On July 8 the Common Council adopted a resolution to reaffirm and enforce the City of Buffalo's one percent public-art requirement in city code chapter 409. Sponsors said the code currently requires that one percent of applicable capital-improvement budgets — projects above specified thresholds — be allocated to public art but that the requirement has not been consistently followed.

The resolution directs that the Department of Public Works notify the Buffalo Arts Commission at project initiation, establishes a waiver procedure requiring public justification and discussion, and authorizes an annual allocation for citywide public art managed by the Arts Commission. "It requires that 1% of the capital improvement budget, has $1,000,000 has, at least 1% allocated for public art," a sponsor said on the floor (language as stated during remarks).

Supporters framed the move as enforcing an existing code provision rather than creating a new mandate; they said sustained compliance could help rebuild communities through arts investments. The council adopted the resolution and referred budget implementation details to the Finance Committee for follow-up; the transcript does not record specific project lists or dollar amounts beyond the general description in floor remarks.