Trustees to give definitive answer on video gaming, Sangamon property to be rezoned for commercial use

Five of the six Village Trustees voted to take some definitive action on the video gambling issue in Mahomet in a straw poll during Tuesday’s board meeting.

In open discussion after agenda items had been acted upon, Acting Mayor Sean Widener asked Trustees if they would rather come bring the video game issue up again to vote yes or no on the issue or if they would rather not bring the issue up again.

Trustee Vicki Cook was the only one to vote no on the issue.

With the majority of Trustees wanting to come to closure on the issue, three Trustees voted that they would like to see a non-binding resolution and three more voted that they would like to vote on an ordinance.

Village Administrator Patrick Brown said this straw poll on Tuesday night did not mean any Trustee was voting for or against video gaming within Village limits, but that the Trustees just wanted to give the public and business owners a definitive yes or no on the issue.

Main Street Wingery owner Rich Minnick wrote a letter to the Village recently asking for clarification of the issue that had not been passed on to the regular agenda in past study sessions.

Currently, there are two establishments just outside of Village limits, It’ll Do Bar and Grill and Lake of the Woods Bar, that offer video game machines within their establishments.

Brown said the issue may be brought up as early as November.

Rezoning the Sangamon Elementary Property

The Village Board of Trustees voted to include the rezoning of the Sangamon Elementary Property from a Residential Zone 3 to Commercial Zone 2 classification in the consent agenda on October 27.

Zoned as residential, an appraiser told the school district the property is worth nearly $500,000. Following rezoning, the site may be worth between $2.1 and $2.3 million.

The district plans to move first and second grade classrooms out to a new school located behind Middletown Prairie Elementary within the next couple years.

Acting Mayor Sean Widener notified the board that the school or site developer may incur other charges as the 3.6 acre property transitions from a school to a place of business.