Clark County councilors next month will consider a proposal to prominently display the words “In God We Trust” in the county’s main public hearing room.

The idea came from Councilor Tom Mielke, who characterized the proposal as a way to honor a long-standing tradition of the United States. “In God We Trust” has officially been the national motto since 1956.

“A lot of times we drift away from it,” Mielke said.

Mielke said he’d like the phrase displayed at the front of the hearing room, near Clark County’s motto: “Proud past, promising future.” Councilors will consider the proposal during a regular meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, in the Clark County Public Service Center at 1300 Franklin St. in Vancouver.

Clark County would be only the second local entity in Washington to display the national motto in its public chamber, after Pierce County leaders voted to do so last year. Almost 500 counties and cities nationwide have approved similar measures, according to In God We Trust-America, Inc., an organization that advocates for the display of the motto in public buildings. Mielke said he has been in contact with the organization.

In God We Trust-America’s mission “is to keep God’s name in America, and acknowledge and affirm the role that faith in God plays in the public lives of the citizens in this country, and in the core values of our nation,” according to the organization.