With Summit County’s Recreation, Arts and Parks Tax set to expire in 2010, voters will be asked later this year whether they wish to extend the initiative for another decade.

The Summit County Council approved a resolution last week to place the question on the November ballot.

One-tenth of 1 percent in sales tax is added to purchases in Summit County to help fund art, cultural and recreation programs. Voters approved the RAP Tax in 2000. In the past 10 years the tax has generated more than $7 million.

But the current RAP Tax could go out of existence this year if voters do not approve the initiative again.

Summit County Council Chairwoman Claudia McMullin said voters should support the measure.

“I don’t want any hurdles to this passing,” McMullin said.

As RAP Tax grants were dispersed over the past 10 years, roughly 55 percent of the funding went to nonprofit groups providing cultural programs in Summit County. The remaining money helped fund publicly owned recreation facilities.

County Councilman John Hanrahan said he supports extending the tax.

But county funds cannot be spent influencing the election.

“You can’t use your official position as a County Council member to campaign,” Summit County Attorney David Brickey cautioned. “Ultimately, they have influence over the money.”

But members of the County Council may campaign for the initiative on their own time.

“Use your time when you are not working to express yourself,” Brickey said. “The council members can do it on the weekends and they can do it after five. They just can’t do it when they are working for the county.”

Nonprofits that have received funding from the RAP Tax have included: the Egyptian Theatre, Park City Performing Arts Foundation, Kimball Art Center, Mountain Town Stages, Swaner EcoCenter and Utah Symphony and Opera.

RAP Tax money was also used in the construction of the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse, Park City Ice Arena and Oakley Recreation Complex.

“I think it has been an enormous benefit for cultural organizations and the recreation community in Summit County,” said Parkite Tom Fey, a member of the Recreation, Arts and Parks Tax Cultural Advisory Committee. “On the recreation side, the money had to go to capital projects. On the cultural side, the money had to go for programming and overhead.”