CENTRAL CITY — Central City’s mission is to reclaim its place as the “Richest Square Mile on Earth,” not just in dollars, but in culture, history, the environment, and everyday quality of life. 

In 2025, that mission was tested again and again as the City Council wrestled with a single question that refused to go away: whether a sexually oriented business (SOB) belongs on Main Street, and who gets to decide.

In 2025, the council included Mayor Jeremy Fey (term ends December 31, 2026), Mayor Pro-Tem Chuck Spencer (term ends December 31, 2028), and three aldermen serving four-year, at-large terms:

1. Marcia Enloe (term ends December 31, 2026)

2. Todd Williams (term ends December 31, 2026)

3. Zane Plsek (term ends December 31, 2028)

From January forward, council meetings mixed routine governance with rising tension tied to Rick’s Cabaret and Steakhouse, owned by RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc.(RCI), and the City’s rules for sexually oriented businesses.

Early in the year, the council focused on planning, infrastructure, and revenue. Members approved engineering contracts, debated admission fees for ticketed events, and confronted long-standing issues on Eureka Street from sidewalks and snow removal to truck traffic and pedestrian safety.

Behind those conversations was a larger concern: flat gaming revenue and aging systems that require expensive fixes.

By summer, the adult business debate moved to the center of the room. In July, RCI CEO Eric Langan told the council the company was dropping its lawsuit against the City. “We’re trying to work with the city, not against the city,” he said, citing the cost of litigation for both sides. The announcement did not end the conflict. Instead, it shifted it.

Council entered into executive sessions to discuss potential changes to the municipal code and the future of City-owned properties related to the issue. 

In August, members split 3–2 on proposed updates to the City’s sexually oriented business licensing rules, leaving the existing ordinance unchanged. Public frustration followed, along with questions about enforcement and fairness.

By September, the group made a pivotal decision. Rather than settle the matter themselves, members voted to send the question directly to voters. Ordinance 25-08 placed a ballot measure before residents, asking whether a sexually oriented business should be allowed on Main Street.

During that meeting, Spencer summed up the divide. “Do I want a strip club on Main Street? No, I don’t,” he said. “But I don’t believe it’s my choice. I just want to put it back in the residents’ hands.”

The vote did not quiet the room. Public comments grew sharper. Some residents argued the business was operating outside the City code. Others warned of costly lawsuits if the City acted too aggressively. 

Now demoted to adviser, former RCI CEO Langan returned to the podium more than once, defending his company and its employees. “We’re going to pay approximately $300,000 in taxes,” he said later in the year. “We have over 27 full-time employees in this market.”

Langan told the council that, while RCI has faced wage theft and tax-related allegations in other jurisdictions, there have been no convictions or fines tied to Rick’s Cabaret and Steakhouse in Central City. 

He also insisted that Rick’s is not even an SOB, arguing that toplessness alone does not define an SOB and framing it instead as a matter of personal freedom and constitutional rights.

As fall set in, the council’s agenda widened again. Members debated nonprofit funding, approved the 2026 budget, and faced the reality of major water system upgrades looming within the next decade. 

In early November, Central City voters weighed in on the adult business issue on ballot Question 2A. They rejected the measure that would have allowed sexually oriented businesses in parts of the Historic Downtown Gaming Zone. The “no” vote upheld the City’s longstanding stance against strip clubs on Main Street.

The budget passed on a 3–2 vote, with Aldermen Zane Plsek and Chuck Spencer voting no. Both raised concerns about the City’s ongoing $100,000 annual allocation to nonprofits, questioning whether those dollars would be better directed toward roads, sidewalks, or fire protection as infrastructure needs continue to grow.

At the same time, another long-running issue finally reached daylight. After multiple continuances, the Gregory Gulch Gaming Resort proposal received its long-awaited public hearing in December.

City Hall was packed. After more than an hour of questions and limited public comment, the council unanimously approved the rezoning tied to the project, setting the stage for further review in 2026.

The year ended much as it began—with unresolved tension, big decisions ahead, and a council trying to balance economics, identity, and community trust. As Central City moves into a new year, the question that defined 2025 still lingers beneath the surface: how to protect what makes the city unique while deciding what it is willing to become.