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in some cases, parents were involved. That concerned him. Mayor Torrey was very supportive <br />of banning smoking in restaurants. He wanted the County Health Department to ask the Board of <br />County Commissioners to enact such ordinances, saying it made no sense to make the city limits <br />of Eugene the boundary of tobacco use as people would merely cross that boundary to go places <br />that allowed smoking. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey wanted the State to deal more comprehensively with the question of who provided <br />tobacco to youth. He noted that currently, offenders, who were rarely cited anyway, were only <br />mailed post cards. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Farr, Mr. Johnson said that he would attempt to keep <br />responsibility for enforcement out of the purview of the Police Department, and would work hard <br />to figure out another enforcement option. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey asked for clarification of how the ordinances in Multnomah County and Corvallis <br />addressed private clubs, and for more information about potential civil labor actions related to a <br />city ordinance. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said that business licensing could be a "stick" to deal with merchants who continued to <br />sell tobacco products to minors in violation of the law. He said that the mechanism could <br />potentially lend itself to outside contracting, which could realize cost savings. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly shared Ms. Nathanson's desire that Springfield enact a similar ordinance and suggested <br />that Eugene's actions could be a spur for that community. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly supported a lead time for restaurants but suggested a shorter time period, such as six <br />months. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart said he had previously had a concern similar to the mayor's regarding restriction of a <br />legal product but pointed out that other legal products, such as alcohol, were similarly restricted <br />for the well-being of the community. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Farr, Mr. Johnson said that the council was not obliged to <br />form a citizen advisory committee to oversee the ordinances' development, but it could do so. <br />He said that it was relatively straightforward to adapt the language of other ordinances to the <br />City's format. However, if a change was made regarding the issue of minor in possession, legal <br />counsel would have to develop that text. He clarified, in response to a follow-up question from <br />Mr. Farr, that the text regarding minors in possession did not have to be of the ordinance. Mr. <br />Farr favored that approach. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner shared the concerns expressed by others regarding the need for a similar ordinance <br />in the County, particularly one regarding youth access because youth could simply go to <br />unincorporated areas of the county to buy tobacco products. He did not perceive the need for an <br />advisory committee. Mr. Meisner also did not support an exemption for bars, and thought six <br />months' lead time was sufficient for businesses to prepare for the ordinance. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner did not want the police or other enforcement authorities to seek out minor in <br />possession violations, although he did want to penalize vendors. Mr. Johnson said that the intent <br />of the minor in possession ordinance was to strengthen enforcement of existing laws. Mr. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 19, 2000 Page 4 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />