Herald Journal Health & Medical Resources Guide: Smoke-free county list grows

Covering the west metro area including parts of Wright, Carver,
McLeod, Hennepin, and Meeker Counties

Smoke-free county list grows

By Kristen Miller, Staff Writer

The number of counties with smoke-free ordinances is growing with the addition of McLeod County to the list in August.

McLeod County passed a smoke-free ordinance in the spring that will affect all work and public places, including restaurants, beginning Aug. 1, 2006.

This follows several counties that adopted similar ordinances in 2005, including Hennepin, Ramsey, Meeker and Beltrami. Olmsted County became smoke-free in 2002.

The McLeod County ordinance does not apply to bars that have a “limited food menu.”

An exemption will be needed for bars and liquor establishments that have an “expanded food menu,” and can be applied for if their current liquor license was issued before May 16, 2006, according to the ordinance.

Guest rooms in hotels, motels and other lodging are excluded in the ordinance.

In accordance with the Minnesota Clean Air Act rules, smoking is prohibited within 10 feet of the establishment.

Meeker County was added to the list last September. All the restaurants are smoke-free. Bars and restaurants with already-existing liquor licenses on the other hand, were able to file for exemptions, but those exemptions will expire July 31, 2007. Beginning Aug. 1, 2007 all bars and restaurants in Meeker County will be smoke-free without any exemptions.

According to Meeker County Attorney Stephanie Beckman, after the August date, the ordinance will go into effect and any establishment that meets the requirements under the ordinance must comply with the ordinance. No exemptions are allowable after this period.

The two-year exemption was for establishments to adjust to the change and for them to get used to the ordinance, Beckman said.

The exemption does not allow employees under 18 “to be present in any room where smoking is permitted while they are working,” according to the Meeker County smoke-free ordinance.

Craig Hagen, owner of Hojies Grill and Smokehouse in Dassel, is affected by the Meeker County smoke-free ordinance and has seen a loss in sales because of it, he said.

He explained that groups and regular customers who would come in don’t anymore because the restaurant is non-smoking.

Hagen thinks establishments should have a choice whether or not to be smoke-free.

“I don’t think we should be forced,” he said.

Hagen said he enjoys smoke-free establishments as a customer, but not as an owner.

Carver and Wright counties do not have smoke-free ordinances, and have no current plans of adopting a ban.

Carver County is not intending to pursue a smoke-free ordinance as an individual county. Carver County Administrator Dave Hemze said Carver County would only adopt an ordinance if it was statewide.

As for Wright County, it isn’t working on a county wide smoke-free ordinance at this time, according to Joel Torkelson, health educator for Wright county.

Published August 2006
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