INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A stricter smoking ban will not go into effect in Marion County anytime soon because it didn't get enough votes to pass or fail during Monday night's City-County Council meeting.

The ordinance, which would have snuffed out smoking in bars, bowling alleys and private clubs, needed 15 votes to pass.

The final tally was 13-12 vote, with two councilors absent and two more abstaining, citing a personal conflict of interest, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

People who fought the stricter ordinance consider the vote a victory, even if the proposal may come back in the future.

"Actually, I believe this was decisive, “ said Bill Smythe, owner of Claude and Annie’s’ Food and Spirits. “It takes 15 votes for them to be able to bring it back up. Effectively, this is gone until they can either change the makeup of the council or until (Councilor) Tulley or someone from the (Indy) Star (newspaper) can berate a few more councilors to get them to abstain."

Smythe was alluding to Councilor Dayne Mahern, who abstained from the vote. His father is a lobbyist for tobacco companies.

Also abstaining was Monroe Gray, co-owner of north side bar 300 East.

Doris Minton-McNeill was once again not in attendance, and another councilor was absent because of family health reasons. .

"It just reinforces what a backward city I live in," said Ken St. John, of Smoke-Free Indy. "This comes down to people thinking that this is really going to hurt their business. Well, in other cities, it's proven not to, and this is the wave and we're ignoring this wave and it's very backward. It's sad."

Supporters of a stricter smoking ban believe the health of bar workers should trump a business owner's right to choose to allow smoking.

Many bar owners believe being forced to ban smoking would have crippled their businesses.

The issue might be snuffed out for now, but it won't be for long. Supporters vow to keep fighting whether it takes the next City-County Council or the Legislature to make Indy's smoking ban as strict as some other large cities.

Proposals for a statewide ban in Indiana have died in legislative committee three times. Smoking could now become a campaign issue for City-County Council candidates.

Marion County's current smoking ban was passed in 2005. It prohibits smoking in any business that allows patrons under the age of 18.