Council directs staff to revise commemorative banner policy; no adoption tonight

The City Council reviewed a draft commemorative display policy intended to govern installation of banners on promenade and Main Street light poles. Staff said the draft would exclude religious and partisan political flags and require council approval of displays each January; an organization would purchase banners and public works would install them.

Council members debated whether to allow only service organizations to sponsor banners or to permit individuals and philanthropists, whether banners should be tied to city-sanctioned events or run year-round, and whether to use the word "banner" rather than "flag" to avoid confusion with traditional flagpoles. The city attorney advised that the council should treat the program as a limited public forum with clear, content-neutral time/place/manner constraints to avoid opening the city to unrestricted speech.

No final policy was adopted; staff were directed to revise the draft to (1) replace "flag" with "banner," (2) update the definition of "commemorative banner" so it ties to a local event or city promotion, (3) clarify the approval process that returns proposals to the council each January (with an alternative logistical process for late-planned events), and (4) remove or rework confusing language about the flagpoles being "not intended to serve as a forum for free expression." Staff will return with a polished draft for formal consideration.