Benton County To Oppose New State Flag and Seal Over Replacement Cost

(KNSI) – The Benton County Board of Commissioners is about to enter the fray in the flap over the new state flag and seal.

Administrator Montgomery Headley says the concern is over cost. “Sheriff Troy heck spoke on that matter, and he gave a very rough estimate of about $50,000 if we were to make the transition immediately and replace all the instances where the seal appears, for example, on decals, on vehicles, on deputy badges, and so on.”

The county is responsible for seven flags, which would also need to be replaced. Headley says a bulk of the cost is related to law enforcement, though. While the commissioners are responsible for the county only, many cities and townships will take a similar hit related to the issue.

Headley says a resolution would have likely passed the board on the 20th, except one of the commissioners was missing due to illness. Benton County will follow in the footsteps of Crow Wing, Douglas, McLeod, and Nobles in coming out against the new designs. “There appear to be a consensus amongst the board to adopt a similar resolution. We had a board member absent today, so they decided to defer that action until our next board meeting.”

That session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th.

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