Issaquah’s ban on plastic bags only went into effect March 1, but already a group has filed an initiative to reverse the ordinance.
“Save Our Choice” needs to get 2,843 valid signatures to put the issue to a public vote on the Aug. 6 primary election ballot.
“We firmly believe that the vast majority of Issaquah’s citizens oppose this nanny-state policy and give poor marks to this council for not trusting them enough to have referred this question to the voters,” said Craig Keller, who is pushing the effort.
Keller, who lives in West Seattle, attempted a similar initiative in Seattle, but didn’t gather enough signatures.
Keller said the organization collected 2,700 signatures in Issaquah last June, but didn’t meet the city’s deadline to file. This time the group has six months, and he is confident he can collect the needed signatures in two months.
“This is not a West Seattle issue, this is not an Issaquah issue, it’s an agenda that’s driven by fanatics globally and locally,” Keller said.
Mark Mullet, who initiated the bag ban in Issaquah when he was on the city council, now represents District 5 in the Washington State Senate. Mullet had proposed SB 5386 this session, a bill giving a city or county interested in regulating retail carryout bags the right to do so, but it would not have been a requirement. Mullet said the bill died in the Senate, but the intent was to have one version of bag bans for the entire state to avoid confusion.
“This was a bill that came from the business community,” Mullet said. “One version that everyone could agree on.”
Keller said Mullet was trying to freeze out the state’s citizens from voting on it. Keller said the “Save Our Choice” group handed out plastic bags at the Issaquah Safeway March 1 and 2, and they plan to do the same at several locations this weekend.
Similar to the ordinance in Seattle, retailers in Issaquah are offering recyclable paper bags at a cost of 5 cents to customers. Families receiving benefits from programs such as Women, Infants and Children, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families support programs, or the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or the Washington State Food Assistance Program do not have to pay the 5 cent fee.
Additionally, residents can still pick up a free reusable bag (while supplies last) at the Issaquah CleanScapes store, located at 317 N.W. Gilman Blvd.
Businesses with a building square footage of 7,500 square feet or larger have to comply immediately, but they are allowed to use up stock of remaining plastic bags.
All other retail establishments have until March 1, 2014, to comply, but can start sooner and charge the 5 cent fee for paper bags.
