By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-813542.mp3
Dallas, TX – Rowlett may join other North Texas cities in a stronger crackdown on smoking. The city council heard from businesses and citizens Tuesday night.
Rowlett allows smoking in restaurant bars and in designated smoking areas. But the Mayor and City Council are opening the door to a tougher ban, according to Rowlett's Donna Huerta.
Huerta: We had been thinking about this for almost a year. We brought it up a year ago, and it went nowhere at that time. So we were waiting to see what was happening with other cities.
Last month, Dallas passed a total ban on public, indoor smoking, including stand alone bars. That crackdown on smoking takes effect in April. A tougher Flower Mound smoking ordinance took effect last week. Huerta says Rowlett wants to gauge support from businesses and residents before crafting any sort of smoking crackdown before an anticipated vote next month.