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Residents press council to clarify Confederate-flag display; staff cites past Attorney General review
Summary
Public speakers urged Georgetown to state a formal procedure for considering a draft resolution about a Confederate flag display at the Georgetown Historical Society; town staff said the Attorney General found a FOIA-related violation in 2022 and the council subsequently held a public reconsideration vote.
John Peterson, a Georgetown resident, asked the Town Council to state the procedure it would follow for considering a draft resolution about a Confederate flag displayed by the Georgetown Historical Society, warning that "the Confederate flag carries an established public meaning arising from its historical use" that could be misattributed to the town.
The request came during the public-comment portion of the council meeting, where speakers also debated whether the issue has been raised politically. Resident Shelley Wise said she understands "both sides" but suggested the issue resurfaces near elections: "the closer it got to the election, it gets brought up." The presiding officer clarified for the public that "there is no resolution before council" at this time.
Stephanie, representing town staff/legal, summarized the formal history the council must consider: she said the Attorney General's office issued an opinion on Sept. 15, 2022, finding a FOIA-related issue tied to meetings that occurred before a check from the great fund was cut to the historical society. Stephanie told the council the AG recommended reconvening a publicly noticed meeting to reconsider the action; the council held a publicly noticed discussion and on Sept. 26, 2022 approved the grant in a 3-2 vote, which Stephanie said complied with the AG recommendation.
Peterson asked the body to make clear the procedure it would follow to consider and dispose of the resolution now before it; no council member indicated a formal resolution is on the floor during this meeting. The council did not take any binding action on a new resolution during the session.
What happens next: speakers asked the council to adopt a clear process for handling any future resolution tied to the flag display; town staff reiterated the prior AG opinion and the record that a publicly noticed reconsideration occurred in 2022. If a council member files a resolution going forward, the council would need to publicly notice any meeting where it takes action.
