A recent workshop item by the Alpharetta City Council regarding the budget for development of the new Alpharetta Arts Center may have caused some to question the City’s commitment to the project. To be clear, we remain committed to delivering to the public a new arts center that provides the quality and amenities that are outlined in the Alpharetta Arts Center Master Plan as presented to City Council in July 2016.
As with any major capital project undertaken by the City of Alpharetta, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the tax dollars entrusted to us by our citizens are used wisely by making every effort to contain costs while delivering a product of which our community can be proud. That is the focus of the questions and discussions in which the Mayor and Council are engaged and will remain the focus when the issue comes back to them in late August.
The plan that was presented in July of last year was developed in collaboration with community stakeholders, officials, staff and design experts. The City intends to deliver the project while remaining as true as possible to the proposed scope of services and budget estimates.
Five core values guide how we conduct the business of the City of Alpharetta, and one of those is stewardship. Our value statement for that says, “The citizens of Alpharetta have entrusted to us public resources and empowered us to protect, invest, and leverage them for the good and betterment of the community. We shall do so in a manner that reflects the highest ethics, exacting standards, and unwavering principles.” The current review among the Mayor and Council is simply a manifestation of their commitment to that value statement.