By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab School District and Juab County Commissioners begin their official meetings with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and Nephi City will soon add the pledge to their opening ceremonies. Kent Jones, Nephi City Council member, wanted to see the city have a pledge at the beginning of each meeting. “We all swore (when taking the oath of office) to uphold the constitution,” said Jones. He said that city government was under the obligation to sustain the constitution. The item was just one for discussion to find out what the other council members thought about the proposal. However, at the end of the discussion, the council approved the idea. “The first Tuesday in February, we will have the pledge,” said Glade Nielson, mayor. “Kent will coordinate the presentation.” He said he had talked to the commander of American Legion Post 1, the local post, about having the pledge at the beginning of each meeting and was told that it had not been done in Nephi but that it would be fine to begin having the pledge. “I think it would be good to have the pledge, and I would like to have the American Legion be the first (to perform the ceremony),” he said. He was not certain what needed to be done to put the practice in place aside from the council agreeing to have the ceremony each meeting. Kasey Wright, Nephi City attorney, said that the city would not need to pass a resolution in order to begin a ceremonial presentation of the colors at the beginning of each meeting. Donald Ball said that, in the past, he had expressed some concern about mandatory displays of patriotism. Nielson said that saying the pledge at the beginning of the meeting was not mandatory. If the council agreed to have a pledge it would just be part of protocol. In May 9, 2014, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance does not discriminate against atheists, saying that the words “under God” represent a patriotic, not a religious, exercise. Nephi City, as do many other governmental entities, has an opening prayer but they have not also had a pledge even though an American flag is posted at the front of the meeting room. A divided Supreme Court ruled, in May 2014, that legislative bodies such as city councils can begin their meetings with prayer, even if it plainly favors a specific religion. The court ruled 5 to 4 that Christian prayers said before meetings of an Upstate New York town council did not violate the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion; the justices cited history and tradition. The Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge of loyalty to our nation. As for the way the city would determine who should offer the pledge, it could be done on a rotating basis, just as the opening prayer is done. Boy Scout troops could also be invited to take a turn, said Jones. “The pledge has been done by scouts, not routinely, but it has been done,” said Ball. Wright said that the council could also invite the fire department and police department to present the colors. “That gives them a chance to practice,” he said.
| 