Council pauses proposed gaming-room ordinance, orders public poll and Chamber outreach

The Seymour City Council voted on March 20 not to adopt a proposed ordinance regulating gaming rooms and instead directed staff to solicit public input and consult the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners.

Council members said they wanted a clearer sense of how residents and downtown business owners feel about gaming rooms before committing to a restrictive local ordinance. The draft ordinance presented to the council was modeled on a version used by another West Texas city and included a 21-year age minimum and a permitting/fee structure; council members said the draft as written could push operators to site outside city limits.

Council members raised two main concerns: whether a gaming room would harm the downtown business environment and whether zoning rules should limit where a gaming room could operate. Several members suggested a targeted survey or online poll and outreach to the Chamber to collect opinions from merchants who could be affected.

After deliberation, the council voted to pause adoption and direct staff to run a community poll and to circulate the draft to the Chamber for comment; the motion passed 4-0. The council did not adopt the proposed ordinance at this meeting and asked staff to return with poll results and any Chamber feedback.

Council members said they favored a deliberative process because any final ordinance could affect potential downtown investment or push operators to locate outside the city’s core. The matter will return to a future agenda after staff compiles the survey and business feedback.