Brookhaven will likely limit where electronic cigarettes can be used, a move designed to keep the city in line with its Healthy Hometown designation.

Lori Carter, project coordinator with MS Tobacco-Free Coalition and Kim Bridge, education director at King’s Daughters Medical Center, addressed the Board of Aldermen about amending the city’s current smoke-free ordinance to include electronic cigarettes. Carter and Bridge said that out of 101 smoke-free communities in Mississippi, 51 have amended their policies to include e-cigs.

The battery-operated smoking devices create a vapor, which contains nicotine and several toxins used in regular cigarettes, that is inhaled and exhaled by the user.

“We’ve worked so hard in these past two years to be deemed a Healthy Hometown, and I don’t want us, personally as a resident and a citizen of our community, to lose track or focus,” Carter said.

Brookhaven was named Mississippi’s Healthiest Hometown in 2014, an award that came with a $50,000 grant to increase community wellness. In order to be considered for any of the four grants given by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation for Healthy Hometowns, a municipality must have a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in place.

Aldermen are reviewing similarly amended ordinances, and said they see no problem with adopting the policy change once a new ordinance is drafted.

The ordinance would likely have similar restrictions that are currently placed on regular cigarettes.

 

Cemetery maintenance

Rusty Brennan spoke to the board about Hillcrest Cemetery. The city has consulted with Brennan on improving the way the cemetery records are kept and the plots are marked. Brennan said he and Mayor Joe Cox spoke about how to make it easier to mark the plots appropriately and get them in the right place.

A budget increase was needed in order to place markers at each grave spot, as well as streamline and implement new processes of keeping records per Brennan’s recommendation. The board accepted his recommendations, including eventually designating plots specifically for cremation. The board moved to plot the north side of Hillcrest Cemetery at 1,622 plots for $1,069. They also approved Brennan to do the data work and train cemetery workers which could cost up to $6,000.

City Clerk Mike Jinks announced the city will take Friday July 3 off for the July 4 holiday.

In other board business, the Board of Aldermen:

• Approved a four-year exemption from ad valorem taxes on the improvement to Miller and White, Inc. located at 106 South Whitworth Ave.

• Received the May 2015 Fire Department run report showing 29 runs in the city limits.

• Approved to accept the proposal from Dungan Engineering as engineer for the 2015 Airport Improvement projects and to advertise for the project.

• Approved City Clerk Jinks and Deputy City Clerk Marsha Fairman to attend the 38th Mississippi Labor and Employment Law conference in Biloxi on Aug. 6 and 7, paying registration of $400 and $350 and expenses incurred.

• Approved to hire Percy Brown Jr. in the cemetery department temporary/full time.