The Madison City Council heard testimonies of up to 80 concerned community members — with hundreds more attending the meeting — to speak in regard to the smoking ban during the year's longest council meeting yet.

As of press time, a final vote had not occurred as to whether the ban would be repealed or if, instead, an advisory referendum would be established to allow struggling taverns to justify a hardship clause and apply for smoking preferences.

Hundreds of people on both sides of the argument filled spare courtrooms in City Hall, waiting for a four-minute window to voice their opinions to the council.

Before the meeting, Ald. Judy Olson, District 6, said she was not surprised by the large public turnout.

"There's a lot of people interested on both sides of the issue," Olson said. "And a large public presence is a good thing. The public has the right and the responsibility to tell the council where they stand."

Ald. Austin King, District 8, said before the meeting that he did not think the council was likely to pass any of the three proposals. Olson maintained the same feeling about the future of the proposals.

"Trying to change things now is going to be a difficult thing," Olson said. "At this point, it doesn't seem like the council is going to change the ordinance."

Olson added the issue was not as heated when the council approved the smoking-ban ordinance April 20, 2004.

"The interesting thing is that there wasn't much interest in the ban when it first came to the council," Olson said. "The time to do something about the ban was months ago. Now that it is in place, it is unlikely the council will change it."

Arguments in support of the current city ordinance focused on the health of patrons and employees.

"This shouldn't be a contentious issue," Nick Andriacchi, local policy specialist for SmokeFree Wisconsin, said. "This issue is about the health of the citizens of Madison. We all know the negative effects of secondhand smoke."

Andriacchi added 85 percent of Madison citizens are non-smokers.

"Why should we repeal the ban in the interest of the 15 percent?" he asked.

Citizens, tavern owners and employees in support of lessening the ban's control generally pointed to the economic hardships establishments have faced as a result.

"The smoking ban is killing small businesses," Barb Mercer, president of the Dane County Tavern League, said. "Our industry is being attacked. The smoking ban will force many businesses to close and go bankrupt."

The council heard similar arguments for several hours.

According to Olson, alders put together a pool on how late the meeting would last. King said he had "dibs" on 3:30 a.m.

Despite public hearings lasting late into the night, the council was able to approve funding, if necessary, for lighting on State Street for Halloween weekend.

The Madison Police Department plans to spend $40,000 to illuminate State Street, but Chief Noble Wray said it is likely the city will not have to provide money for the lights.

"Last year, through fundraising and other sponsors, we raised enough money to pay for the lighting," Wray said. "We would just like the assurance that if we don't raise enough funds, that we will still be able to use the lighting system in our comprehensive Halloween plan."

King said not having the lights in place would seriously hinder the city's plans for Halloween.

"The Halloween Planning Committee spent months creating a plan for the event," King said. "Taking a piece of the plan away would open the city to the potential for embarrassment."