Wichita City Council members voted unanimously to approve changes in a city ordinance dealing with penalties for people who sell tobacco to minors.
Council members tabled a discussion last week because of concerns over possible jail time for a clerk who fails to check identification properly. A compromise ordinance was presented to the Council on Tuesday, and it calls for a written warning for a first offense, and a second offense would lead to charges in Municipal Court with the equivalent of a Class B misdemeanor.
Assistant City Attorney Jan Jarman said a license holder or a manager could be charged on a first offense if they are present and fail to check an ID.
The ordinance does not have requirements for a number of yearly inspections of retail businesses, and the local American Heart Association did not support the ordinance for that reason. City Council member Becky Tuttle said Tobacco Free Wichita did agree with the ordinance and her District Advisory Board also agreed as long as the city monitors compliance. Council member Brandon Johnson moved to approve the ordinance with a requirement that there will be biannual reports to the Council on compliance checks that are broken down by Council districts.
