Fines are mounting for a Chapel Hill business owner who’s trying to fight city hall. As I’ve been reporting, Chapel Hill hookah bar owner Adam Bliss is defying the state’s ban on smoking in most bars and restaurants. He says hookahs aren’t a lighted tobacco product and, therefore, he believes his bar isn’t covered by the law. The state and Orange County disagree.
Tom Konsler of Orange County’s health department — the local enforcer of the law — told me late today that the county visited Hookah Bliss on March 29 and found Bliss still in violation. A fine of $200 per day began accruing March 22. Another $200 is added to the tally every day the bar is open and out of compliance with the law. The bar’s Web site shows it is open 7 days per week.
If that is accurate for the time period in question, Bliss’ fine was $1,600 as of March 29. If we assume Bliss has, indeed, been open every day of the week since March 22, his fine would stand at $3,200 as of today.
So when will Bliss receive an invoice from Orange County for fines owed? Konsler told me he can’t speak to what the county may or may not do on that score, or when. When I spoke to Bliss two weeks ago, he was speaking with an attorney about what to do next.
Stay tuned.