By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Leaders from some of the region's top cultural organizations lined up behind Erie County Executive Joel Giambra Wednesday to back his idea of a designated fund to help protect the region's cultural treasures.
Giambra's proposal calls for fifty culturals to be guaranteed three percent of the county tax levy. The amount this year is roughly $5.3 million.
That is about how much the cultural groups would be allocated from the budget anyway. But the plan eliminates the year-to-year uncertainty.
Donna Fernadez is president of the Buffalo Zoo. But she left the post once partly because of past funding cuts.
She and others say that a dedicated fund would also make it easier for them to pursue, and to secure, private donations.
Ange Fatta is chairman of the board for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Like Giambra, he also argues that supporting the culturals makes good economic sense for the region.
Fatta said that more people attend arts functions locally than all regional sporting events combined. And he said the culturals generate about $10 million dollars in sales tax revenue every year with about half that returned to the county.
Giambra said the fund is justified because tourism is the region's only growing industry. He said that is why he is also still pushing for a dedicated bed tax for the Buffalo and Erie County Convention and Visitors' Bureau.
But at least one county lawmaker said the County Executive is ignoring the process, as well as the county's ongoing fiscal problems.
Community Enrichment Committee Chairwoman Michelle Iannello said in a statement issued Wednesday that any proposal for a designated cultural fund should come from, and be reviewed by, the legislature.
One thing she said they will have to consider is that funds dedicated for one purpose take away from other budget items.
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