PRESENT	ABSENT
MAYOR NABOURS	NONE
VICE MAYOR BAROTZ
COUNCILMEMBER BREWSTER
COUNCILMEMBER EVANS
COUNCILMEMBER ORAVITS
COUNCILMEMBER OVERTON
COUNCILMEMBER PUTZOVA

Others present:  Interim City Manager Jeff Meilback; City Attorney Michelle D’Andrea.

None

Mayor Nabours stated that staff will begin with a presentation on the topic followed by questions from the City Council after which the Council will take public comment. Mayor Nabours explained that there is nothing on the agenda tonight for a specific action and the Council will not be acting or deciding on an ordinance at tonight’s meeting. He explained that public comment will end at 9:00 p.m. and if there are still others who have not had the opportunity to speak there will be an additional meeting where they will have the opportunity to speak first.
 
Mayor Nabours introduced and welcomed Interim City Manager Jeff Meilback who will be filling Kevin Burke’s role as a new City Manager is recruited. Mr. Meilback thanked the Mayor and Council for the opportunity to serve as Interim City Manager. He stated that he is committed to professional objectivity; one of the most important responsibilities of staff is to give factual information and succinct options and alternatives. The community is very ready to have the plastic bag discussion and it is an important issue to Flagstaff.
 
Sustainability Manager Nicole Woodman provided a PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:

• PLASTIC BAGS IN FLAGSTAFF
• PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• DEFINITIONS
• BACKGROUND
• FEES, TAXES AND BANS IN THE UNITED STATES
• WHAT ARE PLASTIC BAG FEES, TAXES AND BANS
• EXAMPLES OF LAWS
• EXAMPLES OF IMPACTS OF LAWS
• EXAMPLES OF ALTERNATIVES TO BANS
• VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS HAVE MIXED RESULTS
• PLASTIC BAGS IN FLAGSTAFF
• PLASTIC BAGS IN FLAGSTAFF: CINDER LAKE LANDFILL
• PLASTIC BAGS IN FLAGSTAFF: MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY
• SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATION FOR A PLASTIC BAG BAN
• COMMUNITY DISCUSSION – QUESTIONS ASKED
• QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER
• CONSIDERATIONS

Mayor Nabours asked if paper bags have a lesser impact on the environment than plastic bags and if staff has looked at other cities that ban plastic bags but allow paper bags. Ms. Woodman stated that the dialogue behind which bag form is more impactful is pretty extensive. Paper bags do have a high intensity for water and electricity use. Some communities have set standards for their paper bags. There are over 150 active ordinances and they have not been categorized but staff can follow up.
 
Mayor Nabours asked if staff is aware of any of the positions of local stores regarding a possible ban. Ms. Woodman stated that in speaking with a number of organizations there are mixed reviews. There are some that support a full ban on plastic and some that prefer a fee on plastics and paper and some that support a ban on plastic and a fee on paper.
 
Mayor Nabours asked if any cities treat stores differently based on the size of the store. Ms. Woodman stated that there are some ordinances that are specific to the square footage of an establishment.
 
Councilmember Brewster asked if staff has talked with the Downtown Business Alliance and other retail outlets to determine if they suggest a greater emphasis on recycling education and places to recycle. It would be a big plus to do more education from both the City and the retailers. Ms. Woodman explained that one of the biggest challenges with the Bag Central Station effort is that some stores are more enthusiastic about participating than others. Currently, the program is a voluntary effort and outreach began in 2008.
 
Councilmember Oravits asked if there are other City sponsored recycle options for plastic bags, besides the stores that collect them. Ms. Woodman stated that because plastic bags cannot be processed at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) the Bag Central Station is the only option available.
 
Councilmember Oravits asked for a description of the sorting process at the MRF. Solid Waste Director Pat Bourque stated that the City has a contract with the MRF to allow the dumping of recyclable material at their facility for sorting. Trash is dumped into a large holding area and is loaded onto a conveyer belt. It is raised to a second story level and there are several pickers that are responsible for picking out materials that can be recycled. It continues to the end and drops off to a residual pile that is run through the sorting process a second time. At the end of the second sort, the remaining material is hauled to the landfill.
 
Councilmember Oravits stated that plastic bags get jammed up in the machinery causing a loss of production. Mr. Bourque stated that as the material moves up the conveyer belt there are rollers along the side of the belts and the plastic bags get wrapped around the rollers. This causes the machinery to stop and the plastic has to be cleared.
 
