The Johnson County Board of Health discusses a proposed countywide smoking ban Wednesday. The board recommended the measure. PHOTO BY MATT OOLEY
At a glance
The Johnson County Board of Health is recommending a countywide smoking ban.
If approved, here are some of the places you could no longer light up:
Within 25 feet of a doorway to a business or workplace.
Restaurants, including bar areas.
Lobbies, hallways and common areas in apartment buildings and other multiple-unit residential facilities.
Most outdoor seating for restaurants. The ban says smoking is OK in 25 percent of the seating.
Private functions in public places like bars, restaurants, hotels and motels.
Public transportation facilities, including buses and taxicabs.
By DAILY JOURNAL
The Johnson County Board of Health has recommended a smoking ban that is more restrictive than one approved days earlier in Greenwood: The countywide ban would outlaw smoking in all public places, including bars.
The proposed smoking ban will next go to the Johnson County Board of Commissioners. Debate could begin March 6, and the three-member board of commissioners would have to approve the ban at two public meetings.
Commissioners have questions and concerns about the ban, including whether it is logical to have conflicting bans in the same county.
One commissioner, Tom Kite, said he will not support the ban because government shouldn’t interfere in business owners’ decisions.
Some area bar owners and operators said a smoking ban would shut them down. Similar fears were heard when Indianapolis approved a smoking ban in 2005. The ban in Marion County takes effect March 1.
The debate and upcoming decisions in Johnson County brings the community in step with cities and counties around the country that have prohibited lighting up in restaurants, bars or just steps away from workplace entryways.
Columbus and Bloomington both have smoking bans.
Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County, a health-advocacy organization, has been pushing for a smoking ban for years. Area schools have passed rules prohibiting smoking on campuses.
Officials are trying to determine how the county ban would affect cities and towns.
For example: Would the county’s ban trump the less-restrictive ban passed by Greenwood this week? Would it apply to Franklin, Bargersville or other communities that don’t already have a ban?
For now, it depends on whom you ask.
Cities and towns will have to follow the county ban or pass a more restrictive one, health board president Debbie Swinehamer said.
The county ban could not be enforced in Franklin, Greenwood or towns without a community’s OK, Greenwood City Attorney Shawna Koons-Davis said
County attorney Jeff Eggers is researching the issue.
The county board of health originally considered a ban identical to Greenwood’s. While debating how to define a bar, Dr. George Small, a member of the board, made this point:
If health advocates are concerned about the effect of secondhand smoke, bars should go smoke-free as well.
Private clubs still would be exempt from the ban.
The board of health approved the ban unanimously.
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