After repeated and unsuccessful efforts by Councilman Mike DuPont to ban Red Bank stores from distributing plastic bags, the borough council tonight is scheduled to take up a series of scaled-back measures aimed at fostering recycling and education.

On the agenda is a proposed ordinance requiring any retail business that gives out bags to collect returned bags for recycling, with pickup provided by the borough. Violations carry fines of up to $500. Here’s the language: Download 2008-27.pdf

A pair of related resolutions is also on the table for the 7:30p bimonthly meeting. One would encourage the borough schools and Red Bank Regional High School to “implement educational programs designed to educate their students as to the environmental harm caused by plastic bags of all types and to implement other programs similar to the ‘When You Pack, Use a Sack’ campaign.”

The other calls on the New Jersey Legislature to ban plastic shopping bags statewide.

Also on tonight’s agenda:

• An ordinance that could put more taxicabs on Red Bank’s streets, and cost each of them more to operate.

It would increase the number of taxi licenses issued by the borough to 55, from the current 45, and boost the annual renewal fee by $50, to $200. Here’s the wording: Download 2008-29.pdf

• An amendment to an existing affordable housing ordinance that would require developers of multifamily residential projects to pay fees of up to six percent of a project’s assessed value when they’re permitted to exceed legal density limits by variance. Here it is: Download 2008-28.pdf

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