Denton City Council members voiced support Tuesday for a plan to forbid drivers from using handheld cellphones in school zones.

Council members did not vote on the measure but appeared ready to join a growing list of North Texas cities to pass such a ban. If approved, the measure would take effect before school begins next fall.

Drivers could still use handheld phones in emergencies, and the ban would not apply to hands-free devices.

City leaders said the proposal would boost safety. But one council member questioned how police would enforce the ban and whether it was necessary.

“Is this really a problem?” council member Bob Montgomery said. “Have any cities in the area actually reported accidents in a school zone [blamed on cellphone use]?”

Police Chief Roy Minter said the measure was more about prevention.

“We feel this ordinance is just another step we can take to encourage drivers to be as attentive as possible when they drive through school zones,” Minter said.

Minter said officers would enforce the ban the same way they enforce school zone speed limits.

“We don’t do it all the time,” he said. “We do it selectively.”

The measure would also prevent drivers from text messaging in Denton’s 31 school zones. The ban would apply only when school zones are in effect, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 2:30 to 4 p.m. on school days, Minter said.

“Summertime, weekends, noon, you’re fine,” Assistant City Attorney Stephanie Berry said. “So it’s a very limited time period.”

Violators could face $500 fines. But council members said the measure isn’t about money.

“We want compliance, not ticket writing,” Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Joe Mulroy said. “It’s for the safety of the children.”

Council member Charlye Heggins, who first proposed the measure, asked how the city would pay to erect signs notifying drivers of the ban. Minter said the city could use revenue from traffic camera fines, which the city earmarked for public safety projects.

Mayor Perry McNeill said he’d heard scattered complaints about the proposed ban. One resident asked when the council would stop women from putting on lipstick while driving, he said.

“That’s a distraction also, whatever you’re doing,” including eating, McNeill said. “And I don’t know how you address that.”

Council member Chris Watts said he favored expanding the ban to include handheld two-way radios.

Dallas, Flower Mound, High­land Park and University Park are among the area cities that have passed similar bans on cellphones in school zones.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .