Snoqualmie council adopts city flag policy after debate over which flags to fly

The Snoqualmie City Council on July 28 adopted Resolution 17-22, approving a city flag policy that lists flags that may be displayed on city facilities and gives the mayor authority to direct when and where those flags are flown.

The policy establishes a list of flags that may be displayed on a permanent or temporary basis and says display decisions will be implemented "as directed and approved by the mayor," according to City Attorney Dina Burke. The council voted to adopt the resolution after discussion; the motion passed 5-2 with Councilor Vincent and Councilor Wotton recorded voting no.

Council discussion focused on three questions: whether the policy distinguishes between flags flown outside on the courtyard pole and flags displayed inside the council chamber or lobby; whether the mayor has blanket authority to order special displays; and whether the list of flags is arbitrary or exclusionary. Councilor Wotton asked where Exhibit A was in the packet; Burke indicated the proposed policy appears on page 27 and that the missing exhibit label is a scrivener's error that can be corrected administratively.

Councilor Vincent said he was concerned about "the exclusivity of it" and questioned why only certain awareness months or holidays are represented by a flag on the list while many others are not. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Holloway said Juneteenth and the Pride flag were included because, in his view, they have broadly recognized flags associated with June. Dina Burke explained that future additions to the list would require an amendment to the policy returned to council.

Councilors also discussed whether some flags should be limited to indoor display. Councilor Wotton suggested keeping federally recognized flags such as the U.S. and state flag for outside poles while allowing other flags to be displayed inside at the discretion of administration and council.

Motion and vote: The motion to adopt Resolution 17-22 was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Tim Holloway and seconded by Councilor Johnson. The motion carried with a tally of five in favor and two opposed; the transcript records Councilor Vincent and Councilor Wotton as the two who voted no. The transcript does not include a roll-call record assigning every councilor's yes vote.

The resolution text in the council packet names "City of Snoqualmie flag policy" as the attached policy (page 27) and the formal adopting language on page 29. Council members noted the packet will be corrected to show the attachment as Exhibit A.

Why it matters: The policy defines when and which non-U.S. flags may be displayed at city facilities and centralizes operational decisions with the mayor, thereby shaping how the city signals inclusion and recognition of community groups and observances. Amendments to add flags would return to the council for approval.

Additional details: Council members said they had received written public comment supporting the policy. The council did not take any additional administrative direction beyond adopting the resolution. No implementation timeline or budget for purchasing and storing flags was specified in the meeting record.

Ending: The adopted policy will be reflected in the city records and the scrivener's error on the exhibit label will be corrected, the city attorney said. Any future additions to the list will require council action.