In what appeared to be a foregone conclusion, the Roosevelt City Council passed a comprehensive smoking ban in city parks at their June 17 meeting. While the public turnout was small, with just under 20 residents at the meeting, the opposition wasn’t overlooked. Several residents raised the point about how a ban on consumption of a legal product in taxpayer-funded areas seemed like government overreach, according to a report from the Uintah Basin Standard. The new ordinance bans the use of all tobacco products in Roosevelt City parks outside of designated smoking areas. Smoking will still be allowed in parking lots surrounding city parks, and the city has said that additional smoking areas will be set up for special events. The ordinance received a few changes from earlier versions, with both fines and punishment for possession of tobacco products in a city park being removed. Roosevelt City is located about 140 miles east of Salt Lake City and is part of Duchesne County, with a population of just over 6,000 people.
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