Also this proposed repeal is a huge waste of CUPHD (Champaign Urbana Health Department) time and money if the City of Champaign repeals the ordinance (as the CUPHD already spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of CUPHD staff time on implementation consultations and education with all local restaurants and bars on the new smoking ban.) This will have to happen again if the ordinance is repealed and then the state law essential makes it go back into effect in January 2008&

So all those folks who ran for city council claiming to be fiscally conservative are being hypocrites if they repeal the ordinance.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next as their reasoning as the rug has literally been pulled out and all is left is a "rights" argument which will no longer exist in 7 months.

So basically we're going to waste THOUSANDS of the public's tax dollars for a symbolic and irrelevant gesture...Real nice.

Wasn't it Deb Feinen who said she wanted to "look at the data"? Well here it is and it demonstrates that business (on the whole) is doing just FINE in Champaign with the smoking ban being in effect.

Posted by mattvarbl on May 7, 2007 at 10:55 AM

Deb Feinen said: "If the mayor is adament about moving forward, he has my vote."

Here's the podcast:

http://wdws.com/podcasts/listen/050707_newsmakers.mp3

So, basically Deb Feinen originally said she wants to "look at the data" and now she says she wants to talk to bar owners and "see what bar owners want". So basically Feinen does whatever bar owners want. If Deb wants to make a "business decision" then perhaps it should be based upon the data instead of listening to a bunch of loudmouth bar owners who don't have any data to back up their false claims of business loss.

Nice to see public health is left to whether or not a businesses bottom line is affected, and in this case we have INCREASES in food & beverage sales and she is still committed to repealing the ordinance.

Posted by mattvarbl on May 7, 2007 at 1:47 PM

Notice that the reciepts are combined for both types of business. Separate the bars receipts, I am sure that will show the true data. Of course winter is always going to be bad for bars, that is one of the first complaints of bar owners. The increase in due to family eatery's. Notice all the grand openings of beer gardens on the radio now. Oh well, the fact that non smokers will now pay the loss of taxes out of their checks now is great, long time coming. Just don't complain.

Posted by bpercival on May 7, 2007 at 3:19 PM

Um, where's your data? I see no evidence to suggest any business loss has occurred and in fact the evidence shows the opposite is true.

We're not concerned about this bar or that bar or this restaurant or that restaurant, the fact is the City was concerned about potential economic losses and the sales tax data for food and beverages demonstrates that there has been economic gains since the ban went into effect, thus the argument that the smoking ban has harmed business as a whole is false.

The bottom line is that there are no credible facts support the doom and gloom claims of economic losses.

Posted by mattvarbl on May 7, 2007 at 3:49 PM

Do not need misleading datamined stats. If sales are heavier for restaurant's and you combined those with bar reciepts, it will not show the bars sides loss. The Bar owners have been featured on tv and news telling you so, why would they lie. I do not think anyone cares about banning smoking in places to eat with family,it is the adult entertainment of bars. You go there to get buzzed or drunk. No healthiness is involved. The bars in Tolono where I live have doubled as far as patronage. That to me speaks for itself.

Posted by bpercival on May 8, 2007 at 8:46 AM

If sales are heavier for restaurant's and you combined those with bar reciepts, it will not show the bars sides loss"

Ok...prove it. I think that's a lie as there is no information other than what a loudmouth bar owner is claiming on tv. Didn't they also claim all kinds of gloom and doom and that they would be laying off staff etc?? uh...ok whatever....

Why would bar owners lie? Ummm I don't know, because they have a motive to do so, are one sided and have no data to support their claims. I don;t believe what they claim and why should anyone else when they don't have any data? But but but they say their business is down, so it must be true! (hehe)

Bring me some real data or have a bar open their books for inspection. The fact is as a whole business tax receipts increased for the City of Champaign thus showing the demand and customers are there. If a bar is unable to capture that demand or those customers, that's not the City's problem to be concerned with as business in general has shown an increase and the smoking ban cannot be linked to any decline. If some bar is unable to adjust then that is a fault of that business, not the smoking ban.

Posted by mattvarbl on May 8, 2007 at 9:00 AM

That is what is unreliable about data. Bars cater to all clientels, some bars would do well with no smoking, like some of the swanky bars downtown Champaign. But bars that cater to blue collar, live rock, or country tend to be smoking clientel. That just what I would like to see, the bar receipts separate. The ban affect bars primarily, showing combined tax receipts does not show the proof that bars are doing ok. But I go to bars, I ask bartenders, Memphis on Main for example, claims that hours have been cut, tips are down. I guess it is about what it takes for them to survive, cut jobs, hours, or get out of business like Tommy G's did, the owner bought a bar in Tolono, he knew his clientel, so he moved. I am not a debater, all I know is the bars I go to, there is no one there. But if there is a major loss of revenues a result of a statewide ban, then at least there is an equal playgound as to who pays those taxes. Now how we going to fund Social Security, Medicare? That is a good one to talk about. With all the education and reduction of smokers, they are living past government quoted prime. When can I retire?

Posted by bpercival on May 8, 2007 at 12:19 PM

The posted data shows a slight decline in receipts, slightly less than 1%. It's true that there was a blizzard in the month that showed the decline, but that mostly affected Tuesday and Wednesday, not typically large nights for restaurants and bars. On the other hand, Wednesday was Valentine's Day, but in my observation of packed restaurants, I don't think it was much of a hit.

This March was much warmer (by about 7 degrees) and less rainy (about 50% as much) as last March, two factors that perhaps increased restaurant and bar business. How much, I don't know.

This March had one more Saturday than last March and the same number of Fridays. I presume that's a measurable factor. This and last year's February had the same number of Fridays and Saturdays.

Inflation would increase receipts, perhaps by 3%. Population growth seems to be running about 1%. Add those together and it seems to me that growth of 4% in sales tax receipts would be neutral. I believe there were more restaurant and bar openings than closings in the last year, but I'm not sure on that. In any event, perhaps it doesn't exceed the postulated 1% population growth.

From a personal standpoint, the smoking ban benefits me and has no effect on me financially. As a matter of policy, I slightly oppose it. But I don't think there's meaningful data yet. Based on the two month sample, I would say that receipts are down from where they would be. Of course, no one can prove that, but to reject an argument because of the lack of proof when proof is not reasonably attained hardly seems objective.

Posted by one on May 8, 2007 at 2:59 PM