At the Tacoma City Council’s July 29 study session, Mayor Woodards and council members discussed reauthorizing the 1/10th of 1 percent sales tax for Tacoma Creates and adding a capital funding category in the Tacoma Creates municipal code. Some city arts leaders are taking issue with this addition and are asking the city to rethink what is being proposed.
On the table from the mayor, Deputy Mayor Kiara Daniels, council members Jamika Scott and Kristina Walker is that up to 6 percent of Tacoma Creates funding per year be available for capital expenditures by eligible arts, culture, heritage, and science organizations. According to these four sponsors of the proposal, this capital would be for “acquisition of or construction of improvements to real property including additions to or renovation of existing structures; and new technology, fixtures, and other equipment designed to be in service for at least five years that is reasonably related to or necessary for public programming supported under this chapter.”
If the full 6 percent allocation is not used in a given year, the remaining funds will go back into Tacoma Creates programming. Woodards, Daniels, Scott and Walker also recommend that capital funding requests be excluded from an organization’s overall programming budget so that arts, culture, heritage, and science organizations can apply for both programming and capital support…