The County Council adopted a resolution Tuesday urging entertainment venues such as the Utah Symphony, Pioneer Theatre and Discovery Gateway children's museum to appoint leaders from each of the county's six political districts.
"It is only fair that since county taxpayers contribute that money," GOP Councilman David Wilde said, "they should have more input into how that money is spent."
The measure passed 7-2 with Democratic council members Jenny Wilson and Jim Bradley voting no.
"We are going a little beyond our authority here," said Wilson, who argued instead for a less-specific resolution that would require arts boards to prepare an action plan for increasing board diversity generally.
While Wilde's resolution mentions gender and ethnic diversity, its target is geography - namely the west-side gap in arts-board memberships.
A Salt Lake Tribune examination of nine tax-funded attractions found an absence of west-siders on those groups' governing boards. Fewer than 15 of the 238 board members surveyed live west of Interstate 15.
That disparity was reaffirmed by a county analysis of 25 Zoo, Arts and Parks tax recipients that showed less than 7 percent of board members living in west-side political districts.
Conversely, the county found east-siders occupy three-quarters of all board seats. Even out-of-county residents have a larger voice in directing the valley's arts.
The push toward broader geographic representation on tax-funded boards isn't limited to Salt Lake County. The Legislature embraced a similar resolution earlier this year, encouraging Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to seek a better geographic balance statewide in making future appointments.
"Geographic representation, as reflected in the membership of [state committees, boards and commissions]," the state resolution stated, "suggests that the varied perspectives of Utahns are heard and are recognized as playing an essential role in the development of public policy in Utah."
Question is, should Salt Lake County seek a similar geographic standard for its cultural-arts institutions, which receive public money but, in many cases, are privately operated.
For most County Council members, the answer is yes.
"If it were up to me," Wilde said, "I would make it mandatory."
