Apparently, Gaffney City Council was just blowing smoke when it rejected a proposed smoking ban in cityowned vehicles.

Council members in July reversed their personnel committee's recommendation and agreed to allow city employees to continue to light up in city-owned vehicles — if a passenger in the car also is a smoker.

Councilman Billy Love, who joined Dennis Ramsey, Boone Peeler and Wayne Ramsey in support of the partial smoking ban, will apparently propose a total ban during a Police Committee meeting today. Love serves as chairman of the police committee and, under procedural guidelines, is permitted to reintroduce the issue since he voted in the affirmative in July.

Councilman and police committee member Tom Reid said he favors a total ban.

"First of all, it would protect the health of our employees," Reid said. "Also, it helps in the resale value of the cityowned cars."

Reid notes that police cruisers are sizeable investments for cashstrapped municipalities like Gaffney.

"It's a way that we protect our citizens' property," he said.

If the ban is approved, full council would likely vote on the recommendation in September.