The Ames City Council decided Tuesday night to consider a compromise on the ban of smoking in all public places in Ames.

Fred Miller, the former owner of Pizza Hut, 436 S. Duff Ave., which voluntarily decided to prohibit smoking in its Ames establishment, brought forth the compromise to the council.

“It is not a perfect solution,” Miller said. “There are still concerns.”

Although the road to a decision was “not the smoothest,” every party involved has given up something in the compromise, Miller said.

Mary Kitchell and Len Monte, members of the Ames Tobacco Task Force, said the group will support the compromise.

“I think this is the very best compromise we can come up with at this time,” Monte said. He said it satisfies many of the requirements both sides were interested in protecting.

Conditions to the compromise would include:

Designated non-smoking hours in restaurants, bars and taverns (including outdoor seating areas if food is served) from 6 a.m. through 8:30 p.m., unless the bar or tavern has less than a 10 percent gross sale of food.

Truck-stop establishments will be allowed to establish an unrestricted smoking area that is fully enclosed and has a separate ventilation system.

Bowling alleys will have designated nonsmoking hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. except for Thursdays, when smoking will be allowed after 3 p.m. to coincide with league play.

Common areas of hotels and motels shall be smoke-free.

A smoke-free zone of 15 feet at the entrances and exits of all restaurants, bars, taverns, truck stops and bowling alleys shall be maintained.

Customers under 18 years of age will not be permitted in smoking areas.

Any ordinance developed from the suggested guidelines should not be made effective until six months following the enactment, and diligent enforcement is expected.

The compromise as written was turned over to Ames City Attorney John Klaus to evaluate and amend in order to be consistent with state law.

“My goal is to bring back something to the council at the end of January,” Klaus said.

Concerns about the items in the compromise and the general concept of banning smoking were expressed from 22 bar and restaurant owners, Ames residents and members of the Ames Tobacco Task Force to council members and a crowd of about 120 people at Tuesday’s meeting.

Alex Rodeck, senior in animal science and a Government of the Student Body senator, spoke out independently against the council considering a smoking ban in all public places in Ames.

“[Government control] is the beginning of a slide down a slippery rope,” Rodeck said. “The Ames Tobacco Task Force says they want to save lives — I think they want to control them.”

Natalie Battles, community advocacy coordinator for the American Cancer Society, said she does not support the proposed compromise because she said it does not protect everyone’s rights.

“We’re interested in protecting the rights of adults, children and restaurant workers,” she said.

Peter Sherman, owner of La Boheme, 2900 West St., said he is against any ban and questions many of the items listed on the compromise.

Sherman walked out of the council’s meeting room during the discussion of the compromise and afterwards said, “I’m too pissed.”