The Alpharetta City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance banning tobacco use at its six city parks and along more than six miles of greenway trails.
The measure passed 6-0 with one council member absent and on its first reading earlier this month.
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.
Councilman D.C. Aiken said there had been reports of coaches using tobacco on the athletic fields, which he found unacceptable. “We can’t have that,” Aiken said.
Douglas DeRito, another councilman, said the action sends a positive message to citizens and visitors that Alpharetta is a family friendly city.
Currently, the Parks Department has posted “No Smoking” signs in the parks, but no official policy exists regulating tobacco on the premises.
DeRito, the council’s liaison to the parks department, said smoking should not 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.
DeKalb County's board of health is likewise holding hearings to discuss outlawing smoking in the county.
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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