Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley will ask Lambton county councillors once again to consider a county-wide mandatory mask bylaw.

The mayor, who is also a member of county council, brought the idea forward in July. It was defeated by a vote of 13-4 with many municipal leaders saying the issue should be decided by a province-wide decree or by the individual municipality.

Sarnia council passed a mandatory mask bylaw and it went into effect July 31. Monday, Petrolia passed a similar bylaw which goes into effect Friday.

In an email to councillors, which was also circulated to local media, Bradley says “that leaves the only option, regrettably, under the Rules of Order is to bring a Notice of Reconsideration on the Mandatory Masking Bylaw to the Regular County Council meeting on September 2, which unfortunately is weeks away.

“Lambton County now is the only region/county in the province without a mandatory masking bylaw,” he added.

Bradley hopes to have enough support to deal with the issue at the Sept. 2 county council meeting. It’s also possible for the warden to call a special meeting on the issue.

A county-wide bylaw would likely cover mostly the rural communities, such as Alvinston, Brigden and Florence. By the time September rolls around, Plympton-Wyoming may already have its own mandatory mask bylaw. Council there deals with the issue Wednesday.

St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold says his community will also look at the idea.