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Health & Fitness

Senate Bill 5834 and Artistic Sustainability

A look at the need for funding to ensure the long-term sustainability of Kirkland's arts and culture programs.

The success (or failure) of Kirkland’s arts and culture programs is not easily quantifiable.  By whatever measure used, however, an essential feature of any program’s success is its sustainability. Much like any other program, without time to establish a long-term presence, Kirkland’s arts programs cannot evolve in a direction that will make a lasting impact on its community. And a lack of funding, cutting funding, or discontinuing funding is the surest means of hindering, if not completely abolishing, artistic sustainability and ultimately the artistic vibrancy of Kirkland.

In times like these, when there is precious little money for many worthy programs, Kirkland’s residents should be elated that the state Legislature managed to pass, and the governor is expected to sign, Senate Bill 5834, which will help ensure long-term funding for arts and heritage programs in Washington. The Bill does not allot current state funding for these programs, but instead permits counties to continue to direct an existing portion of local lodging taxes to programs for arts and heritage.

The lodging tax – a sales tax on hotels, motels and other forms of temporary lodging – is a tax paid primarily by visitors. A portion of the revenue generated by the lodging tax is allocated to a fund managed by 4Culture, a tax-exempt public corporation whose Board of Directors are nominated by the King County executive and confirmed by the Metropolitan King County Council. 4Culture receives a portion of the hotel-motel tax revenue and is charged with allocating funding for arts and culture programs in King County.

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In the past, 4Culture has generously provided funds to Kirkland’s Cultural Council to help administer arts and culture programs locally in Kirkland. The cultural council organizes and implements artistic and cultural programs in Kirkland, coordinates and oversees the city’s arts collection, and promotes Kirkland as an arts destination.

The passage of Senate Bill 5834 will help ensure the continued success of 4Culture and likewise the sustainability of the cultural council’s efforts to implement art and culture programs.  So, whatever gauge used to measure the achievement of Kirkland’s arts and cultural programs, the passage of Senate Bill 5834 brings an air of optimism to the continued implementation and presence of the cultural council’s arts programs in the community. 

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Trent Latta is an attorney and member of the Kirkland Cultural Council who lives in Juanita.

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