City of Milwaukee could have a new flag soon; council members approve resolution in committee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – In a 5-3 vote, Milwaukee Common Council’s Steering and Rules Committee approved the resolution to adopt a new city flag.

This means the proposal will move forward to the full Milwaukee Common Council when they meet on Sept. 24, according to Alderman Peter Burgelis.

The file, sponsored by Burgelis, looked to adopt “Sunrise Over the Lake,” also known as the People’s Flag, as the official City of Milwaukee flag.

“Flags are important symbols for communities,” Burgelis said. “The sunrise flag looks forward to the future. That’s where we want our community to go and that’s where we are headed.”

Burgelis called the current city flag, which features Native American imagery and the old county stadium, a great time capsule of what the city was like when it was first flown in the 1950s but said that the city has evolved past it.

“I think the flag from 1955 is a great time capsule from 1955 Milwaukee,” said Burgelis. “But the city has changed since then.”

At the committee meeting on Monday, Sept. 9, some alders raised concern about the new flag and its exposure to all of Milwaukee’s communities prior to the resolution.

Burgelis said he spent the month of August visiting all parts of the city to share information and collect feedback on both the current and proposed new city flags.

“Most people I’ve talked to think this is already the official city flag because it has been organically adopted by the community. That’s the only one you see,” Burgelis said. “It’s time for the city to catch up, check this box, and move on to more important city business.”

The hope is the new flag will be introduced on Jan. 31, 2025, Milwaukee's 179th birthday.