Does a city need a resolution to start a sidewalk poetry program?

Not always. Some programs start with a department decision and a small purchase. A resolution helps when you want the program to outlast staff changes, when grants ask for proof of city support, or when two departments need a clear split of who does what.

Does adopting the resolution commit the city to spending money?

No. It authorizes staff to seek grants and buy stamps within the budget the council adopts, under the city's own purchasing policy. The concrete work is already in the sidewalk maintenance budget, because poems go only into panels the city is already replacing.

Why does it say crews may press a poem, not that they shall?

Crews need room to skip a panel that's the wrong size, too broken up, or poured in bad weather. Saint Paul places poems on single- or two-panel replacement jobs chosen from the existing schedule. Change the word if your council wants a firmer commitment.

Can a town, village, or county use it?

Yes. Type the legal name, such as Village of Ely, and the draft refers to the village throughout. Change the governing body and the department to match yours.

Who has done this before?

Public Art Saint Paul, working with the City of Saint Paul's Public Works department, has pressed poems written by residents into Saint Paul's sidewalks since 2008: 1,400+ stamps citywide from a collection of 102 poems. Their program is the model this resolution follows.

Is this legal advice?

No. It's a starting draft written from how working programs run. Have your city attorney review it before it goes on an agenda.

City template

A Pour Once resolution for your council.

Road planners have a rule called dig once: whenever a street is already open, lay the broadband conduit at the same time, so nobody digs it up again later. Sidewalk poetry works the same way. Whenever a crew is already pouring a sidewalk panel, it can press a poem into it. The resolution below makes that the city's policy.

Fill in your city's details. The draft updates as you type, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.

RESOLUTION NO. ________

A resolution establishing the Sidewalk Poetry program and a Pour Once policy for sidewalk replacement

WHEREAS, the [City of …] replaces sidewalk panels every year through its sidewalk maintenance program; and

WHEREAS, a poem can be pressed into a new panel with a reusable stamp while the concrete is still wet, as part of work the crews are already doing, without a separate construction project; and

WHEREAS, Public Art Saint Paul, working with the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, has pressed poems written by residents into that city's sidewalks since 2008; and

WHEREAS, one stamp can be pressed into many panels over many seasons, so the cost of each installed poem falls the longer a program runs; and

WHEREAS, an annual open call for poems invites residents of every age and background to see their own words in the places they walk every day;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the [City of …]:

Program. The Sidewalk Poetry program is established.
Pour Once. When the Department of Public Works replaces a sidewalk panel through the City's sidewalk maintenance program, it may press a poem from the program's collection into the new concrete as part of that work, at sites selected with the arts partner. Poems are added only to panels already scheduled for replacement. This resolution does not create new construction.
Arts partner. [arts partner] is invited to run an annual open call for poems from residents, seat a jury, and select up to [number] new poems each year, with each poet's permission to install the poem.
Notice and choice. Before work begins on a block, the Department of Public Works will notify the adjacent properties and will honor a request to decline a poem that it receives before removal begins.
Stamps. Stamps purchased for the program are the property of the [City of …]. The Department of Public Works will store them and reuse them in future seasons.
Funding and purchasing. The City Administrator, or a designee, is authorized to apply for grants and accept sponsorships for the program, and to purchase stamps within the adopted budget under the City's purchasing policy.
Report. Each year, staff will report to the City Council the poems added and where they were installed, and will publish a map or list of installed poems.
Effective date. This resolution takes effect upon adoption.

Adopted by the City Council of the [City of …] on ____________________, 20____.

Mayor

City Clerk

Starting draft for discussion. Not legal advice. Have your city attorney review it before it goes on an agenda.

What it covers

Small on purpose.

It does

Creates the program and names who runs each half of it
Lets crews press a poem into panels they're already replacing
Invites an arts partner to run a yearly open call for poems
Requires notice to neighbors and honors a request to opt out
Keeps the stamps as city property, reused every season
Authorizes grant applications and stamp purchases within the adopted budget

It doesn't

Create new construction or a new capital project
Spend money the council hasn't budgeted
Override the city's purchasing policy
Promise a poem at any particular address
Name a vendor

Getting it adopted

From draft to agenda.

01
Find your two champions
One person from public works, who owns the replacement schedule, and one from the arts side: an arts commission, library, or non-profit, who owns the poems. A resolution with both names behind it moves. One with neither stalls.
02
Fill in the blanks
Use the form on this page. Pick named corridors if you want a pilot year, or the whole replacement program if you want it simple. Blanks you leave stay in brackets so nobody misses them.
03
Price the first year
Use the annual order planner to price a year of poems in one order and download a budget estimate for the packet. It also checks the total against your department's approval limit.
04
Name the money
Council members ask where the money comes from before they ask anything else. The funding guide covers public art funds, AARP Community Challenge, the NEA, your state arts board, and sponsors.
05
Have the city attorney review it
Every city words resolutions differently. This draft is a starting point, not legal advice.
06
Put it on the agenda
Attach the draft, the budget estimate, and the program playbook. Then announce the call for poems so the first poems are ready before replacement season.

