4. 25-0796 *Proposal by Alderperson Brannin to amend various sections of Title 24 to regulate locations of cigarette, tobacco and electronic vaping device sales businesses - recommendation to Plan Commission
I am deeply concerned that this major zoning ordinance, one that would heavily restrict where legal businesses can operate, was inadvertently left off the agenda and approximately one day before the meeting. I believe this is not a clerical error; this is a critical policy change that deserves full public notice and transparency from the start.
Even more concerning is the bigger picture: Is this what City Hall is prioritizing? While city executives are currently debating band-aid fixes to the police union contract, firefighter staffing "brownouts", and reducing or eliminating yard waste pickup, the City Administrator, the Mayor, and this Alderperson are prioritizing a zoning crackdown on vape shops?
To be clear: I do not dismiss the risks of youth vaping or the need for regulation. However, if the City is going to justify this level of zoning restriction based on health impacts and youth exposure, then we must ask: why is alcohol not receiving the same scrutiny?
According to the CDC, underage alcohol use is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths per year in the United States, including deaths from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, alcohol poisoning, and suicides (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Alcohol is also a leading contributor to fatal drunk driving crashes. In 2021 alone, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving incidents in the U.S., that’s an average of 37 deaths per day (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], 2023). Again...priorities.
Please table this item until it has received proper public notice and the community has had a chance to weigh in outside of a public hearing, especially when there are far more urgent issues in front of the City of Wauwatosa.
I am deeply concerned that this major zoning ordinance, one that would heavily restrict where legal businesses can operate, was inadvertently left off the agenda and approximately one day before the meeting. I believe this is not a clerical error; this is a critical policy change that deserves full public notice and transparency from the start.
Even more concerning is the bigger picture: Is this what City Hall is prioritizing? While city executives are currently debating band-aid fixes to the police union contract, firefighter staffing "brownouts", and reducing or eliminating yard waste pickup, the City Administrator, the Mayor, and this Alderperson are prioritizing a zoning crackdown on vape shops?
To be clear: I do not dismiss the risks of youth vaping or the need for regulation. However, if the City is going to justify this level of zoning restriction based on health impacts and youth exposure, then we must ask: why is alcohol not receiving the same scrutiny?
According to the CDC, underage alcohol use is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths per year in the United States, including deaths from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, alcohol poisoning, and suicides (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Alcohol is also a leading contributor to fatal drunk driving crashes. In 2021 alone, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving incidents in the U.S., that’s an average of 37 deaths per day (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], 2023). Again...priorities.
Please table this item until it has received proper public notice and the community has had a chance to weigh in outside of a public hearing, especially when there are far more urgent issues in front of the City of Wauwatosa.