Plenty Of Cash, But Lots Of Tough Decisions

“When the New Jersey State Council on the Arts convenes its annual meeting in Trenton on Tuesday, the highlight will be the awarding of annual grants — expected to be somewhere around $22 million, or some $6 million more than last year. Thanks to last year’s passage of a hotel-motel occupancy fee, the arts council has a dedicated funding source that brings its 2005 budget to $22.68 million — the largest state appropriation in the history of the agency. The infusion of money will allow the arts council to pump millions more into the state’s museums, theaters, dance companies and performing arts centers. [But] that doesn’t mean everyone will be happy.”