Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun is asking for help.
He would like residents to contact state lawmakers in the Indiana House of Representatives and urge them to support Senate Bill 552.
That's the gaming legislation that would allow live dealers at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino as of July 1 this year.
DeBaun made the request on Monday evening at a meeting of the Shelbyville Common Council in City Hall, 44 W. Washington St.
In the council's premeeting, the mayor noted potential opposition in the House to the legislation which passed the state Senate in February.
“I think when Speaker of the House Bosma indicated that he saw this as an expansion, and expressed concerns, that really kind of threw everybody. No one had expected that because he didn't made those comments prior. So everybody's kind of wading through that as well,” DeBaun said.
The mayor told City Council members and others at the meeting that Senate approval of moving a casino from Gary to Terre Haute has other casinos lined up at the Statehouse to get things they want, so now is the time to push hard for House to pass Senate Bill 552.
DeBaun noted that allowing live dealers at Indiana Grand would create 300 jobs, many of them paying high wages.
The mayor said he and others are going up to Indianapolis on Wednesday to talk with state lawmakers and seek support for the gaming bill.
More information and contacts at the legislature are available at – www.iga.in.gov.
In other matters, the City Council on Monday unanimously approved adding a fee of $1,005 on all new homes built in the city to help offset the impact new residents will have on the city's parks. No one spoke in opposition to measure.
Council members also approved spending $44,000 to build a dog park and $45,000 to outfit an ambulance, which gives the fire department five ambulances.
Also, the council voted 6-1 to approve additional spending of $1.4 million in racino funds to upgrade East Washington Street, the first phase of the mayor's overall downtown redevelopment.
Councilman Brad Ridgeway (R-4th Ward) voted against the additional appropriation because of a jump in the cost when the project grew from one block to more than two blocks.
Ridgeway asked City Engineer Matt House to step up to the podium to go over the cost increase.
“Help me, explain to me, in just a short period of time as you can, how we went from the original project, which was, according to you, a little over $600,000, correct? For one block. (House: 'The base bid at the time, yes.')”
House and Mayor DeBaun noted that the second block of the project is longer, plus there were additional costs related to making parts of the sidewalk handicapped accessible, and there were extra engineering costs.
At the start of the council meeting, Chief Mark Weidner honored a 9th grader at Shelbyville High School for her support of the police department.
Breanna Aldridge was made an honorary police officer. She sends cards and brings gifts to the officers who are grateful, Weidner said.
