PORT ANGELES — The three Clallam County commissioners are divided in their support of a potential sales tax whose funds would help provide access to local arts, science, technology, heritage or natural history.
Commissioners Mark Ozias and Mark French expressed their support of a potential cultural access program, while Commissioner Randy Johnson said now is not the right time to increase sales tax.
All of them agree, however, that public engagement is the next logical step before any decisions are made.
If implemented, the cultural access program would be funded through a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax, raising taxes in Clallam County to between 8.7 and 9 percent. It would work similarly to lodging tax, where local organizations apply for and receive grants from the fund.
While last year Ozias was on the fence about the program, he said he is now in favor of the tax after he discussed it with constituents and heard about the benefits it could bring.
If implemented, Ozias said the tax could help create, stimulate and support economic growth.
“It is certainly the case for us here in Clallam County that arts and culture are important to our community and important to our economy,” he said. “Economic development and a vibrant arts sector go hand in hand.”
When someone attends an art event in the community, Ozias said studies indicate that individual will spend an additional $31 locally, beyond the cost of the event. Those funds could help provide stability to nonprofits who often have to operate in a scarcity mentality, he said.
“Arts and culture are key to supporting economic development for a broad range of reasons,” he said.
However, Johnson said while he supports the arts, implementing an additional sales tax in the current economic outlook doesn’t seem to be a good idea.
“Already, we’re looking at not wonderful times, and I don’t know where we’re going to be,” Johnson said, noting that the state’s current budgetary challenge could result in additional taxes or furloughed employees.
Additionally, Johnson said a trade war between the United States and Canada could hurt tourism, impacting the local economy.
“The economic tenor of what we’re looking at right now is not very good,” he said.
If the tax were to be implemented, it would likely cost Clallam County households an additional $25 to $30 per year and bring in about $1.8 million in revenue, according to prior reporting.
While Ozias said he understands the economic concerns, he said, “ultimately, [I] have come to a different conclusion for myself as to why I think it’s important for the community to move forward with this.”
Additionally, French noted that Senate Democrats have proposed decreasing sales tax by half a percentage point, which could provide some economic relief.
“This is all happening within the context of a lot of other things,” he said.
Implementing a cultural access tax also could help diversify funding streams and supplement potential losses in lodging tax revenue, French said.
“I have seen rapidly increasing threats to state and federal dollars that provide support to cultural arts access programs,” Ozias said.
Over the next few weeks, the commissioners plan to engage with the public and develop a potential program for more in-depth consideration.
If the commissioners decide to move forward with this tax, they could either pass it themselves with a majority vote or put it on a future ballot for citizens to vote on.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
