After a year of preparations, the Laurel City Council Tuesday approved the first reading of a smoke free ordinance.

The ordinance, titled as “City of Laurel Smoke-free Air Act of 2008,” is designed to eliminate smoking in public places and places of employment within the City of Laurel.

With a vote of 4 to 3 — with Councilmen Tony Thaxton, Tony Wheat and Johnny Magee voting against it — the ordinance, which has been debated as the council regulating private property, was approved.

Thaxton said he “questions the real need to have an ordinance of this nature when 90 percent of the businesses are already smoke-free.”

Wheat said he also does not see the need.

“I’m not comfortable with telling business owners who have purchased property what they can or cannot do in their business. It’s not right,” Wheat said. “It’s an attempt to control.”

Ruben Castro and Douglas Castro, owners of La Fiesta Bravo and The Alamo, came and expressed their concern about the smoking ban.

Magee offered a substitute motion to allow some businesses to opt out of the ordinance enforcement. That motion failed and the original motion passed signifying the first reading of the ordinance.

Council president George Carmichael said a committee will meet to discuss some council members’ and business owners’ concerns about the ordinance prior to the ordinance’s second reading.

Lillie Willis with the American Cancer Society began working on the ordinance for the city in October 2007.

Carmichael, Willie L. Evans, Felecia Breland and Manuel Jones voted in favor of approving the ordinance.

In a separate matter Tuesday, a majority of the members of the City Council voted for the second time to require that the next City of Laurel’s Chief Administrative Officer live within the city.

This matter was first voted on during the council’s Sept. 16 meeting. However Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack vetoed the council’s order.

Again this week, Magee proposed the ordinance requiring the city’s CAO to live within the City of Laurel. The proposed ordinance would become effective for the next term and thereafter.

The council with a 4-3 vote — with Councilmen Thaxton, Wheat and Jones voting against it — approved the order requiring city residency.