MADISON, Wis. -- The debate over the Madison smoking ban continues as the Common Council sends three possible changes to the ordinance on to committee.

Possible changes include:

Repealing the ban

Holding a referendum

Creating an exemption for some bars

The council plans to vote on the three possibilities in two weeks.

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he is supporting a business exemption. He said he realizes some businesses, such as Wiggies bar, are having a hard time staying afloat since the ban.

However, Cieslewicz said he will only support a temporary hardship exemption, and only until a referendum, if one is created.

"Ultimately, we need to get back to a level playing field where the same rules apply to everybody," Cieslewicz said.

Bar owner Dave Wiganowski said a few months is not enough to help his business survive.

"It's not going to really help," Wiganowski said. "It's going to fix it for awhile. Then, I have to go back and say, 'Oh, they changed their minds again. You have put the cigarettes away.'"

To qualify for the exemption, bar owners would have to show they have lost at least 10 percent of business directly because of the smoking ban.

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