OGALLALA, Neb — The Ogallala city council met Tuesday night to discuss rezoning for a potential $100 million casino.
After a divided public comment section, the city voted four to one in favor of the changes.
After two previous votes on rezoning, one for and one against, the city began the meeting by allowing proponents to discuss the pros and cons of the potential casino resort and racetrack.
One proponent advocated for the city to encourage the zoning change “To provide economic development, tax relief, capital improvement, and complement the existing booming tourism industry in Ogallala and Keith county.“
Opponents of the measure spoke next, with more members of the public speaking against than for the measure.
One opponent spoke of “The number of people that are going to go to that casino, and they’re going to drink and they’re going to drive across that dam out to our good old Lake McConaughey, and the potential for wrecks? Across the dam? And the lives that could be lost going across it.“
The city council reiterated that the vote was regarding rezoning the plot of land and not the start of the potential casino project. The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approved a racing license for the developers earlier this year.
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