A discussion about banning smoking in Monterey city parks and on the recreational trail was postponed at the eleventh hour Tuesday night.

The council was set to vote on putting the proposal on a future agenda, but it was put off until February on the recommendation of City Attorney Deborah Mall, who is revamping the city’s current smoking ordinance.

City Councilwoman Libby Downey, a former public health nurse, is spearheading the idea.

“If you want to smoke in your house, it’s your private property,” Downey said. “But the recreational trail is public, and so are the parks.”

At Monterey’s Dennis the Menace Park, smoker Patrick Grayson said the ban might help him kick the habit. “I’m a smoker right now,” he said as his 3-year old daughter clambered onto a jungle gym. “It’s my 47th birthday, and tonight at midnight it’s my quitting time.”

Nearly 100 California cities and 11 counties already prohibit smoking in parks and recreational facilities, according to the California Clean Air Project, a state-wide non-profit that supports such bans. The list includes the City of Salinas and Monterey County, where smoking is banned in parks in unincorporated areas.

The American Lung Association’s annual State of Tobacco Control report gives Salinas and unincorporated Monterey County D’s for their efforts, while Monterey, Carmel, King City, Marina, Pacific Grove, and Sand City racked up failing grades in every category, including smoke-free outdoor areas. “The grades have been a catalyst for 30 cities and counties to improve,” said an ALA spokeswoman.

Santa Cruz scored a D last year. This month, that city made it illegal to light up within 25 feet of open business windows and in some tourist hot spots. Meanwhile, Monterey smokers can still inhale.