Councilmember Oravits asked how many plastic bags are entering the landfill and how the City is measuring the intake of plastic bags. Mr. Bourque explained that staff has done several audits at the landfill that document the types and percentage of debris that is coming in. Landfill Engineer Matt Morales explained that the thin filmed plastics and plastics in general are categorized together; the broken and large pieces were somewhere in the range of 8-15% of the load in the 2012 audit. He stated that he will double check the numbers and report back to Council.
 
Mayor Nabours asked for further explanation on how the picking process works at the MRF. Mr. Bourque stated that there are nine recyclable products that are pulled out of the waste stream, anything that is not one of the nine items to recycle continues on the conveyor belt to be disposed. Mayor Nabours asked if plastic bags are disposed of because there is no market for recycling plastic bags. Mr. Bourque explained that there are certain entities that will take the plastic bag material and do something with them. In 1997 when the City entered into agreement with Norton there was no market for plastic bag recycling. The nine products that are recycled do have a market that allows for the materials to be resold. It is not currently economical to recycle the plastic bags. Mayor Nabours asked if the agreement could be modified to recycle plastic bags. Mr. Bourque stated that the agreement could be modified however, unless it makes economic sense for Norton to recycle the plastic bags they may not be interested. Ms. Woodman added that when speaking with representatives at the MRF they do not believe that it is economically viable at this time to recycle plastic bags.
 
Councilmember Putzova stated that she had understood that if a plastic bag is reused and subsequently contaminated it can no longer be used for recycling. Ms. Woodman stated that if the plastic bag is used for trash then it goes to the landfill as a single use after point of purchase. She went on to explain that contamination is very high in plastics in general; there are some restrictions on recycling and reuse due to food requirements from the FDA. Depending on what the bags are recycled into determines the contamination restrictions. For example, Trex will not accept plastic bags that are processed through a MRF that accepts trash and recycling that is sorted on site because of the contamination rate.
 
Councilmember Putzova asked for the annual cost of the Bag Central Station program as well as the cost of educational programs in Canada that were successful. Ms. Woodman explained that the Bag Central Station is completely voluntary and there should only be minimal costs; however she is not sure of the contract rates between the Arizona Food Marketing Association (AFMA) and Trex. Ms. Woodman added that she does not have examples of the Canadian voluntary programs but would be happy to research and provide that information back to the Council.
 
Councilmember Evans asked how much the City’s recycling program costs and if there is a budget for it. Ms. Woodman stated that the Sustainability Program has an operating budget of $89,000 and about a third of that is for the recycling program. Councilmember Evans stated that the City has had a program since 2008 to help educate people about recycling bags. She asked if additional funding has been budgeted or reduced. Ms. Woodman stated that the Sustainability budget has remained flat since 2009. A majority of the staff time is used for outreach to the community about proper recycling. Councilmember Evans asked for additional information about any private funds that have been used in the program.
 
Councilmember Evans asked about the $129,000 used last year to capture the trash that blew above the retention fences at the landfill and how much of the trash recovered were plastic bags. Mr. Morales stated that 80% of the recaptured material was in the form of plastic or plastic bags. Councilmember Evans asked where the funding came from for this operation. Mr. Morales explained that the funding is a part of the landfill operating budget which is established from the residential and commercial landfill tipping fees.
 
Councilmember Oravits asked the makeup of the plastics that are collected. Mr. Morales explained that much of the material is plastic bags but there is also air blown cardboard and when there are bigger wind events a lot of other materials will blow over the fencing. Often-times there are larger plastic bags such as the household trash bags and contractor size bags. Councilmember Oravits asked if there was some way to quantify the number and types of bags that are being collected. Landfill Manager Mike Gallegos explained that one thing that is consistently observed during the windy season is plastic bags that blow up and away from the landfill. The further away one gets from the landfill the higher the percentage of plastic bags collected. It is difficult to quantify without counting each individual bag that is collected. He stated that the average bag that is collected from these areas weigh approximately nine pounds each and 3,785 bags were collected in fiscal year 2014. The litter clean up staff cleans up over 700 acres of which 300 acres are outside the landfill.
 
Mayor Nabours asked the effect of imposing a fee on the use of plastic bags in general and if a fee on plastic bags would translate to a reduction in the number of plastic bags used. Ms. Woodman stated that research suggests that fees are more effective than a ban and as the fee increases the consumption reduces. Councilmember Oravits asked what happens to the monies that are collected from the fees and what the impacts or burdens are with collecting. Ms. Woodman explained that there is a wide variety of options when it comes to the fees and where they go once collected. The fees and where they go are determined by the legislating body; some cities retain the entire fee and some cities provide a percentage back to the retailer to cover administrative costs. Some examples of what the funds collected have been used for are river clean ups, obtaining reusable bags for distribution to the community, park restoration, updating recycling equipment and facilities, along with many other options.
 
