Decatur Commission To Consider E-Cigarette Ban

DECATUR, GA -- Vaing on Decatur property might be a thing of the past after Monday night.

The Decatur City Commission will consider a ban on electronic cigarettes at its Monday meeting.

An update to the city's clean-air ordinance is on the commission's agenda.

The update adds "e-cigarette" to the ordinance's definition of smoking that already includes cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. It also adds "nicotine based liquid" to the substances that may not be consumed.

Under the ordinance, vaping would be banned in what are considered "public parks."

In Decatur, that includes all city parks, the downtown MARTA Plaza, the Decatur Cemetery and the Old Courthouse lawn.

"The proposed changes closely follow the provisions and definitions of the DeKalb County Clean Air Ordinance to create an ordinance more consistent with regulations in areas immediately surrounding the City of Decatur," reads a memo to City Manager Peggy Merriss from city staff.

Also Monday, the commission will consider an ordinance that would crack down on private companies that place immobilization devices, or "boots," on cars in private parking lots in Decatur.

The measure, which was considered but delayed in March, would place a cap on vehicle booting fees, require companies that use boots to accept both credit and cash and require workers who apply and remove boots to have proper identification, among other changes.

Elected officials and city staffers say they are constantly receiving complaints about aggressive booting tactics in downtown Decatur.

(Photo by Lindsay Fox, via Wikimedia Commons)