D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams declined to sign a District-wide smoking ban on Monday, but the bill appears headed for enactment as it moves to Congress for review without the mayor’s signature.

The bill, which was passed by the City Council on Jan. 4 by an 11-1 vote, will impose a complete ban on smoking in all public spaces in the city, excluding outdoor areas, hotel rooms, cigar bars and tobacco retail stores.

If Congress does not act to stop the bill within 30 working days, smoking in indoor workplaces and restaurant dining areas will be banned immediately. The ban will extend to bars, nightclubs and taverns next January.

Williams waited the 10 business days permitted him before passing on the bill rather than veto the bill outright, as there were not enough votes within the council to support a veto. Williams also expressed concern over the possible economic impact of the far-reaching ban.

“It came down to my view that a 100 percent smoking ban would result in substantial economic harm to bars and restaurants, particularly our smaller neighborhood establishments,” he said in a statement issued Monday.

Smokefree D.C., a citizen group advocating smoke-free environments in area workplaces, expressed frustration at the mayor’s refusal to support the legislation.

“While we are pleased he did not veto the measure, it is disappointing that he didn’t show leadership on this vital public and worker health issue and sign the bill,” the group said in a public statement.

At The Tombs, manager Stefan Vasilis had mixed feelings about the possibility of smoking being phased over the course of the year.

“It’s hard not to agree with a smoking ban,” he said, referring complaints he has received from his employees, including servers who have said they cannot tolerate heavy cigarette smoke from some customers.

Vasilis said that it was possible that The Tombs would suffer economically after the initial enactment of the bill, but added that he believed the effects would eventually even out.

Bryn Bellomy (SFS ’09) said he favors a smoking ban, but believes the decision to allow or ban smoking should ultimately be at the discretion of private businesses owners.

“I think in privately owned places, the government has no right to say if smoking can or cannot go on,” he said. “It is up to the owner.”

Kendra Jackson (SFS ’06), a Georgetown senior who is asthmatic, said she was concerned with the health threats posed by smoking in bars and restaurants.

“You’re affecting everybody that’s in a bar,” she said about smokers in public places.

Jackson also noted that smoking bans such as the one passed by the City Council already exist in other cities, such as New York City, Boston and Chicago.

“If there are bans in New York and in major cities up and down the East Coast, obviously there has been some precedence for action,” Jackson said.