4Culture advocates to King County: Leave well enough alone

King County Council members got an earful when they opened their chambers for public testimony on a proposal to exert more direct control over 4Culture, the public agency that oversees arts, culture and heritage programs county-wide.

More than 40 arts advocates signed up to tell the council to leave well enough alone. They voiced support for everything from the nonprofit agency's grant-making process to the way it recruits community board members.

In January, six of the nine council members introduced a measure to give themselves the power to appoint 4Culture’s board and executive director. The proposal also would give the council the ability to approve or reject 4Culture’s annual budget and withhold funding.

Starting in 2021, that funding could be as much as $13 million a year, revenues from a state-mandated percentage of the proceeds from King County's lodging tax.

The full council expects to vote on the proposal sometime in March.