TOPSHAM
The Topsham Board of Selectmen will discuss on Thursday how to move forward with two proposed ordinances from Bring Your Own Bag Midcoast that would ban Styrofoam at restaurants and charge a fee for plastic and paper bags at food stores.
The group brought the proposals to the selectmen in February for placement on the May town meeting warrant, which the board put off for further study. Currently, the goal is to get the ordinances on the November ballot.
“The board is, frankly, skeptical and they think the community hasn’t heard about this proposal,” BYOB Midcoast states on its website about Thursday’s meeting. “Let’s show them we are aware and supportive.”
Town Manager Rich Roedner said Tuesday that the selectmen have held workshops with BYOB Midcoast where the group has explained its proposals. The board will hear the first formal public presentation by the group on Thursday.
Selectmen are expected to discuss how they want to move forward with the pro- posed ordinances. Roedner said they could, for example, decide to schedule a public hearing, have staff look through the proposed ordinance language and present it to voters through the town rather than an outside group. They could ask for more information, or decide they don’t want to endorse or move forward with the proposed ordinances.
The bag ordinance would allow stores to provide bags to customers but requires they charge at least 5 cents for a single-use carryout bag. The money collected could be used by the store “for any lawful purpose.”
The polystyrene foam ban ordinance would prohibit retail vendors and food packers from serving or selling food in those containers. Retail vendors who received prepackaged items in polystyrene foam containers, packaged outside the town, could resell these items without repackaging them. Live seafood packaging would be exempt.
Retail vendors and food packers who find adhering to the ordinance creates “undue hardship” can be exempt from the ordinance for a period of time to be determined by the town manager.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the municipal building.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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