Mayor Nabours asked if cities can just impose the fee for plastic bags or if it is a tax that would have to go to the voters. Assistant City Attorney David Womochil stated that the fee is not considered a tax and the authority for the City to impose fees is contained within the City Charter and requires a finding that it affects the health, safety, and well being of the community. Ms. D’Andrea explained that if the Council decides to enact a fee the dollars that are collected would have to be tied back to the problem that the Council is trying to solve with the fee. It would go into a segregated fund to support the goals laid out in the ordinance. There does have to be a nexus on what the fees are spent on.
 
A break was held from 7:38 p.m. through 7:48 p.m.
 
The following individuals addressed Council in favor of a ban or fee on plastic bags:

• Naima Schuller
• Roseana Cruz
• Moran Henn
• Eli Cohen
• Ryan Ashley
• Adam Dunstan
• Dezi Acher
• Jeff Nickell
• Leah Manak
• Alex Gaynor
• Michaela Steiner
• Sarah Ponticello
• Al White
• Madison Ledgerwood
• Jeff Meilander
• Kathy Flaccus
• Ellen Vaughan
• Jack Welch

The following individuals addressed Council in opposition of a ban or fee on plastic bags:

• John Kistler
• Ruben Abeyta
• Rob Wilson
• Michael Dugan
• Jeff Knorr
• Stuart McDaniel
• John Paul Roccaforte
• Joan Harris
• Judy Sall
• Ashley Heerding

The following comments were received:

• These bags have been called single use bags and that is not correct, they are used for many other purposes after bringing them home from the store.
• A ban or fee will increase my costs.
• A ban should not be the focus, recycling should be.
• Urge Council to ban or place a fee on plastic bags with recycling being the focus of monies collected.
• A bag ban would not impact low income consumers.
• The community is already supplementing the costs of others plastic bans.
• Reusable bags are a great promotional opportunity.
• Something like this may be small in terms of cost but every time the City adds something it adds another impact to the consumer.
• If fees are imposed the businesses will pass it on to the consumers.
• Would like to see an ordinance that includes a direct bag ban, a fee, or a combination of both.
• Would like to see an ordinance that also addresses paper bags and recycling efforts.
• To reduce the amount of bags given to consumers the City needs to take action soon.
• Reducing plastic bag use is the purpose and an ordinance that supports this is needed.
• These are not single use plastic bags and I believe the people of Flagstaff can and will recycle them.
• Thousands of reusable bags have been distributed with little to no reduction in plastic bag use.
• More educational programs are needed.
• A ban will not achieve the desired results.
• Grants are available to purchase the equipment necessary to bale material to send to Trex.
• Personal freedom is one thing but it is our responsibility to promote the general welfare of the community and environment.
• These are single use bags, even if reused they are reused once and they are still made out of fossil fuels and will be in our environment for thousands of years.
• There are plastic bags but there are far more beer cans, plastic bottles, paper bags from fast food places that are left in the woods.
• A recycling program would be a better solution.
• Let the voters decide what kind of program they want.
• In favor of a ban on plastic bags.
• Promotional opportunities for businesses who provide bags.
• Consumption of plastic and paper bags needs to be reduced.
• Concerned that not all options have been considered.
• Trex is willing to provide a baler on a payment program and is willing to pay ten to twenty cents for per pound for low grade plastic.
• Do not believe that my grocery bill will go down as a result of a ban.
• The first step is reducing the amount of plastic bags used.
• Plastic bags make up less than 1% of litter.
• The proposed ordinance is inconsistent.
• Other communities have passed bag bans and they were repealed by the citizens.
• Recent cleanup efforts have shown the impacts of plastics on the environment.
• Oppose the ban on plastic bags.
• Bans are not an ideal way of solving problems. The City needs to empower people to do the right thing.
• Better effort is needed in recycling education rather than a ban.
• Increased awareness is needed on the use of reusable bags.
• If the purpose of recycling is to divert things from the landfill the City needs to take action.
• The voluntary concept is not working.
• Flagstaff does not need plastic bags and we can be an example to the state.
• Urge the Council to phase out the use of plastic bags.
• If plastic bags don’t exist they don’t create problems.
• Need to educate on how to stop using plastic bags.
• There are a lot of options and they all should be explored before making a decision for everyone.
• Thank you to the local businesses that have offered the community alternatives to plastic bags and locations to recycle plastic bags.
• There are many reasons to ban plastic bags.
• The problem is a capitalist problem; there is a cost to society and when something is free it is not valued enough to take care of it.
• There is a negative connotation to a ban.
• Encourage Council to educate the community on alternatives to plastic bags.
• Sodexho at NAU no longer uses plastic bags; urge the Council and staff to talk with them about the reasoning behind their decision.
• Citywide bans have little to no impact on overall litter.
• As city leaders you should not mandate but educate. Emphasizing the use of other types of bags and educating the community on the importance.

