Richardson City Council Work Session May 5th, 2025
OPENING
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager (CM) Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
No speakers are present for the visitors forum.
MLK JR. ESSAY CONTEST AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST
The first of three items on tonight’s agenda is to recognize the winners of this year’s Dr. MLK Jr. Essay Contest and Black History Month Art Contest . Communications and Community Engagement Director Greg Sowell presents. Director Sowell explains the history of these competitions that have been held since 2021. Judging in these contests is done by library and community events staff as well as other internal departments. Both Richardson and Plano ISD as well as UTD also help judge finalists as well as the Cultural Arts and Community Inclusion and Engagement Commissions.
This year’s essay contest was opened to students in grades 4 – 12. The prompt was “Creating a World Where Everyone Belongs”. This prompt asked students to consider what it means to be truly inclusive, and why that is essential. Three winners were chosen, one each for grades 4 – 6, 7 – 9, and 10 – 12. This year’s art contest was opened to students in grades 1 – 12. Students were asked to “create original artwork that explores the role young people can play in shaping the future and continuing the legacy of appreciation for cultural diversity”. Four winners were chosen for this context, one each from grades 1 – 3, 4 – 6, 7 – 9, and 10 – 12. Director Sowell introduces each winner. Winners will also be announced in the June edition of the Richardson Today newspaper.
2025 WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL
Next is a discussion on this year’s Wildflower Arts & Music Festival. Community Events Superintendent Dianna Lawrence presents. Wildflower will take place this coming weekend, May 16 – 18 at the Galatyn Park Urban Center. Headliners for this year’s lineup include Young the Giant, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, The Revivalists, and Cold War Kids. Many other performances will be offered throughout the weekend as well. This year’s festival will also feature a community mural project. Attendees will be invited to paint a portion of this 30 ft. mural. Community CPR training will also be offered on Saturday, May 17th at 1 pm inside the Eisemann Center’s Hill Hall. $15 resident tickets are available online only. Tickets bought at the gate will cost $45 each on Friday and Saturday and $25 on Sunday.
2025/26 EISSEMANN CENTER PRESENTS
The final presentation is on the 2025/26 Eisemann Center Presents series. Eisemann Center Executive Director Ally Haynes-Hamblen presents. In last year’s season, more multicultural offerings were part of the Eisemann Center Presents program. Director Haynes-Hamblen explains that this was well received. Jazz was also a big hit in last year’s season. They will strive to not have as many Friday evening shows in the fall this next season so they aren’t competing with the high school football season. A new initiative this year will be to offer fee waivers to nonprofits. This next year’s budget is expected to break even.
Next season’s lineup includes Drum Tao, Churchill feat. David Payne, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Ravi Shankar Ensemble, Great American Crooners presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Ten Tenors, and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. The full lineup can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D3_X5W-vO6CzhXQf_XDxets0XLY6zAN4/view
Council compliments the successful efforts involved in last year’s season. Councilman Hutchenrider asks if the fee waivers for nonprofits will keep in mind other grant funding the nonprofit may be receiving, especially arts grants given by the City of Richardson. Staff explains that this helps them budget plan better for roughly $40K of fee waivers. Grantees of the fee waiver would still be able to apply for an arts grant from the city. CM Magner adds that grant recipients will be kept in mind with the goal of striking a balance of benefits for arts organizations. Councilman Corcoran asks if the Eisemann Center budget should always break even. CM Magner answers that some past year’s budgets have had more expenditures than revenues. Thanks to improvements made, budgets are now improving.
Council discusses a DART event, a Volunteers in Police appreciation dinner, the Cottonwood Festival, the election, the Duck Creek Neighborhood Association annual meeting, and the Richardson Woman’s Club Garden Tour, and the meeting adjourns.