photo by: City of Lawrence

The Lawrence City Commission discusses bringing an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags back to an upcoming agenda at its Tuesday, July 11, 2023, meeting. The ordinance failed to pass last month.

City of Lawrence leaders signaled this week that they once again want to consider an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags, possibly as soon as early next month.

As the Journal-World reported, the long-discussed ordinance failed to pass after a 2-2 vote at the Lawrence City Commission’s June 20 meeting. The commissioners who voted against it, Brad Finkeldei and Amber Sellers, cited concerns about the ordinance’s impact on local businesses and the logistics of hiring an additional city employee to enforce it.

Toward the end of Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, Mayor Lisa Larsen — who was absent from the June 20 meeting and consequently did not vote on the ordinance — asked whether it would return to an upcoming agenda. Commissioners Courtney Shipley and Bart Littlejohn, the two affirmative votes last month, also voiced support for bringing the ordinance back for another look.

Larsen said she was fine with the same ordinance returning for consideration. City Manager Craig Owens told the commission that putting it on the agenda for either the Aug. 1 or Aug. 8 meeting may be the best options in order to give the public notice.