PORT ANGELES – Clallam County is moving a step closer to implementing a sales tax increase to fund arts and culture programs.
At a work session Monday, two of the three county commissioners expressed support for advancing the proposal. On the table is a state-authorized one-tenth of one percent sales tax increase that would fund nonprofit arts, heritage, and cultural programs.
State law allows local governments to implement the tax either through a public vote or by action of the governing board.
During the work session, Commissioners Mark Ozias and Mike French said they support moving forward. Ozias noted that he has changed his position on the idea since last year.
“We invest in ourselves as a community collectively, through our taxes. We support many things—and arts and culture are clearly part of that. So, consider my position: I believe that adopting a one-tenth of one percent sales tax to create a Cultural Access Program for this county is the right thing to do,” said Ozias
However, Commissioner Randy Johnson said he still believes now is not the right time.
“I’m looking at all the signs, and there’s one thing that stands out to me. The state has announced it will raise business taxes—six billion dollars in new taxes across the board. They’re also discussing furloughs for state employees, according to the governor. I’m just saying, the current economic outlook doesn’t look good, and that’s part of what’s leading me to say this is not the right time,” said Johnson.
Ozias and French said they will work on drafting a proposal that includes measurable outcomes and outlines how to conduct public outreach. They also indicated they prefer the board to enact the tax directly, rather than put it to a public vote. Johnson reiterated his belief that the decision should go to the voters.
Commissioners plan to have a proposal developed within the next month.