8810-15 Support extension of Co. Cigarette Tax

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RESOLUTION NO. 8810 -15 BY: Bullock, Madigan, Marx, O'Leary. A Resolution supporting the extension of the Cuyahoga County cigarette tax for arts and culture. WHEREAS, Cuyahoga County's arts and culture sector supports thousands of jobs and results in hundreds of millions of dollars of annual economic activity; and WHEREAS, Cuyahoga County's arts and culture sector supports and enriches education programs for children throughout our county; and WHEREAS, Cuyahoga County's ails and culture sector strengthens our neighborhoods, attracts visitors to our region, and enhances our quality of life; and WHEREAS, Cuyahoga County voters passed a thirty cents per pack tax on cigarettes in 2006 that provides dedicated, public funding to support arts and culture organizations and initiatives throughout Cuyahoga County, including Lakewood; and, WHEREAS, the proceeds from this cigarette tax have renewed the strength and vitality of our arts and culture sector; and WHEREAS, Lakewood's arts and culture organizations such as the Beck Center for the Arts, LakewoodAlive, Lakewood Public Library, the Lakewood Historical Society, and several others have received $1.7 million in investment from the proceeds of this cigarette tax; and WHEREAS, this cigarette tax is scheduled to expire in January 2017; and, WHEREAS, an extension of this tax may be placed before Cuyahoga County voters in the November 2015 General Election; and WHEREAS, extending this cigarette tax will not increase taxes and will not add to what consumers currently pay; and WHEREAS, Cuyahoga County's ability to sustain and further develop its ails and culture sector will be placed at risk without the continuation of this cigarette tax as a dedicated funding source; now, therefore: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, STATE OF OHIO: Section 1. That this Council hereby endorses the passage by voters in the November 2015 General Election of an extension of Cuyahoga County's excise tax on tobacco products for purpose funding arts and culture;