The Toledo City Council adopted a new official city flag on Jan. 7, 2025, approving Resolution 001-25 after a recommendation from the Arts Commission and a citizen-led design review board.

The resolution, read into the record as "Resolution 001-25 adopting the new official flag of the city of Toledo," passed in a roll-call vote with nine members voting yes and one voting no. Councilwoman Serrante cast the lone no vote; Driscoll, Hartman, Jones, Comives, Martinez, McPherson, Melden, Morris and Williams voted yes. The council president declared the resolution adopted.

Council President Hartman said the Arts Commission and the design review board were following the mayor's request and a public competition process. An Arts Commission representative said the review process began with a public call for designs on June 28, 2024, that produced 87 submissions, of which 68 were from city residents and thus eligible for consideration. The review board narrowed those entries to 10, then to three finalists after public input; 327 people submitted public comments during the input period. The three finalists were identified as Jacob Parr, Julian Hupp and Mark Yapoying.

The design review board, chaired by Dan Hernandez, a professor at the University of Toledo, voted unanimously to recommend the design by Toledo designer Mark Yapoying, also known locally as Mark Y. "The new flag for the city of Toledo stands as a compelling symbol for unity, heritage, and progress," Yapoying told the council during his presentation, calling the design "a love letter to the city and the people that embody it." Yapoying described elements of the design including a modernized blockhouse form, a sunburst reimagined from the city seal, a silhouette of the veteran skyway bridge and horizontal blue bands representing the Maumee River and its watershed.

Council members generally praised the process and the design. Council member Carl Meyers commended the community origin of the initiative and singled out Jacob Parr for starting the effort: "Anybody who decided to attack Jacob for this should really take a look inward," Meyers said, urging appreciation for Parr's work in bringing the project forward. Several members said they planned to work with the mayor's office and Arts Commission staff on educational materials to explain the symbolism to the public; the Arts Commission representative said staff would produce a video featuring the designer's description for that purpose.

Councilman Serrante expressed concern about the level of public input and suggested delaying the vote to allow more citizen comment. "I really think the citizens ought to be able to weigh in on this," Serrante said. The motion to adopt the flag proceeded to a roll-call vote and passed despite that objection.

The adopted resolution celebrates the city's 188th birthday and establishes the recommended design as the city's official flag. The council did not attach any budget appropriation to the resolution during the session; questions about costs or timelines for producing and flying the flag will be handled by city staff, the Arts Commission representative said.

The council planned no additional formal actions on the item at the meeting beyond adopting Resolution 001-25 and directing staff to implement outreach and educational materials. The designer, Mark Yapoying, was present for the presentation and received congratulations from council members before the meeting adjourned.

Resolution and votes at a glance

- Resolution: 001-25, "Adopting the new official flag of the city of Toledo and celebrating the city's 188th birthday." Outcome: adopted.
- Vote (roll call read at meeting): Driscoll — Yes; Hartman — Yes; Jones — Yes; Comives — Yes; Martinez — Yes; McPherson — Yes; Melden — Yes; Morris — Yes; Serrante — No; Williams — Yes.

Background and process

The Arts Commission and a design review board used a blind submission process, restricted eligibility to city residents (with parental consent for entrants under 18), and applied design criteria emphasizing simplicity, meaningful symbolism, limited colors and durability for flag use. The board reported spending more than 100 volunteer hours reviewing submissions. The finalists and final recommendation reflected both board deliberations and public comment gathered in person and online.

Next steps identified by the Arts Commission and council include publishing the designer's explanation and educational materials describing the flag's symbolism and coordinating production logistics through city staff.