Councilwoman Nancy Saxton, a former respiratory therapist, said Tuesday the idea is "fabulous," but she wonders if it is enforceable. "I'm not in favor of having anything on the books that we're not going to enforce and just makes us look good."

Councilman Van Turner, who has a daughter with asthma, which is aggravated by smoke, had the same concerns. "How would you ever enforce it when a cigarette takes five minutes [to smoke]? I don't see how you can enforce it. I'm all for it, believe me."

And Councilman Soren Simonsen said officials need to tackle the bigger culprit of environmental health problems, which is poor air quality from vehicle emissions, he said. "We can pat ourselves on the back for doing something about this. It seems it's really not going to solve the problem of air-quality issues."

The proposal, from Mayor Rocky Anderson's office, calls for prohibiting smoking in the capital's 75 parks - including Library Square and the grounds around City Hall - and within 50 feet of gatherings that draw at least 500 people, such as the city's July jazz festival. It would also cover the city cemetery, baseball diamonds, soccer fields and trails. Violators could be fined up to $299.

The council discussed going even further to snuff out smoking on city sidewalks and streets. "If it's bad, it's bad in any location at any time when there's other people around," Simonsen said.

But Tom Guinney, a member of the Salt Lake Valley Board of Health who attended Tuesday's meeting, cautioned against going too far. "We're instituting cultural change."

Councilwoman Jill Remington Love, whose son has asthma, was surprised that council members had so many concerns. "In this community because of the dominant religion [the LDS Church, which advises members not to smoke], we tend to hesitate. This is not a morality issue. It's a public-health issue. We should not be apologetic about it."

The Utah Department of Health's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program hasn't taken a stand on banning smoking outdoors, said media coordinator Lena Dibble. In an interview before the meeting, she said the Salt Lake City ordinance would "probably benefit" people's health, though the research isn't as strong on the harmful effects of breathing outdoor secondhand smoke as it is on indoor smoke.

The council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

hmay@sltrib.com