Drafter
Clerk 05/24/2018
Title
A MOTION proposing the allocation of future lodging tax collections to support arts, culture and heritage programs, workforce housing and youth services, and capital or operating programs that promote tourism.
Body
WHEREAS, rapid population growth in King County will necessitate building affordable and market rate housing near improved public transportation options, and
WHEREAS, equally important are: the building of new gathering places, sites where our diverse histories can be interpreted and shared and public cultural spaces; and the preservation of historic structures that create community identity, encourage strong social connections and further opportunity for entertainment, education and interactions, and
WHEREAS, civic institutions, such as history and art museums, public galleries, community cultural organizations, performing art centers, sports venues and historic structures, play a central role in our economy, and benefit local businesses, residents and tourists, and
WHEREAS, arts, culture and heritage make this region an attractive place for new businesses that bring with them new jobs, as arts and heritage businesses add two billion dollars in business activity, eight hundred eighty-two million dollars in payroll and thirty-two thousand five hundred jobs to the central Puget Sound region, and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District operates Safeco Field, which is a gathering place providing an array of public benefits and employs over two thousand full and part time employees, in addition to being a venue for the Seattle Mariners, and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Mariners attendance between 2012 and 2017 exceeded 12,100,000, with many coming from out of state and supporting the local tourist industry, and over 45,000,000 people have attended baseball games since Safeco Field opened, and
WHEREAS, the attendance at Kent's accesso ShoWare Center exceeded 400,000 in 2017, an...

Click here for full text