

9. Atlanta History Center                    $42,700

10. Municipalities (support to Fulton county municipalities for arts and cultural programming) $40,000