Replacing the state flag and seal is costing Minnesota’s state and local agencies millions of dollars

It came as a surprise to many Minnesotans in 2023 to discover that one one of the most pressing priorities facing our state was not crime or the economy but its flag and seal. Previously an issue confined to a few cranks and the easily triggered, the DFL trifecta nevertheless made replacing both one of its legislative priorities and passed a law in 2023 establishing a commission to create new state symbols. The final products, which officially became Minnesota’s new flag and seal on May 11, look as bad you’d expect. The new flag, for example, looks like the flag of some fictional country from an 80’s action movie, like Val Verde in Commando.

As my colleague Bill Walsh wrote back in May:

According to the latest Thinking Minnesota poll, an overwhelming majority of Minnesotans oppose the new state flag set to become official tomorrow as Minnesota celebrates Statehood Day. Fifty-two percent of poll respondents prefer to keep the current flag and 16% want to go back to the drawing board and come up with a different design. Only 24% support using the new flag designed by a committee empowered by the legislature last year. Only 6% had no opinion of the new flag, representing a very high awareness of the issue.

Tough luck, Minnesota. The DFL got its new flag.

The bill establishing the commission allocated $35,000 for the design phase, but the expense doesn’t stop there. As Alpha News reports, “the actual cost of replacing flags, uniforms, and signs now falls on state agencies and municipal governments, creating significant expenses across the state”:

Alpha News has learned that the Department of Corrections (DOC) is looking at a $2.1 million bill to replace uniform patches featuring the state seal. The DOC spent an additional $10,000 to replace the state flag.

“Replacement of the state seal is estimated to ultimately cost the Department of Corrections approximately $2.1 million. The bulk of the cost derives from uniform replacement because the state seal is on every uniform patch. The agency does not intend to replace all uniforms at once, but rather make the change through attrition and when new uniform orders are placed,” a DOC spokesperson confirmed

Counties and police agencies are also expected to face significant costs from the redesign. Here’s a sample of some of the estimated costs:

Additionally, after the legislature approved the redesign process, the Minnesota State Patrol decided to create its own new logo. According to a blog on the Department of Public Safety website, the agency is expected to spend $4 million over the next six to nine months to update more than 188,000 pieces of equipment, including squad cars, badges, license plates, uniforms, hats, and signage.

When you get your property tax statement remember these costs, imposed for no reason except to appease a few cranks and the easily triggered. The new flag and seal have Golden Turkey written all over them.