By: centraljersey.com
MONTGOMERY – Residents will be permitted to smoke only on open trails and parkland but not on other municipal property, according to a revised anti-smoking ordinance introduced at the Township Committee meeting on Nov. 4.
The ordinance, which will be up for adoption at the committee’s Dec. 2 meeting, would directly effect employees in the township’s municipal buildings, such as township offices, the senior center and the community center. No one will be permitted to smoke anywhere on the property.
"This means that employees or residents can’t huddle outside the buildings anymore," said Township Administrator Donato Nieman. "They will have to get off the grounds completely, and it’ll be on their own time, like on their lunch breaks."
The ban was introduced at its Oct. 7 meeting and drafted into an ordinance at the Oct. 21 meeting. Originally, the ban would have made it illegal to smoke on all municipal property, including all township offices and parkland, but not on sidewalks or streets. But at the Oct. 21 meeting, residents and Mayor Mark Caliguire raised concerns about the ban possibly infringing on a person’s choice to smoke.
Mayor Caliguire said the smoking ban is an issue of fairness, in regards to township employees who choose to smoke as well as non-smoking employees, who don’t take as many breaks as smoking workers and deserve protection from second-hand smoke outside their buildings.
Mayor Caliguire requested the revision, saying that the original ordinance was "way too broad for us to have police determine whether people should be smoking or not," at the Oct. 21 meeting.
Mr. Nieman said that smokingssation programs will be offered to employees seeking to quit as a result of this ordinance.