Woodinville Council to Consider Banning Tobacco in Public Parks

Should tobacco be banned from the city’s parks? That will be the question up for discussion at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

In  February,  the  Parks  and  Recreation  Commission  reviewed  information  presented  by  King County, which is promoting the banning of tobacco in public parks, as well as other data about Woodinville parks to develop a recommendation on whether Woodinville should adopt such a ban. The Commission’s report will recommend that the City not adopt a policy prohibiting tobacco use in  parks, largely due to the difficulty of enforcement  and their conclusion that this is a non-issue in Woodinville parks.

Last year, five cities adopted the county’s plan and declared their parks tobacco free, Auburn, Covington, Seattle, Snoqualmie and the Vashon Parks District, which have similar policies. Tobacco policies are enforced mostly by residents themselves, much like with dog leash and alcohol policies, according to the county’s health services website. This is how similar laws have worked in other places, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. People can also contact the individual parks departments, according to the county.

Currently, only the Sports Field in Woodinville is designated as a tobacco-free area.

The Woodinville City Council meets on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Tuesday of each month in City Hall, Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Council Meetings that fall on holidays are rescheduled to the next working day. To read the entire agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, click here.