In the resumed Committee of the Whole session on October 13, staff presented a proposal for a 15-cent charge on paper and plastic checkout bags at participating retailers beginning July 1, 2027, annual five-cent increases capped at 30 cents, and a single-use plastic-bag ban in 2030. Those dates and amounts were a proposal, not an adopted requirement.
Members discussed a lower starting fee, a later start, a different split of revenue with merchants, and a plastic-only ban. The conversation reflected both environmental goals and concerns about household costs and business competitiveness.
At the close, the chair said there was no majority landing on a policy and asked staff to explore interest among neighboring communities and return with more information. Members also requested evidence about effects on businesses and household costs.
The written proposal would cover eligible retailers with at least 3,000 square feet, approximately 34 businesses. It would exempt restaurant takeout, prescriptions, dry cleaning, loose or bulk items, SNAP and similar food-assistance programs, and bags provided at seasonal events such as farmers markets and festivals.
At the proposed 15-cent starting fee, nine cents would go to the city and six cents to the merchant. Stores that eliminated single-use plastic bags before 2030 would split paper-bag receipts equally with the city, with the merchant share capped at 10 cents per bag. Staff proposed placing the city’s proceeds in its Sustainability Fund.
The packet reported 161 survey respondents in favor and 194 opposed. A separate business survey drew responses from only four of the roughly 34 potentially affected operators; all four opposed the proposal. Staff cautioned that the results were limited to those who responded. Businesses raised concerns about added customer charges and employee time spent administering the program.
The renewed regional request followed an earlier attempt: the staff report said outreach to surrounding municipalities had not produced interest in a regional single-use-bag fee program at that time.