Lake Saint Louis Update
Lake Saint Louis: Support wanes for proposed smoking ban
By Jami Cale
August 21, 2007
August 21, 2007
Lake Saint Louis aldermen vying for and against a proposed smoking ban seem to have reached a compromise.
The board is scheduled to hear a first reading Monday of the newly drafted bill, which would require businesses to simply post signs that state whether smoking is prohibited, restricted or allowed in the business. If smoking is allowed, the area would have to be properly ventilated.
Aldermen plan to discuss the measure during their 5:30 p.m. work session, before the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 200 Civic Center Drive.?
Discussions about pros and cons of a smoking ban have run the gamut. The measure, which in its initial form would have banned smoking in all workplaces in Lake Saint Louis, was tabled June 18 so aldermen could further discuss the wording of it. While some said the ban would negatively affect business owners, others wanted Lake Saint Louis to set an example for other cities to follow.
On July 2, after two revisions of the bill and several arguments about its language, aldermen removed the measure from their meeting agenda.
Most said they would support legislation that regulates secondhand smoke.
City leaders say the latest draft protects residents from secondhand smoke, but also protects the rights and choices of business owners.
In addition to posting appropriate signage, the bill would make employers responsible for informing employees of their smoking policy. It also requires the city administrator to promote the purpose and requirements of the ordinance to whomever it affects. Violators would be subject to up to $500 in fines or up to three months in jail.
Aldermen Charlotte Norton, Ward 2, and Pearson Buell, Ward 3 – who both strongly opposed initial proposals – said the new draft is much more reasonable.
Buell said that while the bill wouldn’t be a significant shift away from the status quo, it makes some progress toward educating residents.
Norton, a lung cancer survivor, said she could “live with it” if the board could. Both said a ban of smoking in the workplace should be up to the state, not individual municipalities.
Alderman John Pellerito, Ward 3, the bill’s co-sponsor, said he wasn’t completely satisfied with the measure, but he is proud that Lake Saint Louis is the first city in St. Charles County to write some sort of legislation about smoking.
Pellerito initially had pushed for a stricter law, but said that after researching the issue he realized a ban might not be in the best interest for a city the size of Lake Saint Louis.
“What we’ve done is address the issue, and it’s an important first step,” he said. “It may be minor, but it’s in the right direction.”
