proposed vape ban on Montgomery city council agenda tonight 11-18-14

[CES]

City of Montgomery : City Council Meetings and Agendas

well actually, right now. sigh. I just found out.

Item 1 under old business. Anyone available to run over to the public hearing and oppose this?

Montgomery City Council
Agenda Item # 1

Public Hearing on "Ordinance Prohibiting tobacco Use Within the City of Montgomery...

...“Smoking” means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, including hookahs and ........., whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any form. “Smoking” also includes the use of an electronic smoking device which creates an aerosol or vapor, in any manner or in any form, or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this Article..."

Contact: 334-241-2096

11/18/2014 - Public Hearing at 5:00pm CST

Link to Agenda:
11/18/2014: http://www.montgomeryal.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/171/54

Supporting Documents:
Report: http://www.montgomeryal.gov/home/showdocument?id=508

 

[the wind]

Am I understating this right?No smoking or vaping anywhere in the city limits?

 

[CES]

I don't know, reads like a very strict an indoor smoking ban. I haven't heard the outcome.

 

[BigEgo]

Am I understating this right?No smoking or vaping anywhere in the city limits?

That's correct. Vaping will be banned anywhere smoking is. This includes all private businesses (even bars and nightclubs). From the link the OP posted:

Public Places. Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places within
the City of Montgomery, including but not limited to, the following places:
(1) Zoos, galleries, libraries, and museums.
(2) Banks.
(3) Bar and lounges.
(4) Bingo facilities.
(5) Child care and adult day care facilities.
(6) Convention facilities.
(7) Educational facilities, both public and private.
(8) Elevators.
(9) Gaming facilities, including bingo facilities.
(10) Health care facilities.
(11) Hotels and motels.
(12) Laundromats.
(13) Lobbies, hallways, and other common areas in apartment buildings,
condominiums, trailer parks, retirement facilities, nursing homes, and
other multiple-unit residential facilities.
(14) Parking Structures
(15) Polling places.
(16) Private Clubs.
(17) Professional Offices.
(18) Public transportation vehicles
(19) Restaurants and retail food production.
(20) Restrooms, lobbies, reception areas, waiting rooms, hallways, and other
common-use areas.
(21) Retail service establishments.
(22) Retail stores.
(23) Rooms, chambers, places of meeting or public assembly, and other
enclosed areas and vehicles owned, leased, or operated by the City of
Montgomery.
(23) Service lines.
(24) Shopping malls.Page 6
(25) Sports arenas, including enclosed places in outdoor arenas.
(26) Theaters and other facilities primarily used for exhibiting motion pictures,
stage dramas, lectures, musical recitals, or other similar performances.
(27) Parking decks and parking facilities under the control of the City of
Montgomery

So if this is passed, vaping will be illegal everywhere except your house or car basically. You can't even vape inside a parking deck or a private club.

I am up in the north part of the state (Shoals) or else I would be there. If this nonsense comes to my town, a lot of people will be up in arms. So far in my city, smoking is banned just about everywhere publicly except bars and nightclubs. In Montgomery, even that would be illegal (vaping too).

What irks me is not the smoking bans per se, but the ignorance of these local governments on what vaping even is. Their definition of it is "a device used to circumvent smoking bans." So, in other words, we are worse than smokers because we are trying to circumvent the LAW. Don't question their "authoritay."

 

[CES]

I haven't heard the outcome of the meeting. With the deafening silence here and on FB, i suspect that it probably passed. It's not like it's enforceable, but it still sucks.

We also need to start keeping and eye out for the spring legislative agenda. I'm sure there will be a version of a clean air act on the agenda for the umpteenth year in a row The state senate version of the bill last year exempted e-cigs, the state rep version did not.

There may also be a cig tax hike, which we need to watch to make sure it doesn't include vapor products. Might be worth starting to contact our reps early.