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Theater board member says Raglan is "on the ropes," asks Klamath County to back ballot measure
Summary
A theater board member told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners the Raglan performing-arts center faces imminent closure without a stable revenue source and asked the board to support a November ballot measure (arts district or transient-room-tax increase) that would raise between $250,000 and roughly $1 million annually depending on the option.
Klamath County Board of Commissioners — A theater board member told commissioners that the Raglan performing-arts center is close to shutting down and asked the county to put a temporary tax measure on the November ballot to stabilize operations.
“The theater is on the ropes. It's actually quite close to going dark,” the theater board member said, describing about four weeks of operating cash and an operating budget cut to roughly $1.2 million from $1.5 million last year. The presenter said roughly $250,000 a year would cover fixed costs — mortgage, insurance and utilities — while some board members want up to $1 million annually to allow program expansion.
The presenter outlined three funding options: creating an arts district funded by a property-tax levy (city, urban growth boundary or county basis), raising the county transient room tax (currently 8 percent, with a statutory maximum of 12 percent), or rebuilding an endowment. She gave specific estimates: a small property-tax levy (ten cents per $1,000) would raise an estimated $192,000 on a city base or $740,000 on a county base; a 2 percentage-point increase in the transient room tax was estimated to raise about $825,000 countywide, and a 4-point increase about $1.65 million.
The board member asked commissioners to support putting a measure on the November ballot and outlined a tight calendar: the referendum must be submitted by Aug. 5; the explanatory statement is due Aug. 15; arguments for and against the measure are due Aug. 20; and state filing deadlines fall in late August and early September.
Commissioner Derek Figueroa said he supported getting a proposal on the ballot and offered to help refine the plan and stakeholder outreach. Other commissioners urged strategic coalition-building, noting earlier failures of a transient-room-tax measure and urging the theater to work with museum and business leaders to craft a sellable package.
The board agreed to put the theater proposal back on their agenda next week so county staff and legal counsel can vet language in time to meet the ballot deadline.
Next steps: staff will return with a proposed ballot measure and supporting materials for the board to consider before the Aug. 5 submission deadline.
