Lake Bluff trustees continue discussions about flag policies on village-owned properties
Village trustees met June 23 as the Committee of the Whole, where they discussed current regulations on displays on village property as well as possible changes to village special event permit rules. The meeting occurred two weeks after a pair on contentious meetings where the subject of flying a LGBTQ+ pride flag on village-owned property was hotly debated
Ahead of the June 23 meeting, trustees reviewed a memo from Village Administrator Drew Irvin and Village Attorney Peter Friedman containing suggestion the board could start a 'limited' policy authorizing government flags, displays and holiday decorations and public service announcements on the village flagpoles.
'By adopting its own speech policy, the village puts itself in the best situation should challenges arise,' the memo noted, alluding to free speech issues.
Irvin and Friedman said the other option would be maintaining current policy of only permitting holiday decorations and government flags, without a formal policy.
Trustees also reviewed possible changes to the special events policy program including a establishing a maximum time duration for events and limiting the special events to residents and or local sponsoring organizations.
The overall debate lasted for more than an hour, but the trustees did not find consensus on either proposal. That set the stage for additional discussion in the future.
'I don't think that it makes sense that to do something swiftly and then say we can change it later,' Trustee Taryn Fisher said.
Irvin noted additional changes can be made upon getting additional feedback at future village board meetings.
'We can work with Peter (Friedman) to bring this back once a quarter until we get it right or better,' he said.
The latest conversation served the latest chapter in discussions over whether a LGBTQ + flag can be flown on a village-owned flagpole, which has been a topic under formal village study since 2023.
In May, trustees voted 4-2 against permitting the flying of certain non-governmental commemorative flags including the LGBTQ+ flag on village-owned flagpoles. The majority of trustees feared the village's role in permitting some flags, but not others.
Many residents protested the decision at the June 9 meeting, leading to some acrimony between trustees.
The June 23 meeting featured toned-down rhetoric and only two members of the public spoke.
'We had an emotionally charged, painful, disruptive meeting that was also what government is about,' Fisher reflected. 'We heard from our community and we made a choice. We all need to sit and think about it be thoughtful about our next steps.'
Meanwhile, several residents sponsored a 'Pridefest' celebration on June 22 at the Village Green. Ribbons and bunting from the events on the trees and lamp posts for several days afterward.
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The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: West Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. More all-star speakers confirmed for The Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 13–15! This year's lineup just got even more exciting with the addition of State Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo; former United States Attorney General Eric Holder; Abby Phillip, anchor of 'CNN NewsNight'; Aaron Reitz, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General; and State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword
