Confusion Clarified at City Council Meeting

At the Seneca city council meeting last night, a discussion of proposed ordinance 2023-02 was held on the best way to regulate payday loans, tattoo parlors, and vaping shops in the city limits. Councilwoman Denise Rozman suggested that these types of businesses should be relegated to highway commercial zones. Existing businesses of these types would be grandfathered in, but new ones would need to meet regulations such as a separation of 1,000 feet. However, Councilman & Mayor Pro-Tem Ronnie O’Kelley expressed a desire to welcome businesses of all kinds, stating that “We need a place for everyone.”…

Mayor Dan Alexander kept his title as a man of proclamation when he began the discussion by announcing Small Business Appreciation Week, urging everyone to show their appreciation for small businesses in Seneca…

During the meeting, Mayor Alexander also addressed some confusion at the previous meeting’s discussion of ordinance 2023-02, which resulted in difficulty understanding who said what and when, and urged everyone to follow Robert’s Rules of Order carefully…

City Attorney Bo Bowman clarified that, by ordinance, he would act as the parliamentarian at meetings. It is likely that the city council will take ordinance 2023-02 off the table at its next meeting, which would regulate where these businesses may operate within the city limits.