Fort Collins council to pick up bag-fee debate
The long-running debate over whether shoppers should be charged to use store-provided disposable bags in Fort Collins is headed back to City Council.
Council members on Tuesday are scheduled to consider two options for fees on paper and plastic bags: One would apply only to grocery stores while the other would require all retailers to charge customers the full price of supplying a bag.
Either ordinance, if approved, likely would include a time limit on enforcement so its effectiveness could be evaluated after a year or longer.
City officials have been discussing a fee on disposable bags for about two years. The goal behind a fee is to reduce the number of bags distributed across the community and the amount that ends up in landfills.
An estimated 50 million disposable bags are distributed in Fort Collins each year, according to the city, with about 60 percent coming from grocery stores.
In July, council approved on first reading an ordinance that would require grocery stores to charge 10 cents per bag. The revenue would go to the stores, which would be required to spend at least 50 percent of the money to supply customers with reusable, durable bags.
After hearing considerable negative feedback about the ordinance, council delayed its final reading until Tuesday in order to take more public comment on the issue and explore additional options.
City staff members are recommending approval of the ordinance on second reading. But if it fails, another ordinance could be considered that would broaden the scope of the fee program and the city's efforts to reduce bag usage.
All retailers would be required to get customers' consent before providing bags. They also would be required to charge the actual cost of providing a bag and list the charge on a sales receipt.
Fees would not be charged on bags used to separate produce and meat from other groceries. Bags provided at farmers markets and restaurants also would be exempt from fees.
Stores would be required to provide on-site recycling for disposable plastic and paper bags.
The ordinance also would require the Coloradoan and other newspapers to obtain written consent from customers to deliver papers in protective plastic bags when the weather is wet.
On the agenda
The Fort Collins City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 300 LaPorte Ave. The meeting will be broadcast on cable Channel 14.
Items scheduled to be considered include:
• An ordinance providing funding for the construction of a new administration building for Fort Collins Utilities on downtown Block 32, which is northeast of the intersection of Howes Street and LaPorte Avenue. The $23.4 million project includes renovating the existing utilities service center at 700 Wood St.
• A resolution authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between the city and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would allow the city to reintroduce black-footed ferrets to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Meadow Spring Ranch. Both city-owned properties are near the Wyoming border. A release of ferrets is expected in September.
• A resolution restarting the process of choosing a name for the 31-acre natural area along the Poudre River conveyed to the city as part of the Woodward corporate campus project. A four-member council committee appointed to select a name could not reach consensus. The resolution names a loop trail on the site the Coy-Hoffman Trail in recognition of families that homesteaded on the property.