Olympia sales tax increase would raise $2.3M a year for arts and more, if voters agree
A few years ago, local teaching artist Rebecca Rogers ran a theater-based camp for children. She recalls giving the kids each a copy of the novella “The Little Prince” along with a goal: Turn the book into a play and perform it in five days.
Rogers said by the end of the five-day period, the kids had accomplished just that and more. She was proud of the kids, and she knew they were proud of themselves, too.
“That kind of magic isn’t just a thing that happens all the time,” she said. “With the cultural access funding, I really believe we can bring this sort of experience to so many young people.”
The city of Olympia is hoping to garner more money to fund arts, culture and heritage programming through a new sales tax dubbed Inspire Olympia.
According to the Inspire Olympia website, the Washington State Legislature has granted local governments the authority to create a Cultural Access Program through voter-approved sales or property tax increases. The goal is to use the money to strengthen access to local cultural organizations and public programming.
Last December, the Olympia City Council passed a resolution to put Inspire Olympia, the city’s cultural access program, on a April 26 special election ballot. Residents of Olympia will vote on whether to allow the city to raise the sales one-tenth of a percentage point, from 9.4% to 9.5%, or about 10 cents per $100 purchase.
Following the money
According to the program website, 80% of all funds collected through the tax increase would go to local nonprofit arts, science, culture and heritage organizations. These groups would then use the funds to pay for cultural and educational activities, programs, initiatives, communications and basic operations.
The funds also can be used by these groups to cover capital expenditures, construction costs, technology, equipment and more.
Up to 10% of the collected revenue can be used for transportation needs to get students to cultural programs, and another 10% is designated for program administration.
If the tax is approved, it will go into effect on July 1. It will stay in place for seven years and will have to be renewed by voters at that point.
If approved, the city of Olympia will put together an advisory board to help nonprofit groups request funds and get connected to area schools for programming opportunities.
Mayor Cheryl Selby, a chair of the tax initiative’s steering committee, said if approved, the tax would create a game-changing program.
“This cultural access program would bring in $2.3 million dollars a year for seven years,” she said. “That’s money we’ve never seen before going into our arts, culture, heritage and science programming for the city.”
Selby is unable to comment on the tax initiative as a city official but is instead working as a community arts supporter with Inspire Olympia.
According to the campaign website, Selby feels strongly that passing the ballot measure will rebuild community vitality and resiliency as the city battles through the end of the pandemic.
Parfait Bassalé, executive diversity officer at South Puget Sound Community College and one of three campaign chairs, said when he thinks of the Inspire Olympia program, the word that comes to mind is belonging.
“When our community members, even those who historically have felt like they couldn’t participate, are able to be at the table,” he said, “they get to feel like they are co-creating our Olympia culture.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Olympia sales tax increase would raise $2.3M a year for arts and more, if voters agree."
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