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Smoking Ban Enforcement Fails to Cover Costs
Posted on: 05/04/2008
By  Callie Lyons
The enforcement of Ohio's new smoking ban is a financial burden for the state. Washington County is just one of a dozen health departments who have turned over inspection and violation duties to the state.

The unfunded mandate has resulted in thousands of dollars worth of overtime for some county health departments – yet the fine structure has only yielded a total of $30,000 statewide.

According to the Toledo Blade, the Toledo Lucas County Health Department alone has spent $40,000 on overtime so far and received only $630 in fines.

They don't plan to turn their efforts over to the state, but say they'll continue even though the fines aren't likely to ever support the program.

29,714 complaints have been filed statewide. Only 644 have resulted in fines.
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