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Task force recommends 10-year renewal of preservation sales tax; commission signals support with 30% museum floor
Summary
Staff presented a task-force recommendation to place a 10-year extension of Louisville's historic preservation 1/8 of 1% sales tax on the November 2026 ballot and to allocate 30–40% to museum operations. The commission signaled support for a 30% museum allocation and plans joint discussion with the Historic Museum Advisory Board and council.
Staff briefed the commission on a task-force recommendation to place a renewal of the city’s historic preservation 1/8 of 1% sales tax on the November 2026 ballot and to change the distribution of revenue so that 30–40% (staff recommended 30% as a preferred floor) is dedicated to museum operations and programs.
Jess Daniel summarized the task force membership and process (two meetings in May) and said the recommendation would extend the temporary tax for an additional 10 years at the same rate; it also suggests adding flexibility so tax revenue could support museum programs, capital needs and city-owned landmark work. Task-force participants included two council members, one HPC member (Chair Sloan Whitten), one museum board member, and members representing architecture and the business community.
Commission members discussed the museum’s operating needs and fund sustainability. Staff provided modeled scenarios (low/medium/high uptake) showing the fund currently generates about $1 million a year in sales-tax revenue and that different allocation choices affect available grant capacity in some years. Commissioners generally expressed support for placing the renewal on the ballot with a recommendation for the 30% museum allocation and asked staff for tables showing the fund impacts at 30%, 35% and 40% to guide council discussion on July 14.
Chair Whitten and other commissioners agreed they would provide public comment to council and participate in a July 14 joint session with the Historic Museum Advisory Board to refine ballot language and discuss program details. Staff will prepare comparative funding tables and estimates of fund-balance scenarios for the commission and council.
