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BILL NO.20-03 <br /> RESOLUTION NO.4844-20 <br /> A RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL REMINDING <br /> RESIDENTS OF CURRENT LITTERING ORDINANCES AND INFORMING RESIDENTS OF <br /> DANGERS OF RELEASING BALLOONS AND SKY LANTERNS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND <br /> ENCOURAGING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND AN <br /> ALTERNATIVE TO BALLOON AND SKY LANTERN RELEASES <br /> WHEREAS,The South Bend Common Council determines that balloons and sky lanterns released into <br /> the atmosphere return to the earth as litter; and <br /> WHEREAS,The South Bend Common Council further determines that the release of balloons and sky <br /> lanterns into the atmosphere poses a danger and a nuisance to the environment and wildlife that may ingest this <br /> debris; and <br /> WHEREAS,The St. Joseph River is recognized as a beautiful asset of the City of South Bend and is <br /> home to many species of fish and other wildlife; and <br /> WHEREAS, animals, especially water wildlife, mistake the remains of balloons as food that may <br /> potentially damage digestive systems; and <br /> WHEREAS,animals, birds and water wildlife also become entangled in the remnants of balloons and <br /> the ribbons or strings connected to them; and <br /> WHEREAS,even biodegradable balloons do not degrade quickly enough to avoid ingestion by wildlife; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, some power companies estimate that 16-20% of annual power outages are caused by <br /> balloons,primarilydue to metallic or foil balloons interactingwithpower lines, including1,128 balloon related <br /> explosions or power outages in 2018 in the area served by Southern California Edison. Just one outage in Palo <br /> Alto, California, caused by a mylar balloon, affected about 2,500 customers; and <br /> WHEREAS,sky lanterns are similarly dangerous having caused: structure fires; wildfires; burns to <br /> humans; and injuries and death to animals that eat the fallen litter or become entangled in the fallen debris. <br /> WHEREAS,released balloons can travel great distances in a short amount of time. For example, in <br /> 1998, a balloon released at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, landed in Los Angeles 49 hours later, a distance of <br /> approximately 5,300 miles; and <br /> WHEREAS,Chapter 16, Article 3, Sections 16-13 to and including 16-26 currently regulates the <br /> existence of litter in the City; and <br /> WHEREAS, additional education and information is necessary to instruct residents of the current <br /> ordinances related to litter and, in particular, the dangers of releasing balloons and sky lanterns into the <br /> atmosphere. <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH <br /> BEND, INDIANA, AS FOLLOWS: <br /> Section I. The South Bend Common Council reminds City residents of the current ordinances <br /> regulating litter in the City. <br /> Section II. The Common Council strongly discourages the release of balloons and sky lanterns in <br /> the atmosphere surrounding the City. <br /> Section III. The Common Council encourages the City's Office of Sustainability and other <br /> similarly environmentally concerned partners to provide, free of charge, educational programs and <br /> literature informing residents of the dangers of released balloons and sky lanterns. <br /> Section IV. The Common Council also encourages the City to donate tree saplings from its tree <br /> farm to families holding memorial services as an alternative to releases of balloons and sky lanterns. <br />