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Elgin council delays vote on single‑use plastic bag ordinance after heated debate, business outreach concerns
Summary
After staff presented outreach showing 2,185 survey responses (57% opposed), the Elgin City Council voted 6–3 on Feb. 11 to postpone action on a proposed single‑use plastic bag ordinance to Feb. 25 to give retailers more opportunity to respond and to refine policy details.
Elgin — The City of Elgin’s Committee of the Whole on Feb. 11 delayed consideration of a proposed ordinance that would ban single‑use plastic checkout bags and impose a fee on paper bags, voting 6–3 to move the item to the Feb. 25 council meeting.
Sustainability staff framed the proposal as a policy option aligned with the city’s climate action goals and modeled on state legislation discussed in Springfield. Kristen Ifner, the city’s sustainability manager, told the council the draft ordinance would apply to most retail stores in Elgin, exempt restaurants, gas stations and very small retailers, allow customers to bring reusable bags and exempt WIC and SNAP participants from the fee. “We recommend an effective date in 2027 to allow retailers and the community time to prepare,” Ifner said.
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