Athens City Council discussed a controversial single-use bag fee. If passed, the legislation would be the first of its kind in the state of Ohio.
A former candidate for the Ohio House had harsh words to say in response to the single-use bag fee proposal at Monday night's Athens City Council meeting.
Abe Alassaf, a former Republican candidate to replace Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Albany, addressed Councilwoman Jennifer Cochran, D-At Large, directly at the conclusion of his comments.
"I will work within every parameter of the law to undermine you and make sure you do not serve another term," Alassaf said.
His comment came after sarcastically thanking city council for eliminating his choice as a consumer to use reusable or nonreusable bags. Alassaf's concluding sentence was met with an equally strong statement from Council President Chris Knisley.
Knisley said she was "highly offended," adding that comments made during the time for citizens to speak are meant to be educational.
Athens Director of Code Enforcement and Community Development Rick Sirois also expressed concern over the strain the ordinance could put on his department. He said the city employs four code enforcement officers with 5,800 rental homes to be inspected yearly, which is a pace the department cannot maintain.
"I just do not have the staff to meet the current requirements of the code," Sirois said.
Adding additional requirements to the department, Sirois said, would prove difficult.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said the inspections would potentially fall under the purview of the auditor's office.
Patterson also said enforcement may be difficult for bigger businesses as well, specifically at retailers with several self-checkout scanners being watched by one attendant.
"I'm a big fan of the honor system, but I'm also a realist," Patterson said.
Erin Sykes, director of the Zero Waste Program at Rural Action, reminded council members Athens would be the first city in the state of Ohio to implement a bag fee.
In the 1980s, the City of Athens was also the first city in the state to organize a curbside recycling program.
Cochran also received a letter of support from the Athens Environment and Sustainability Commission, of which she is a member.
Every council member made comments on the legislation, mostly centered on strengthening the enforcement and implementation sections. They also each thanked Cochran for her work in drafting the legislation.
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Councilman Pat McGee, I-At Large, said he recently realized how many bags he uses during a grocery trip, but he questioned whether the fee would be the right way to reduce plastic bag use. He suggested a free reusable bag for each Athens resident.
Cochran concluded the 50-minute discussion by thanking everyone that spoke and said she will be drafting amendments based on the comments.
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