Washington Terrace council votes 3–1 to combine Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October calendar
January 20, 2026 | Washington Terrace, Weber County, Utah
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WASHINGTON TERRACE — The Washington Terrace City Council voted 3–1 on Tuesday to place a combined Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day observance on the city’s October calendar.
Councilmember Zee introduced the item and urged the council to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of celebrating Christopher Columbus, calling Columbus’s legacy “a genocide almanac” and asserting that Columbus “actually never came to America.” Zee said many states and thousands of cities already recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Councilmember Cheryl, a retired teacher, argued against erasing history and recommended recognizing Indigenous Peoples while retaining the historical context of Columbus’s role, suggesting the city list both names together. Councilmember Michael, who said he has both Native American and Italian ancestry, also supported a combined recognition as a compromise. After discussion, Michael moved to combine the observance and Cheryl seconded the motion.
The council took a voice vote that yielded three ayes and one nay; the motion carried. The council directed staff to add the combined observance to the city calendar in October (council members noted the holiday generally falls on the second Monday of October and asked staff to confirm the exact calendar placement).
The discussion centered on how the community should remember historical events while acknowledging harms to Indigenous peoples. Councilmember Zee framed the change as correcting a historical narrative; others favored a joint naming to preserve historical context while honoring Indigenous communities.
No formal policy language or ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the action was a calendar directive. The item will appear on the city’s October calendar per the council’s instruction; if council wishes to adopt an ordinance or formal policy language it would require a future agenda item.
— Reporting by the Washington Terrace City Council meeting transcript
Councilmember Zee introduced the item and urged the council to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of celebrating Christopher Columbus, calling Columbus’s legacy “a genocide almanac” and asserting that Columbus “actually never came to America.” Zee said many states and thousands of cities already recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Councilmember Cheryl, a retired teacher, argued against erasing history and recommended recognizing Indigenous Peoples while retaining the historical context of Columbus’s role, suggesting the city list both names together. Councilmember Michael, who said he has both Native American and Italian ancestry, also supported a combined recognition as a compromise. After discussion, Michael moved to combine the observance and Cheryl seconded the motion.
The council took a voice vote that yielded three ayes and one nay; the motion carried. The council directed staff to add the combined observance to the city calendar in October (council members noted the holiday generally falls on the second Monday of October and asked staff to confirm the exact calendar placement).
The discussion centered on how the community should remember historical events while acknowledging harms to Indigenous peoples. Councilmember Zee framed the change as correcting a historical narrative; others favored a joint naming to preserve historical context while honoring Indigenous communities.
No formal policy language or ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the action was a calendar directive. The item will appear on the city’s October calendar per the council’s instruction; if council wishes to adopt an ordinance or formal policy language it would require a future agenda item.
— Reporting by the Washington Terrace City Council meeting transcript
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