Residents tell Utah County Commission the new state flag is being flown prematurely

During public comment at a Utah County Commission meeting, two residents told commissioners they objected to the county displaying the newly adopted Utah state flag before it becomes official.

Terry Bishop of Provo said he is a signer on an initiative aiming to restore the previous state flag and reported organized signature gathering in every district. "There are a lot of people upset and that are fighting to restore our Utah state flag," Bishop said, and asked why the commission was flying the new flag at its meeting when, he said, the new design does not become official until March 2024.

Kristen Ritchie of Highland said she attended the meeting to confirm which flag was being displayed and called showing the new flag "premature," noting that other nearby buildings continued to fly the traditional flag.

The chair noted that public comment is not a time for back-and-forth discussion; presenters and staff did not provide a response on the record to the objections during the public-comment period. The commission then moved to closed session and later reconvened.

Quotations in this article are taken from public-comment remarks recorded in the commission meeting transcript.