The New Iberia City Council discussed a proposed smoking ban on public spaces and bars at Tuesday’s meeting, which drew divided opinions among the council members.

Councilwoman Deidre Ledbetter, who helped draft the proposed ordinance that could be voted on sometime next month, said the intent of the ordinance would be to ban smoking in places like bars and pool halls for the health of the people who work there.

“We’re not trying to hinder anybody’s rights, but everybody does have the right to be healthy,” Ledbetter said. “That’s basically what this is about.”

Although the proposed ordinance was only up for discussion with no vote attached, council members seemed to have disagreements on it.

Councilwoman Brooke Marcotte, who works in the medical industry, said she would be supporting the ordinance for its potential to save lives.

“This is good for the people who work in those environments,” Marcotte said. “They need their job and they have no other options sometimes, we’re here to speak up for them.”

Other council members like Dustin Suire worried about the potential ramifications of the ordinance. One proposal in the law would ban smoking for those driving vehicles for hire.

“What if it’s a truck driver driving a vehicle, can he not light a cigarette in that truck?” Suire asked. “To me, if you’re going to enforce that on the driver it’s kind of infringing on their rights in my opinion.”

Mayor Pro Tem Ricky Gonsoulin said the decision on whether or not to smoke in a business should best be left to the business owners. Gonsoulin also took issue with a part of the ordinance that allowed businesses that sell 51% or more tobacco products to be exempt from the smoking ban.

“We have no way of enforcing 51 percent of sales, if we do move forward with this that should be taken out.”

Mayor Freddie DeCourt said the public will have the chance to comment on the proposal before anything passes, and encouraged local residents to take part in the discussion.

“This is an extra step because I knew we needed discussion on this,” DeCourt said. “I want the public to know they’ll have the opportunity to comment on it and we’ll go from there.”