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Little Falls council debates flying older state flag; president directs staff to fly it until told otherwise
Summary
Council members largely favored restoring an earlier state flag; staff noted a stalled state bill that would have reduced local government aid by 10% for cities flying the old flag. Without a formal vote, the council directed staff to begin flying the old flag pending further direction.
The Little Falls City Council discussed whether to fly the previously used state flag, continue with the more recently adopted state flag, or stop flying a state flag entirely.
Alex told the council that the city is not legally required to fly a state flag and that several options exist: keep the current flag, adopt a resolution to fly the old flag, or remove the state flag entirely. Alex also said lawmakers had introduced a bill this session that would have cut Local Government Aid (LGA) by 10% for cities flying the old flag; Alex added the bill "didn't get anywhere" in the House.
A majority of council members signaled support for the older flag. One council member said, "I think we should fly the previous flag out of solidarity to the rest of our outstate cities and counties that have already done it." Another member voiced concern about politicizing the issue and said they preferred not to fly either flag until more civil discussion resumes.
The council president concluded the discussion by directing staff to start flying the old flag "until we're told we can't." Alex acknowledged the direction and said staff would comply. The transcript records no formal resolution or roll-call vote on the matter; the action was a council direction rather than an ordinance or formal adoption.
