The Madison County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to opt-out of imposing a paper bag fee on the residents of Madison County.

The State recently passed legislation which bans the use of plastic carryout bags beginning in March of 2020.

The law includes a provision that counties and cities may elect to impose a paper bag carryout fee of 5 cents per bag.

The state would retain 3 cents per bag, while the counties and Cities would retain 2 cents to use for purchasing and distributing reusable bags.

"Madison County has long recognized that single use plastic bags have a major impact on our environment.  We applaud Governor Cuomo for taking this bold step and placing a ban on them state-wide.  However, if the state wants to impose a fee, they should do it themselves.  We will not choose to voluntarily impose an additional fee on the residents of Madison County," said Chairman John Becker. "We have handed out thousands reusable bags to residents, and we will continue to do so."

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