Coun. Dan Boyd is satisfied with the updates to the city’s art policy unanimously adopted Monday night.

“I think it’s clear,” he said of the document in an interview after Monday’s meeting.

For him, he noted, the most salient point comes in the new sections that specify artwork commissioned from one per cent of a new city building’s construction cost can be placed at any site the city owns – any building or property rather than in or at the new building.

“It could go in a park,” Boyd said as an example.

It was Boyd who proposed the review of the policy last September .

He did so after voicing concerns that the policy direction to allocate one per cent of construction cost could mean spending more than $350,000 on public artwork for the proposed new operations building set to be erected off of Range Road in the Two Mile Hill area.

Boyd argued the building is set to essentially serve as a large industrial structure that most of the public won’t be accessing on a regular basis.

Council voted in favour of a “narrow scope” review of the policy.

City staff then met with officials at the Yukon Arts Centre, the territory’s arts branch and a delegate who had addressed council on the issue.

Council and senior management meetings followed in January and February before the updated policy was brought forward last week.

Boyd said he would have liked to have seen a provision for an arts fund included in the update. He also added the overall changes were essentially what he was looking for, so he voted in favour of it.

A more thorough review of the policy in the future could take a closer look at establishing an art fund, he said.

“It addressed the main concerns I had,” he said.

Meanwhile, during council discussion on the policy prior to the vote, Mayor Dan Curtis and councillors Samson Hartland and Jocelyn Curteanu all highlighted the improved clarity in the policy.

Curteanu had been the only member of council in September 2016 to vote against the narrow review. She had argued at the time the city should take the time and proper resources to do a full review of the policy.

Last night, Curteanu acknowledged the improved clarity. She also noted her hope that a more thorough review will soon be conducted that will include input from more members of the arts community.

Curtis recalled initially thinking that the policy was fine as it was. Now that the city has gone through the process, he said Monday, he’s pleased to have an improved document.

“I guess I was wrong,” he conceded.

Hartland added it’s good to now have greater flexibility on the placement of art that’s funded through one per cent of building construction costs.

Under the updated policy, an ad hoc committee would be established to make recommendations to council around potential acquisitions, placement and other matters related to public art.