Laserfiche WebLink
%7‘.04/o <br /> Minutes <br /> City Council Work Session <br /> Monday, March 9, 2026, 5:00 PM <br /> e4kESHo1"c‘' City Council Chambers 12780 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356 <br /> ROLL CALL <br /> Council members present: Mayor Bob Tunheim, Alisa Benson, Jacqueline Ricks, Jon Schwingler, <br /> Steve Persian <br /> Staff present: City Clerk Christine Lusian and Community Development Director Laura Oakden. <br /> TOBACCO ORDINANCE <br /> The City Council held a work session to review the City's tobacco regulations for consistency with <br /> state and county standards and to discuss potential future goals or initiatives. <br /> Representatives from Hennepin County Public Health and the Association for Nonsmokers provided <br /> an overview of the city's existing ordinance,recent state and federal updates, tobacco industry <br /> trends, and public health impacts, including effects of nicotine on youth, healthcare costs, lost <br /> productivity, and environmental impacts related to tobacco smoke and nicotine products. <br /> Council members discussed potential policy directions and expressed interest in strengthening youth <br /> protections (prohibiting flavors in nicotine and tobacco products with a possible exemption for <br /> licensed smoke shops) and gathering information and feedback from the city's licensed tobacco <br /> retailers. Other potential updates to the ordinance for future review include updates to definitions, <br /> restrictions on discounts and pricing, limits on the number of tobacco licenses, smoke-free setbacks <br /> and designated smoking areas at city worksites, clarification of smoking rules on public/city <br /> property, and maintaining the smoke-free exemption at the golf course. <br /> The Council provided direction to staff to work with the Hennepin County Public Health Law Center <br /> to develop a draft ordinance for review, retailer feedback, and future Council consideration. <br /> ADJOURNMENT <br /> Work session ended at 5:54 pm. <br /> ATTEST: CITY COUNCIL <br /> Christin L an, ty Clerk Bob Tunheim, Mayor <br />