In August, the small city of Dells, Wis. saw attempts at a smoking ban halted after numerous citizens and government officials raised concern about the expansion nature of a proposed law that would have banned smoking in public parks, paths and trails.

Now, a modified version of the plan is back on the table and headed to the Common Council.

On Monday, both the Dells Parks, Recreation and Waterway and the Legislative Committee passed a new smoking ban that would ban smoking at its public parks and RiverWalk. It will not ban smoking on sidewalks or in the downtown area, which were two major concerns for the earlier version of the laws.

The most recent push is coming from Mayor Brian L. Landers, who indicated that police would not actively seek out smokers, but would issues $25 fines for anyone caught in violation of the proposed ordinance.

In order for the smoking ban to become law, it will have to pass two readings from the Dells Common Council. The earlier ban passed the first law unanimously, but failed to pass on its second reading.

Dells is located in the southern part of the state and is uniquely located in four different countries—Adams, Columbia, Juneau and Sauk. It has a population just over 2,500 and claims to be the Waterpark Capital of the World.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.