Tobacco Free St. Joseph County submitted two proposals to the South Bend City Council Wednesday afternoon.
The first requires businesses to put up signs saying whether or not they allow smoking and outlining specific rules for those signs.
The second, larger bill proposes a stricter smoking ban than the one in place for St. Joseph County or the state's ban that goes into effect on July 1.
The ban would remove exemptions for bars and taverns, leaving exemptions in place for Tobacco Stores, private residences that are not child care or health care facilities, and businesses that meet certain specific requirements.
Under the state ban, that takes effect July 1st, and the current county ban, bars like the Linebacker can still allow people to smoke inside it. The proposed South Bend City ban would not allow people to do that.
Linebacker General Manager Greg Delinski says he's not so much worried about the ban as he is with losing customers to an unlevel playing field in St. Joseph County.
"If we can't be a smoking facility and a half a mile to the east of us they can be a smoking facility, then that's not fair. We just want it to be equal for everybody and not favor Mishawaka, and not favor us. That's all." Delinski said.
But South Bend Common Council member and one of the drafters of this bill, Gavin Ferlic says the idea of South Bend imposing a much stricter ban is simple.
"We just want to promote a healthy and attractive city. We want a place where when you enter a public place, you know you're going to be breathing clean air." Ferlic said.
Ferlic says South Bend is the largest Indiana city without a comprehensive smoking ban. And this bill is just answering the call of the citizens.
"I'd say it's what the majority of the community wants to be able to breathe fresh air when they go into public places." Ferlic said.
The Common council will have their first read through this proposed bill on June 11th and then a 2nd and 3rd read, open for public discussion, on the 25th. The plan is to have an idea of where South Bend will be before the state wide ban comes into effect on July 1st.
