Discussions regarding traffic issues and a revised smoking policy were the dominant areas of focus for the Lenoir City Council during Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting at City Hall.

The council received a revised, two-phase traffic calming outline by the Lenoir Police Department. The policy, which is expected to be approved at the Dec. 1 council meeting, features a citizen-requested process when there are concerns about speeding that affects pedestrian safety or when the number of cars in a residential area becomes excessive.

While the city manager and the police chief have the authority to request evaluations of any street, first-phase requests from residents will be considered based on the following criteria: Classification as a residential street; the street is not in a major or minor transportation plan roadway; traffic counts from 500 to 5,000 vehicles per day will qualify for speed humps or multi-way stops, with other roads qualifying for speed reduction; the speed of at least 25 percent of the traffic exceeds the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour; streets operating at 40 miles per hour cannot be reduced to 25 miles per hour; an application for evaluation must not have been denied in the past 12 months.

The second phase of the traffic calming process includes a residential petition on forms provided by the city. The forms will be issued only when the criteria from the first phase have been met. The petition must be signed by 75 percent of the residents along the identified street.

Petitions for speed humps or tables must be submitted prior to March 1 due to their budgetary impacts, while requests for multi-way stops or speed reductions will be considered on an ongoing basis.

"Our goal is to get some consistency in how we address traffic issues," Lenoir Police Chief Joey Reynolds said.

Meanwhile, the council discussed creating a uniform speed limit of 20 miles per hour along North Main Street, where maximum speeds currently range from 20-35 mph, from Finley Avenue to Morganton Boulevard (N.C. 18).

Mayor David Barlow said the city needs to conduct a comprehensive study of street issues and take action at one time. Councilman Merlin Perry agreed and said the city also should look at the streets that feed into the downtown area.

In other traffic matters, the council agreed to eliminate a no parking area along most of Eastover Circle, while a proposal to reduce or eliminate parking along Mulberry Street will seek out input from affected businesses.

Earlier, the council reviewed a proposed ordinance to expand a current ban on smoking in city buildings to vehicles and grounds. City Manager Lane Bailey noted the expansiveness of the grounds provision will be revised, adding the provision mainly is geared toward controlling or segregating smoking at ballfields.

"We need to explain it a lot more fully and need to define grounds better," he said.

Though he personally objects to smoking, Councilman T.J. Rohr said, "I'm not in favor of regulating smoking outdoors under any circumstance. And I wouldn't be in favor of regulating smoking outside on our city grounds."

Councilman-elect Ron Stilwell expressed skepticism about enforcement measures and said, "I just want to be sure we are not creating something that is going to be difficult to maintain."

A revised proposal will be returned to the council in December, and the ordinance is expected to be presented for a public hearing in January.

In other business, the council:

* Rolled next month's Committee of the Whole meeting into the Dec. 15 council meeting at 8:30 a.m. During the meeting, the council is expected to award bid proposals for improvements to the raw water intake system at Lake Rhodhiss and public utilities infrastructure for the Blue Ridge Forest subdivision.

* Received an update on the Lower Creek stream restoration project currently being conducted by Caldwell County Soil and Water Conservation.

* Reviewed an agreement with the county to expand code enforcement powers by the city for building codes and minimum housing standards.

* Finalized plans for the Lenoir Christmas Parade that is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Councilwoman Dr. Marjorie Strawn will be the grand marshal.