An overwhelming and at times emotional outpouring of public support Monday night pushed idling restrictions first backed by valley youth Willie Neal, who was killed in 2009, one step closer toward becoming law in town.

A dozen valley residents, including representatives from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Air Coalition, as well as doctors and business owners, spoke in favor of implementing an ordinance that would complement an existing state law and allow local police officers to ticket drivers for excessive idling.

Of the 12 who spoke during the Town Council meeting, some of the most poignant comments of the afternoon came from Willie Neal’s mother, Mary.

“My son did everything you asked of him,” Mary Neal said. “As his representative, I ask you, the Town Council, to act quickly and to pass an ordinance. No rationalizations. No smoke-screens. No excuses.”

Councilors followed Mary Neal’s advice and the arguments of others and unanimously directed town staff to start drafting an ordinance that will limit the amount of time drivers can idle their vehicles, the first step needed to implement the regulations.

Before making their decision, councilors heard from Phil Cameron, executive director of the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Air Coalition, who said idling restrictions are “the lowest of the low-hanging fruit” that would still serve as a meaningful way to reduce emissions.

Becky Tillson, of the Conservation Alliance, said the idling regulations would serve to control carbon emissions as the valley continues to grow and traffic increases.

Teton County Health Officer Dr. Jim Little Sr. and Dr. Mark Menolascino, through a letter to the council, said they supported the proposed ordinance, as did local business owner Brooke Bollinger, Tat Maxwell, Randall Cresswell and two seniors from Jackson Hole Community School.

Before his death in 2009, Willie Neal organized a communitywide campaign to promote the idea of an “Idle-free Jackson.”

A high school senior at the time, Neal started the nonprofit group Cookies 4 Climate Change and helped lead an aggressive campaign to discourage idling.

Neal, an eight-time Nordic skiing state champion who served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008, organized a bake sale through the group and used the money to install several “No Idling” signs around town.

Neal was killed while rollerskiing last summer in Maine, but his family, along with several local organizations, has continued to push his cause.

The teen’s efforts to rid the town of unnecessarily idling engines, spread over several years, have resulted in more than a dozen no-idling signs at local businesses, the distribution of more than a thousand bumper stickers and a grassroots support network made up of local residents and organizations, Mary Neal said.

That support network has grown to include a wide array of local and state officials.

In a letter to councilors, Rep. Pete Jorgensen, D-Jackson, implored the town to take steps to enforce something that largely is already included state law.

“State statute is pretty clear: You may not leave an unattended vehicle running, for any length of time,” Jorgensen said in the letter, which was read by town resident Jim Stanford during Monday’s meeting. “I would expect our police department to enforce the law, with officers’ discretion.”

Jorgensen continued by saying, “This community is the most sustainability-aware in the state, and I expect it to be. There are things worth protecting. Visitors and residents want clear air. This is an easy way to reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency.”

Although councilors did not delve into the details of the ordinance, they did agree on the general direction of the ordinance.

Councilors, as well as Police Chief Todd Smith, said the ordinance should focus more on education, rather than aggressive enforcement.

“Enforcement can be one option to educate the public,” said Brian Schilling, Jackson Hole Pathways coordinator. “Enforcement will be reserved for extreme cases, or repeat noncompliers. Education is the main focus.”

Schilling said the ordinance is not intended to put Jackson police in the position of having to carry out a heavy-handed enforcement effort.

“We don’t want to put police officers in a confrontational position with residents,” Schilling said.

Tickets are expected to be issued as parking infractions for drivers who let their vehicles idle for a specific amount of time while they are in the vehicle.

The council is able to set a time limit only for attended vehicles, because state law already prohibits drivers from leaving their car while it’s running.

Smith recommended that the ordinance be modeled after one passed by the city council in Ketchum, Idaho.

That ordinance, which went into effect last October, allows drivers parked on public property to idle their cars for no more than three minutes.

The ordinance includes a fine of $100 for a first offense. Subsequent violations would cost the offender $300.

The ordinance does provide exemptions that allow drivers to idle their vehicles for necessary situations, such as when they are stuck in traffic, trying to defrost their windows or performing “work for which the vehicle was designed.”

In Jackson, Smith said he expected that community service officers would enforce the ordinance during the day-time shift, with police officers picking up enforcement duties during the evening and early-morning hours.

Enforcement, however, is one of many moving parts that will have to be settled as the program is made into an ordinance.

“I think we should take a couple of iterations and then talk about enforcement,” Town Manager Bob McLaurin said. “We need to get something on paper and go from there.”

McLaurin said enforcement could prove difficult with current staffing levels.

“We’re down three officers and one [community service officer] right now,” McLaurin said. “It’s going to be an issue, but we’ll do the best we can to enforce this.”

While town employees work on an ordinance, councilors also asked Schilling to bring back a marketing plan that will be used to disseminate educational materials for the program.

Once drafted, the council will have to read and approve the ordinance three times.