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Snoqualmie committee weighs formal flag policy; staff to bring proposed list to council
Summary
Committee discussion covered whether to adopt a formal city flag policy listing flags the city may fly, including U.S., Washington, Snoqualmie, pride and Juneteenth flags, and the need for tribal consent before flying sovereign tribal flags. Members asked staff to present a list and draft agenda bill to full council.
City attorneys and council members debated a flag-display policy during the Finance & Administration Committee meeting on July 14, concluding the committee should present a proposed list to the full council and that staff should draft an agenda bill for public consideration.
The city attorney explained the legal framework: when a government displays flags on agency property, that display is government speech and not subject to the same public-forum rules that apply to private speech. The attorney recommended a clear, limited list of flags the mayor may direct to be flown and warned that inconsistent prior practices can create First Amendment liability, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision analyzing the City of Boston’s flag policy.
Committee members then discussed candidate flags. Proposed inclusions were the United States flag, the State of Washington flag, the City of Snoqualmie flag, the pride flag and the Juneteenth flag. Members also discussed adding flags of local tribal sovereign nations, sister cities, and local professional or high-school sports teams. Several members stressed that tribal flags should be flown only with the tribe’s permission and preferably provided by the tribe to avoid errors or offense.
Council Member Johnson and Mayor Pro Tem Holloway both urged that a single, public list be prepared for council action rather than leaving details to committee-level discussion. One member cautioned that including sports team flags could create difficult line-drawing issues about which teams or levels are eligible. The clerk and staff confirmed an agenda bill would not be ready for next week but that committee discussion could be scheduled publicly.
The committee directed staff to bring a visible list of recommended flags to the next full council meeting for public discussion and to prepare an agenda bill that would codify the council’s choice at a later date. No policy was adopted at the committee level; the item will be discussed publicly at council before any formal adoption.
