(Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
The Cortland Common Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a local law in an effort to limit retail tobacco and vape sale establishments and restrict sales to specific areas in the city.
The law, which is broken down here under item two of Tuesday’s council meeting agenda, puts 1,000-foot buffer zones around all of the area’s schools, the Cortland County YMCA, YWCA Cortland and more.
Also noted in the city’s new local law is the requirement of a local tobacco retail license in addition to the state-issued tobacco retail licenses.
Stated in the Common Council agenda, “The federal Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act of 2009 provides local governments with the freedom to implement tobacco control policies. The proposed local law would establish a local licensing system for tobacco product and electronic smoking device retailers within the City of Cortland.”
“The focus is our youth, it’s a big component,” said AJ Meldrim, the city’s corporation counsel. “This is another level of protection and oversight for businesses like this because they’re popping left and right.”
Cortland mayor Scott Steve mentioned in the past that there are 18 licensed cigarette sales points in Cortland. Of that total of sale points, four of them are not in the proposed buffer zone. This includes Joe’s Kwik Mart, Smoker’s Choice and Family Dollar on Clinton Avenue, and the Speedway gas station on Port Watson Street.
Since those four establishments are out of the buffer zone, Steve said they would be “grandfathered” into the law. He added that the city would implement a max number of licensed tobacco sales. Once a local business ceases operations, it will not be able to reapply for a license.
“We know that this is a continuous problem we need to work on,” Steve said. “This is easier for us to do and gives us the enforcement necessary for certain items being sold. It’s a great tool to have.”
Prior to approval of the new local law, a public hearing was held on Tuesday. A handful of individuals commended the city’s new law. People who spoke during Tuesday’s public hearing included Jennifer Hamilton, public health educator for the Cortland County Health Department; Brittany Taylor, community impact director at the American Heart Association in Syracuse; and more.
Jennifer Hamilton, public health educator for the Cortland County Health Department, speaks at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting. (Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
