AKRON, Ohio — Musicians, dancers, actors and artists are some of the more than 15,000 creative industry workers who entertain people in Summit and Portage counties.
Nicole Mullet, executive director of the nonprofit ArtsNow, said arts and culture generate nearly $3 billion in economic impact to the area annually.
"What we do know is that Summit County punches above its weight when it comes to delivering for the community that we're here to serve," Mullet said. "We know that we have a community of artists and arts organizations that really overdeliver."
To help support Summit County arts and culture, there is a push to consider a cigarette tax similar to the current tax in Cuyahoga County.
Last November, Cuyahoga County voters overwhelmingly approved Issue 55, which increased the cigarette tax to continue support for the arts, including Playhouse Square.
However, Summit County does not have a similar revenue stream in its arts and culture sector.
Howard Parr, the executive director of the Akron Civic Theatre, would like to see that change.
"The long-term underfunding of the infrastructure of arts and culture in Summit County needs to be addressed in order for us to remain competitive," Parr said.
The idea of a cigarette tax is only in its early stages, but the idea has passed its first hurdle: getting "permissive authority" in the state budget bill to explore a possible tax. The bill must be finalized by the end of June.
"There is no money attached to it and all it does is give the sector the opportunity to have a conversation with the county about whether or not the county wants to so something like this," Parr said.
Summit County resident Bill Elmore quit smoking 14 years ago. While he supports finding ways to support the arts, he doesn't think it should be done through a cigarette tax.
"I don't think they should continue jumping onto cigarettes— things like that— that's already overtaxed," Elmore said.
Parr said federal and state cuts to the arts are an ongoing concern, so he believes it's critical to look for ways to support people and organizations within the industry.
"The importance of investing in arts and culture goes directly to the financial health of the county because we're investing in an asset that is important to people today more than it was pre-pandemic," Parr said.
If the county gets the authority to move forward with a cigarette tax, it would ultimately be up to voters to accept or reject it.
While that could be years away, Mullet feels it's key to keep the conversation going.
"We believe that exploring this, or exploring a similar mechanism moving forward for Summit County, is really important for the residents and the visitors."
