Hearing set on smoking ban (07/17/07)

With a meeting to discuss a countywide smoking ban approaching, the proposition of public prohibition is being met with mixed reviews.

The hearing will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Jay County Courthouse. It will be open to the public, and local officials encourage all interested people to share their views.

Jay County Commissioners said Monday they have not yet formed an opinion on the issue, which has been recommended by the health department.

During the afternoon session Monday, Commissioner Gary Theurer said he might be hesitant to impose policy on people who haven't broken laws.

"Why should I tell a business how to run their business?" Theurer asked.

"It'll be interesting to see what my opinion is after the meeting on Wednesday," he added, saying he anticipated an "emotional" meeting with strong sentiment coming from both sides.

Dr. Stephen Myron, director of the Jay County Health Department, was an architect in bringing the potential smoking ban to the forefront. He said limiting people's vulnerability to secondhand smoke falls in line with his organization's mission statement of "population-based health care."

"This is being put forth in a lot of communities and we thought it was time to be brought forth in Jay County," he said.

The board of directors for the Portland Area Chamber of Commerce is in favor of statutes that promote healthy lifestyles in public places, including a smoking ban, said the agency's executive director Vicki Tague.

But some are businesses aren't convinced a government mandate is the best route toward healthier public places.

Gina Jennings, a bartender and waitress at The Greazy Pickle, 211 W. Main St., Portland, said business in her place of employment could be hurt by a smoking ban. She added that many customers who buy alcohol also smoke, and as long as there are designated smoking areas in restaurants safety can be achieved.

Jennings, who is a smoker, said she thought some local businesses have suffered as a result of not allowing smoking.

The ban could also hurt business at Kate's Coffee Shop, 224 S. Meridian St., Portland, owner Ruth Bruss said. Some regular patrons at the restaurant are smokers and could be driven away if the ban takes place.

"I think it's not right," Bruss said. "It's telling people what to do.

"It will hurt, because they come into eat and they want to smoke."

Regardless of which side of the debate people are on, Myron said, Wednesday's public meeting will be a great forum for individuals and businesses to express support or concern about the measure.

"I want to hear and the commissioners want to hear how people feel about this issue," he said.[[In-content Ad]]A not-for-profit organization providing public transportation in Jay and surrounding counties is looking for financial help from Jay County Commissioners.

LifeStream Inc. faces projected deficits for its InterUrban transportation system, said Judi Ritter, vice president of planning for the organization. Increased fuel costs coupled with a rise in the need for public transportation in Jay County means money is not available to continue services at the current rate.

Ritter said InterUrban, which provides "access service" for all people, gave 29,601 trips in Jay County through April and expects to exceed 31,000 for the year.

Currently, operating costs for InterUrban in Jay County are $558,698 a year, according to statistics provided by LifeStream. Ritter said Jay County allots about $43,500 of the total amount. That figure would have to increase to $55,869 to maintain current services, she added. With a projected increase of 18 percent in fuel costs that total would be pushed to $63,609.

Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. said the county has $50,000 appropriated for the program for the coming fiscal year.

Securing more funds to meet the organization's needs would be difficult.

"I'm saying that one time or another we're going to have to tighten our belt or the tax rate is going to be out of sight," he said.

Commissioner Gary Theurer said one option the Life Stream has is to increase the cost of monthly bus passes for their riders.

Passes in Jay County are $15 a month, Ritter said in an interview after the meeting.

Commissioners' attorney Brad Burkett said he didn't think a small jump in the cost of monthly passes would be a problem with riders.

"If they had an increase of $5 I don't think they would gripe. They would know what it was for," he said.

Raising rates could be one option, Ritter said, but InterUrban could be forced to begin enacting "trip denials" or other cuts in services if the program can't overcome financial shortcomings.

Ritter asked if funding from the City of Portland would be possible, and Miller said commissioners would discuss the matter with Mayor Bruce Hosier and City Council.

The deadline for Life Stream's grant approval is Aug. 17, she said.

Commissioners also approved of an ordinance that allows the sheriff's department to impose fee of $50 for registration and an annual fee in the same amount for convicted sex and violent offenders. It also requires offenders to pay $5 each time they change residences.

In other business, Jay County Assessor Anita Mills was granted permission to retain the services of her board of property tax assessors for an additional 10 days, because they are not finished with their work. By statute, board members are only supposed to serve 30 days.

Mills also was appointed as the purchasing agent for a new computer. She told commissioners she had a quote of $800 from Dell.

They asked her to seek a local bid, and accept it if it was $800 or less.