Monroe committee debates adding vaping to indoor no-smoking rules

The Monroe Joint Judiciary & Ordinance Committee discussed whether the city should add electronic smoking devices and vaping to its existing indoor nonsmoking ordinance and asked staff to draft concise language for the committee to review.

The city administrator opened the discussion, saying the current code adopts state statutes but "does not explicitly include electronic smoking devices," and noted municipalities such as Madison have added tailored language. A committee member said they "like vaping getting put in the same basket as smoking," and another added that vaping "still puts something out that other people have to breathe in."

Attorney Bardoff, who prepared the sample language, said Madison's ordinance is "way too comprehensive" for Monroe and proposed a shorter draft that simply adds vaping to the existing nonsmoking provision. Committee members and staff agreed a clear indoor-only definition (for example, "inside the structure") would make enforcement practical.

On enforcement, the administrator and Chief Kelly said municipalities may adopt rules that the state statute leaves undefined for vaping but cautioned that officers should not be put in the position of measuring distances or routinely patrolling for violations. Chief Kelly noted that age restrictions are handled by state law and recommended education and a public-notification period before active enforcement.

Committee members asked whether the rule would apply at outdoor festivals and beer gardens; staff and the attorney said those outdoor spaces are harder to regulate consistently and the draft should focus on indoor spaces and structures. Attorney Bardoff said staff can produce a draft ordinance for the committee to review at its next meeting.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the ordinance language and directed staff to prepare a draft for further consideration at the next meeting.