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Highland Park council asks staff to study single‑use bag fee after mixed council feedback
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Summary
Highland Park staff presented options to charge a fee on single‑use carryout bags (paper and plastic) to reduce waste and fund sustainability programs; council signaled general interest in further study, recommending business outreach, exemptions for SNAP and small retailers, and consideration of pilot programs and fee levels.
Assistant City Manager Aaron Jason presented a staff report asking the Council to consider an incentive program — commonly described as a bag fee or plastic‑bag tax — aimed at reducing single‑use paper and plastic carryout bags and funding sustainability initiatives. He said staff had benchmarked nearby suburbs and recommended returning with a refined policy after business and resident engagement.
The proposal would cover both plastic and paper single‑use bags at the point of sale and would require retailers to collect the fee and remit it to the city. "We'd recommend starting a conversation at 10¢ per single use bag, paper or plastic," Aaron Jason said, and noted similar programs report annual municipal revenues in the neighborhood of $150,000. Jason walked the council through regional examples — Northbrook, Evanston, Batavia, Elgin, Oak Park and Woodstock — and described common approaches to merchant revenue shares and exemptions.
Why this matters: the program is meant to change shopper behavior and reduce waste in line with Highland Park's sustainability goals while creating a local revenue stream to fund related programs. Staff said pass‑through collection is typical: businesses collect the nominal fee at sale and remit it to the municipality, retaining a small portion to cover administrative costs.
Council members asked detailed questions about scope and fairness. Mayor Rory and others raised concerns about the regressiveness of a per‑bag fee for low‑income residents; council members pressed staff to include exemptions for SNAP and similar assistance programs. Several members questioned whether a 10,001‑square‑foot threshold for covered businesses was appropriate and urged staff to consider lower thresholds (5,000 or 3,000 sq ft) so the policy captures more small retailers. Jason said staff preferred a square‑footage test tied to the city's existing on‑site bag‑recycling policy but would refine the metric after stakeholder outreach.
Members were divided on fee levels: some favored a cautious start at 10¢ and a 50/50 revenue split with retailers; others supported a higher charge (15¢) to accelerate behavior change. Council member Andreas said he favored a more aggressive fee to drive faster reductions, asking staff to model the behavioral response to higher fees. Council member Annette and others advocated piloting the program and reassessing after one to two years.
The council did not adopt an ordinance or take a formal vote; instead, members gave staff direction to continue research, engage businesses and residents (including BDAC and the sustainability advisory group), model expected leakage or sales impacts, and return with a refined recommendation that details fee levels, retailer share, exemptions and implementation timelines. The staff presentation noted state legislation (house bills cited by staff) could affect local authority and will be monitored.
Next steps: staff will conduct outreach and economic impact analysis and report back with policy options and recommended implementation steps, including public education and potential pilot timing for 2027 implementation if the council chooses to proceed.
