Put litter tax on ballot or study creating litter fee for businesses
In Plain English
The city wants to charge businesses a litter tax or fee based on their annual sales. Council must choose between asking voters to approve a tax or hiring a consultant to study creating a fee instead. Businesses that generate more litter would pay more to help fund cleanup efforts.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
Motion · Official minutes
direct staff to prepare a Litter Fee ordinance and conduct a cost of service study
6 aye · 1 nay
Why This Vote Matters
The city will move forward with creating a litter fee for businesses rather than asking voters to approve a tax. The council voted 6-1 to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would charge businesses based on their annual sales, with companies that generate more litter paying higher amounts to fund cleanup efforts. This approach requires a cost study to determine appropriate fee levels but avoids the need for voter approval that a tax would require. Only Councilmember Bates opposed the motion, while the rest of the council supported this path to address litter cleanup funding.
Auto-generated context based on official minutes.
Related agenda records
Automatically matched by topic. Open an item to check its relevance and each motion’s outcome.
Resolution to submit to voters a measure to assess a litter tax
Proposed litter tax measure
Approved a contract with R3 Consulting Inc. to conduct a study that will establish the nexus between the cost to abate litter and businesses that sell products resulting in observable litter
Litter prevention and abatement fee
Revenue enhancement measures