You smoke, you pay in N. Aurora

North Aurora will now be able to collect fines from violators of the Illinois smoking ban after the village board approved an ordinance to that effect Monday.

Village Attorney Kevin Drendel said the ordinance is similar to the village affirming the state traffic code. As with traffic violations, the state makes the law and the village must have similar ordinances to collect the money. The state's attorney has asked municipalities to adopt the smoking ban ordinance, officials said.

Fines for lighting up in the wrong place start at $250 for the first offense and can range up to $750 for repeatedly breaking the law. The smoking ban prohibits smoking in public places and within 15 feet of doors.

"It's going to be enforced. We might as well be the ones who get the money," Drendel said.

Police Chief Tom Fetzer said the village has had no violations and only one complaint so far -- the ash trays outside the Denny's restaurant on Route 31 were not far enough from the door.

"We will deal with it as it is required," Fetzer said. "I don't expect it to be a big problem."

Village President John Hansen said he has met with local business owners and the ban has been a major complaint for some. Although it is too early to see how the ban is affecting businesses, he said the village is looking for ways to create outside smoking areas, citing beer gardens as a prime example.

"I'm trying to see it both ways. People who don't smoke have a right not to sit in smoke, but people who smoke have rights too," Hansen said.

Drendel said if the state decides to create exemptions to the smoking ban in the future, the village board would have to vote to either change its policy or keep the one it has.