Parkville city leaders appeared to be setting the stage for the city to join with the City of Kansas City, Missouri to participate in a metropolitan-wide smoking ban in all public places at its board of aldermen meeting on Tuesday evening.
Alderman J.C. “Charlie” Poole, who has spearheaded the effort after proposing a municipal smoking ban in Parkville, seemed more amenable to negotiate with area restaurant owners and other merchants to craft an ordinance that is palatable to its business community while serving the public health needs of its residents and visitors.
After reviewing the ordinance that was recently passed by Kansas City, Poole wrote in a letter to the mayor and his fellow alderman “I see some things we could change to make this ordinance more suited to Parkville.”
Alderman Dave Rittman wrote a separate letter to city leaders endorsing that they consider an ordinance that more closely follows the model that was passed in Springfield, Missouri after attending a meeting of Main Street Parkville to discuss the issue. He wrote “[T]his particular ordinance was supported by the restaurants and business community, as well as non-smoking advocates {in Springfield}.”
“[T]here has been no indication that this ordinance adversely impacted their existing business owners and private clubs” Rittman added.
In his comments at the meeting and in his letter, Rittman was quick to acknowledge that he simply asked the city consider the exemptions provided for in the Springfield model and believed that it was useful as it continues through the process.
Poole noted his opposition to the Springfield ordinance. He said that he had reviewed the ordinance in depth and that the allowable exemptions contained therein seemingly contradicted the legislation’s original purpose.
Mayor Kathryn Dusenbery said that she would like to see an exemption for the American Legion, which would likely qualify as Parkville’s only tavern.
Rittman maintained that he was less concerned with how other cities crafted legislation or the desires of national non-smoking advocate groups. He said that he was more interested in holding a public hearing to receive input from area restaurateurs and other affected business owners and residents.
Rittman wrote “Key to the process is to go forward with a public hearing so we can all hear first hand the opinions, desires, and recommendations of residents and business owners within our community. At this point, I am much less interested in the opinion of the various lobbyists and non-smoking elements … as we have heard from them previously.”
The city previously held a public hearing to consider a municipal smoking ban in Parkville. While numerous people petitioned the board for the ban’s passage, not one registered Parkville voter was among them. Area business owners opposed the proposal and plead with the board to not act unilaterally.
Poole indicated that public health was the real issue and maintained that the importance of passing legislation was to save lives. He said that it is not about getting people to quit smoking.
“We’re trying to say, I don’t want to breathe your second-hand smoke” he added.
Poole likened the effort to requiring people to wear seat belts. While he expected resistance, he insisted that compliance would only be secured through legal enforcement, which was justifiable in an effort to save lives.
While Poole has maintained that the public health would not be served if patrons and business owners were allowed to implement remedies on a voluntary basis, he gave several examples of how such remedies may already working.
At least four area restaurants have already declared themselves as non-smoking establishments.
Poole further indicated that there was no need to adopt separate target dates for the ban’s implementation for restaurant owners versus other area businesses.
In his recommendations to the city, Poole wrote “I’ve watched people come in and out of Parkville’s stores and I’ve never seen anyone carrying a cigarette.” In his comments to the board, he observed that no one smokes in city hall but added that the conduct was wholly voluntary as he was unaware of any ordinance requiring the smoking ban.
He also indicated that provisions dealing with firefighters in the Kansas City ordinance were not necessary for Parkville to adopt as the only two firefighters who smoke voluntarily go to an outside bay.
In other business, while the city’s financial personnel were confident that it would close the year with a small surplus as more revenues are expected, Alderman Marvin Ferguson reported that the city was more than $104,000 short on projected revenues as of December 20, 2004. Projected costs, however, also came in under budget by approximately $93,000.00. To balance its books, the city has until the end of the year to make up the $11,000.00 shortfall.
Gary Worden addressed the board to ask that the Parkville Christmas lights be left on throughout the year. He is the owner of Piropos, a restaurant in Parkville’s Old Town District.
Worden said that his business was down by more than 5,000 customers than at this time last year. He said that new competition in nearby Northland developments was hurting local business owners who already operate on a slim profit margin. He believed that the move would help distinguish Parkville from its neighboring communities at a minimal cost.
The board seemed amenable to Worden’s suggestion but indicated that there were necessary processes that should be considered. Dusenbery said that they would have to make the wiring permanent and said that the city would need a cost assessment on leaving the lights up on a year round basis.
After having discussions with city personnel, Worden said that he estimated that it would cost the city an additional $1.50 per day. Alderman Linda Arnold suggested that she may be willing to sign over one of her city paychecks to cover the costs if that was the only consideration.