Mayor Nabours stated that the people that were unable to speak tonight due to time would be the first on the list at the follow up meeting.
 
Written comment cards in favor of a ban or fee on plastic bags were received from:

• Rick Resnick
• Brandon Clark
• Donna Hanley
• Lauren Figueroa
• Michaela Steiner
• Ann Brown
• Jessie Anderson
• Marissa Kulick
• Darlene Ryan
• Mary Ellen Arndorper
• Eli Cohen
• Jerry Jean-Louis
• Chandra Hemminger
• Tate Larrick
• John D. Johnson
• Susan J. Hueftle
• Michael Caulkins
• Rhea Nanni
• Maria Jensen
• Ana Manzano
• Louie Herron
• Therese Gribbins
• Ellen Vaughan
• Sofia Ramcke
• Laurel Ellis
• Danna Durney
• Rosemary Logan & Brynn Aumack
• Eva Rowe
• Frankie Beesley
• Eleanor Krueger
• Michael Chizhov
• Cora Braun
• Lupita Salazar
• Lauren Cain
• Seth Cauman
• Sara Leibold
• Michael Back
• Sara Sanford
• Brian Leask
• Leslie Owen
• Jean Myers
• John Lynch
• Kristina Aksenova
• Joseph August
• Patricia L. Johnson

Written comment cards in opposition of a ban or fee on plastic bags were received from:

• David Slipher
• Cynthia Dorfsmith
• Adrian Dorfsmith
• Charlotte Hearne
• Celestine Taieb
• Michael Mijuskovic

Councilmember Brewster stated that she had received several emails concerning the environmental impact of making reusable bags. She requested information on the environmental impacts of making the reusable cloth bags; she asked specifically for the energy use and if there are any toxic byproducts as well as the impacts of washing the bags. Councilmember Oravits added that he has collected a lot of reusable bags and most of them are not cloth, not made in the USA and are generally made out of polypropylene. He asked for additional information on what types of reusable bags are being used most in other communities, what the cost is to create those bags and the cost difference between these bags and cloth bags. He also requested information about the point of sale bags, if they are made in the USA and what the impacts are for those.
 
Councilmember Oravits also asked for staff to look into the bags in a bag concept and whether there is any merit to it and if it would be helpful in the sorting process at the MRF. Additionally, he asked if the City can offer plastic bag recycling collection bins at City facilities.
 
Councilmember Evans asked how much it would cost to effectively educate the community on the recycling of plastic bags. She also asked for information on what other city recycling programs are out there and how they are funded and what they cost.
 
Mayor Nabours asked for information on the cost to a store for paper bags versus plastic bags. He noted that the City of Tucson addressed this issue and went with a voluntary education program; he requested an update on that program.

Mayor Nabours stated that next week’s agenda includes appointments to the Planning and Zoning commission; he reminded Council that additional applicants were likely to appear in the final agenda packet.

None

Councilmember Oravits reported that he and the Mayor went to the Capitol for the opening day of the Legislature. They had an opportunity to go around with the City’s delegation and met with a number of people. One thing that came out of the meetings was that the Veteran’s home issue was received very well and all were excited about the prospect of a VA home in Flagstaff.
 
Councilmember Brewster welcomed Mr. Meilbeck as the Interim City Manager.
 
Vice Mayor Barotz asked for an update on the efforts to have City Council votes recorded on the website through the agenda software.
 
Councilmember Evans stated that she will not be at the meetings on January 26^th or 27^th.
 
Councilmember Evans requested talking points for the VA home. It would be very helpful in talking with the City’s representatives and delegation.
 
Councilmember Overton stated that he spent an afternoon with the Department of Revenue discussing the tax simplification rules that have been implemented. Contracting is a significant line item in the City’s budget and he urged staff to be aware of the changes and prepare the budget with them in mind.
 
Mr. Meilbeck stated that this was a great first meeting and he enjoyed having the vast discussion. He reminded Council about the upcoming mini budget advances on January 22, January 28, and February 5 as well as the full budget retreat on February 11 and 12.
 
Vice Mayor Barotz stated that she and the Mayor met with Brian Jeffries of the Professional Firefighters Association of Arizona to listen to his proposal to address the Public Safety pension. The presentation was informative and she suggested having Mr. Jeffries give a presentation to the Council and community at a future work session.

The Flagstaff City Council Work Session of January 13, 2015, adjourned at 9:28 p.m.