The current ordinance would include exemptions from bars that allow only those over 21 and Hoosier Park Casino. Karesa Knight-Wilkerson, executive director of Healthy, Tobacco-Free Madison County, has said she would not endorse an ordinance that wasn’t more comprehensive and included so many exemptions.

“I’m not expecting them to endorse it, and I’m not expecting them not to endorse it,” Pepelea said.

The ordinance and its exemptions could change in committee before it goes to the full council for a vote, Chamberlain said.

“You don’t want to bank on that even though that’s something that’s being proposed until we get it in our hands in writing,” he said. “We’re trying to kind of compromise on what we’re going to do with this ordinance, and it’s just not an easy ordinance to deal with right now because we have people for it and against it.”

Faunce said he didn’t think most of the City Council members had much personal knowledge on the smoking issue. He will be at the meeting in September to see what happens, but doesn’t think he can do much more to convince them of his argument.

“The City Council doesn’t have a good feel at all about what people think,” Faunce said. “If they’re acting out of ignorance, they’re in trouble.”

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Two particular groups oppose Anderson’s proposed citywide smoking ban, but for very different reasons.

• Healthy, Tobacco-Free Madison County, Saint John’s Health System and Community Hospital representatives think the ban is not comprehensive enough, offering too many exemptions to businesses, like those who only serve people over 21 and Hoosier Park Casino.

• Resident Al Faunce and 2,139 people who signed his petition think the ban is not necessary because secondhand smoke is harmless to most people without respiratory conditions. Faunce cites research by prominent doctors and government think tanks to prove his argument.