Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trustees discuss flag-flying policy, ask staff for list of recent proclamations
Summary
Trustees discussed whether the village should fly flags for observances such as Juneteenth and directed staff to provide a list of proclamations and the existing policy; some trustees raised concerns about precedent and ordinance vs. policy authority.
Trustees discussed the village’s approach to flying flags and issuing proclamations during the May 19 meeting and asked staff to provide a summary of recent proclamations and the written policy governing flag displays.
Trustee Manganaro noted proclamations recognizing International Widows’ Day, Juneteenth and Bridal Month were on the packet and asked whether publishing them made them official village speech. He said he understood the village “has the possibility of choosing to fly a flag for any of those acknowledged events for which we have... determined we support.” The village attorney and staff responded that the village generally can engage in municipal expression and that there is a policy in place governing flag-flying.
Trustee Shirley requested that, if the board reopens discussion, the village manager provide a summary of all proclamations the board has signed over the past year; Shirley observed the board appears to approve multiple proclamations monthly and said a historical list would be useful. Trustee Shirley also asked for the written policy or ordinance that governs flag-flying; staff said a formal board action or policy exists and that staff would supply it.
Other trustees cautioned that previous discussions focused on precedent—if the village authorizes one non-governmental flag, it could lead to additional requests—and noted the board previously debated limits. A trustee suggested staff identify whether discussion should occur in a Committee of the Whole or a regular board meeting.
No formal change to the village’s flag-flying policy was made at the meeting. Staff agreed to provide trustees with (1) the written policy or ordinance that governs flag-flying and (2) a list of proclamations the board has approved for the board’s review at a later meeting.
