A smoking ban will go before Devils Lake voters later this year, the City Commission decided Monday night after an intense debate.
Vice President Richard Johnson said commissioners voted 3-2 to put it to a vote instead of passing a ban themselves, as smoking opponents urged. No date has been set, he said, though it could happen during the general election in November.
Public health advocates at the Lake Region Tobacco Free Coalition commissioned a survey and, on the basis of overwhelming support, asked the commission to pass a ban that would exceed the state ban.
The state ban exempts places such as bars, including enclosed bars in restaurants and truck stops.
The coalition's survey, conducted by Keating Research, found 67 percent of Devils Lake area adults wanted a ban that would end those exemptions and 66 percent wanted the commission to pass the ban. Because the survey was conducted by ZIP code, 35 percent of those surveyed did not live in city limits.
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Johnson said owners of bars and other businesses affected asked the commission to let the businesses decide instead of passing a law. He noted that Proz End of the Line bar went smoke-free Monday.
He said he and commissioners Rick Morse and Craig Stromme formed a majority that decided to put the issue to a vote. Mayor Fred Bott and commissioner Tim Heisler wanted the commission to pass the ban, Johnson said.
A similar situation in Grand Forks led to a different result with a slim majority of the City Council voting to pass the ban instead of holding a vote. The Grand Forks Tobacco Free Coalition had also commissioned a survey, which found 75 percent of adults in the city wanted to ban smoking in bars and 83 percent wanted a ban in truck stops.
The new city ban goes into effect Aug. 1.
Bar owners have been gathering signatures to put the issue to a vote, possibly in November.
The next step in Devils Lake is an ordinance to be drafted by City Attorney Tom Traynor, Johnson said.
Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com .
