Lewisville Council Passes Smoking Ban; Restaurants, Hotels, Bars, and Bowling Alleys Affected

In a 3-2 vote tonight, the Lewisville City Council passed an ordinance banning all smoking inside Lewisville bars, restaurants, and bowling alleys (which had been exempt from the previous ordinance), and within 15 feet of any operable door or window. Hotels will be limited to no more than 10% of their room count allowed for smoking, and may not switch designations except to make a smoking room non-smoking.

Originally, the plan for tonight was that the ordinance would ban smoking within 25 feet of the establishment's front door or operable window, and within 5 feet of a patio door or window for patio dining areas. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Leroy Vaughn supported the ban, but had a problem with the inconsistency of those distances, as he indicated in a video interview with us last week. The plan had also been to leave the exemption in place for bowling alleys, but Councilman John Gorena, who didn't support the ban said that it would be unfair to ban it in bars and restaurants, but not in bowling alleys. Gorena was able to convince Councilmen T.J. Gilmore, Neil Ferguson, and Leroy Vaughn to remove the exemption for bowling alleys.

The proposed ordinance was amended by Councilman Neil Ferguson to reflect these changes before the vote.

Opponents of the ban became agitated and rowdy, heckling a representative of the American Cancer Society, calling her an "outside agitator" and loudly talking over Lewisville Mayor Dean Ueckert, who admonished them and asked for civility.

A few citizens spoke in favor of the ban, and several spoke against. Seven citizens signed up to oppose the ban, and 21 signed up for it.

The vote was Gilmore, Ferguson, Vaughn for, and Mayor Pro Tem Rudy Durham and Councilman Gorena against.

The ordinance did not receive a 4/5ths vote of the council, so under the charter, will require two more readings at subsequent council meetings.

Once the ordinance is read 3 times, and legally publicized, it will go into effect on October 1st of this year.


Here's a summary of the changes to the city's smoking ordinance that were passed tonight:

- Smoking is banned inside restaurants and bars.

- Smoking is banned inside bowling alleys

- Smoking is banned within 15* feet of any door, operable window, or vent to a place where smoking is prohibited.

- Smoking is banned in an outdoor seating area adjacent to a playground or play area for children, or otherwise posted non-smoking.

- Bars clarified as establishments earning 50% or more of annual gross sales from alcohol.

- Owners of establishments where smoking is prohibited must post a sign saying "No smoking. Violators fined up to $500" with the universal no-smoking symbol. This is changed from the old $200. They must advise violators that smoking is not allowed, and must ask a violator who refuses to stop smoking to leave the establishment.

- Exemptions for small restaurants based on seats or square footage have been removed.

- Not more than 10% of hotel rooms may be designated as smoking rooms. All rooms on the same floor must be contiguous, and smoke may not infiltrate into other areas where smoking is prohibited. The status cannot change except to add more non-smoking rooms.

* 15 feet rather than 25 or 5 that was in the backup material. This was amended on the dais.