Green Bay municipal facility smoking ban pushed The city will have to negotiate a smoke-free policy with union employees By Michelle Kennedy News-Chronicle The city of Green Bay is the only municipality in Brown County that still permits smoking within its buildings and vehicles. Although smokers have been relegated to a small, ventilated room on the sixth floor of City Hall and have the ability to smoke in city-owned vehicles, members of the Brown County Tobacco Free Coalition told the city's Personnel Committee Tuesday that even that effort is not enough. "We are asking that the city implement a smoke-free policy across the board, in all city-owned vehicles and buildings," Marjorie Reichwald, of the Brown County Health Department, said. "The (Environmental Protection Agency) classifies secondhand smoke as a Class A human lung carcinogen, just like asbestos. And it means that there is no such thing as safe exposure to it." Reichwald said that a St. Norbert College Survey Center study determined that Green Bay is the only one local community that has not completely abolished the practice from its buildings. "Further, 83 percent of companies with over 100 employees in Brown County do not allow smoking," Reichwald said. "Green Bay sets a poor example for employees and citizens by allowing people to continue to smoke inside." Romac pointed out that the city spends about $2,300 a year to ventilate the area. But ventilation companies also will no longer guarantee that any ventilation system can keep an area 100 percent smoke free. Leo Warner, a member of the coalition and a city employee, said that even the lingering smell of smoke left in vehicles offends him and any amount of smoke can aggravate his severe asthma. "Smoking was banned on city buses a long time ago," he said. "And drivers learned to smoke outside, on their breaks. It doesn't seem right that non-smokers don't get the same privilege to take a break, like smokers do. It shouldn't even be considered as a bargaining chip." Judy Friederichs, director of the Brown County Health Department, said there are some people who do not believe that secondhand smoke is harmful. "There is no debating the point any longer," she said. "It is a known cause of all types of illness. I think it's time that Green Bay partner with the federal government and other communities and set an example. It's time to denormalize the use of tobacco." The Personnel Committee made no argument. Committee member Linda Queoff said she was surprised that nothing had been done before. "I agree with everything you have said," chairwoman Darlene Marcelle said. "I just don't think we can continue to subject our employees to that." The committee referred the proposal to abolish smoking in all city vehicles and buildings to the human resources staff because some contracts with unions stipulate the ability to smoke on the premises specifically. Staff will make a report to the committee in two months.