My comments at the June 11th West Conshohocken Borough Council meeting:

Last Council meeting, during the public comments, Mr. Frankenfield brought up a valid concern regarding potential issues that may arise from over regulation. Since it did not appear to receive significant attention, at the time, I believe it is important to revisit this matter and consider the impact of excessive regulations on our Borough.

There is an art to good governance. You have to balance the priorities of public safety with the preservation of a free society. While individuals can attempt to assert their rights, when needed, it is ultimately the responsibility of government to safeguard and protect our freedoms. I encourage Council to always keep concern about loss of freedom and liberty for residents in mind when making decisions.

I’ve long held the opinion that all laws and regulations should have an expiration date. A key benefit of that approach would be switching the focus of government from constantly generating new regulations to spending the bulk of their time on evaluating the effectiveness of current regulations.

I believe that the recent decision to implement a ban on plastics was unnecessary and should be perceived as excessive regulation. During the initial conversations surrounding the recycling discussion, Councilman Ewing proposed considering an educational approach to address the problem. I bring this up to emphasize that there are numerous approaches available to Council to bring about change, beyond just regulations. Regulations carry significant authority and enforcement implications, that can be likened to a 20-pound sledgehammer. It’s important to remember that not all issues presented to Council require such a heavy-handed solution, and sometimes a more nuanced approach may be more desirable.

I believe that, when there is no over riding safety concern, that regulatory code that gets into specific details such as quantities, pricing and materials is poorly designed. I believe we should have faith in the wisdom of the crowd and the efficiencies of market competition, rather than relying solely on government mandates. Our plastic ban regulation specifies:

  • that paper bags must be recycled bags – that should be a business decision
  • that the paper bag MUST be charged for and what the minimum charge is – that should be a business decision

I recommend that the Council reconsider the plastic ban regulation with a focus on providing businesses and customers more flexibility in addressing how to minimize plastic litter. I propose that Council consider creating a sub-committee tasked with evaluating the efficacy of the current Borough code with an eye to easing restrictions where possible.

In the past draft resolutions have been reviewed by the Planning Commission. What was the reason that the draft of the plastic ban regulation was not presented to the Planning Commission for their input?

I did not receive an answer