The Art box project the untold story

Tina Morrill runs a program called the art box program that she claims is “free to neighborhoods” painting murals on traffic electrical boxes.



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To answer your questions specifically:

1. how much is this program costing the city per year? ANSWER: ZERO. No City of SJ funds are allocated to this project.

2. how much is this program costing the city per box? ANSWER: ZERO. No City of SJ funds are allocated to this project.

3. how many boxes is the city planning to paint in total? ANSWER: ZERO. The City of SJ has no plans to paint the boxes. This is a volunteer run program so I work with the community and have them choose boxes to paint. The City has approved the project but no resources are allocated toward it.

How much of our tax money is wasted on this ridiculous program! ANSWER: ZERO.

Thank you,

Tina Morrill
Founder and Managing Director, the Art Box Project
408 313 -0319 cell
408 298 8942 home
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In doing some research I find that she is charging $200 for paint & artist travel expenses. (all well & good)
But upon further research I find that the city council person for each district is making co-payments for each electrical box painted by the Art Box Project to Tina
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San jose district 6
http://sjdistrict6.com/how-i-allocated-d...

Each fiscal year, councilmembers are allocated $20,000 that can be utilized to provide grants to cultural, educational or recreational groups. The mayor is allotted $50,000, for a grand total of $250,000 in available funds. These funds are allocated solely at the discretion of the elected official. As the name implies, HP grant funds became available to city officials as a result of the naming rights arrangement for our arena, which will be known as the SAP Center in the future.

Beautification & Revitalization: $13,000
I have also allocated funds to efforts aimed at the further beautification of San Jose. Specifically, I funded the Art Box Project organized by community volunteer Tina Morrill
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continuing on I find the PDF attached above showing Mayor Chuck Reed giving a grant of $50,000 for the year of 2013 to
the Art Box Project run by Tina Morrill.
This is $50,000 per year – this is a recurrent grant ( every year San Jose pays $50,000 from the general fund)
above and beyond the city council person for each district is making co-payments for each electrical box painted by the Art Box Project to Tina

and each neighborhood association is also paying for this.

At the rate the Art Box Project is running and from the income that can be verified the art box is taking in excess of $10,000
In taxpayer money per box that is painted.
In a time of cut backs for all city services (including police & fire ) when city workers are being forcibly laid off, losing their homes & their retirements due to budget short falls & excessive spending. We still have enough money to spend in excess of $10,000 in taxpayer money to paint electrical boxes.

And we wonder why San Jose is broke ?