“Thirty-five years ago, King County created one of the
first arts commissions in the nation, and the investment we’ve made in our
cultural infrastructure has shaped our identity as a region, enhanced our
quality of life and bolstered our local economy,” said
Carolyn Edmonds, Chair of the Council’s
Natural Resources, Parks and Open Space Committee. “The creation of the new
Cultural Development Authority will continue and broaden the success the
county has demonstrated in providing quality arts and heritage programs
throughout the county. Everyone involved in the process is an illustration
of the dedication this region has to its arts and heritage.”As an agency supported substantially through the
county’s general fund, the Office of Cultural Resources would have faced
severe budget restraints over the next several years had it remained a
general fund agency. The new Cultural Development Authority (CDA) will be a
quasi-public agency separate from county government and will manage all
programs and cultural services currently overseen by the Office of Cultural
Resources, except for the Landmarks Program, which will remain in county
government. The CDA will be managed by a 15-member board of directors
appointed by the executive and confirmed by the council.
“The county’s current support for the arts is
challenged by our fiscal crisis,” said Budget and Fiscal Management
Committee Chair Larry Phillips. “The CDA
is an exciting opportunity to partner with the arts and cultural community
to enhance programs while reducing reliance on the county’s general fund.”
Hotel-motel tax revenues designated by state law for
cultural programs will enable the CDA to continue to support cultural
facilities, special projects, and cultural education, as well as provide
sustained support for arts and heritage organizations, public art projects,
and technical assistance. The CDA will also be able to explore other
entrepreneurial forms of financing such as private partnerships and
consulting services.
“The creation of the CDA means the community arts
programs that make our neighborhoods so special will continue to thrive,”
said Councilmember Jane Hague. “The
energy that the stakeholders and the county brought to this effort shows the
strong commitment this region has for programs that entertain, educate and
inform.”
“King County has a strong tradition of supporting
programs that highlight the artistic and cultural diversity of this region,”
said County Executive Ron Sims. “The CDA is a way to guarantee that this
tradition will continue through both good times and bad. I want to thank
Councilmember Edmonds for her leadership in the Natural Resources, Parks and
Open Space Committee, and Councilmembers Phillips and Hague for taking up
this challenge in the Budget Committee. All worked very hard to make this
happen.”
-End-
