Gaffney City Council now, apparently, has the votes to snuff out smoking in city-owned vehicles.

In a meeting Friday morning, Police Committee members unanimously approved a recommendation to ban smoking in city vehicles.

The city's Personnel Committee approved a similar recommendation in June but council members amended the motion 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 chairs the police committee, now supports a total ban after supporting the amendment.

Councilman and police committee member Tom Reid said, with Love now on board, there's enough votes to ban smoking in city-owned vehicles. The ban already has the support of councilman Bernard Smith and Mayor Henry Jolly.

"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.

Full council will likely vote on the recommendation at its September meeting.