West Chester to ban plastic bags unless the governor disagrees
WEST CHESTER » While Borough Council has pledged to forbid merchants from distributing single-use plastic bags and straws, Gov. Tom Wolf might have something to say about it.
The ban by ordinance might start July 2, but enforcement by the borough would not go into effect immediately.
The governor announced a year-long ban on municipalities forbidding the use of disposable bags effective through July 1, 2020. He said a year ago, about the temporary edict, that the state would need a chance to study the impact of the ruling.
The borough enacted an ordinance in July 2019 forbidding single use plastics but was forced to wait a year to enact it.
Will Williams, borough sustainability director, said at Tuesday’s meeting that enforcement of the ban would be pushed back until three months after the governor declares the county as ready to open businesses now closed under the state’s “stay at home” order.
In March, the Wolf administration set three levels of restrictions on residents and non-essential businesses in its shut-down order, enacted to mitigate the statewide spread of the deadly coronavirus and keep hospitals and health care agencies from being overrun with COVID-19 patients: red, the highest level, which the county is currently under; yellow, a less restrictive, but still cautiously protective, status; and green, a return to full open status, with some social-distancing recommendations in place.
“Obviously, a lot has changed since the ordinance passed last year,” Williams said.
Mayor Dianne Herrin commented later on Wednesday: “We started the Main Street Strong Gay Street Closure Task Force so representatives from every business sector in town will have a voice at the table, and so they can inform our decisions about closing Gay Street. It’s important to consider the varying needs of the different businesses in the entire town, not just those along Gay Street – from restaurants to retail, from professional services to beauty salons. They’re all equally important.
“The central idea is to turn Gay Street into an open-air market that will allow pedestrians to physically distance while they enjoy take-out and support all of our small businesses
as they begin to reopen. It’s essential for us to do everything possible to keep people safe, and people must feel comfortable coming into town. The beauty of the open-air market concept is that we can achieve this goal, as long as we work together.”
Councilman Don Braceland was cynical about the year-long study.
“They will just make it permanent,” he said about any new, possible state action.
Council Chairman Mike Galey agreed to continue with enactment of the ordinance and see what the governor chooses to do.
“Very honestly, we can always undo this if we want,” Galey said.