A public hearing concerning the ban of smoking in public places played to an overflow crowd at the Mountain View Town Hall Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Several times, Mayor Scott Dellinger said the hearing was to gather information to determine if the need was present and to determine how the town should approach the issue if the town determined a no-smoking-in-public ordinance was necessary.

Comments, both pro and con, were fairly equally divided. Residents from both Mountain View and Lyman expressed concerns. Local bar business owners indicated they felt they were being targeted as the cafes in Mountain View are already smoke-free. Others asked how the council was going to determine what was considered public and what wasn’t public.

Suzanne Seppala, Uinta County Tobacco Prevention coordinator, and Jason Mincer, Wyoming’s Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society, both spoke in favor of the smoking ban and the perils of smoking and second-hand smoke.

Melinda Parkyn, bowling alley owner, took exception to the complaint concerning her business. She said she had owned the business for five years and this was her first complaint. She said she had six bays and worked with people so they could use her business on days where smoke wouldn’t be a problem. She also said she had five fans to suck the air out of the building to help alleviate the problem.

Cowboy Bar owner Betty Tripp asked the council to consider the effect the ban would have on businesses. She asked the town to wait on the ban until it is statewide so the local businesses wouldn’t be negatively impacted. She said, “Some might not survive.” She noted, “six miles down the road” are bars that would have no restrictions.

Several expressed concerns of the effects of second-hand smoke; noting second-hand smoke can kill. They said they didn’t want their children and families exposed to second-hand smoke.

Nina Beach, a nurse practioner, iterated the many problems that can be caused by smoking and second-hand smoke. She said Wyoming is one of 12 states nationwide that doesn’t have a smoking ban.

Several talked about the health issues caused by second-hand smoke. They also said they don’t like going to public places and “smelling like an ash tray.”

Jim Hissong, Mountain View resident, commended the council for taking on the issue. He also questioned how the council would determine what was public and what wasn’t. He said public areas also included things like the ball fields.

Others questioned the intrusion on personal and property rights by saying the businesses were privately owned. They even suggested, if people were concerned about smoke-free areas, maybe they should invest their money and provide those areas instead of impacting and trying to regulate the private property of others. Comments defending the rights of property owners was greeted with applause.

No action was taken following the public hearing. The council will address the issue again in their workshop at 7p.m. Feb. 16, prior to their next scheduled meeting.

In official action the council approved the first reading of the annexation of property owned by Gary Nix. His requested annexation of approximately 7.5 acres which included his business and some property in the back.

Other action included a resolution to increase the sewer rates in Mountain View by $1.20 per hookup per month. This was necessary as the town plans to extend the sewer line on Walker Lane to facilitate future development. The town has received some federal stimulus funds. The town received 75 percent of the cost of the construction so it needed a loan of $116,000 to complete the project. In order to received the 20-year loan at 2.5 percent interest from the State Revolving Loan Fund, the town had to increase the rates to reflect repayment.