North Huntingdon sets fines for tobacco use in township parks
Smoking a cigarette, cigar, pipe or chewing tobacco at North Huntingdon’s parks and playgrounds could be an expensive vice, maybe as much as $1,000, for someone caught by township police.
North Huntingdon commissioners voted unanimously this week to put some enforcement provisions into a June 2019 ordinance banning tobacco use in parks and playgrounds by amending the ordinance to establish a system of fines for violators.
The original ordinance banning tobacco use did not have a sufficient deterrent in place to stop people using tobacco, township officials said.
A person caught violating the no-tobacco use in the parks or playgrounds would get an initial warning from police, Chief Robert Rizzo said. A second infraction could come with a citation, said Jeff Silka, township manager.
If a person is issued a citation, they could be fined as much as $600 per violation, or face a criminal fine not to exceed $1,000, according to the amended ordinance.
North Huntingdon is among 90 municipalities, state parks, child care centers and organizations that are part of the Young Lungs At Play program that bans tobacco use around children.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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