Board seeks comments on smoking regulations
By Traci Angel, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
January 22, 2009
The Teton County Public Health Board is accepting public comments on a proposal for an indoor air regulation that would prohibit smoking in public places.
People can view a copy of the rule at the Teton County Health Department office, Teton County clerk’s office and Teton County Library. The rule is expected to be posted to the county’s Web site, www.tetonwyo.org, this week.
Anyone wanting to write the board can do so through the county Web site, or by mailing the board at P.O. Box 937, Jackson, WY 83001; dropping off a written comment to 460 E. Pearl Ave.; calling 733-6401; or e-mailing county health manager Terri Gregory at terri.gregory@health.wyo.gov.
The board moved toward approving the regulation at a Jan. 13 meeting and is allowing a public comment period of 45 days before voting on the measure. The official comment period starts Jan. 28 and runs through March 15.
A vote on the rule is tentatively planned for a March 24 meeting, and Gregory said she will accept comments until the meeting.
Recently, the board has considered a county ban on smoking because of its documented health effects. Board members first pursued a town ordinance, but the Town Council declined to vote on the measure, saying an ordinance was not necessary. Only one bar in Teton County, the Virginian Saloon, allows patrons to smoke.
The board then considered changing the county’s food code to label secondhand smoke a toxic substance. But members decided an indoor air rule would reach more people because it included all public places rather than just the licensed bars and restaurants regulated by the food code.
