The Evanston City Council adopted a resolution Monday backing a state bill that would ban smoking in public places in Illinois. Two years ago the City Council failed to instate a similar ban in Evanston that would have included bars and restaurants.

The new resolution was adopted as part of a consent agenda, so the vote was unanimous.

The bill, currently in the Illinois House of Representatives, bans smoking in or within 15 feet of the entrances to all public places, including bars, taverns and bowling alleys. It exempts municipalities with populations of more than half a million, such as Chicago.

Restaurant owners and tobacco farmers have been among those opposing the bill. The deadline for House action on it is Friday.

“It just makes sense to prohibit smoking (in public places) so we don’t have to pay the health care costs in the future,” said Mike Gwinn, chief of staff for state Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), a co-sponsor of the bill.

In one eight-hour shift, employees of restaurants and bars that allow smoking are exposed to an amount of second-hand smoke equivalent to smoking 16 cigarettes, according to the American Lung Association of Illinois’ Web site.

Evanston banned smoking in 2004 in workplaces, apartment common areas and within 25 feet of building entrances. Bars and restaurants are exempted from the ban, but many restaurants have prohibited smoking voluntarily.

Legislation that would have banned smoking in public places failed in the City Council two years ago because restaurant and bar owners said it would make them less competitive.

Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) said circumstances today are different, with several other cities, including Chicago, having adopted smoke-free legislation of some kind.

Now that smoke free laws are more widespread, the idea doesn’t seem so radical.

“The general indication has been that restaurants and bars have not suffered as they thought they might,” Moran said.

Some restaurateurs are skeptical. Several restaurant managers in Evanston said that although the state-wide bill would not decrease the competitiveness of restaurants in some cities compared to others, bars would still be negatively affected.

“People basically who want to drink and smoke probably won’t be spending a lot of time in the bars anymore,” said Paulette Lombardi, restaurant manager of Globe Cafe and Bar, 1710 Orrington Ave.

Restaurateurs said smokers will find other places to drink.

“I think you’d see an increase of private clubs to skirt whatever kind of legislation would be enacted,” said John Reedy, a supervisor at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe, 1701 Maple Ave., where patrons are allowed to smoke at the bar.

Reedy said dining, on the other hand, should not experience negative effects if the legislation is passed.

“Most people prefer dining areas to be smoke-free,” he said. “Even smokers.”

The state bill has also met opposition from representatives of tobacco-farming areas of southern Illinois. This division of opinion between regions has left even supporters wary about whether the legislation is likely to pass.

But even if the bill doesn’t pass, it won’t have been a waste of time, Gwinn said.

“It’s important to start the debate and to revisit it in the future,” he said. “This is going to be a tough sell. But miracles can happen.”

The City Council also voted to increase the cigarette tax to $0.50 up from $0.32 per pack Monday.

Reach Jenny Song at [email protected].