The Bremerton city council will be discussing the possible continuation of a suspension of the One Percent for the Arts program for another two years at a study session this week.

The One Percent for the Arts program was suspended in 2011 due to budget constraints, but that suspension is set to expire in January. Following a recommendation in the mayor’s proposed 2014 budget, the council will discuss continuing that suspension and vote on the matter as early as Oct. 23.

The newly proposed ordinance prohibits expenditures for the purchase of new art, however it will allow expenditures for the maintenance, repair, and installation of the City’s current One Percent for the Arts collection, and the proposed 2014 budget has money allocated for this purpose.

The One Percent for the Arts program is administered by the Department of Community Development. In the 2012 budget, the department’s staff member that was dedicated to the One  Percent program was eliminated from the department, necessitating the original suspension of the program. The department continues to operate without this position, and officials say that because of other work priorities such as the Comprehensive Plan Major Update, DCD does not currently have the capacity administer this program. Administrators also note that the city has no planned capital improvement projects that will contribute to the One Percent for the Arts program and therefore no opportunities for acquisition of new art in the near future.

The city council study session is slated to start at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the sixth-floor conference room at the Norm Dicks Government Building.