The Alpharetta City Council gave preliminary approval to a tobacco ban at the city's six parks and along its more than six miles of greenway trails.
The measure passed unanimously without any public comment. It will come up for a final vote on March 21.
The city's Recreation and Parks Commission originally proposed banning all tobacco use within 25 feet of organized activities, such as athletic events. But City Council members said at a work session last month that a complete ban made more sense.
Mayor Arthur Letchas said determining whether someone is 24 feet or 25 feet from a sporting event would simply be too hard to enforce.
Currently, the Parks Department has posted "No Smoking" signs in the parks, but no official policy exists regulating tobacco on the premises.
Councilman Chris Owens said he heard from two people representing opposite sides of the issue. While he is sympathetic to government encroachment into individual rights, he said he was also made aware of instances of adults smoking at children's events.
The council's liaison to the Parks Department, Douglas DeRito, who was not present Monday night, has said smoking should be prohibited along the greenway for safety reasons.
Alpharetta joins a growing number of cities prohibiting tobacco in public parks.
Roswell passed a smoking ban for its 18 municipal parks last summer. Marietta passed a tobacco ban for its 19 parks in 2009.
Alpharetta is also considering amending its employee handbook to prohibit the use of tobacco products by city employees, vendors and contractors on city property and work sites.
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