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The largest arts organizations in Salt Lake County are likely to get a bit more money in 2015 from the Zoo Arts and Parks (ZAP) tax.
Salt Lake County Council members signed off Tuesday on an advisory group's recommendation for a 23-way split of an estimated $9,965,368 next year from the tax, which adds a penny to every $10 purchase in the county.
That projection is about 1.4 percent more than was available to the groups in 2014. Actual revenue figures will not be available until late spring.
Advisory group chairman Richard Turpin told the council that November's vote in which ZAP was overwhelmingly reauthorized for another 10 years reflected public appreciation for the way these tax dollars are being spent.
To emphasize their value, he noted that the 23 recipients spent $67 million last year in the county, entertained 3.8 million visitors (including 1.6 million free admissions), employed 821 full-time and 1,600 part-time workers plus 8,500 volunteers and presented educational programs attended by 485,000 people.
"This has to make ZAP one of the most popular programs in the county," Turpin said.
The Utah Symphony & Opera was the largest individual recipient of ZAP funding. It is set to get about $2.2 million or about 22 percent of the ZAP money available for large groups. The next-largest group of recipients , which received $900,000 to almost $1 million, included Natural History Museum of Utah, Ballet West, Hale Centre Theatre and Red Butte Garden and Arboretum.
The smallest allocations went to the Grand Theatre Foundation at Salt Lake Community College ($56,000), Art Access ($65,000), Utah Heritage Foundation ($69,000) and Repertory Dance Theatre ($86,000).
State law limits the number of eligible large arts groups to 23. With 25 applications, the advisory group dropped The Leonardo and Kingsbury Hall Presents. Both were encouraged to apply again once issues are resolved. The Leonardo had only two years of audited financial statements the law requires three and that its "minimum financial health criteria" need improving. The advisory board said more time was needed to improve Kingsbury Hall's financial situation.
Top ZAP recipients
The Salt Lake County Council signed off on a plan to divide Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) tax funds among 23 large arts organizations. Projected 2015 revenue for the top 10 recipients are:
Utah Symphony & Opera • $2.2 million
Natural History Museum • $993,500
Ballet West • $949,000
Hale Centre Theatre • $919,000
Red Butte Garden & Arboretum • $912,000
Pioneer Theatre Co. • $677,000
The Living Planet Aquarium • $543,000
Salt Lake Film Society • $277,500
Discovery Gateway • $274,000
Salt Lake City Arts Council • $273,000
Source: Salt Lake Count