Casino back on council agenda — sort of

We still don’t know whether Columbus would be an eligible site for a casino if casino gambling should become legal in Georgia.

We still don’t know whether legislators will put a proposed constitutional amendment for casino gambling on the ballot in the coming legislative session.

We still don’t know, if they do put it on the ballot, whether the state’s voters will approve it.

And we still don’t know, if the legislature does put it on the ballot, and the state’s voters do approve it, and Columbus is eligible, whether local voters will want a casino here.

What we do know as of now is that on Tuesday a Columbus Council majority approved a resolution — as it did before the last General Assembly session — asking the local legislative delegation to support enabling legislation for casino gambling in Georgia.

The resolution came after a request by Columbus businessman, civic leader and philanthropist Bob Wright, who last year raised the possibility of a casino as a possible economic, entertainment and tourism draw for Columbus, south Columbus in particular.

The moral, civic and sociological debates about legal gaming have inevitably arisen, and will continue as long as the issue is alive. At Tuesday’s council meeting, the objections had more to do with practical and political matters. Councilor Judy Thomas, who cast one of the three dissenting votes, pointed out that two previous versions of the enabling legislation had included what lawmakers called population “triggers” for casino eligibility — meaning, in short, that the only places in the state that would have qualified were Atlanta and Savannah. Columbus might be lobbying (so to speak) for legislation that wouldn’t even affect us.

Except, perhaps, negatively: Thomas alluded to restrictive contracts entertainers sometimes sign, agreeing not to perform elsewhere within a designated distance for a specified time. So a casino elsewhere — even with one here — might affect Columbus entertainment options. “It’s not just whether you want to have gambling in your community,” Thomas said. “It’s the fallout from that throughout the rest of the state.”

Mike Baker, who also cast a “nay” vote (as did Councilor Glenn Davis), said he doesn’t have a problem with citizens voting on it, but “I’d like to know what we’re calling for … I really don’t have that much information as far as an actual draft.”

Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Turner-Pugh said council is simply asking that “if, indeed, there is a constitutional amendment, that citizens be allowed to vote for it or against it, and that we be included.” That proposed amendment, she said, may be different from the previous ones, and “may include Columbus and some other cities.”

It’s a long time (though not that long) until January, enough time for details to be hammered out. We agree with Turner-Pugh that citizens must be allowed to decide an issue this important. We also agree with Thomas and Baker that citizens need to know what it is they’re voting on.

This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Casino back on council agenda — sort of."