City Council began wrapping up its 2018 year by passing and pitching multiple resolutions – and considering placing a fee on plastic bags.

Wood County Green Party co-chair Joe DeMare spoke before Council Monday to encourage penalizing Styrofoam and plastic bag use through a fine. DeMare said adopting such a fee could bring in revenue and limit environmentally unfriendly littering in town.

He also said it was important to set up such a fine now before a bill, limiting the cities’ rights to do so, is tentatively passed by the Ohio Senate. Different council members commented on the town’s growing lack of autonomy in environmental issues.

Council also saw the first reading of many finance-based resolutions, including ones that looked to:

·       Transfer funds to particular parts of the city administration.

·       Boost the city’s current appropriated funds to tackle expenses at the end of the 2018 fiscal year.

·       Amend the city’s Community Development Block Grant Housing and Housing Revolving Loan Fund policy and procedures manuals.

The only legislation up for third reading and imminent vote also concerned amendments to a policy and procedures manual, this time of the B.G. Transit system.

Other resolutions included those that benefitted the Utilities Department. The city gave the Utilities Department approval to buy water meters and associated equipment from Badger Meter and to sign contracts to help various city issues, from selling scrap materials to insuring above- and below-ground resource lines.

Many of these resolutions will see their final reading two weeks from now at the last meeting of the year on Dec. 27.