Grand Forks City Council limits organizations that may take part in charitable gaming – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS – The Grand Forks City Council agreed Monday evening to regulate town’s charitable gaming ordinance to restrict which organizations can have a gaming website, with some exceptions.

Under the brand new ordinance, 75% of a company’s board or workers should reside in Grand Forks or Polk counties so as to be eligible for charitable gaming websites within the metropolis. The present cap of 10 websites per group stays in place.

There will likely be two exceptions to the 75% rule, together with:

• One: an exemption will likely be made if the eligible group is the proprietor of 1 property the place charitable gaming is permitted. If the group owns a number of properties, it nonetheless should adjust to the 75% rule.
• Two: An exemption will likely be made for single-event websites, akin to raffles.

The ordinance handed 6-1, with City Council member Tricia Berg dissenting.

Prior to the vote, the council heard from Don Santer, CEO of North Dakota Association for the Disabled. Santer advised the council that NDAD had been based in Grand Forks, and all the proceeds from charitable gaming at Southgate Casino, Bar and Grill on South Washington Street – owned by NDAD – keep within the Grand Forks neighborhood. However, as a result of NDAD is now a statewide group, with out exemptions to the 75% rule, it not would have been eligible to function its charitable gaming websites in Grand Forks.

“While I understand the intention (of the 75% rule), the reality is this would force NDAD to shut down gaming at Southgate as a statewide organization,” Santer advised the council. The affect of shedding the Grand Forks charitable gaming website could be “dozens of jobs lost, $2 million in wages gone, and, most importantly, it would strip away essential services from the people who need them most.”

The agreed-upon exemption will enable organizations like Southgate to proceed to function charitable gaming websites at their very own properties with out permitting non-local organizations to purchase a number of bars within the metropolis and “usurp the rule,” Mayor Brandon Bochenski stated.

The up to date ordinance goals to make it simpler for native organizations to take part in charitable gaming. According to a council report, there are charitable organizations locally that need to take part however are usually not capable of as a result of there are usually not sufficient approved websites accessible.

However, Berg nervous that including restrictions on who can take part in charitable gaming could be “shooting ourselves in the foot.”

“If there’s a future nonprofit that wants to come to the state, to North Dakota, and operate throughout the state of North Dakota, I think we’re really restricting ourselves from future opportunity to have a headquarters here in Grand Forks, and I think we greatly benefit when headquarters are located here,” Berg stated. “So I’m going to be voting no on this.”

In different information, the council:

• Heard updates on negotiations with Agristo, that are going “swimmingly,” in keeping with Bochenski. The growth settlement with the Belgian potato processor for its proposed Grand Forks plant remains to be being finalized between metropolis and Agristo attorneys.
• Accepted a brand new metropolis ordinance that enables metropolis police to serve no-trespass orders to individuals trespassing on metropolis property. The ordinance incorporates a lot of concerns to make sure town isn’t violating anybody’s First Amendment or due course of rights.
• Recommended approval of a brand new metropolis ordinance to replace the variety of parking areas per unit that multi-family housing developments are required to supply. Under the brand new ordinance, buildings could be required to supply 1.25 off-street parking areas per effectivity unit, 1.5 areas per one-bedroom unit, two areas per two-bedroom unit and a pair of.5 areas per three-bedroom (or bigger) unit. The change will go to public listening to on Sept. 15. The change would put Grand Forks extra in step with different North Dakota cities, in keeping with metropolis planner Ryan Brooks.
• Heard updates from Bochenski. He congratulated now-retired

  Sgt. Kevin Kallinen

  on 45 years with the Grand Forks Police Department. According to Bochenski, “he had an uncanny ability … to find stolen cars.” He estimated some two thirds of the vehicles stolen in Grand Forks up to now 45 years have been situated by Kallinen. Bochenski additionally reported that he expects to have extra solutions relating to e

  xpanded air service at Grand Forks International Airport

  someday this fall or winter. 

• Heard 4 public hearings and really helpful all for passage. The hearings included updates to town zoning map to vary one current enterprise district right into a residential district, one current mild industrial district to a normal industrial district and one Planned Use Development industrial district to a PUD mild industrial district. The council additionally really helpful altering metropolis code to permit motels to serve alcohol at off-site occasions.
• Adopted a decision authorizing the issuance and appropriating the particular assessments for the $1.316 million of Refunding Improvement Bonds to finance the development of a storm sewer alongside twenty seventh Avenue North and North thirty second Street.
• Approved a mortgage from the state Department of Environmental Quality of greater than $1.521 million by means of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for a Highway 81 watermain challenge.
• Voted to resume a 10-year conditional use allow for Residual Material Inc. Recycling Center.
• Replatted a lot of parcels to create 5 new heaps at 2920 Fifth Ave. N.