BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council will take a more in-depth look at video lottery after voting to move some items off the agenda of the July 28 meeting.

The vote to move the four items to a later study session was 5-1 with Councilor Leah Brink being the dissenting vote.

Postponing items

As part of every meeting, the agenda must be approved by vote of the council before the meeting can proceed. Councilor Joey Collins asked that items 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D be removed from the agenda and put on a future study session. All items were public hearings and second readings. 

Item 8A was for an on-off sale malt license for MG Oil Company, Marlyn Erickson and Troy Erickson, owners, 7222 Western Ave., Suite B.

Item 8B was a request for video lottery for MG Oil Company, Suite B.

Item 8C was a request for an on-off sale malt license for MG Oil Company, Suite C.

Item 8D was a request for video lottery for MG Oil Company, Suite C.

Background

All items pertain to The Lanes on Western Avenue. Marlyn Erickson and Troy Erickson purchased Prairie Lanes Inc. from Les Nelson as of Jan. 1, 2020, according to a memo by City Clerk Bonnie Foster. A transfer of the liquor license and 10 video lottery machines was approved by the city council on April 28, 2020.

“The walk-through indicated that the bowling alley is undergoing a complete remodeling. As part of the applicant’s plan, they are creating two additional spaces within the building where alcoholic beverages will be sold and consumed. In conjunction with these two additional spaces, they hope to place up to 10 video lottery machines in each of the additional spaces,” according to Foster’s memo.

“Our walk-through indicates the separate spaces have been designated, and sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages are intended to occur at these two additional locations within the building. This would comply with the video lottery requirements if the City Council approves the two on-off sale malt licenses and if the City Council also approves video lottery for these two additional locations within the building,” according to Foster’s memo.

“The on-off sale malt license (if approved) would be effective Aug. 1, 2020, and then subject to an annual renewal.”

The property now can have 10 video lottery machines, and approval of the two additional malt licenses could result in up to 30 video lottery machines at the business, Foster wrote.

Councilor comments

“Since I’m new to this, I want to make sure I know the history of it, what we’ve done in the past, the criteria,” Collins said. “I also want to talk about how this will affect the future of Brookings: how many lottery machines do we actually want in Brookings.”

The state regulations for video lottery machines are specific, Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne said. 

“There are certain limitations that the council may or may not have in order to really look at whether or not we would allow these,” she said, adding she thinks looking at the subject in a study session would be appropriate. 

“To me it seems challenging to have to make an example for this particular issue with an applicant who’s applied and has submitted everything that they needed to do, based on the rules that we have today,” Brink said. 

“I feel like it would be appropriate to study the issue, but I don’t necessarily know that I would tie it to this particular application,” she said, adding she would like to go through the items on the agenda, and then do a study session on the subject of video lottery.

Bacon questioned whether other cities have adopted ordinances pertaining to video lottery, and requested that staff research it and report back to the council.

City Manager Paul Briseno noted the council has a study session scheduled for Aug. 18. That would give staff time to research the information and ordinances for the council. The items would then be brought back at a following meeting for the council’s vote.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.