The controversial and emotional issue of a public smoking ban may soon be back in the hands of the Lawrence City Commission.

After nearly a year of trying to see through the haze that surrounds the issue, a special task force appointed by Mayor David Dunfield expects to present commissioners with a series of options to consider.

There will be no single recommendation, said David Kingsley, the chairman of the task force, which met Tuesday.

“We don’t have to agree so far as ordinances go,” Kingsley said.

The task force, which is made up of seven members representing a wide spectrum, from doctors to bar owners, couldn’t reach a unanimous recommendation, members said. But despite differing opinions, discussions remained civil.

“Reports are that Salina nearly came to blows; that didn’t happen here,” said task force member Chuck Magerl, owner of Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass.

Last year the central Kansas city approved an ordinance banning smoking in restaurants between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. The ban was upheld by Salina voters in November.

The Lawrence task force’s smoking ban options are expected to be:

Nicole Carr, Lawrence, smokes over coffee at the Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St. A task force appointed by Mayor David Dunfield is reviewing possible smoking bans within the city.

• Ban smoking in restaurants and bars.
• Ban smoking in bars only.
• Ban smoking in restaurants and bars up to a certain time.
• Ban smoking in all workplaces.
• Do nothing.

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The task force has requested a study session with the Lawrence City Commission on March 31 to go over its information, including studies on the health ramifications of smoking and the economics of a smoking ban on businesses.

Magerl thinks a ban on smoking will upset his patrons and hurt business. He bases his opinion on information he has received from businesses in locations where smoking has been banned. But he thinks there is room for give and take.

“The entire issue is a matter of compromises,” he said.

On the opposite side of the issue, Dr. John Hiebert, a Lawrence physician, favors a smoking ban, especially in work places. Hiebert also thinks the public will support a ban and that businesses would not be adversely affected.

He cited a 3-year-old poll on the issue conducted by Kansas University. In that poll, more than 90 percent of people polled thought tobacco smoke was a hazard to health and a hazard in the workplace.

“What this says is that the people of Lawrence do think there is a concern,” Hiebert said.