During the Dec. 10 Council meeting, the San Juan County Council passed an ordinance to approve a new one-tenth of 1% sales tax to create a cultural access program. During the meeting, the Council held a public hearing, deliberated and passed the proposed ordinance with council members Christine Minney and Cindy Wolf voting in favor and Council Chair Jane Fuller abstaining. San Juan County’s Cultural Access program will become the first program of its kind in a rural area of Washington state.

“I come from a family of painters, writers, mathematicians and scientists,” said council member Wolf. “But my own connection to the arts is theater – a collaborative art form. And I believe that you can never do something as beautiful alone as you can do together,” Wolf noted, acknowledging the Council chambers room full of representatives from various arts organizations, schools and other nonprofits. “It is absolutely my honor to be able to support the adoption of this cultural access tax.”

In the coming months, the County will work to develop the program, managed by the Parks and Fair Department, with the intent of processing grants in 2026. The tax will be enacted on April 1 in San Juan County.

What is cultural access?

The Washington state Legislature has given counties and cities the ability to support access to history, science and the arts through a sales tax. Based on San Juan County’s 2023 revenues, approximately $800,000 could be collected annually to support cultural access for schools and cultural organizations such as museums, theaters, art centers and other nonprofits. Due to the high volume of visitors and tourists to San Juan County, the proposed tax would cost approximately $20 per household per year.

Funds will be focused on a specific purpose – to provide local support and financial stability to schools and cultural organizations for cultural access and initiatives.

How did we get here?

On May 16, 2023, Inspire Washington, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to local communities to establish cultural access programs, gave an educational presentation to the San Juan County Council.

Throughout the year and into 2024, the Council directed Parks and Fair Director Brandon Andrews to explore the feasibility of setting up and administering a cultural access program.

The County conducted conversations with local school districts, museums, theaters and county nonprofits to understand if there was interest in and support for this program. After learning of local support for a cultural access program, during the November 12, 2024, Council meeting, the San Juan County Council decided to set a public hearing to move the process forward.

“It isn’t often we are handed this legislative authority to bring something like this to life,” said council member Minney. “And though it is our council authority, the success of this initiative is really due to the individuals and organizations who have carried this forward. I couldn’t be more pleased and proud to support approving this today.”

To learn more about the program proposal, how funds will be spent, and more, visit the County’s website at https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/2168/Cultural-Access-Program-Proposal.

Questions? Contact Parks and Fair Director Brandon Andrews at brandona@sanjuancountywa.gov or 360-370-7452.