Findlay council approves several emergency ordinances, adopts 12‑month moratorium on certain amusement machines

Findlay City Council approved multiple pieces of legislation and formal actions at its January meeting, including emergency appropriations and a temporary citywide moratorium on certain skill‑based amusement businesses.

The council voted to suspend its rules and give final reading and passage to Ordinance 2026‑007 (an appropriations ordinance) after a roll call vote. Council later suspended the rules and passed Ordinance 2026‑009 by the same expedited process. During the meeting the council also approved Resolution 14‑2026, which affirmed auditor‑reported expenditures that either exceeded purchase orders or were incurred without a purchase order in line with Ohio Revised Code 5705.41(d). In a separate procedural action, council moved to file a letter of no objection for Racetrack Incorporated’s C‑2 liquor permit application with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control.

A notable outcome was Ordinance 2026‑011, adopted after the council suspended the rules: the ordinance establishes a 12‑month temporary moratorium on establishment, expansion, relocation, or certain changes in ownership or control of businesses using Type C skill‑based amusement machines, giving staff time to review zoning and regulatory controls.

The meeting record shows motions were made and seconded as required and that roll calls were taken on major votes; the clerk recorded members responding “Aye” on the recorded roll calls and the chair announced that motions carried.

Why it matters: the moratorium gives the city time to consider whether existing zoning and licensing rules are adequate for newer forms of amusement‑style businesses and to draft regulatory language if needed. The adopted appropriations and the auditor expenditures resolution allow the city to continue operating programs and to regularize expenditures that exceeded purchase‑order limits.

Next steps: council assigned other policy matters (notably a proposed grants oversight committee) to the rules committee for further consideration. No additional public hearings on the moratorium or the taxi‑code revisions were scheduled at the meeting.