ORDINANCE No. 176874

Amend the Code to restore the City of Portland flag to its original design (Ordinance; amend Code Section 1.06.010 and repeal Section 1.06.020)

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1.    The Council finds:

1.  Under commission from the Portland City Council, Douglas Lynch designed the City of Portland flag, which Council officially adopted in 1969, as described in Exhibit A.

2.  Mr. Lynch’s original flag design appeared as a blue counterchanged cross outlined by gold and white bands on a green background. Before Council formally adopted the flag in 1969, Council decided to modify the original design proposal by changing the color of the flag’s canton (upper left corner of the flag) to dark blue, and placing an image of the City seal in the canton as shown in Exhibit B;

3.  The City flag is rarely reproduced because the seal’s complication and additional color make it difficult to do so. Consequently, makers of Portland-related products often do not include replicas of the City flag on their wares.

4.  Restoring the flag to its original design, shown in Exhibit C, will make it easier to produce copies and pictures of the flag, which in turn will make it possible for vendors to more easily include reproductions of the city flag on their Portland-related goods.

5.  Restoring the City’s flag to its original design will also increase the visibility and public recognition of the City’s flag.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

a.  City Code Section 1.06.010 is hereby amended as follows:

1.06.010  Description.

There is designated an official flag for the City to be known as the City flag and described as follows:

A.  The standard size measures 5 feet in length by 3 feet in height. The background shall be green, symbolizing the forests and our green City. The design includes a four-pointed directional star, formed by the vertical and horizontal intersection of counterchanged light blue stripes, symbolizing our rivers. The blue stripes are paralleled with yellow stripes, symbolizing agriculture and commerce, The yellow stripes are separated from the green background and the blue river stripes by white lines called fimbriations. The white central star is positioned slightly left of center, toward the staff end of the flag, called the hoist. The design components are in multiples of 1-inch units, and the following description refers to the units within the basic design as viewed from the front side. Any variation in flag size must be based on the diagonal proportions of the basic design; i.e., when a length is selected, the height is determined by the intersection of the vertical at one end of the length, with the diagonal projection of the original design. The flag size is then divided into units similar to the original design.

B.  The following is a description of the component parts of the flag:

The center point of the white star formed at the intersection of the counterchanged center band of the intersection is 26-1/2 inches (units) from the left (staff) side, and 17 inches (units) from the top. The star is 9 inches (units) high and wide, with four concave sides, and is formed at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal blue stripes by 4 inch radius quarter circles at the ends of the stripes.

C.  The sizes of the background sections are as follows:

1.  Canton (upper left hand section) 18 inches (units) wide and 13-1/2 inches (units) high,

2.  Upper right hand section is 30 inches (units) wide and 8-1/2 inches (units) high,

3.  Lower right hand section is 25 inches (units) wide and 13-1/2 inches (units) high,

4.  Lower left hand section is 23 inches (units) wide and 8-1/2 inches (units) high,

D.  The widths of the stripes are as follows:

1.  The center band of blue is 4 inches (units) wide,

2.  The flanking bands of white are 1 inch (unit) wide,

3.  The yellow bands flanking the white are 2 inches (units) wide, and the outer bands of white flanking the yellow are 1 inch (unit) wide,

4.  The total width of the arms is 12 inches (units).

E.  All cloth colors are to be standard colors used for the fabrication of flags, and meeting the U.S. Flag Specifications for cotton and nylon.

Colors are: White - White; Blue - U.N. Blue; Yellow - Golden Yellow; Green - Kelly or Irish Green.

On printed or painted flags the colors shall match the following colors of the “Ameritone” color key system of the Ameritone Color Key Corporation, 18414 South Santa Fe Avenue, Compton, California 90221.

All colors are in Color Key Group No. 1: White - No. 144H - Antique White; Blue - No. 118B - Gaiety; Yellow - No. 136A - Basket of Gold; Green - No. 123A - Hacienda.

F.  Both the official flag described above and the prior official flag that was adopted in 1969 shall be considered valid official flags until and including December 31, 2004. On and after January 1, 2005, only the flag described above shall be considered the official flag of the City.

b.  City Code Section 1.06.020 is hereby repealed

Mayor Vera Katz

LRees:cj

BACKING SHEET INFORMATION

AGENDA NO. 1073, 1087-2002

ACTION TAKEN:

AUG 28 2002 PASSED TO SECOND READING SEP 04 2002 9:30 A.M.

ORDINANCE/RESOLUTION/COUNCIL DOCUMENT NO. 176874