GREEN RIVER - Local bar owners said they had lost as much as half of their business since a citywide ban on smoking in buildings used by the public went into effect Dec. 13.

They also said they had gathered more than the required number of signatures on a petition to put the issue before voters.

As a result, the City Council reversed itself Tuesday night and exempted bars, lounges and private clubs from the smoking ordinance.

Councilman Dan Beckermann cast the key vote in the 4-3 decision.

"A successful petition will put it on a special election ballot in March, and we don't fair (sic) well on special elections," Beckermann wrote in an e-mail to city officials.

Beckermann had voted in favor of including bars in the ban on Dec. 4. An exemption for bars had been part of the ordinance approved on second reading, but it was removed on third and final reading.

Pulling the bar exemption didn't sit well with members of the city's liquor dealers association. The 17-member group quickly began circulating a petition calling on the council to amend the ordinance and put the bar exemption back in.

Under Wyoming law, voters may ask the council to repeal or amend an ordinance if 10 percent or more of the registered voters sign a petition. If the council chose not to amend or repeal the ordinance after the petition is submitted and verified, the petition would then be presented to voters in a municipal election.

City Administrator Barry Cook said the council voted 4-3 Tuesday night in favor of Beckermann's motion to bring the ordinance "back on the table for reconsideration." Councilman Tom McCullough then made a motion to put the exemption back in, which also passed 4-3.

Cook said the council voted down a second amendment that would have exempted bingo parlors from the smoking ordinance. The council did approve a third amendment that says bars and clubs will not be exempt from the ordinance when they are operating an event that includes children under the age of 18.

Cook said the revised smoking ordinance would go into effect Dec. 27.

He said the section on non-smoking events will go into effect March 1. That will allow "bars to do any kind of renovation on facilities - if they have to put up walls, doors or windows - so there's no smoke that goes into another non-smoking area."

Green River joined Cheyenne, Laramie, Evanston and Rock Springs in enacting smoking bans in public buildings, but only the Green River and Rock Springs ordinances now include exemptions for bars and clubs.

Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.