The next Forney City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night, January 8, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. and will include discussion and possible approval of a smoking ordinance in the City of Forney. The council previously discussed a possible smoking ordinance on May 1, 2012, and requested that the city's attorney write a proposed smoking ordinance for review.
The next Forney City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night, January 8, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. and will include discussion and possible approval of a smoking ordinance in the City of Forney. The council previously discussed a possible smoking ordinance on May 1, 2012, and requested that the city's attorney write a proposed smoking ordinance for review.
To refresh, the discussions by the City Council members focused on restaurants and “private clubs”. However, hotels could be required to have a certain percentage of their rooms designated as non-smoking rooms, or, by choice, non-smoking altogether.
Several options were presented in a workshop to the council members and all received mixed reviews. One option would be to allow smoking in restaurants that installed special filtration systems specifically designed for smoke filtration in an enclosed smoking area. Another option was to only allow smoking in designated outdoor patio areas. The most aggressive approach would ban smoking altogether in restaurants and private clubs. A possible restriction may also be placed on smoking within a certain distance from a public door or eating establishment.
At the council meeting last May, council member Mary Penn was against impeding the rights of the businesses and was for the optional filtration system and enclosed smoking area. Council member Andy Parker opposed the smoking ordinance and said, “I'm for the least amount of government intrusion. If restaurants want to cater to smokers, they should be allowed to do that.”
During the same council meeting, Mayor Rozell said he did not want smoking allowed in restaurants, private clubs, or on the patios where patrons will be eating and drinking. Council member Robbie Powers agreed, when talking about the cities that have already enacted smoking bans, Powers said, “I feel that the free market for business owners has not been affected negatively.” Council member James Hatley said that allowing smoking in a restaurant, because there are still a few people who want to smoke, undermines the rights of the majority who are non-smokers.
If the smoking ordinance is passed, Forney will join a long list of Dallas/Fort Worth area cities who have enacted smoking ordinances. Most recently, the City of Denton passed a smoking ordinance that will take effect on April 17, 2013.
Stay tuned to inForney.com for the outcome and summary of Tuesday night's Forney City Council Meeting.
Sherri Thornhill contributed to this article.
