Letter To The Editor: Support Heritage and Arts Funding

On Monday, March 14, I was in Olympia at the public hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee for SB 5834, a bill that would continue funding heritage and arts organizations in King County via 4Culture, a granting non-profit. This bill extends the already existing 2% hotel-motel tax. Failure to pass this bill would result in a 90% cut to heritage and arts funding. In short, it would be catastrophic for the hundreds of non-profit heritage and arts organizations in King County. In our own community of Renton, heritage and arts organizations have received over $500,000 from 4Culture.

 The first thing I do when I find myself in a new place is to visit a museum or see a show. Places without a thriving cultural community are not on my list of places to visit. I also happily take advantage of the amazing museums and shows closer to home. In fact, the cultural landscape here is one of the reasons I enjoy living in the Seattle area so much. When family and friends come to town, these are the places we visit. Cultural institutions draw 7 million visitors to the area per year. Tourism is a huge component of King County’s economy.

I fully recognize that everyone is hurting in this recession and the knee-jerk reaction is to oppose any and all taxes, but I can assure you that I would gladly rather pay 20 cents on a $10 restaurant bill than not have these institutions around. If this bill fails, I believe that Renton and King County will take a significant hit in the “quality of life” department.

This is why I went all the way to Olympia to participate in the legislative process. This bill and HB 1997 are the last lifeline heritage and arts organizations in King County have left. If we pull the plug, we all suffer. I hope everyone will support funding for arts and heritage.

Sarah Iles

Renton