Bellmead residents urge exception for Last Chance Bar after city removes gaming machines

Several residents and business owners told the Bellmead City Council on March 11 that removing electronic "8‑liner" amusement machines from Last Chance Bar has harmed the establishment’s revenue and local social functions, and they asked the council to consider an exception to a city ordinance that bars licensed indoor amusements within 1,000 feet of each other.

Adria Rogers read a written statement from business owner George Mitchell on behalf of her parents. "I am George W. Bill Mitchell, am the business owner of Last Chance Bar on 1200 New Dallas Highway in Bellmead," Rogers read. The letter describes the bar as "kid and pet friendly," a longtime local venue and a source of community events, and says the business has had the same game owner for 10 years. The letter asks the council to "please grant approval for an exception to the rule for Last Chance Bar" and cites Bellemead Code of Ordinances section 10‑161, which prohibits a licensed indoor amusement facility from locating within 1,000 feet of another such facility.

Craig Lee, who said he owns the building where the bar operates, said he believes city actions were retaliatory after he inquired about filing a formal complaint related to a separate incident involving a city employee. Lee said the removal of games is already reducing customers: "With them not being able[,] if they're not making revenue, the building the business shuts down and it stays vacant." He told the council he has body‑cam footage and other documentation and that he had attempted multiple administrative routes before coming to the council.

Patron Rosalind Courter said the community has personal ties to the bar and that the removal of machines has led to drastically lower attendance. "We were in there Saturday night. They had loud live music. Maybe 18 people in the whole place. And usually, it's packed on a Saturday night," Courter said. She said the bar hosts family celebrations and fundraisers and urged the council to reconsider enforcement actions that resulted in the games being removed.

What was requested and what the council did: Speakers asked the council to consider an exception to ordinance section 10‑161 or to revisit the enforcement decision. City staff did not present a separate agenda item or staff recommendation on this request during the meeting; the matter was raised during the public comment portion of the meeting. Council took no formal action on the request during the March 11 session.

Clarifying details from the record: the letter read at the podium says Last Chance Bar has operated at the New Dallas Highway location for roughly 10 years and that the game's owner had provided machines to the location for 10 years. The letter and speakers claimed distance measurements that differ by method — the business's measurement said a "driving" route is 1,023 feet whereas a straight‑line measurement would be about 682 feet; the transcript records those two figures as submitted by a speaker but the council did not verify either measurement at the meeting.

Ending: Council members thanked speakers for their comments during the public‑comment period. The council did not vote or direct staff to take immediate action on the exception request at the March 11 meeting; any future council consideration would require a formal agenda item or staff report.