Aldermen in the City of Monmouth have made no decision on whether to expand or be more restrictive of video gaming.
Recently, the State of Illinois expanded the regulations regarding video gaming to allow municipalities to impose fees, taxes, and allow additional machines within the city.
City Administrator Lew Steinbrecher tells WGIL that he drafted an ordinance for the council to consider, which included a limitation of five machines per location. The fees he discussed would be a $50 license application and annual renewal fee as well as an annual fee of $125 per video gaming terminal.
He said the discussion was mixed at Monday night’s meeting. Some aldermen wanted the city to be expansive and allow up to six terminals while others wanted to be more restrictive.
Steinbrecher says he’ll review comparably sized communities and their fee structure to possibly bring the item back at a later date.
Aldermen also learned that the city will see less money from a lease buyout agreement that was made a few months ago.
In July, aldermen approved a lease buyout with SBA, a company that operated an 80-foot cellular tower on a city-owned parcel along South fifth street.
Steinbrecher says that due to the merger between Sprint and T-Mobile, SBA could no longer offer the originally approved sum of $291,000 dollars and instead offered $205,000 with a revenue share option on additional carriers that located at the tower.
Aldermen also approved reducing the number of available liquor licenses in the city as well as approved putting up two new stop signs in residential neighborhoods.
Lew Steinbrecher also tells WGIL that Arby’s has closed on the property across the street from Burger King and expected to start building in November.
