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Resident presents resolution calling for single-use-plastic reductions; city attorney warns of state preemption
Summary
Elizabeth Hansel urged the committee to reduce single-use plastics in city operations and encourage the legislature to act. The city attorney said the city can change its own purchasing and event practices but broader citywide regulation may be preempted by state law; the committee accepted the communication as informational.
Elizabeth Hansel opened her presentation by outlining environmental and municipal costs tied to single-use plastics and urged the city to adopt measures that would reduce the city’s own use and encourage statewide action.
“We use 4 million plastic single-use bags a year,” Hansel said, noting studies that show single-use bags persist for centuries and that bans or charges in neighboring communities have cut usage.
Members raised practical questions about scope, enforcement and whether the request covered only city-run events or extended to licensed events and private vendors. The city manager recommended starting with an administrative directive or a council resolution to reduce—rather than immediately eliminate—single-use items in city purchases and city-sponsored events while staff assesses the scope of current procurement.
The city attorney cautioned that while curbing single-use plastics in municipal purchasing and city-run events is within the city’s authority, extending local regulation across the whole city could be preempted by state law. He recommended that, if the committee wishes, staff draft a letter to the legislature asking it to clarify municipal authority rather than asking the legislature to authorize regulation.
Public commenters urged the city to lead by example and cited examples from other countries and towns where bag charges and product restrictions changed behavior. Committee members discussed incentives for zero-waste events, licensing options, expanding recycling access, and the timing of any letter to the legislature to maximize impact.
The committee voted unanimously to accept the communication as informational and asked staff to explore administrative steps the city could take.
