Stenger: Smoking Ban Changes Won't Come Immediately

The chairman of the St. Louis County Council said Tuesday in Clayton that he doesn’t expect a move to expand a recently enacted smoking ban to formulate for several months.

County Council Chairman Steve Stenger, a Democrat who represents District 6 (which includes Mehlville and Oakville) and lives in unincorporated St. Louis County, told reporters that he would be open to removing exemptions on the county’s smoking ban that went into effect in January. The ban doesn’t encompass certain bars that serve primarily alcohol, casinos or some private clubs.

“I would be in favor of a ban certainly that had fewer exemptions,” Stenger said. “And I am very open to having a dialogue, and we’ve been having a dialogue among council members about which exemptions might be removed and which ones might not. So it is being discussed.”

But Stenger added that there are “seven council members, and everyone has a different view on the subject.” That, he said, makes it difficult to arrive at a consensus on how to proceed.

“There are of course some council members that don’t want to change anything,” Stenger said. “There are some council members who do want to change some things. So we’re working on it, and we’re studying the issue as well.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said the county’s health department would study the matter before making any recommendations to move forward. And Stenger said any proposed ordinance to expand the ban likely won’t arrive for three months.

Asked if there were any  establishments, Stenger said “there certainly is that.”

“There’s always that concern, I think,” Stenger said. “I can’t say that’s the most weighty factor in the mix. But it’s certainly there. It’s certainly something everyone thinks about.”

Stenger’s comments came after four people urged the council during its public forum section to remove exemptions. Tuesday’s meeting marked the second meeting in a row at which proponents of an expanded ban had spoken out.

“As of last week, more than 150 establishments have received permits,” said Ballwin resident Charles Gatton, who was a proponent of enacting the smoking ban. “I hear many complaints from people telling me that this isn’t what they thought they were voting for.”

OTHER COUNCIL NOTES

• The council received a report from the Board of Elections regarding . The report showed that proponents of dismantling the south St. Louis County town had 463 valid signatures, more than 392 needed to prompt an election.

Proponents of disincorporation include St. George Mayor Carmen Wilkerson, 

Stenger said that the “democratic process is in play and the residents of St. George are going to make a determination on what their future is going to hold.”

“I think that’s frankly a unique feature of our democracy—they can do that,” said Stenger, whose council district includes St. George. “I’m going to support whatever the voters want to do there.”

• The council gave final approval to an ordinance accepting a grant up to $373,844.62 from the Missouri Department of Social Services for a juvenile diversion program. The ordinance, which still needs Dooley’s signature, passed without opposition.