AGENDA ITEM #20
TOWN OF FAIRFAX
STAFF REPORT
April 5, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Maria Baird, Recreation and Community Services Manager and Heather Abrams, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Display of Rainbow Flags during the Month of June 2023; authorize use of staff time to place flags; accept donation of flags for lamp posts; and authorize staff to paint a rainbow crosswalk. ___________________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Display of Rainbow Flags during the Month of June 2023; authorize use of staff time to place flags; accept donation of flags for lamp posts; and authorize staff to paint a rainbow crosswalk.
DISCUSSION
In October 2022 town resident Lori Kramer submitted a proposal requesting that the Town acknowledge Pride month in June of 2023 by installing rainbow flags on the lamp posts in the downtown corridor. The flags would recognize the LGBTQ community. The proposal was referred to the Town’s Parks & Recreation Commission, which considered the item at their November 2022 meeting. At the meeting, Lori Kramer offered to pay for the production of the flags that would then be hung by the Public Works Department. PARC made a motion at the meeting to support the project, and referred it to the Town Council for further consideration.
In previous years, a single rainbow flag is hung in front of Town Hall during the month of June.
There are 30 flag posts in the downtown corridor which straddles Bolinas Road and Broadway as well as Center Blvd. Flag posts have been used in previous years to display Fairfax Festival flags. The Fairfax Festival flags, which are the pastel colored flags pictured next to the rainbow flags in Attachment 2, are typically put up at the beginning of June in preparation for the festival.
Since both events take place in the month of June, only one type of flag could be installed, so the rainbow flags would supersede the pastel festival flags.
Mayor Cutrano has requested that the rainbow flags be placed at Town Hall and on the lampposts, and that a rainbow crosswalk be painted. Staff believes this may be the first rainbow cross walk in Marin County.
For the rainbow crosswalk, staff recommends painting the space between the white bars of the existing crosswalk with colors to form a rainbow at the crosswalk between the Parkade and Peri’s Tavern/My Thai. The design can be finalized on a staff level before June. 2 FISCAL IMPACT
There are 30 flag posts available in downtown Fairfax. It requires two Public Works crew members a total of four hours each to hang all the flags. The fully loaded salary and benefit rate is $81.58 for employee #1 and $64.91 for employee #2. The costs of the Public Works crew to hang 30 flags on the lamp post in the downtown corridor will be $538.00.
The crosswalk selected is scheduled to receive new paint, therefore the cost of adding the colors is expected to be nominal.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Proposal submitted by Lori Kramer
B. Photos of proposed rainbow flag and previous Fairfax Festival flag provided by Lori Kramer.
C. PARC Minutes November 2022
D. Resolution
LORI KRAMER
[email protected] 415-533-4192 19 Taylor Drive, Fairfax CA 94930 Rainbow Flag Proposal
Fairfax Town Council,
My name is Lori Kramer and I have lived in downtown Fairfax for 20 years.
I was excited that the Fairfax Festival returned this year and to see the flags go up prior to the festival to signal the return of the celebration. My friends, family and adult children came to celebrate over a fun-filled weekend.
Two weeks after the Fairfax Festival, the pride parade in San Francisco reminded me of a fond memory and turning point in my life. I recalled living in San Francisco and walking down Market Street and seeing the rainbow flags lining the street for Pride month. I felt an immense sense of pride and joy and felt that I was living in a special and supportive place. I had only recently come to understand that I was gay. The flags inspired me to drive to my parents house the next day and come out to them.
This got me thinking about how Fairfax embraced my gay family and me and is also a special and supportive place. I appreciate the rainbow flag on town hall and would love to see flags throughout downtown. I would like to opportunity to purchase a full set of rainbow flags to place throughout downtown during Pride Month or a portion of the month. Please consider my offer that will signal to people that visit Fairfax or live in Fairfax that it is a colorful place that welcomes diversity.
Thank you for your consideration,
Lori
Lori Kramer
RESOLUTION 23-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF FAIRFAX AUTHORIZING DISPLAY OF RAINBOW FLAGS DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE 2023 WHEREAS, the Town of Fairfax has a diverse LGBTQ+ community and is committed to supporting visibility, dignity, and equity for all people in the community; and WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ individuals encompass all races, ethnicities, religions, and social classes; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Fairfax has declared the month of June as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning+ Pride Month” in the Town of Fairfax to inspire equity, create alliances, celebrate diversity, and establish safe environments in our schools and our community; and
WHEREAS, at their November 14, 2022, meeting, the Fairfax Parks and Recreation Commission considered and voted to support a Fairfax resident’s proposal to pay for the production of 30 rainbow pride flags for the downtown corridor lamp posts and donate them to the Town, and PARC recommends the proposal to the Town Council; and WHEREAS, Mayor Cutrano has requested flying of the Pride Flag at Town Hall and on the downtown lampposts; and
WHEREAS, the Town has a Flag Display Policy which was adopted on May 4, 2022 as per Resolution #22-28 which specifies that the Town retains control of its flagpoles and prohibits third-party requests for commemorative flag displays, only allowing for the display of commemorative flags when the request is brough forth by a Town Council member and then authorized by the Town Council as an expression of the Town’s official sentiments; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Town Council authorizes the display of the Rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride Flag at Fairfax Town Hall and on the 30 downtown lamp posts for the month of June 2023, ending June 30, 2023, to express the Town’s support for and celebration of the Town’s LGBTQ+ community and of diversity.
The foregoing resolution was duly passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Fairfax on the 5st day of April 2023 by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
_________________________________
Chance Cutrano, Mayor
Attest: ________________________
Michele Gardner, Town Clerk