City Council Recap: Green Ordinances, Fire Discussion

The Belmont City Council held a special meeting Tuesday night where they discussed four proposed ordinances that aim to make Belmont a greener city, as well as the future of the Belmont Fire Department.

Green Ordinances

The four ordinances brought before the council included a ban on plastic bags, a ban on polystyrene, an ordinance for construction and demolition waste recycling, and an ordinance establishing water conservation in landscaping regulations.

No action was taken on any of the items, but the council appeared in favor of the plastic bag ban.

"I would like to have it done yesterday, or last year," Council Member Christine Wozniak said. She and the other council members agreed, however, that it will be important to check in with businesses.

"I think we need to work with our merchants and get feedback," she said.

Vice Mayor Dave Warden pointed out the expense of passing an ordinance and said the council would need to take that into account.

"I’m generally in support of it," he said of the proposed plastic bag ban. But, "I really feel like we need to take a conservative route in terms of process and money; it’s not cheap to pass an ordinance."

Clutching handfuls of plastic bags, resident Mike Swire told the council Belmont residents use an estimated 13 million plastic bags each year.

Allison Chan from Save the Bay also spoke at the meeting, and emphasized the negative impact both plastic bags and polystyrene have on the environment.

Belmont is in the process of hiring a new city attorney, and Mayor Coralin Feierbach said when an attorney is hired the green ordinances will likely be made a priority.

The city council must hold a public forum as well as a reading of the ordinance before an ordinance can be passed. The council discussed outreach and education possibilities as well prior to passing an ordinance.

Click here to view the staff reports for the proposed ordinances.

Fire Department

With the Oct. 12 dissolution date of the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department approaching, the city council discussed pay rates and overtime for the future standalone fire department.

The council will further discuss those issues in a closed session.