In a surprise move, the Jasper City Council on Monday evening voted to shut down all 8-liner game rooms within the city.
The move came in a regular monthly meeting when the issue was put forth by Jasper Police Chief Garrett Foster. The motion was made by District 4 Council member Angel McCroskey and it was seconded by District 3 Council member DeMarcus Homes and passed unanimously.
Foster gave no reason or explanation during the meeting but he had voiced concerns in recent months about the operations and possible attraction for opportunities to result in crimes.
Following a long legal battle, the City of Fort Worth just adopted the same policy regarding game rooms and other cities, such as Vidor are already considering the matter.
The Ordinance as adopted requires the City of Jasper to personally serve each business with an official notice and after that the legislation or ban will become effective in 90 days.
It is estimated that there are only less than three such businesses operating within the City of Jasper.
In other action on Monday, it ended with once again no action on the future of the Jasper Economic Development Corporation. After months, the board is still plagued by the lack of valid officers and board members. Council members once again discussed the issue but were not able to reach agreement.
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