Flowchart for arts services organization is mind-boggling
By Nancy Needham nancy@hotmail.com

Flowcharts are designed to help people understand how an organization works, but the one created to explain T.O. Arts Services is more confusing than helpful. It shows how unorganized the group has been, critics have said.

"It's enough to give you a headache," said Linda Pappas Diaz, assistant city manager.

Representing city staff in their request to have the arts services organization audited, Diaz displayed the chart during last week's City Council meeting.

The flowchart begins with the city of Thousand Oaks on top, specifically the City Council and the city manager. There are 41 arrows pointing back and forth, across, up and down and sideways between 31organizations.

Not listed on the chart are the residents of Thousand Oaks.

Some of the organizations included are the Council on Aging, Youth Commission, Arts Commission, Board of Governors, Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza, Alliance for the Arts, Conejo Recreation and Park District, Arts Council of the Conejo Valley, Hillcrest Center for the Arts, Thousand Oaks Library, Community and Cultural Services Department, Discovery Center for Science and Technology along with TV and cable companies and theaters. The Conejo Players, a private nonprofit theater group, was on the chart, but there were no arrows going to it or from it.

After seeing the flowchart, council voted to have someone conduct an audit.

The overlapping jurisdictions of organizations in Thousand Oaks that compete for funding could be doing more than just creating a jumbled flowchart.

The inefficiency could also be contributing to the need to raise fees at the Civic Arts Plaza, which was discussed at a previous council meeting.

According to a city report, a consultant could review and analyze the city's arts services and suggest ways the city could improve its services and use its revenue more wisely.

The city will solicit requests this week for consultants.

The staff expects to bring a consultant to the council for possible approval by June.