OREM — The City Council is considering asking voters to approve a tax in November to help fund cultural arts activities in the city.

The decision will have to come swiftly as there are only about 10 days remaining to get such an issue on the fall ballot.

The City Council accepted a report Tuesday from the Cultural Arts Commission it directed last year to research the needs in the community.

The commission's strategic report cited a number of issues and needs but said the greatest need is for ongoing funding to support the cultural arts.

Commission Chairman Mark Robinson said that means either city officials earmark funds from the city's annual budget revenues or help put a special tax in place — a tax similar to the ZAP tax that augments the zoo, arts and parks budgets in Salt Lake City.

Robinson said it's important that the City Council consider putting such a tax option in front of the voters right away as the option may disappear in the future.

Robinson said efforts to unify the tax structure throughout the state may make such a tax no longer possible.

Mayor Jerry Washburn said the issue is time sensitive since the City Council not only has to decide whether to support putting it on the ballot, it must also notify Utah County officials so they can determine whether to make it a countywide issue.

To meet notification deadlines and legal requirements the council must decide whether to pursue the idea by the first council meeting in June.

That may require a special meeting prior to the June 14 session for the arts commission to present a specific list of needs that would be funded by a city arts tax, said City Manager Jim Reams.

Robinson said that doesn't leave the commission much time to prepare but they would meet the deadline.

Carol Walker said much of that information was gathered a few years ago and would simply need to be refreshed.

Robinson said one need involves creating a cultural arts center that would give the SCERA, the Utah Regional Ballet and Hale Center Theater a new home.

He said the existing SCERA facility is an historic treasure and could be preserved, remodeled and enhanced into a kind of arts district.

"The ZAP tax works in Salt Lake because it was well organized. The voters knew what they were getting for their money," Washburn said. "However, it gives us a very tight timetable."

If the tax is put on the ballot and approved by the voters, funds would not become available until April 2006.

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