Tyler

By ADRIENNE GRAHAM
Staff Writer

The proposed ordinance to ban smoking in Tyler is now available to view online, city officials said Monday.

The ordinance that will be presented by the Smoking Task Force at a special called City Council meeting on Wednesday can be seen at www.cityoftyler.org in the “My Tyler News” column.

The Tyler City Council will hold a meeting 9 a.m. Wednesday to hear recommendations from the Smoking Task Force on the city of Tyler’s smoking ordinance. The meeting will be held in the Tyler City Council Chambers in City Hall at 212 N. Bonner Ave.

The ordinance prohibits smoking in “all enclosed areas available to and customarily used by the general public,” including bars, restaurants nightclubs, bingo halls and bowling alleys.

The proposed ordinance also calls for smoking to be prohibited within 20 feet of a designated non-smoking facility including balconies and patios.

“The current recommendation is that smoking be prohibited in both indoor and outdoor spaces that serve (alcohol),” Task Force Chair Nathaniel Moran said. “But I believe there will be a lot of additional discussion on that point during Wednesday’s meeting.”

Moran said the recommendation for a 20-foot buffer came from studying how other smoke-free cities dealt with the issue of distance.

“Twenty feet seems like a reasonable distance, given the medical evidence of the health effects from secondhand smoke. Some cities set the distance as far as 50 feet,” Moran said.

Other smoke-free zones designated by the ordinance include public outdoor events and city-owned facilities such as parks and playgrounds.

Exemptions from the ordinance include retail tobacco stores and private organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The task force is recommending that first-time violators be charged with a misdemeanor offense and a fine of up to $300, and a fine of $500 on the second offense.

If adopted by the council, the ordinance would go into effect in 60 days.

The Smoking Task Force was appointed in December by Mayor Joey Seeber to review the city’s current smoking ordinance and make recommendations on potential revisions, following the results of the 2006 Surgeon General’s report on the effects of secondhand smoke.

“The Task Force has evaluated the health implications, business needs, experiences of other communities as well as tremendous public input. They are now prepared to present their recommendations to the City Council for consideration,” Seeber said.

A public meeting was held Jan. 22 to gather pubic comment on potential changes to the smoking ordinance. According to city records, more than 115 citizens attended the meeting. Twenty-four people spoke in favor of the total smoking ban and 12 spoke against it. Additionally, residents have submitted letters and e-mails throughout the process.

The Task Force is composed of eight Tyler business owners, medical professionals and legal experts. Task force members include Nathaniel Moran, City Council member District 5; Chris Simons, mayor pro tem; Bruce Carter, MD, diagnostic radiologist; Bobby Curtis, business owner and chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission; Rick Eltife, restaurant owner; Jonathan MacClements, MD, president, Smith County Medical Society; Brian McCalla, chair of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitors Council; Felicity Reedy, president, Genecov Group; and Robert Westbrook, restaurant owner, former president of the East Texas Restaurant Association and the Smith County Health District.

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