City council removes 1% for the arts from PSM bond; Arts Council to revisit ordinance in 2026 work plan

Arts Council members were told on July 16 that the City Council removed the 1% for the arts allocation from the planned PSM building bond and asked the Arts Council to address the policy in the 2026 work plan.

Katie Herzog, staff liaison, reported that the City Council "did move to remove the 1% for the art from the PSM building bond." She said the result is that the bond will proceed without the arts contribution and that the council asked the Arts Council to return in 2026 to consider updates to the 1% program.

Council discussion noted that the 1% for the arts program has not been substantially updated since the 1990s and that the ordinance currently emphasizes murals and sculptures. One council member said the City Council provided no arts funding from the bond project and described that as a message about priorities, saying the council "provided 0." That comment was offered as a critique of the bond exemption decision; the transcript records this as a councilor remark during the meeting.

The nut graf: the City Council's removal of the 1% contribution from the PSM bond means no automatic arts set-aside will be generated by that project; the Arts Council will be asked to develop recommendations for how the 1% program should operate and what types of art and public improvements it should fund.

Next steps: staff will work with the Arts Council and city management on a 2026 work-plan item to review the ordinance and propose updates, including whether to broaden eligible public-art projects beyond murals and sculptures and how to coordinate with parks and capital projects.

Ending: Arts Council members suggested retreat conversations and community engagement to shape recommendations the council will forward to City Council in 2026.