Smoking ban group turns in signatures

A local group that is pushing for an indoor smoking ban has submitted a petition to the city.
Smoke-Free St. Joseph has been gathering signatures since Aug. 1, with a goal to bring a smoking ban in front of the voters. The county clerk must now verify the group received 2,190 signatures of registered voters in St. Joseph in order to proceed.

“We check each and every signature because sometimes you can tell if a husband signed for a wife. But all in all it goes pretty quickly,” said Mary Baack-Garvey. “We’ll get started on them as soon as we get them.”

Ms. Baack-Garvey said she expected the signatures in her office by Friday afternoon. If that’s the case, they should be certified before her staff leaves for Thanksgiving.

The petition filed by Smoke-Free St. Joseph calls for a ban in all indoor public places, with the exemption of 10 percent of hotel rooms or in membership clubs when no employees are present. It would allow smoking on the casino gaming floor, until casinos in Jackson, Platte or Clay counties go smoke free.

Paula Heyde, city clerk, said once the petition is certified, the City Council has 60 days to consider the ordinance. In that time they can either the pass the ordinance as written, or submit it to the voters. If the council refuses to adopt it as is, the ordinance will appear on a ballot “not less than 30 days or not more than 180 days from the date of the final council vote,” Ms. Heyde said. Davidoff cigarettes online.

It’s unlikely the issue will appear during the April general election, unless the City Council immediately decides to push the issue to the voters.

The council also has the option to negotiate the parameters of the ordinance, but only if Smoke-Free St. Joseph is willing to do so.

Dr. Jane Schwabe, co-chairwoman of Smoke-Free St. Joseph, said they do not expect the council to adopt their proposal. The group drafted the petition in May, after the council voted 6-3 to drop all discussions of a smoking ban.

“We would just like to get it on the ballot as soon as possible,” she said.