Gig Harbor city council exempts some plastics from ban, but only for 5 years.

The Gig Harbor City Council exempted a handful items from a previous plastic-ban ordinance during the Feb. 24 city council meeting, but specified that the exemptions would expire after five years.

This amendment to the ordinance now allows polylactic-acid plastics, which are made from biodegradable materials such as corn starch or tapioca roots, and provides an extended list of exemptions, including cookie and cupcake trays. It also allows stores to sell items that came prepackaged in plastic from the wholesaler.

Council Member Jeni Woock added a motion which puts a five-year timeline on this decision, ensuring the prohibitions will return, but giving businesses time to find alternatives to the plastic substances.

“I want Gig Harbor to be at the forefront environmentally,” said Council member Robyn Denson, in supporting Woock’s motion.

These exemptions will go into effect a month from next Thursday, March 5.

Council Member Jim Franich voted against both the motion and the amendment to the ordinance, saying policy should be a consumer-driven.

“I would say the majority of states do not have any type of ban like this, so I could see this put some of our grocers at a real competitive disadvantage by trying to find suppliers that live up to these few states that have these type of bans in place,” Franich said.

He added it could raise the price of food products, and said people who are living on a lower income could be hurt.

Both the motion and the amendment to the ordinance were passed by a vote of 6-1.

In other business, the Gig Harbor city council:

• Passed an ordinance which will add additional funds to the 2020 budget for the Ancich dock project. The ordinance states that no contracts will be approved until the $500,000 commitment from the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team is firm. A contract will be presented during the March 9 council meeting between the club and city.

• Tabled an ordinance regarding standing committees, giving council time to deliberate in greater detail during the Feb. 27 council study session. This ordinance would revise city rules on standing committees, allowing council to establish regular study sessions. It would also establish an interview panel to make recommendations on appointments to the advisory bodies where council has appointing authority.

• Additionally tabled an ordinance that would have established a regular study session at 4 p.m. on the Thursday immediately following a council meeting.

Correction: In a previous council story, The Gateway reported incorrectly that Council Member Bob Himes said no contracts with the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Race Team will be approved until the $500,000 commitment from the team “is realized.” According to the council recording, Hines actually said “is firm.” The Gateway regrets the error.

This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 11:03 AM.