It does not seem to matter who is doing the voting, Centre Wellington Township council remained firmly split, 4-3, on Monday night when it came to an application to expand the number of slot machines at the Grand River Raceway.
The same voting results occurred when the slots were first approved, and it continued through two amendments to a zoning application that would allow the raceway to expand to 450 slot machines.
The biggest difference in the first approval process and the latest one was the amount of opposition. In 2000, council hosted the largest public meeting for a zoning application in Wellington County history, with over 1,400 people packing the community centre.
When the current council held a public meeting in November about the slots application – in Fergus this time -township planner Brett Salmon noted in the meeting was sparsely attended.
In fact, there was one speaker in favour of the application, other than the proponents, and one citizen opposed.
Salmon told council Monday the township received seven or eight letters, with the majority opposed, but some in favour.
The Grand River Raceway is currently bound by a limit of 200 machines through the zoning bylaw, and needed to apply for any expansion of the machines or the floor area. It could currently add up to 40 more machines without expanding the floor area.
Raceway General Manager Ted Clarke said he would like to have 450 slot machines, and expand the facility towards the racetrack at the rear of the building. He said the facade, as seen from the road, would not change.
Clarke noted most rural slots facilities have expanded the number of machines well beyond 400, and said the Grand River Raceway wants to keep up.
Slots revenue for the raceway enables it to offer better purses to attract the best horses and rides, and thus better crowds.
A proposal to expand the slots building would require only site plan approval.
Salmon told council that from a strictly planning approach, one of the few reasons to limit the slots is fiscal. He said after 450 machines are in place, any more means the township would be limited to two per cent of the profits from the machines. Currently, to 450 machines, it receives 5%.
Centre Wellington has received over $9-million as its share of the slots profits since the facility opened in late 2003.
As for most of the arguments council heard in 2000 against the slots, Salmon said, “A lot of the feared negative consequences of the use … crime and all that … I’d say we haven’t experienced that.”
He added revenues for the township were slightly higher than expected, and there appears there has been no tapering off in use.
In fact, the raceway wants the increase in machines because it fears people will go to other facilities if there are waits and lineups in Elora.
Salmon said an expanded facility of 5,300 square feet would take up only 0.2% of the lot area, and poses no problem, as the facility has more than enough parking.
Councillor Fred Morris cited Salmon’s report that “with most commercial operations we do not use zoning to control the size of the commercial facilities except where a new commercial entity such as a supermarket is proposed, and it threatens the planned function of another commercial district.”
Morris said that limit is currently restricted only to supermarkets.
Morris asked if that is the case, why is Salmon asking for a limit of 450 machines.
Salmon replied that it is “a valid threshold” for planning impacts because of the reduced revenue.
Raceway planner Pierre Chauvin noted that while the raceway had applied to have the limit reduced completely, it would be satisfied with 450. A casino or charity casino is still forbidden.
Councillor Ron Hallman asked how many jobs would be created with the expansion.
Clarke replied the Ontairo Lottery and Gaming would like hire 10 to 14 people, and the raceway could hire as many as four more.
Morris attempted to introduce two amendments to the zoning amendment council was considering.
The first was to limit the number of machines to 250. That lost 4-3, with Morris, and councillors Bob Foster and Kirk McElwain in support, and Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj, and councillors Shawn Watters, Walt Visser, and Ron Hallman in favour.
Morris then introduced an amendment that if the raceway plans to expand further, it be forced to come to council to discuss its plans. He said that would make people aware of what was going on.
The same three councillors were in favour, and it, too, lost 4-3.
Council then approved the zoning application 4-3, and later passed the bylaw. In all cases, the votes were 4-3, with no changes in them.
