Arts & Entertainment Business Community Government

Council seeks comment on cultural access program proposal — and a sales tax to support it

The Gig Harbor City Council will take public comment at its next meeting about a proposal to create a cultural access program, and levy a 0.1% sales tax to support it. 

The program would support arts, cultural, heritage and science programs in the city. It would bolster Gig Harbor nonprofits, such as the Harbor History Museum and Harbor WildWatch, including assuring school kids have access to such programs.

The city has options for funding the program. It could ask voters to approve a 0.1% property tax increase, but city council members rejected that idea during a retreat meeting on Feb. 28.

A 0.1% sales tax option appeared more palatable to most council members. Anyone who shops in Gig Harbor pays the sales tax, while only those who own land in the city pay a property tax.

The council could either approve the sales tax with or without a vote of city residents. Council members appeared more split on that question at the retreat meeting, with some in favor of sending it to voters and others saying the increase would only pass if the council acts directly.

The council is inviting public comment on the proposal at its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St.

Cultural access program

State law allows cities or counties to create cultural access programs to bolster certain nonprofits. The Municipal Research Services Center, which advises local governments in Washington, says qualifying nonprofits work in “science or technology, the visual or performing arts, zoology, … botany, anthropology, heritage, or natural history.“

King County and the cities of Tacoma and Olympia are among the Washington jurisdictions that have cultural access programs.

If Gig Harbor goes forward with the program, the city council would ultimately be responsible for allocating the funds. The city would create an advisory committee to review applications for funding and make recommendations for spending, as allowed under the law governing cultural access programs.

City Administrator Katrina Knutson told the council during last week’s retreat that the advisory council would likely be similar to the lodging tax advisory council, which advises the council on how to spend lodging tax revenues.

How to fund it 

At the retreat, Knuston presented results of a FlashVote survey in 2024, asking area residents whether they would value a cultural access program and support a sales tax increase to pay for it. Support was “about 50-50,” Knutson said.

The council cannot take a formal vote at a retreat meeting, but several members expressed support for a cultural access program. The only dissension was on whether the council should directly approve a sales tax increase, or whether it should ask voters.

“A lot of people in the city want to see this and are willing to pay the tax for it,” Councilmember Jeni Woock said. She said she favors the council forgoing a vote of city residents.

Woock pointed out that she previously has been in favor of seeking voter approval for tax increases.

But given uncertainty surrounding the economy and the new administration in Washington, D.C., she said: “The world is right now a little bit uneasy. Maybe there are people unsure of what’s happening in their lives. So I think it would be better to go concilmanicly. It’s that important of a program.”

Councilmember Roger Henderson predicted that “it’s not going to pass if we put it out to the voters. I’m sure of that. …  I think councilmanicly, if we want this, is probably the only opportunity for us to get it.”

Council newcomers Em Stone and Reid Ekberg were among those who seemed uneasy with forgoing a public vote on the tax increase.

“That’s a little bit conflicting,” Ekberg said. “We’re elected to represent them. And then we think they don’t want this, so we’re just going to do it ourselves because we think it’s good for them.”

Other recent tax measures 

The council has gone both routes within the past year.

The city asked voters whether to increase the sales tax by 0.1%, mostly to support the city police department, in August 2024. Voters approved it.

But in September, the council approved a separate 0.1% sales tax increase to support transportation without asking voters. In the latter case, the council acted in its capacity as the city’s transportation benefit district board.

Both came after city voters rejected a property tax increase, intended to help fill a city budget gap, in April.

Gig Harbor Council meetings can also be viewed via Zoom. Anyone unable to attend the meeting can email the council and mayor.