This Is the Place Heritage Park may have won county arts funding this year, but the victory could be short-lived.
Park officials earlier this year won a reversal of an advisory board's decision denying the park a share of Zoo, Arts and Parks tax revenue. But in finalizing the $191,000 award Tuesday, council members stressed the funding was for this year only, and ordered an "audit" of the application process for ZAP money.
The audit will determine ways to make the application process more equitable and standardized for organizations seeking the precious dollars. The County Council also agreed to spend up to $50,000 for an outside consultant to review the application process and suggest ways to ultimately avoid the political land mine that accompanied the park's application for funds.
The ZAP tax, unique to Salt Lake County, was approved by voters in 1996 and dedicates one-tenth of 1 percent of the sales tax revenue to organizations for the promotion of art, culture, recreation and other groups.
Controversy dogged the council earlier this year after the park became the first organization in the five-year history of the county's ZAP tax to be denied funding.
Acting on statutory mandates enacted by the state Legislature, the ZAP advisory board said the organization failed to qualify for the revenue because its mission was to promote history more than arts and culture.
There is a second level of funding for history-related groups, but the money they receive is far less.
The park appealed the advisory board's decision to the County Council, which then sent the park's application, along with four other groups, back to the advisory board for additional review.
Among the sentiments and accusations that flew during the controversy was the notion that the ZAP tax had become an elitist funding source for only "black tie" organizations.
Board members ultimately decided the park probably qualified for funding, but the organization needed to fine-tune its application to meet the law.
As part of the latest flurry over the park, the board made it clear on Tuesday to the council it did not think "negotiating" an organization's qualifications for funding should ever occur again. The board also said it continues to have concerns over the park receiving that level of funding, but agreed to the allocation of $700,000 for "one time only."
In anticipation of next year's application process, the board wants an outside expert to determine the most equitable way of arriving at an organization's expenses that qualify it for money.
E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com