Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed vows pension reform without a tax hike.
ATLANTA -- Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed moved Thursday to restore $300,000 in city arts funding slashed in budget cuts as part of next year's budget.
"I had an arts experience in my classroom and in my community, so as Mayor I was making a decision to cut that in half for somebody else," Mayor Reed told 11Alive. "It didn't feel right to me. It bothered me. And I'm Mayor. And I get to change my mind."
The city council proposed 50 percent cuts to the Metropolitan Arts Fund. The Mayor, a former MAF board member, told 11Alive Thursday the money could be found elsewhere to make up the difference.
"The city of Atlanta's general fund budget is down approximately $100 million," Mayor Reed said. "But I believe arts are a part of who we are and sometimes we have to just live it and make additional cuts and decisions and that's what I did today."
The Metropolitan Arts Fund supplies funding to local theatrical, artistic and cultural groups through Atlanta.
Past grant recipients include Georgia Shakespeare, Theatre in the Square, Georgia Ballet, Arts Clayton, Dad's Garage Theatre and Cobb Symphony Orchestra.
The Fund was established in 1992 as a partnership between the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. The group seeks to nurture small and midsized arts programs.
The city's final budget will be approved at the end of June.