City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Kevin Werner, City Administrator
Date: 01/09/2024
Subject: Poet Laureate Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Grant Agreement for the City of Ripon Poet Laureate program and direct staff to draft a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ripon Arts League to administer the program.
BACKGROUND:
The Library & Literacy Foundation for San Joaquin County (“Foundation”) – a philanthropic organization administered by the San Joaquin Community Foundation – has expressed an interest in providing a $15,000 grant over the next three years to the City of Ripon to help establish its’ first City Poet Laureate Program.
Many cities throughout the state and nation have established City Poet Laureate programs to inspire and remind local communities about the power and beauty of poetry and the importance of literacy in our communities and schools. The Board of Directors of the Foundation (“Board”) believes that a Poet Laureate Program also invests in each city’s human capital and talent to build its capacity for advocacy for reading and the literary arts. In 2020, the Board pre-approved funding to all cities in San Joaquin County to establish City Poet Laureate programs. Since then, the Board has been successful in providing grant funding to establish Poet Laureate programs for the City of Lodi, the City of Manteca, and is currently working with the City of Tracy.
On September 23, 2023, the City Council directed staff to move forward with establishing a City Poet Laureate Program.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The Foundation has provided a Grant Agreement that includes the conditions of accepting the grant for the City’s Poet Laureate Program, which are summarized below:
Grant amount of $15,000 related to the expenses incurred over the time period of January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026.
City Poet Laureate Program objectives include one poem per year dedicated to the City of Ripon; partnering with the Ripon Library to host teen events; holding literacy events with Ripon Unified School District and/or Ripon Christian Schools; hosting early childhood literacy programs; free poetry workshops; and hosting public readings of original poetry. City will maintain financial records showing the grant funds and associated expenses along with a report at the end of the grant period summarizing all objectives that have been completed during the grant period.
Following the discussion at the September 2023 City Council meeting, the Ripon Arts League has expressed an interest in assisting the City to administer the Poet Laureate Program, including coordinating with Ripon Unified School District and Ripon Christian Schools. Staff is recommending the City Council direct staff to draft a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ripon Arts League defining the responsibilities between the City and the Ripon Arts League and bring back to the City Council at the February meeting for consideration.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The administrative cost to administer this program is estimated to be less than $2,000, which will be paid by the General Fund.
Attachments:
1. Grant_Agreement_City of Ripon_Poet Laureate 11.15.23