Mt. Carmel Mayor Tom Meeks said he continues to receive requests from city residents urging some kind of smoking ban ordinance to help attack the problem of cigarette smoking by young people.

He told the Register Monday that careful review of the feasibility of a city ordinance permitting tickets against young smoking offenders would potentially be a huge cost.

More specifically, City Attorney Tom Price said the bottom line on a typical smoking ordinance violation ticket processed in the circuit court could be $242.

That ticket total would include: $15 circuit court fee; $27 state surcharge for each $40 of fine or fraction thereof; city attorney fee - $50; court automation fee - $5; county court fee - $10; court security fee - $25; document storage fee - $5, and Youth Diversion Fund fee - $5. That is total court costs of $142. Add to that a $100 fine or forfeiture and the cost for the cigarette if $242.

The city attorney said the circuit court often is over- burdened now with caseloads as evidenced Monday by a 15-page court docket of scheduled appearances.

He and Mayor Meeks said making the under-age smoking an ordinance violation would not be a reasonable action for the city to take, when the high school age and younger students already are under school regulations setting out no smoking on school property and subjecting violators to penalties.