Laserfiche WebLink
DRAFT Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, October 21, 2013 <br /> Page 11 <br /> didn't know what it was attempting to regulate. While not being a fan of e- <br /> cigarettes in public places, Councilmember Willmus opined that he was far from <br /> forming a position to regulate those products, since they were not yet known de- <br /> finitively if they were harmful or not. Councilmember Willmus concurred with <br /> Councilmember Laliberte in waiting for FDA guidance on this before taking ac- <br /> tion. <br /> Councilmember Etten sought clarification from Mr. Miller as to whether this <br /> simply banned retail sales but not the use of e-cigarettes in public places. <br /> Finance Director Miller recognized that as an interesting question, referencing the <br /> City Council decision in February of 2012, and deliberate selection of language <br /> stated as "any retail establishment;" and if defining that as a tobacco shop, the or- <br /> dinance was saying that it was not permitted to use them in retail, but permitted <br /> for use elsewhere (e.g. schools, churches, elsewhere) which would not make <br /> sense. Personally, Mr. Miller opined that he think the intent was "any indoor es- <br /> tablishment." <br /> Mayor Roe questioned if that was the actual intent. <br /> Councilmember McGehee stated that it was certainly her intent at that time. <br /> City Attorney Gaughan stated that his recollection was that amendments in 2012 <br /> to Section 306.05, "Indoor Smoking Prohibited" was in response to State law ex- <br /> pressly allowing sampling of tobacco at retail shops, with the City of Roseville <br /> using its regulatory authority as other cities had done, to prohibit use in sampling <br /> and Hookah lounges. Mr. Gaughan noted that the problem then became, if you <br /> were to expand the definition of tobacco in the City to e-cigarettes and the like, <br /> then disparity was found in where they could be used, since State law already ap- <br /> plied to public and work places, therefore a City Code was not needed to cover <br /> them, but now there were new technologies that State law and definition had yet <br /> to catch up to. <br /> Mayor Roe stated that his recollection of the 2012 amendment to City Code was <br /> in regulating sales in retail establishments licensed to sell tobacco-related prod- <br /> ucts and/or devices; and the linkage was then based on sampling in that section re- <br /> lated to the sale of products. <br /> City Attorney Gaughan stated that this was his recollection of what was intended <br /> in 2012, and because of State law being in place (Minnesota Clean Air Act), the <br /> City didn't have to worry about regulating other places since they were already <br /> covered under State Law. <br />