Roanoke City Council’s annual requests for state legislators normally get final approval without a hitch.

But Monday, one councilman voted against the city’s and the school system’s wish lists, another councilman questioned why there were two such measures to vote on instead of one combined, and one major issue — the city’s pursuit of a casino — wasn’t included although it is an active endeavor that requires General Assembly approval.

That prompted Mayor Joe Cobb, in an interview with reporters after the meeting, to say the casino plan is proceeding on a “different path” and that “the majority of council supports moving forward.”

The council’s list this year includes numerous asks whittled down over several weeks of discussions. It includes requests from a conversion of the Virginia Museum of Transportation into a state agency to affordable housing initiatives to money for an Amtrak station downtown.

The school list is highlighted by support of a state proposal to raise the sales tax by 1 percent to create money for school construction.

Councilman Nick Hagen cast the only no vote on the school list. Hagen, a lawyer and the lone council Republican, frowns on tax increases. In an interview with The Roanoke Rambler Monday night, he said that is part of why he voted against the school legislative agenda. However, he said he’s also concerned that if the state sales tax increase is approved, it will become a “substitute” for local politicians to use instead of providing adequate additional education funding themselves.

“I want to make sure schools have the funding they desperately deserve,” he said.

Hagen also cast the only no vote on the city’s list. That’s because of constitutional concerns, primarily with a request to expand the use of automated speed enforcement cameras beyond school zones, he said. His concern is based on protections provided by the Fourth Amendment on unreasonable searches and seizures and limiting the power of law enforcement, he said.

Council approved the two lists Monday without any mention of what’s arguably the most predominant issue it’s created in recent months: potentially turning the Berglund Center into an entertainment district anchored by a casino.

But that is being discussed behind closed doors. City officials tied to the initiative have signed non-disclosure agreements and the city is working with an unidentified casino vendor. The state legislature must approve a gambling license for Roanoke to proceed. And then city voters would have to approve the plan. 

Currently, not one state legislator from the Roanoke or New River valleys supports even considering the idea — and that puts the city in a position of searching for a legislator or legislators from outside the region to file that request on its behalf. Two of the seven city council members have also voiced their public opposition to the casino proposal to this point: Hagen and Vice Mayor Terry McGuire.

In the interview after Monday’s council meeting, Cobb said the casino plan did not require “a specific action” but it is “a specific process.”  

He said the NDA is a reason why there is not more information to share publicly at present. He also said the city is being careful to not put its “lobbying team” now working with the casino vendor in a situation that could be a conflict of interest.  He did not elaborate on that.

Cobb did say if the council does need to act on any piece of the casino process, it will.

Monday’s legislative wish list consideration also brought another of the council’s ongoing issues into play. Two members — McGuire and Vivian Sanchez-Jones — can’t discuss or vote on any issue related to school finances because they work for the city school system.

Every time such a matter arises, McGuire and Sanchez-Jones read required conflict of interest statements, then leave the dais.

Councilman Peter Volosin questioned why “we’re approving two separate legislative agendas and not just one” as done in the past.

Deputy City Attorney David Collins, addressing the matter during the meeting, said there remains one legislative program, but the two separate votes allow McGuire and Sanchez-Jones to vote on the city’s list, while recusing themselves from only the school portion.

Sanchez-Jones, as well as other council members employed by the school system, did vote on the complete legislative program in the past, including the schools. It was unclear Tuesday what brought about the change this year – whether a new policy or a change in interpretation.

The city attorney's office on Tuesday did not return a message left about that as well as questions about the casino process.