FITCHBURG, Wis. -- The Fitchburg City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on a proposal to ban smoking in public places.

Monday night, a plan hatched by bar owners is sparking fire from ban supporters.

Some Fitchburg bar owners are so desperate to mobilize smoking ban dissenters, they're talking about busing customers from their bars to Tuesday night's council meeting.

Monkeyshines' owner Bill McMahan said no decision has been made by his partners to go ahead with the busing plan yet, but he said he might drive customers to the council meeting himself.

McMahan has a petition signed by almost 200 customers who oppose a smoking ban. He said he'd wait to see how many of his patrons want to go to the meeting before making a final decision.

"These special interest groups band together, and that's why they have the power they have," said McMahan. "They organize. They get their people there and so do we. We have to say, 'Hey, come on people. If you don't like this, stand up.'"

"I'm not surprised," said Steve Arnold, the man who proposed the ban. "I believe they did that last summer at our public listening session. We're very aware what they're views are, what they are going to say."

There's no guarantee the council will vote on the smoking ban proposal Tuesday. The ban's initial proponent, Alder Richard Bloomquist, won't be at Tuesday's meeting.

The council could still pass the ban without him, but it may table the vote.