El Paso County expands anti-smoking policy

El Paso County Commissioners voted Monday morning to expand the county’s anti-smoking policies.

In a 4-1 vote, commissioners effectively banned smoking on all property the county owns, including parks, parking lots and pools, and all parts of the property around county buildings. The policy will go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Carlos Leon (D) said he brought the issue up out of concern for the health of employees and the public. Precinct 4 Commissioner Andrew Haggerty (R) voted against it, arguing it goes too far.

“We have a situation where we have some very large parks, and some very large areas,” Haggerty said. “I’ll give you an example. Someone’s at a swim meet that’s an all-day swim meet with their kids. And they want a cigarette. They have to take their kid out of the pool, leave the pool, get in the car, drive out of the park, pay to get back into the park, drive back to the pool, pay to get back into the pool, and put their kid back in the pool.”

Haggerty doesn’t smoke and he doesn’t support smoking, but said he doesn’t like government “over-reach.”

“I 100% agree that we need to have an ability to have clean air,” Haggerty said. “But smoking’s legal.”

At the El Paso County Courthouse in Downtown and all other county-owned properties, you won’t be able to smoke right next to the building – or anywhere on the property starting next year.

Previously, you had to be 20 feet away from whatever county building or facility you were near to be able to light up. But with the vote, if you want a smoke, you’re going to have to go all the way out to the sidewalk at the county courthouse, or the edge of whatever county property you may be on. And that includes places like Ascarate.

“In talking and doing everything that we’ve been doing with the county insofar as employee health, it didn’t make sense for us not to go after this policy,” Leon said.

Leon makes the claim that this policy move will benefit most people and public health in general. “So I think the whole region is moving towards a healthier kind of atmosphere,” Leon said.

There are two notable exceptions to this policy: the Ascarate golf course and the County Coliseum. You already can’t smoke inside the buildings there, but commissioners said they want to keep those facilities competitive with similar ones in the area that do allow smoking outdoors.

The county will also include this policy in future leases of county property. The expanded policy will cover everyone that comes onto county property or facilities.

Enforcement of the policy will be handled by directors or supervisors of a particular site or event. Employees found violating the policy may face disciplinary action, and visitors in violation may be subject to removal from the property. Subcontractors on county property found in violation may even be subject to termination of contract.

County Human Resources staff made the presentation about the policy change as an expansion of the existing Tobacco-Free Worksite Policy. The stated goal of the policy is “for the County of El Paso to provide safe and healthy work sites and to promote the health and wellness of employees, subcontractors, and visitors utilizing County facilities and parks.”