MERIDIAN - Nearly five years after a former mayor vetoed Meridian's last no-smoking ordinance, the City Council is ready to try again.

The proposal on today's agenda is by Councilman Bobby Smith, who proposed the ordinance that passed in 2005 by a 3-2 vote, but was vetoed by Mayor John Robert Smith.

With a new mayor in office and Bobby Smith back on the council, he's ready to try again.

He said Meridian was the first city in Mississippi to pass a smoking ordinance, "but when we got it passed the mayor refused. Now we're the last of the big cities to do it."

He says he and the city attorney based the proposal on Jackson's ordinance.

It would prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places except stand-alone bars.

Most of them, such as schools, movie theaters and retail stores, already forbid smoking. But many of Meridian's restaurants have smoking sections. In addition, though most hotels in the city have non-smoking rooms, the ordinance would require that at least 80 percent of rooms at each hotel be non-smoking.

During her campaign last year, Mayor Cheri Barry said she would not propose such an ordinance, but would not veto one, either.

Councilman George Thomas, who voted against the 2005 proposal, said private businesses should be able to choose whether or not to allow smoking, and customers can choose whether to patronize businesses that do.

Other cities around the state with smoking bans include Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford and Corinth.