If the rest of the activities planned to commemorate Santa Fe's 400th anniversary are going to happen, organizers say they need an infusion of cash.

And since all other fundraising efforts have failed, they stood Monday before the City Council Finance Committee with their hands out.

Under a resolution proposed by three officials, $750,000 in additional city reserve funds would be used to pay for anniversary programs such as an arts-and-lecture series, summer movies in parks, commemorative books and materials for schools.

The committee gave the idea a cool reception at the hearing late Monday, moving the idea to the next body, but asking for a detailed explanation of how to repay the reserve funds from which the money would be drawn.

The plan to shuffle more reserve cash to a nonprofit in charge of the anniversary events is not universally popular among city councilors who have already made budget cuts this year, including furloughs for most employees.

"My expectation was that this (resolution) was not going to be as vague as it is as to how this was going to be replenished," said Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger.

As written, the resolution calls for the reserve funds to be repaid "in the annual budget or when ... the city's finances improve."

About $1.5 million in public funds have already gone to support the events, including $350,000 from the Legislature, and $1.1 million from city lodger's tax revenues and general-fund reserves, according to Darlene Griego, who manages part of the contract as the city's convention center director.

In early September, a three-day festival marked what organizers said would be 16 months of activities to honor the city's history. Fundraising for those plans has fallen far short of expectations, however.

The anniversary programs first began with a city committee appointed by then-Mayor Larry Delgado. It morphed into a nonprofit group called Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Inc., on contract with the city to "provide services" for the commemoration.

"Because of the difficult economic times, the 400th Anniversary Inc. has not been as successful in fundraising as originally anticipated and therefore, additional city funds are needed to continue to planned events and programs," reads the resolution sponsored by Councilors Rosemary Romero and Ronald Trujillo and Mayor David Coss.

Aside from city money, the organization found donors including local banks, the hospital and power company to contribute about $108,000 in cash and other in-kind products for this year and pledge more than $15,000 for next year.

Early this year, 400th Executive Director Libby Dover said all the planned programs would require a budget of about $7 million. But as of the kickoff events, the organization was working with about $1 million, including all the public and private money.

The Viva! Santa Fe concerts in September were expected to bring in some revenue to offset costs and the $287,000 spent on the adjacent festival, but ended about $42,000 in the red, she reported.

Now, in order to get other programs completed, organizers say the city needs to kick in more dough. Even under that proposal, some planned events such as a 2010 New Year's Eve Gala would remain unfunded and will depend on ticket sales, she said.

Dover's salary and other staff costs, plus office rent, add up to an overhead of about $41,000 per month. The new proposed city donation would include about $500,000 to cover that cost for the next year, with the remaining money available for events including "History Has a Personality" Webcast for students, she said.

"One of the things we have been struggling with is how do we plan events or plan for a future when we don't know if our organization is going to continue to function," she said.

Revenue sources such as merchandise sales and a donation from 12 hotels who have pledged a per-guest contribution are expected to add some cash to the budget next month, Dover said.

Councilor Miguel Chavez said he would support some additional city funding for the effort, but wants the 400th group to trim its request and to continue to seek funds from the Legislature.

"I think we need to look at ways to reduce this budget, but still do the job we need to do in the time that we have left," he said.

Councilor Matthew Ortiz, chairman of the Finance Committee, reminded councilors that this year's city budget included a policy decision not to fund city operations from reserves.

"But by approving this as it stands," he said, "we will take the position that we are going to pay operating expenses for this private endeavor out of our reserves."

The resolution is scheduled to be included on the Public Works Committee agenda next Monday and could be up for a vote at the full City Council as soon as Oct. 28.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.

Paying for the 400th anniversary

Money donated up to 2009 for the Santa Fe commemoration includes the following:

• N.M. Legislature $350,000
• City lodger's tax and other reserves $1.1 million
• Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. $50,000
• Public Service Company of New Mexico $10,000
• Los Alamos National Bank $10,000
• First Community Bank $5,000
• First National Bank $5,000
• Century Bank $5,000
• Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center $5,000