Vote delayed on smoking ban in public housing

The Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) may soon ban residents from smoking inside their homes, and the possibility has some residents fired up.

The CHA board was scheduled to vote on the “Smoke-Free Lease Addendum V3” Tuesday night, but the vote was tabled because of an administrative error.

So residents in public housing can continue smoking in their homes…for now.

It’s an issue that’s been controversial among residents. Some are happy because they are not smokers and sick of smelling smoke in their building. Others are fired up. Charles Kidwell is the latter.

“If we want to run around naked as a jaybird, that’s our freedom. If we want to smoke a cigarette now and again, that’s our freedom,” Kidwell said. “But they’re trying to take our freedom away… I think it’s dictating. Like in Russia or Germany, it’s communism,” he argued.

Phil Steinhaus, CEO of the Housing Authority, said banning smoking indoors is a matter of cost and public health, especially for the non-smoking families in the building exposed to second-hand smoke.

If a resident is caught smoking, they will be given a warning and then may face a $100-minimum cleaning fine or eviction, Steinhaus said.

If the board passes the smoke-free policy, the housing authority said it will be enforced in all of its 719 rental units on May 1.

In October 2010, the Columbia Housing Authority made three floors in Paquin Tower and two floors in Oak Towers smoke-free as a test run. According to Steinhaus, the ban went smoothly. Most smoking tenants chose to remain on the same floors and smoke outside.

Columbia will also not be the first city in the state to implement this ban if it passes. Kansas City passed a public housing authority-wide smoking ban last July.

Steinhaus also said it’s significantly cheaper to restore a non-smoking apartment compared to a smoking one. The CHA cited a report done by the Auburn Housing Authority in Maine claiming the cost of restoring a smoking unit can run between $1,300 to $2,700. Restoration in a non-smoking unit costs less than $600.

“We’re not asking people to quit, we’re just asking people to go outside and smoke,” Steinhaus said.

“They’re not considering that the fact that these people have been smoking most of their lives and they’re automatically wanting to shut down smoking all at one time and people cannot do that!” he said. “Everything is dictated to you and that’s garbage.”Kidwell said

The board will now vote on the issue in March. The ban would also include e-cigarettes.