Springfield may vote on smoking ban

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- If the mayor gets his way, voters will decide whether the state's third largest city should be totally smoke free.

Mayor Tom Carlson said Tuesday that he plans to push for the issue to be placed on the November 2004 ballot. It would coincide with the next presidential election, thus reducing the risk of special-interest groups dominating the election, he said.

A law prohibiting smoking in Springfield restaurants went into effect July 7, but it includes several exemptions.

that those on both sides of the issue agree have created a disadvantage for some restaurants.

The proposed ban that would go before voters also would affect bars, pool or bingo halls, shopping malls and bowling alleys.

It does call for smoking to be allowed in: Halls or rooms rented for private parties and meetings; theatrical productions; smoke shops that generate at least 50 percent of their revenues from tobacco sales; outdoor cafes; and private clubs, dining and banquet facilities.

If voters approve the issue in 2004, the ban would supersede the current ordinance and go into effect the following January, Carlson said. If the issue fails, the current ordinance would still be binding.

Springfield and Maryville are the only two cities in the state to enact restaurant smoking ordinances.

In northwest Missouri, Maryville city leaders chose to ban smoking in all restaurants. The law that went into effect in June does exclude bars where liquor represents 60 percent of gross revenues.

Carlson earlier offered a plan to allow a handful of restaurants a three-year reprieve if their owners could demonstrate lost revenues of at least 35 percent.

On Tuesday, he said he would ask the council to approve an amendment to that exemption.

The mayor said he will push for a three-year reprieve for businesses showing a 20 percent loss in sales during a three-month period this year compared with the same three-month period last year.