Salt Lake County leaders doled out roughly $9 million for art and cultural programs Tuesday, but some local groups failed to make the cut for the Zoo, Arts and Parks tax dollars.

County Council members approved the ZAP board's recommended funding list for both Tier I — groups with expenses exceeding $307,000 — and the smaller budgeted programs in Tier II. But two groups — the Academy of Performing Arts and the Classical Greek Theatre Festival — were denied funding based on incomplete financial records.

For Robyn Adamson, the county's denial of $7,500 for The Academy of Performing Arts has left the acting and dance group in a tight spot after it promised 24 student scholarships to the Tier II program.

"We were counting on it. It's put us in kind of a bind," said Adamson, marketing director at the South Salt Lake Academy. "We need the scholarship money to pay the rent, but we're not going to shut these kids out no matter what."

Chris Crowley, director of the county's Community Services Department, said groups are generally denied funding because they lack a required three years of detailed financial records to warrant tax-dollar assistance.

With only about a year of such documentation, Adamson said her group fell short but that she plans to appeal the county's decision.

"It certainly made a dent in our budget," she said. "We're still doing the scholarships, but we are sending out letters to ask for help from friends."

County officials also reduced funding for several groups, including Tree Utah and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation. Both groups fell from their Tier I spots this year but top the list of Tier II recipients with $50,000 each.

Tree Utah, which received $67,000 last year, was bumped to second-level funding because its expenses were inflated last year by a one-time federal grant.

"It's not actually a bad thing or an unexpected thing," said Justina Parsons-Bernstein, executive director of Tree Utah. "I think we were top funded in level two because the county really understands the work we're doing."

The statewide environmental group spends about $267,000 in Salt Lake County each year promoting ecological restoration and protecting urban forestry.

Several new groups were also awarded Tier I ZAP funds, including Kingsbury Hall with $61,248 and the Living Planet with $90,997. The Utah Symphony & Opera topped the funding list with $2.5 million, roughly 29 percent of Tier I's $8.7 million pot.

County Council members approved both Tier I and Tier II funding with little debate, but Councilman David Wilde said he was concerned that some groups will get the ax next year as Tier I groups are capped at 23. This year, 25 groups will receive money.

"We could potentially have 50 groups that could qualify, and we'll have to come up with some criteria," Wilde said. "We have to set up a fair and equitable process."

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