In an April 11 preliminary meeting, the Plano City Council unanimously agreed to increase its cultural affairs, or arts, grant funding to $900,000 for fiscal year 2016-17. The grant money supports roughly 14 different agencies in Plano. “During the application process we were also contacted by four different agencies that were interested for 2016-17 to be provided with arts grants,” Budget Director Karen Rhodes-Whitley said. “Arts agencies in Plano are growing by leaps and bounds." The city increased its arts funding from $800,000 thanks to the 42 percent increase Plano has seen in its hotel occupancy tax revenue since 2013. The city is allowed by law to contribute up to 15 percent of this revenue for each of the grant programs. The city has collected approximately $2.4 million in HOT revenue since 2013, Rhodes-Whitley said, and the new allocations represent 12.5 percent of the city’s HOT revenue. The city’s arts grants provide funding for special events and supports a number of arts organizations throughout the city. The recent recognition of downtown Plano as the city’s official arts district has spurred interest among more local arts groups, Rhodes-Whitley said. The pending opening of McCall Plaza on April 15 followed by the Saigling House, which will serve as the home for the ArtCentre of Plano starting in 2017, have also increased the need for more support of arts programs in Plano. The council also expressed interest in providing an additional $900,000 for its historical preservation grants but did not approve its increase until it could review the need when the application period ends on May 6.