Council denies zoning amendment and directs staff to return with ordinance to ban gaming sites citywide

The Beaumont City Council on July 15 voted to deny an item that would have limited permitted gaming‑site use to industrial zoning districts and instructed staff to return with an ordinance to repeal the city's gaming ordinance (effectively banning the sites). The issue prompted extended debate about grandfathered permits, notice periods, and enforcement timelines. "The ban period ... you have to give notice ... anywhere from 90 to 120 days," the city attorney said while explaining notice and ordinance procedures. Council members discussed whether existing licensed sites would be allowed to operate until licenses expired or whether a fixed notice window should be required; staff said many license renewals last into the early months of the next year and that most applicants had paused renewals awaiting council direction. Council members who sought a full ban said a citywide prohibition should be returned for council vote, while others sought compromise options that would limit new sites to industrial zones. A motion to deny the industrial‑zoning amendment and to ask staff to bring back a repeal of Article 6 (the gaming article) passed on a council vote; the council scheduled the matter to be returned for further action. Staff warned that repeal requires following zoning amendment, public‑hearing and notice procedures and that enforcing a ban would include a notice and enforcement timetable. Ending: The council's vote effectively keeps existing permits in place for now but directs staff to prepare an outright ban ordinance for a future meeting, with staff noting that timing and notice provisions will influence when enforcement could begin.