Price the first year Find the funding Read the program playbook

FAQ

What clerks and council members ask.

Does a city need a resolution to start a sidewalk poetry program?: Not always. Some programs start with a department decision and a small purchase. A resolution helps when you want the program to outlast staff changes, when grants ask for proof of city support, or when two departments need a clear split of who does what.
Does adopting the resolution commit the city to spending money?: No. It authorizes staff to seek grants and buy stamps within the budget the council adopts, under the city's own purchasing policy. The concrete work is already in the sidewalk maintenance budget, because poems go only into panels the city is already replacing.
Why does it say crews may press a poem, not that they shall?: Crews need room to skip a panel that's the wrong size, too broken up, or poured in bad weather. Saint Paul places poems on single- or two-panel replacement jobs chosen from the existing schedule. Change the word if your council wants a firmer commitment.
Can a town, village, or county use it?: Yes. Type the legal name, such as Village of Ely, and the draft refers to the village throughout. Change the governing body and the department to match yours.
Who has done this before?: Public Art Saint Paul, working with the City of Saint Paul's Public Works department, has pressed poems written by residents into Saint Paul's sidewalks since 2008: 1,400+ stamps citywide from a collection of 102 poems. Their program is the model this resolution follows.
Is this legal advice?: No. It's a starting draft written from how working programs run. Have your city attorney review it before it goes on an agenda.

A Pour Once resolution for your council.

Fill in your city's details. The draft updates as you type, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.

RESOLUTION NO. ________

A resolution establishing the Sidewalk Poetry program and a Pour Once policy for sidewalk replacement

WHEREAS, the [City of …] replaces sidewalk panels every year through its sidewalk maintenance program; and

WHEREAS, a poem can be pressed into a new panel with a reusable stamp while the concrete is still wet, as part of work the crews are already doing, without a separate construction project; and

WHEREAS, Public Art Saint Paul, working with the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, has pressed poems written by residents into that city's sidewalks since 2008; and

WHEREAS, one stamp can be pressed into many panels over many seasons, so the cost of each installed poem falls the longer a program runs; and

WHEREAS, an annual open call for poems invites residents of every age and background to see their own words in the places they walk every day;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the [City of …]:

Program. The Sidewalk Poetry program is established.
Pour Once. When the Department of Public Works replaces a sidewalk panel through the City's sidewalk maintenance program, it may press a poem from the program's collection into the new concrete as part of that work, at sites selected with the arts partner. Poems are added only to panels already scheduled for replacement. This resolution does not create new construction.
Arts partner. [arts partner] is invited to run an annual open call for poems from residents, seat a jury, and select up to [number] new poems each year, with each poet's permission to install the poem.
Notice and choice. Before work begins on a block, the Department of Public Works will notify the adjacent properties and will honor a request to decline a poem that it receives before removal begins.
Stamps. Stamps purchased for the program are the property of the [City of …]. The Department of Public Works will store them and reuse them in future seasons.
Funding and purchasing. The City Administrator, or a designee, is authorized to apply for grants and accept sponsorships for the program, and to purchase stamps within the adopted budget under the City's purchasing policy.
Report. Each year, staff will report to the City Council the poems added and where they were installed, and will publish a map or list of installed poems.
Effective date. This resolution takes effect upon adoption.

Adopted by the City Council of the [City of …] on ____________________, 20____.

Mayor

City Clerk

Starting draft for discussion. Not legal advice. Have your city attorney review it before it goes on an agenda.

Small on purpose.

It does

Creates the program and names who runs each half of it
Lets crews press a poem into panels they're already replacing
Invites an arts partner to run a yearly open call for poems
Requires notice to neighbors and honors a request to opt out
Keeps the stamps as city property, reused every season
Authorizes grant applications and stamp purchases within the adopted budget

It doesn't

Create new construction or a new capital project
Spend money the council hasn't budgeted
Override the city's purchasing policy
Promise a poem at any particular address
Name a vendor

From draft to agenda.

Find your two champions

One person from public works, who owns the replacement schedule, and one from the arts side: an arts commission, library, or non-profit, who owns the poems. A resolution with both names behind it moves. One with neither stalls.

Fill in the blanks

Use the form on this page. Pick named corridors if you want a pilot year, or the whole replacement program if you want it simple. Blanks you leave stay in brackets so nobody misses them.

Price the first year

Use the annual order planner to price a year of poems in one order and download a budget estimate for the packet. It also checks the total against your department's approval limit.

Name the money

Council members ask where the money comes from before they ask anything else. The funding guide covers public art funds, AARP Community Challenge, the NEA, your state arts board, and sponsors.

Have the city attorney review it

Every city words resolutions differently. This draft is a starting point, not legal advice.

Put it on the agenda

Attach the draft, the budget estimate, and the program playbook. Then announce the call for poems so the first poems are ready before replacement season.