This week, Hitchcock council held a special meeting and discussed the proposed budget.
Documents shared by Mayor Chris Armacost show the city plans to remove a permit that generates nearly a million dollars a year.
It comes nearly six months after the Galveston County Sheriff's Office raided about 20 businesses in Hitchcock. Deputies said they were looking for illegal slot machines.
They seized devices, and made several arrests, including Armacost. Today, many of the stores remain closed, and Armacost's felony case moves through the courts.
Armacost, who's still mayor, said the permits for the slot machines are now gone.
Businesses were once able to obtain a permit, if the machines only gave a toy, not money. The proposed budget shows the city made around $850,000 a year off those permits.
As for next year, the line item is blank. To generate money, Armacost said they're looking to increase property taxes.
The average homeowner he said would pay $50 more a year.
"It's already super high," Hitchcock resident, Kayla Mooney said. "It's not fair!"
Hitchcock wouldn't be the first city in Galveston County to get rid of the machines since the raid. A few months ago, Dickinson dropped the permits.
But officials there said they only made $2,000 from them.
Council has until next month to adopt the proposed budget with a tax increase. ABC13 tried to talk to the mayor, council and city manager about this. However, none of them would answer our questions about the decision to drop the permits.
"I mean, everyone's going to do it," Mooney said. "Some people have fun, some people don't. It is what it is. It's going to happen one way or another."
SEE ALSO: Hitchcock mayor arrested in connection with illegal gambling bust, sheriff says