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Austin council debates tobacco retailer concentration, approves consent item for RTH cigarette seller
Summary
Councilors discussed whether the city has too many smoke shops and whether location rules are needed, then approved adding a retail tobacco (RTH) cigarette seller back into the consent agenda and moved the consent items forward.
Austin City Council members discussed local concentrations of tobacco retailers and enforcement measures before approving a consent-agenda item to include a retail tobacco (RTH) cigarette seller application.
Mayor King and several council members said they had received a citizen email raising concerns about the number of tobacco businesses and their placement within the city. Mayor King called attention to counts from neighboring communities and noted Austin currently has two tobacco retailers and a third store application that could increase that number.
The mayor said the local market largely determines how many stores open but acknowledged the council had received concerns about clustering near schools and business corridors. "I'm not a proponent of smoking," Mayor King said, but added the council must balance regulation with a free-market environment and existing licensing tools.
Council members noted that enforcement is active: sales-compliance spot checks and license requirements are used to curb sales to minors. One council member observed that recent state law changes reduce the role of police in enforcing personal possession rules and limit local enforcement to vendors selling to minors.
After discussion about whether to refer the matter to a work session for more study, the council moved, seconded and approved returning the RTH cigarette item to the consent agenda and voted to carry the consent agenda with the RTH item included.
The council did not adopt new limits or zoning controls at the meeting; members said if a specific retailer presented problems the city could pursue license action. Several councilors suggested further study of location restrictions could be considered at a later date.
Ending
Councilors asked staff to continue monitoring compliance checks and licensing, and to consider whether more formal study is warranted in a work session; no new ordinance or zoning restriction was proposed or adopted at the meeting.
