The city of Albany is making serious spending cuts to balance the budget. The Albany Civil Rights Institute could lose $50,000 dollars in funding from the city.
The museum has seen drops in attendance in recent years, and board members say they need money from the city to hire a new director.
A museum that is rich in history may have to cut some of its operations that's if the city of Albany doesn't step in.
"It will just put a very undue hardship on the institution to the point where we would probably have to curtail operational hours and things of that nature to derail some of the expenses," said Board Member Charlie Crapps.
On Monday, Ward 6 commissioner Tommie Postell asked the city manager to see if there was any way to give to the Civil Rights Museum $50,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.
Commissioner Bob Langstaff says the center should learn how to operate in tough financial times… just like the city.
"We've been talking a lot about cutting that funding, for years, and it's finally at the point now where we don't have any choice but to cut it," said Langstaff.
Crapps says the museum's future is solid but it needs the $50,000 to help pay for a key position of the museum something the museum has been missing since December.
"It's stable (the museum), but a lot of that has to do with the fact that we don't have an overhead expense of an executive director," said Crapps.
Cutting the operation hours and programs is the last thing board members want to do because they believe the center is too important to let go by the way side.
"It is an institution that will educate the community if they take advantage of visiting it."
Commissioners plan to discuss funding for the museum again on Tuesday.
Board Member Crapps told us they are trying to attract more visitors and members by partnering with local schools for tours and they hope to bring in more guest speakers.
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