The St. Francis City Council voted Jan. 20 to formalize a resolution directing the city to fly Minnesota’s 1957 state flag rather than the current official flag flown at the Minnesota State Capitol.
The resolution was approved 5-0 and states the city’s opposition to flying the current state flag. The vote followed earlier council discussion in which Mayor Mark Vogel described the move as a statement opposing actions taken at the state level in adopting the new flag, which was chosen through a legislative redesign process and made the official state flag in 2024.
Council Member Sarah Udvig asked whether the council was comfortable with the decision, noting the city could incur additional costs by continuing to replace a flag that is no longer the state’s official design.
“We’re talking about being stewards of our taxpayers’ money, that it goes all the way down, no matter what it is,” Udvig said. “…When we’re going to a flag that’s no longer recognized by the state as our state flag, there may be additional costs.”
Udvig added that the flag could become more difficult to obtain over time now that it is no longer officially used by the state.
Mayor Mark Vogel said he researched the issue and found that flag manufacturers remain willing to produce older or custom designs.
He said companies were “more than happy” to print any state flag, including discontinued designs.
Council Member Joe Muehlbauer joked that he would not mind flying the 1858 flag before adding that the decision would not cost taxpayers additional money.
As previously reported, the former flag design has drawn criticism for its imagery, which depicts a Native American riding into the sunset while a white settler plows fields in the foreground.