A statewide complete public smoking ban is headed to the governor's desk after lawmakers in Topeka last week passed a bill on the issue. However, the issue has some local business owners wishing the city of Wichita would have waited for the state to pass a law before they took up the issue.

David Chaffin owns the popular Players Sports Bar and Grill in Northwest Wichita. He retrofitted his building to provide smokers a separate room with it's own ventilation system two years ago. The Wichita ordinance forces a business to do so in order to allow minors under 18 inside.

"I want my city council to protect businesses," Chaffin said. "Making us spend money before we have to does not make any sense."

Chaffin spent thousands of dollars to build his smoking room after Wichita passed a partial smoking ban ordinance. But now, he says the room will likely not be used for its intended purpose.

"Why did the City of Wichita feel they had to make a decision before the state did?" Chaffin asked. "Why did they feel like they had to bend to pressure from special interest groups to make us spend money when it becomes for naught?"

In Wichita, council member Janet Miller contends that everyone has always had the same information.

"I don't think the city council had any information that they were withholding," Miller said. "I think we're all operating on the same playing field. It's been in the legislature for, gosh, I don't know how many years and all of us know that if something doesn't pass this year, it's not dead. Nothing ever dies in politics."

With its belt-driven fans and old-time sports feeling, Chaffin's smoking room is completely separated from the rest of his business. He's had no complaints from either side of the issue with the fix that he came up with.

"I don't care if you're a non-smoker," Chaffin said. "I don't care if you think smoking is the most poisonous, toxic gas in the world. You come into my establishment and show me how this did not work."

The comprehensive statewide public smoking ban has now passed both houses in Topeka. Governor Mark Parkinson has previously expressed his support for such a bill and is expected to sign it into law.