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Bryan repeals 1957 ordinance regulating mechanical amusement devices
Summary
Council voted to repeal a long‑standing local ordinance that imposed a $15 fee per mechanical amusement device, citing low revenue and overlapping state regulation; one member abstained because of an affiliation with a local humane society that operates such a device.
The Bryan City Council voted Monday to repeal Chapter 7.33 of the codified ordinances, a 1957 regulation that imposed a fee on mechanical amusement devices such as pull‑tabs and certain keno/pinball‑type machines.
Clerk/Treasurer John explained that the ordinance yielded little revenue — “less than a hundred dollars” in recent years — and that the devices are also regulated by the state, making local enforcement time‑consuming and costly. City staff said the effort to track and collect the $15 fee for each device was not recouping enforcement time and, in some cases, generated contention with local businesses and nonprofits.
Councilmember John disclosed he is president of the Humane Society and said he would abstain from the vote because the Humane Society operates a device referenced in discussion. The motion to repeal passed with the remainder of the council voting in favor.
Officials said the repeal removes a small administrative burden and that state rules will continue to govern whether establishments may operate those devices.
