It’s been a few years, but it appears as though another debate on whether or not to ban smoking in bars and nightclubs could be raging again in Fayetteville soon.

After four and a half hours of public comment, city council members were finally able to weigh in and vote on a proposed smoking ban for all Fayetteville bars. Here’s a brief recap of their final comments.

An amendment to an ordinance that would have banned smoking in all Fayetteville bars failed to receive enough votes to pass the City Council Tuesday night.

After weeks of intense debate, the Fayetteville City Council is expected to vote on a proposed amendment that would ban smoking in all Fayetteville bars at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

The Northwest Arkansas Tobacco Free Coalition this week announced it has awarded Maxine’s Tap Room and owner Andrea Foren with the 2011 NWA Smoke-Free Business of the Year Award.

The third and final reading/discussion will take place at the next regular council meeting on June 7. If passed, the new law will take effect Jan. 2, 2012.

With the help of at least two aldermen, members of the Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition will soon get to officially make their case for a smoking ban in all of Fayetteville’s bars.

Members of the Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods last week weighed in on a proposal that would ban smoking in all of the city’s bars. If passed, the measure would affect about 30 local establishments.

The Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition has scheduled a meeting to gauge public support for extending Fayetteville’s smoking ban to include all bars and taverns. Would you support such a measure?