HomeMy Public PortalAbout20031210 work session smokingCOUNCIL WORK SESSION DECEMBER 10, 2003
CALL TO ORDER
1
The Council work session of December 10, 2003, was convened at 5:30 P.M. by Mayor
John Landwehr.
ATTENDANCE
The following Council Members were present:
Present: Angle, Berry, Ferguson, Gordon, Groner, Olsen, Viessman, Vogel, and
Weber
Absent: Klindt
A quorum was present.
DISCUSSION
City Counselor Nathan Nickolaus distributed and reviewed a summary of all outstanding
Clean Air bills that have been proposed by City Council members. He then answered
several questions from Council members clarifying the document that he had drafted.
Several questions were also asked of prospective bill sponsors clarifying their individual
bills
Mayor Landwehr asked for comments from the three Council members who had requested
the special workshop. Councilmen Angle, Berry, Ferguson and Groner commented on their
reasons for wanting to have the meeting.
Mayor Landwehr then asked all the bill sponsors to put forward their reasoning for
proposing their individual bills. Councilmen Berry, Groner, Olsen and Angle explained their
reasoning for proposing their bills. Councilman Groner encouraged Council members to
reach a consensus at the meeting to make Monday, December 15, easier on everyone.
City Administrator Rich Mays recommended Council members concentrate on the more
important complicated issues first and reasoned that the simpler and easier items would fall
into place should the Council agree on the more complicated issues.
Councilman Bob Weber suggested the Council form a task force or committee made up of
opponents and proponents to recommend a solution to the City Council on the Clean Air
bills. A discussion ensued regarding the viability of forming such a committee with just
three Council members favoring that direction.
A lengthy discussion also ensued regarding the viability of the State legislature taking
action on this issue.
Several straw polls were taken asking Council members how they felt about where they
would favor banning smoking, how many Council members would be in favor or an
COUNCIL WORK SESSION DECEMBER 10, 2003 2
ordinance banning smoking in restaurants only and exempting pool halls, bars and private
clubs, and which of the five proposed ordinances Council members favored the most.
Since "Angle 2" seemed to have the most consensus, discussion centered on that bill's
provisions. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding definition of a bar and restaurant and
the merits of "Angle 2." It was a consensus of the Council that an "Angle 3" bill be drafted
by the City Counselor and submitted at Friday's Brown Bag meeting based on the "Angle
2" bill and the previous discussion and recommendations regarding those provisions.
ADJOURN
MENT
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:05 p.m.