OMG. I didn’t realize that they had resurrected a dead horse.
Embarrassing and MOOT!
Meaningless, Embarrassing and MOOT!
JPs vote down ‘casino support’ ordinance
Courier, Jul 3, 2021
Pope County Justices of the Peace put an end Thursday to an ordinance that would have required an election to approve an elected official’s support of a casino applicant.
The ordinance had been on the Quorum Court’s agenda for months, receiving its three required readings – one per month – and then being tabled three months in a row before finally coming to a vote Thursday.
“I think this is an opportunity to represent the voters of the county and carry forward with the wishes of the people,” JP Alan George said.
“I think this could put us at risk for a liability,” JP Roy Reaves said. “We cannot legally restrict the powers of elected officials.”
“We don’t want to unnecessarily get into any more lawsuits,” JP Lane Scott added.
The ordinance’s short title was “Pope County Local Voting to Authorize the Required Support Documentation for Casino Applicant(s) from the Proper Elected Officials.”
The ordinance would have restricted the county judge and the Quorum Court from issuing any letters of support for a casino applicant without first referring the matter to the voters in the form of a general or special election.
Initially, a motion was made to table the ordinance for another month, but that motion failed because it needed seven votes to be tabled and only received six votes. Reaves, along with JPs Doug Skelton, Jackie Hefflin and Tim Whittenburg voted against tabling the ordinance for another 30 days.
When the ordinance failed to be tabled, a vote was called to approve or deny the ordinance, and it failed with a 6-4 vote against.
JPs Hefflin, Reaves, Scott, Skelton, Jennifer Sloan and Whittenburg voted against the measure.
JPs David Ivy, Bill Sparks, Jamie Jackson and George voted in favor of the ordinance.
JPs Jason Muncy, Phillip Haney and Joseph Pearson were absent from Thursday’s meeting