PELL CITY — The City Council could tighten restrictions on smoking in restaurants. At the council meeting Thursday evening, Stacey Neumann, tobacco prevention and control coordinator for the state Health Department, presented the council with an information package with fact sheets about the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Neumann asked the council to consider passing a non-smoking ordinance for public restaurants.
Neumann told the council that she would provide them, at a later date, model non-smoking ordinances other cities have adopted.
"No city is too small or too big to be protected from secondhand smoke," Neumann said.
Neumann said she would return "soon" to address the council again.
"We’ll be back, hopefully in large numbers," she said.
The mayor and council appeared receptive to tighter restrictions on smoking in public places, but many members of the council were uncertain if they would support an all-out ban on smoking in public restaurants.
"I would not be in favor of a total ban," Councilman Greg Gossett said.
Gossett, like the rest of the council and mayor, does not smoke.
"I’m a non-smoker," Councilman Ed Pennington said. "But, I’m not sure if I would be in favor of an overall ban on smoking in restaurants."
Pennington said his wife smokes.
"I would be in favor of tighter restrictions," Councilman J.T. Carter said. "An overall ban — I might question that."
Carter said restaurants do need designated smoking areas, however.
"I’m in favor of reasonable restrictions," Councilman Donnie Todd said. "I’m not for mandating that a restaurant can’t have a smoking area. I think that is beyond our scope. But, people should not be subjected to secondhand smoke."
Todd, a non-smoker, said his wife also smokes.
"As a non-smoker, I prefer non-smoking sections," Pell City Mayor Adam Stocks said. "However, I think we need to hold several meetings to get the consensus of the public."
The city does have an ordinance prohibiting smoking in municipal buildings. That ordinance was adopted in 2002.
