Summit County tax dollars may one day be hard at work for the arts. The heads of Akron-area cultural institutions are looking into what is possible.
The Akron Press Club hosted a panel Wednesday on arts funding with Akron Civic Theatre Executive Director Howard Parr, ArtsNow Director Nicole Mullet and Akron Community Foundation CEO John Garofalo.
All three touted the local economic impact of their sector - $1.4 billion, pre-pandemic. The conversation quickly turned to public funding.
Parr pointed out that in neighboring Cuyahoga County, voters have consistently supported a cigarette tax by 3-to-1 margins. The proceeds are distributed by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture to nonprofits, including Ideastream Public Media.
“That's not just because they did great advertising in the campaign,” he said. “That's because the citizens of Cuyahoga County actually think it's a good idea. So, to me, that's a positive thing, and I think something we ought to be thinking about.”
Mullet said they’re in the early stages of exploring whether residents would support a similar idea.
“Where we're at right now, and this is vitally important, is engaging with the community about their appetite and where they're at relative to this,” she said. “Authenticity is imperative. Nothing happens in Summit County in absence of feedback from the community.”
Akron Community Foundation CEO John Garofalo agreed the tax is “definitely” needed, but he cautioned that some residents might be feeling “overtaxed.”
“We do it for our zoos. We do it for our libraries [and] our Metro Parks. To add another one to the mix? I don't envy County Executive Shapiro or Mayor Malik on having to do that within our community,” he said.
Mullet said discussions are in the very early stages: A plan could include a bed tax, such as the one in Stark County, or another funding mechanism altogether. There is no timetable for the talks.
Cuyahoga’s tax was implemented in 2007 at 30-cents per pack of cigarettes. Voters renewed it in 2015, and, amid declining revenue, bumped it to 70 cents in 2024. In between, arts advocates nearly got the state to allow a tax on vape products. In 2004, voters rejected a funding plan tied to property taxes.
The arts cigarette tax is separate from the 1990 sin tax of 4.5 cents slated for Cleveland sports venues.
