LaGRANGE – On Tuesday, the LaGrange City Council voted to place a historic marker next to the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery and created a city policy to only allow city, state and federal flags to fly on city properties.

Those decisions came in response to a request by representatives from the Sons of the Confederate Veterans to return a confederate flag to its former location in the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. The confederate flag that formerly flew at the site was replaced by Georgia’s state flag during cemetery renovations last year.

“There was concern when Mike (Hanners) called me about the removal of the third national flag (of the Confederate States of America) from the flag pole that it had been authorized for by this city council back in 1995,” State Rep. Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) said.

Benton was asked to speak at the meeting by Hanners, the founder of the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and both saw the flag as a symbol of their heritage and a link to their ancestors. Some people who live in the neighborhood near the cemetery felt differently about the flag though.

“I live in that neighborhood, and I appreciate the mayor and council making that decision that they made to remove the flag,” Willie Cofield said.

The LaGrange City Council is scheduled to meet again on June 13 at 5:30 p.m. at 208 Ridley Ave.