The Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a joint resolution that will ask voters whether they would support a 5-cent fee for each plastic bag provided to grocery store customers in Mercer County.
The resolution passed by the board does not trigger a user fee, but simply allows the county to place a non-binding referendum on the November General Election ballot. Any actual fee would have to come in the form of state legislation.
The specifics of the bag fee, including what the proceeds would be used for, would be addressed only if county voters give the voted to proceed.
The proposal has so far garnered wide support, with more than 30 people turning out at a recent Freeholder Board meeting to urge the board to pass the resolution placing the non-binding referendum on the November ballot, and to encourage the county to continue forward should voters approve the measure.
