Initiative On Casinos Will Wait Until ‘99 Opponents Lack Enough Signatures To Gain Spot On November Ballot

A citizens initiative to ban casinos in Spokane doesn’t have enough signatures to get on the November ballot, but will make a ballot next year, a spokesman said Sunday.

“I think we have a couple of thousand signatures. We’ll count on Tuesday,” said Brian Patchett, president of the Committee for Spokane.

The committee’s initiative is one of two proposals to ban or restrict casinos.

On Sunday, Spokane City Councilman Jeff Colliton said he is proposing a moratorium on new casinos after Sept. 17 - a month later than he suggested last week.

Colliton’s proposal will be discussed at tonight’s City Council meeting. The earliest a public hearing could be held on the issue is Aug. 17.

Thanks to changes in Washington’s gambling laws, Spokane could see nine or more blackjack casinos open by the end the year. Preliminary figures from the state show two of the casinos currently open will make more than $1 million annually from gamblers through blackjack and other card games.

The rapid growth of the casinos worried a group of citizens enough to try and ban them. The group needed roughly 10,000 signatures by Sunday to get its initiative on the November ballot.

The group has financial support from several downtown restaurants concerned the casinos could use their gambling profits to undercut local menu prices, Patchett said.

Patchett wouldn’t name the restaurants, but said the Committee for Spokane will file a public disclosure statement this week.

Though it doesn’t have the signatures for November’s ballot, Patchett figures the committee already has enough to get the initiative on the next special election ballot - likely to be sometime in spring 1999.

Concerned the citizens initiative would land the city in a lawsuit with casino owners, Colliton offered his own solution.

Under Colliton’s proposal, the city’s three existing casinos could continue to operate. Additionally, any business wishing to have a casino would have until Sept. 17 to put money down on an application with the Washington State Gambling Commission.

Colliton’s initial deadline was Aug. 14, but that would require an emergency ordinance, which he doesn’t want, he said.

The earliest a final vote could be taken on Colliton’s proposal is Aug. 17. Assuming the council passes the ordinance, the public would have 30 days to petition to overturn the council’s action and put the ordinance up for a public vote.

Barring that, it would go into effect on Sept. 17.

Should Colliton’s ordinance pass, it might face a legal challenge from the Washington State Gambling Commission. The commission questions the legality of the moratorium.