Webb City does not enact smoking ban

On the same day that Cape Girardeau residents voted against a smoking ban, the citizens in a western Missouri town chose to approve a similar non-smoking measure.

Yet the city council in the Jasper County town of Webb City chose to not enact the smoking ordinance.

The Webb City ordinance passed by a vote of 452 to 348. Regardless, the City Council chose to not put the non-smoking measure into law, voting against it 5 to 3.

Webb City mayor John Biggs says that council members voted against the measure for individual liberty reasons … and due to low voter turnout.

"It just depends on your point of view," Biggs said. "The people that were for the smoking ban thought it was a great turnout. The people that had a mindset against it thought it was a poor turnout."

Only 12% of registered voters participated in the election. The Webb City measure was a non-binding referendum that Biggs said was intended to guide the vote of the council.

Mayor Biggs voted in favor of the ban.

Posted in: John Biggs,smoking ordinance,Webb City