The Frisco City Council took another step in August toward further restricting smoking in the city. The council approved an amendment to its current ordinance, which already bans smoking in certain public areas, including the use of e-cigarettes. The amendment extends the restriction to public parks. In 2006, the original smoking ordinance almost did not get approved by the council. When the council reached a 3-3 vote, the mayor at the time had to break the tie, voting in favor of the ordinance. This year the council has approved two major amendments to the original ordinance. The first passed on Feb. 18 and banned e-cigarettes in places where smoking was already banned. It also prohibited the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the possession or use of e-cigarettes by minors. Most of the council agreed on the amendment as it pertained to minors, but Councilman Tim Nelson did not agree with the ban on e-cigarettes where smoking is already prohibited. He said the lack of research on the secondhand effects of e-cigarettes concerned him. "There are plenty of bad habits out there that annoy me that I would love to ban—popping of gum, dipping in public places, poor driving—but the fact of that matter is you can't, and I don't think you should," Nelson said during the Feb. 18 meeting. Nelson brought up the issue again when the council considered the amendment to ban smoking in parks in August. However, most of the council again agreed to the ban, including Councilman Scott Johnson, who said he was floored the council had not yet banned smoking in parks. "We are not currently protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens, let alone the children, of our community," Johnson said during the Aug. 5 meeting. Council members also discussed a second version of the amendment that would prohibit the possession of all tobacco products in city parks. The council plans to take the issue up again at a later meeting.