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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/01/2015 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 098, 2015, AMENDINAgenda Item 8 Item # 8 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY September 1, 2015 City Council STAFF Delynn Coldiron, Interim Neighborhood Services Manager Laurie Kadrich, Director of PDT SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 098, 2015, Amending Article III of Chapter 12 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins Pertaining to Smoking in Public Areas. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on August 18, 2015, revises the current Smoking in Public Places Ordinance to include exemptions for retail tobacco establishments within the Downtown Smoke- Free Zone and for City facility users who smoke on City premises in a fully enclosed, privately-owned vehicle. The Ordinance also provides clarification on the City-owned or maintained sidewalks that are intended to be covered by the provisions in the current Ordinance. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, August 18, 2015 (w/o attachments) (PDF) 2. Ordinance No. 098, 2015 (PDF) Agenda Item 14 Item # 14 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY August 18, 2015 City Council STAFF Delynn Coldiron, Interim Neighborhood Services Manager Laurie Kadrich, Director of PDT SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 098, 2015, Amending Article III of Chapter 12 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins Pertaining to Smoking in Public Areas. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to revise the current Smoking in Public Places Ordinance to include exemptions for retail tobacco establishments within the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone and for City facility users who smoke on City premises in a fully enclosed, privately-owned vehicle, as well as clarification on the City-owned or maintained sidewalks that are intended to be covered by the provisions in the Ordinance. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION As part of implementation efforts related to the smoking ordinance expansions approved in February, 2015, staff has identified some areas where additional clarification is needed. Staff proposes the following clean-up items: 1. Addition of an exemption for retail tobacco establishments within the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone. Factors to consider include: a. Retail tobacco establishments are generally allowed to permit smoking in limited lounge areas in all areas except the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone. b. There are numerous criteria that must be met for an establishment to be considered a retail tobacco establishment that significantly reduce the concern of second-hand smoke affecting others not frequenting the business. c. An existing retail tobacco business has been inadvertently impacted by the new requirements when the boundaries for the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone were expanded. The business checked the location prior to moving and went through all applicable processes to become designated as a retail tobacco establishment. Under the current ordinance, customers would be required to cease all smoking on premises on January 1, 2016. 2. Addition of an exemption for City facilities and related premises that would enable facility users to smoke on City premises provided they are in a fully enclosed, privately-owned vehicle. Factors to consider include: a. A similar exception exists in the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone. ATTACHMENT 1 Agenda Item 14 Item # 14 Page 2 b. This minimizes potential impacts to businesses and neighborhoods bordering no-smoking areas by providing another option for smokers to enable them to comply with the requirements. c. This reduces the chance of facility users moving into the street to smoke in an effort to comply with requirements, which is a safety concern. d. The exception should have limited, if any, impact on others with regard to second-hand smoke. 3. Clarification that the smoking expansions apply only to City-owned or maintained sidewalks within the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone or that are adjacent to City facilities and related premises. The existing language applies to other sidewalks throughout the community that staff is recommending be excluded from the Ordinance at this time. Reduction of secondhand smoke exposure for citizens who choose not to smoke and promoting the health and wellness of the community continue to be the primary reasons for the smoking expansions that were approved. These revisions continue to support these goals while providing consistency in regulating retail tobacco shops across the community, and providing options for citizens who do choose to smoke that will minimize impacts to businesses and neighborhoods that border smoke-free areas, and will help increase the effectiveness of our enforcement efforts by giving smokers a way to more reasonably comply with ordinance requirements. For information purposes, the smoking expansions approved in February 2015 included a complete ban for the following:  City Natural Areas, Parks, and Trails - implementation September 1, 2015  City-owned and operated facilities and their related grounds, including golf courses - implementation September 1, 2015  Downtown Smoke-Free Zone - implementation January 1, 2016  City-approved special events - implementation January 1, 2016 There were no designated smoking areas approved in any of the areas listed. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS No additional costs are expected from these revisions. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION This work was done as part of the earlier efforts. PUBLIC OUTREACH This work was done as part of the earlier efforts. ATTACHMENTS 1. Ordinance No. 015, 2015 (PDF) 2. Comcate Case 28952 from Aria Khosravi regarding Retail Tobacco Establishments (PDF) - 1 - ORDINANCE NO. 098, 2015 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AMENDING ARTICLE III OF CHAPTER 12 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS PERTAINING TO SMOKING IN PUBLIC AREAS WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 015, 2015, amended Chapter 12 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins (the “Code”) to prohibit smoking on City-owned property and in the downtown area; and WHEREAS, the Code provides strict regulations for retail tobacco establishments, which allow the sampling of tobacco products in such establishments; and WHEREAS, the general purpose of Ordinance No. 015, 2015, was to prohibit smoking outdoors in the downtown area; and WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 015, 2015, prohibited smoking in all establishments within the downtown area; and WHEREAS, City employees have expressed concern about time and safety concerns that may result from smoking off-site during the work day; and WHEREAS, an exception exists in the downtown area that allows people to smoke in an enclosed vehicle; and WHEREAS, City employees have requested that Council adopt a similar provision that will allow people to smoke in an enclosed vehicle on City-owned property; and WHEREAS, staff has also recommended other minor edits to improve certain language in the Code as adopted; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the City that Article III of Chapter 12 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins be amended to include the modifications of the smoking Code. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That Section 12-56 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows: City-owned property shall mean any real property open to the public that is City owned and City maintained or leased from another and maintained by the City, including properties designated by the City as a park, trail, open space, or natural area, and all sidewalks abutting, or separated only by a parkway from, any of the foregoing. For purposes of this definition, City-owned property shall not include public streets or sidewalks abutting or separated only by a parkway from property not owned and maintained by the City. - 2 - . . . Downtown Smoke-Free Zone shall mean within the area bounded by: the center of Mason Street from the center of Maple Street to the center of Olive Street; the center of Olive Street from the center of Mason Street to the center of Remington Street; the center of Remington Street from the center of Olive Street to the center of Oak Street; the center of Oak Street from the center of Remington Street to the center of Mathews Street; the center of Mathews Street from the center of Oak Street to the center of Mountain Avenue; the center of Mountain Avenue from the center of Mathews Street to the center of Jefferson Street; the center of Jefferson Street from the center of Mountain Avenue to the center of Maple Street; the center of Maple Street from the center of Jefferson Street to the center of Mason Street. For purposes of this definition, the center of any given street shall be deemed to be the midpoint between the outer boundaries of such street. For streets running north to south or approximately north to south, the center runs north to south or approximately north to south, respectively; for streets running east to west, the center runs east to west or approximately east to west, respectively; the center of Jefferson Street runs approximately southeast to northwest. A map showing the approximate area of the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone dated February 27, 2015, is on file in the office of the City Clerk. . . . Section 2. That Section 12-58.5 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 12-58.5 Smoking prohibited on City-owned property Smoking shall be prohibited on all City-owned property. Unless otherwise prohibited by City Code, this section shall not apply to persons lawfully smoking entirely within an enclosed privately owned motor vehicle. Section 3. That Section 12-59.5 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 12-59.5 Smoking prohibited in the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone. Smoking shall be prohibited in the Downtown Smoke-Free Zone. Unless otherwise prohibited by City Code, this section shall not apply to any persons lawfully smoking in a privately owned residence, or entirely within an enclosed privately owned motor vehicle, or in a retail tobacco business. - 3 - Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 18th day of August, A.D. 2015, and to be presented for final passage on the 1st day of September, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 1st day of September, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk