PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners are considering providing funding for cultural access programs through a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax.
At their Monday work session, the three commissioners heard from cultural access nonprofits about the estimated cost of the tax, what it could fund and potential next steps.
The tax is estimated to cost Clallam County households between $25 and $30 per year, said Manny Cawaling, Inspire Washington’s executive director.
Commissioner Randy Johnson said the tax would likely bring in about $1.8 million in revenue.
“The benefits for the community far outweigh the small cost per household,” Cawaling said.
However, Johnson expressed concern about the tax given the county’s current financial situation.
“Timing’s not exactly the greatest thing ever,” he said.
If authorized, the tax funding would go to nonprofit organizations which have a primary purpose of advancing or preserving science, technology, visual arts, performing arts, heritage or natural history.
As part of that funding, nonprofits must have a public school programming component. That could take the form of field trips, curriculum developments, in- and after-school programs and more.
Kyle LeMaire, former executive director of the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts, said the funds also could be used for programs for incarcerated individuals or those experiencing homelessness, trauma or addiction.
The funding would focus on programs for residents, rather than tourists, said David Herbelin, the executive director of Olympic Theatre Arts.
Karen Hanan, executive director of ArtsWA, or the state Arts Commission, said “the end results [of this tax] for the community at multiple levels are really substantial.”
The programs funded through the tax would promote job creation and increased quality of life, Cawaling said. It also would benefit the economy, tourism and community gathering, Hanan said.
“There are some long-reaching effects to these programs more than just, ‘Let’s do some arts’ and ‘Let’s do some culture,’” LeMaire said.
Currently, the nonprofits run on donations and occasional government grants. Herbelin said the tax funding would be the first sustainable government funding these nonprofits have received.
Commissioner Mark Ozias said many of the county’s cultural access programs in District 1 are small, rural nonprofits that run solely through volunteers. He said the tax program could give them “stability and that consistent resource so they can continue their mission to the community.”
Tacoma, Olympia and King County all have implemented a similar tax, Cawaling said.
If the tax is approved, commissioners would have to determine an administrator for the funds. Cawaling said there are a few options.
One is they could build an office of arts to administer the funds, which is what Olympia did. Tacoma and King County both used previously existing agencies to distribute the funds.
However, Clallam County does not have a countywide organization that the tax money could be distributed through.
Another option is the county could hire an organization to be the program administrator. Cawaling said up to 8 percent of the tax’s funds can be used to pay a program administrator.
Cawaling suggested the commissioners either hire a local nonprofit or ArtsWA.
Many of the nonprofits said they were comfortable with ArtsWA being the administrator, LeMaire said.
“You need to build a lot of confidence in who is distributing the money and how you want them to represent you,” Cawaling said.
Ozias said he was open to implementing the tax but wanted to “understand with a little bit more detail what the goals of the program would be.”
“We’re really at the first sort of introduction for what this is,” LeMaire said.
Next steps include reaching out to stakeholders, determining the audience for the programs and presenting the commissioners with a more concrete idea of what the tax could fund.
After that, LeMaire said the commissioners need to determine how the money would be distributed. Some potential options include endowments or competitive grants.
Hanan said the commissioners should focus on establishing a program with specific, measured goals that “ultimately, you are proud of.”
The tax could apply for up to seven consecutive years, according to House Bill 1575.
Before solidifying any plans, Commissioner Mike French said the program would be brought to the community for feedback.
If the commissioners approve a cultural access tax, it would then go to voters for majority approval.
________
Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
