AUBURN -- Cayuga County is one step closer toward making it illegal to send text messages while you drive.

The county Legislature unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday during its monthly meeting to set a public hearing on the topic. Members of the public will have the chance to voice their opinions at 6:30 p.m. July 28 on the proposed local law.

If the law is passed, any "process by which users send or receive messages on wireless handsets" will be prohibited while driving in Cayuga County. Handsets include cellular phones or other digital devices that are capable of text message or e-mail functions.

Public safety employees operating emergency vehicles would be exempt from the law if they were sending or receiving messages as part of their jobs, according to the proposal. People sending messages using voice recognition technology would not fall under the regulation.

According to the proposal, each violation could lead to a fine of up to $150.

County officials have said the law could prevent accidents by deterring a known distraction for drivers, especially younger ones. And law enforcement officials have said they believe it is possible to enforce.

Before the vote, Legislator George Fearon referred to photos received by legislators of an automobile accident that occurred on Father's Day in which one driver rear ended another.

"It just came out ... the person was text messaging," Fearon said.

Onondaga County passed a similar law in April, and Monroe, Ontario, Rockland, Schuyler and Westchester counties have laws on the books.

In other news:

* The county will not take the lowest bid from private firms to demolish a house at 2 Park Ave. as part of the construction of a new Mental Health building. Instead, the county Soil and Water Conservation District will demolish the building while carrying out various other tasks on the site.

The Legislature rejected all four bids for the demolition of the building, but not before a series of votes that confused county officials and legislators alike.

Initially, legislators unanimously passed a resolution awarding the lowest bid of $17,500 to Tri-County Excavators. County Attorney Fred Westphal then pointed out that the vote would be in direct conflict with two subsequent resolutions: one to change the role of the Soil and Water Conservation District in the entire project, and one to reject all bids for the demolition.

Legislators voted 8-7 to reconsider the first resolution, and then voted it down in another split vote. After that, they approved the two subsequent items -- the conservation district resolution unanimously, and the rejection of bids by one vote.

Multiple legislators said going with Soil and Water will save about $500, but the move will add about four weeks to the job.

* A local high school student is asking the county Legislature to make it harder for her peers to buy cigarettes. Jenn Farrell, 18, told the Legislature she believes the smoking age in the county should be raised to 19, which recently happened in Onondaga County.

Farrell said many 18 year-olds are still in high school, making it much easier for underage high schoolers to get their hands on tobacco products. She also said during a prepared statement that it will "clean up" the schools and improve the health of smokers and nonsmokers on campus.

"Smokers will contend that they have a right to smoke. Well, I say I have a right to clean air," Farrell said.