Lockport Council approves Route 66 bench payments and creates restricted fund for arts surplus

The Lockport City Council on Monday approved payment for commemorative Route 66 benches and adopted an ordinance allowing the Lockport Council of Arts to place fundraising surplus in a restricted city account.

Wendy Stripe, representing the Lockport Council of Arts, told the council the bench project has engaged 22 artists and 22 sponsors and that the organization has raised $120,000 to date, with $85,000 collected so far. “Everything that we raise, after we pay for the benches and for the artists … will be able to go back into, hopefully, a fund for us to be able to purchase something or put it towards a bigger, more meaningful project for the city of Lockport,” Stripe said.

Council members placed the bench payment — listed in staff packets as resolution 26‑036 and totaling $47,060 — on the consent agenda and approved it. City staff said the sponsorships cover the purchase and that the payment is within the $150,000 program budget for commemorative benches.

Separately, council moved forward on ordinance 26‑0008, which creates a restricted fund for surplus revenue tied to Lockport Council of Arts projects. City staff clarified that the restriction applies to year‑end surplus of revenues minus expenses for identified Council of Arts projects and that any single expenditure above $20,000 would still require formal council approval under the city’s purchasing policy.

A city staff member explained the change was meant to prevent Arts fundraising from reverting to the general fund and to let volunteers and staff save for larger projects. One council member noted the surplus is evaluated at the program level, not event‑by‑event, and staff said fund balances and standard budget amendment procedures would still allow the council to authorize additional spending if circumstances changed.

The ordinance will appear in the council’s packet as ordinance 26‑0008; staff and Council of Arts representatives said they will present budget plans during annual budget discussions to specify how the restricted funds would be used going forward.

The council approved the consent agenda containing both the ordinance placement and the bench payment; no separate recorded roll call was requested for either item beyond the consent vote.