County approves plan to limit smoking in public housing

Public housing agencies in Snohomish County have a financial incentive to adopt smoking bans after a new policy passed the County Council on Wednesday.

The policy gives bonus points in the funding process to agencies that ban smoking in all or most of their facilities. It's expected to affect about 700 units over the next five years, said Dean Weitenhagen, the county's supervisor of housing, homelessness and community development.

The county awards about $3 million in capital funds each year for public housing, but supplies no housing directly.

Proponents said the restrictions would lower exposure to secondhand smoke, reduce fire danger and lower the cost of renovating apartments where smokers have lived. Critics said there was a risk of evicting families over smoking violations, though housing agencies with smoking bans have reported no such evictions.

Council members Brian Sullivan, Dave Somers and Stephanie Wright voted for the policy. Council Chairman Dave Gossett and Councilman John Koster voted against it. They favored the county encouraging smoking bans without incentives.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com.