A small Casper pet shelter prevailed this week in its quest to loosen restrictions on the gambling it uses to fund its operations, sparking a debate at Tuesdays City Council meeting on whether local government should be in the business of regulating morals.

For several years, the Pet Ring Foundation has raised money from a handful of gambling machines at a storefront along East Second Street.

But when executive director Preston Pilant tried to switch machine vendors, he learned that city zoning barred gambling at his shop because it was within 300 feet of a church.

Pilant said he had consulted with the police and City Attorneys Office before starting the gambling operation but hadnt thought to check with the zoning office.

We completely shut down, Pilant told Council.

That was a problem because the shelter was largely funded by the gaming revenue.

So Pilant approached Council earlier this year to ask that the city change the zoning rule barring gambling near churches. City staff began working on a solution, and on Tuesday, City Planner Craig Collins presented Council with five options:

reduce the current 300-foot distance restriction;

measure from building to building rather than from property lines;

eliminate the distance-based restriction on gambling in the C-2 zoning district, which Pilants operation is located in;

or remove the distance restriction on gambling in every zoning district.

Council members were largely sympathetic to Pilants plight.

Its a stupid law, said Councilman Shawn Johnson.

Councilwoman Amanda Huckabay defended Pilants work and said his shelter provided an essential service to Casperites.

Preston is a little bit psycho about animals, but he has helped out so many low-income and homeless people in this community, she said. If they have no place to keep their animal, Preston will take them in.

Collins also spoke against the current regulation, which bars gambling within 300 feet of both churches and schools, as measured from property line to property line.

He said the purpose of zoning was to ensure the buildings and activities in different neighborhoods were compatible.

Its not to make sure people are doing moral things on their property, Collins said. Im always hesitant to regulate moral issues because not everybodys morals are the same.

Councilman Dallas Laird said the fact that the Pet Rings gambling operation was active for years before the zoning issue shut them down was evidence that it posed no harm to the community.

This is probably going on all over and it doesnt matter, Laird said.

Lairds main concern was that Pilant had an old school bus, painted black, parked next to the shop. Pilant said it was intended to serve as a mobile spay-and-neuter clinic but that funds never emerged. He said the bus would be removed soon and offered it to Laird for free. Laird declined.

Pilant was unable to be reached for comment regarding what kind of gambling machines he would be using and when the operation most recently shut down.

Council agreed to eliminate the distance restriction in the C-2 zoning district and allow gambling in those areas without a special permit. Members will still need to vote on that decision at a future meeting.

Continue reading here:

City Council to loosen Casper gambling restrictions to aid pet shelter - Casper Star-Tribune Online