Paul R. Zeissler
March 8, 2007

PALATINE -- Palatine is set to spend $15,000 promoting its smoking ban to help bar and restaurant owners who say the law has hurt their bottom line.

"All of those that encouraged a smoking ban need to get off of their butts and support these places," Councilman Jack Wagner said Monday. "The smoking is over. Where are all you people that wanted it that way? Why aren't you supporting your local establishments?"

Village Manager Reid Ottesen's recommendation to run newspaper ads touting a smoke-free Palatine was supported by the council, which heard from some business owners and representatives that the $15,000 could be better spent.

"Why not give the money to the owners and let us spend it on advertising as we choose?" said Lisa Bellanca of the Lamplighter Inn Tavern & Grille. "Who is taking control of the advertising money in the village? We should be able to make our own ads."

Councilman Michael Jezierski said, "Who are the people getting hurt in this? It is the bartenders and the waitresses?

"I am afraid that if we give the money to the owners it won't go any further than that. We want this money to take care of everyone, not just the owners."

A public meeting will be held to get business owners' opinions on the advertising plan, Ottesen told the council.
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Palatine officials consider changes to smoking ban 

February 19, 2007
By Sara Faiwell, Daily Herald Staff Writer

Leaders in Palatine are poised to talk about making changes to the town’s smoking ban this week after receiving a barrage of complaints from businesses.

The ordinance bans smoking in all public places and has been in effect for six weeks.

In Palatine, smoking is no longer allowed in office and industrial buildings, restaurants, bar areas, outdoor dining areas, semi-enclosed areas and tobacco establishments.

Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates all approved similar smoking ordinances to create a level playing field between the towns.

Some say if the town amends its ban, that no longer will be the case. None of the other towns are planning to change their bans.

“Any changes or exemptions that reduce the competitiveness of the playing field could have an overall negative effectiveness,” Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz said.

He says the strength of the ordinances are that all the neighboring towns went in together.

“There are some minor variations among the towns, but in general the core substance of the ordinance has remained constant throughout the communities,” Arlington Heights Village Manager Bill Dixon said. “It certainly is the hope of Arlington Heights and the intent of Arlington Heights that this will continue.”

Several Palatine business owners say the local ban isn’t working. They argue that because Wheeling and Mount Prospect have not completely banned smoking, it’s creating unfair competition.

Cook County passed its own smoking ordinance, effective March 15. This would become law in any town that doesn’t have its own ban. The county’s ordinance also prohibits smoking in all public places.

Some county commissioners have tried to delay the ban until July 2008, but officials say that’s unlikely to happen.

State leaders have tossed around the idea of an Illinois smoking ban in the past and some elected officials speculate that it will be a priority this coming year.

A number of Palatine business owners say they’re having to compete unfairly to the north, as well, given that some nearby Lake County towns do not have any limits on smoking.

Business owners also argue that Palatine shouldn’t be smoke-free unless and until the state makes it a law.

Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner is the force behind the proposed change, which could be approved Tuesday night at village hall.

“We passed this thing so it was apples to apples,” he said. “We need to set a fair playing field. By the time the state does this, we need to make sure our businesses have not gone out of business.”

Wagner said last week he’d prefer to allow smoking in bar areas of restaurants and taverns. But until the public discussion takes place this Tuesday, no one knows what changes might be forthcoming to the ban.

Bill Roscoe, who owns Duffy’s Sports Pub, a bar and restaurant in Palatine, said the business is losing money.

“We are losing thousands of dollars every day,” he said. “What we’re looking for is an even playing field until the state goes no-smoking. I am really surprised myself about the amount of people who aren’t coming in.”
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Palatine may amend smoke ban
Business owners address city council
February 13, 2007
By Sara Faiwell, Daily Herald Staff Writer
After hearing from a crowd of people against Palatine’s smoking ban, officials in the village said they will talk next week about amending the ordinance that prohibits lighting up in all public places.
More than 60 bar/restaurant owners, employees and residents packed the village hall Monday night, many going on the record to say that money is being lost and workers’ finances are hurting because of the ban, which went into effect Jan. 2.
“The decisions I’ve had to make in the past few weeks are heartbreaking,” said Nikki Wylie, a manager at Gator’s Pub and Grill on Rand Road. “I am cutting bartender and waitress shifts. The customers are going other places, and they are taking their non-smoking friends with them.”
The only reason Palatine approved a smoking ordinance was to create a level playing field with other communities. Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg all drafted similar bans, but some of the towns included exemptions. And in Wheeling and Mount Prospect, you can still smoke in bars.
A Cook County smoking ban was supposed to go into effect March 15, but now there’s talk that may be delayed.
All of these factors are going into the decision for Palatine elected officials to rethink the ordinance Monday.
Councilman Jack Wagner suggested that officials have a formal discussion on the ban, with the possibility of amending it. He says he’d prefer to allow smoking in bar areas of restaurants and taverns.
Some bar employees and residents talked about other effects the smoking ban has had on the community — customers going in their cars to smoke and drink, streets being lined with cigarette butts, and loud noise coming from groups of people congregating outside to smoke.
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Public smoking ban greenlighted
Benji Feldheim
November 15, 2006

PALATINE -- The Palatine Village Council approved a public smoking ban this week despite objections from some officials who wanted to give business owners some discretion in the matter.

The council voted 4-2 on the ban after rejecting provisions that would have allowed owners of office or industrial buildings to designate smoking areas within a structure, and would have allowed smoking in areas where tobacco sales are incidental to the business. Councilmen Jack Wagner and Mike Jezierski opposed the ordinance, citing a desire to give business owners some say on a smoking policy.

Several tavern owners said they were concerned about losing business to bars in neighboring towns such as Arlington Heights and Hoffman Estates that have allowed exceptions.

"We've talked and we will try to get a lawyer," said Frank Bellanca, owner of the Lamplighter Inn in Palatine. "We have to get someone that will get all our views together and go up there and express them."

"I was a little disappointed that a couple communities allowed the exceptions because I feel very strongly about creating a level playing field," said Councilman Brad Helms. "All we can do is control Palatine. I had to make sure that we were consistent. If we're going to limit one building we had to limit all buildings."

The ordinance goes into effect Jan. 2.

Representatives of the American Cancer Society praised the decision. "People have a right to smoke at their private residence but it is not their right to impose their choice on others," said Katherine Sawyer, regional vice president.
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Wendy Kummerer
Published February 23, 2006

PALATINE -- Before dealing with local smoking legislation, Palatine's Village Council will wait to see what state legislators do.

Mayor Rita Mullins said Tuesday that a ban was discussed by the Northwest Municipal Conference, a council whose members represent 50 municipal governments, and the feeling was that it would be supported if enforced across the state.

"No town wanted to pass the ban themselves because the feeling was the business would go to the next town and so on," Mullins said. "However, as a consortium it might be something they would be in favor of."

A bill has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would prohibit smoking in restaurants, bars, taverns and bowling alleys.

"We should conclude this discussion and let the cards fall. See what the state decides," Councilman Jack Wagner said.

In other business, the council will seek feedback from Palatine residents on downtown development in a tax-increment financing district.

The Hummel Group and Focus Development of Wheaton pitched their plans to the council for a combined retail and condominium development at Brockway, Wood, Bothwell and Wilson Streets, known as Block 27.

"This is a unique approach for the village and the first time we have chosen to openly discuss the development process with the public," Councilman Brad Helms said.

Both proposals include more than 100 condominiums, more than 15,000 square feet of street-level stores (primarily along Wilson), underground parking. Buildings would be three to five stories high.

The plans are on the village Web site and cable Channel 6, officials said. The council will discuss them in March.