Voters approved Ordinance 1797 on Nov. 3. The measure will impose a 25-cent tax on single-use bags for all retailers, with 10 cents per bag to be retained by retailers as a vendor fee and 15 cents to be remitted to the city. The Louisville City Council approved the measure for the ballot by a 4-3 vote in July.
The measure is expected to generate $394,000 for 2022. The tax revenue would be primarily used to fund program outreach and administration and other sustainability initiatives, though revenue could also be spent on other general purposes.
While the vote tally will not be finalized until election results are certified on Nov. 25, local media and Mayor Ashley Stolzmann consider the measure to have passed. As of Monday, the vote stood at 66.09% to 33.91% by a margin of approximately 3,197 votes.
--Editing by Tim Ruel.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.