Commissioner's Court Targets Game Rooms

Commissioners Court discuss Game Room

Terry County has officially created women in Agriculture day! It happened at the regularly scheduled commissioners court meeting on Monday, March 28.“I J.D. Wagner, Terry County Judge do hereby proclaim Thursday April 14th as Women in Agriculture Day in Terry County Texas.” After the official statement was made the room erupted into applause. The day is to recognize and support women in agriculture “so they can equip themselves and help with the day to day operation and continue to future generations of the farm.” Also, “game rooms in Terry county need to be controlled”, explained sheriff Timothy Click, “so we finally found a law that gives us the authority to do it.” “So pretty much the idea we’ve come up with is that the locations of the game rooms should be at least five miles or further outside of any city limits in Terry County, to include Brownfield, Wellman, and Meadow. Game rooms need to be at least two miles from any church or school or one mile from any residence. The next thing I’d recommend is no more than two game rooms allowed in the entire county. Each game room should have a permit to operate and they should come to me to purchase the permit at the sheriff ’s office. The permit should cost $1000 initially and then $850 each month after the first month.” “As far as applying for a permit the owner or operator applying for a permit shall not have a felony conviction for the past ten years, and they must be a resident of Texas and understand the laws of gambling in Texas.” Sheriff Click said that, “every week at least once one or two people come to the office wanting to open a game room here and they’re from New York, so they don’t know anything about Brownfield or Terry County or anything they’re just trying to come down here and make a bunch of money illegally.” Judge Wagner was concerned about what more inappropriate and illegal activities these game rooms bring. The general consensus of the individuals in the room was that they wanted to shut the game rooms down entirely. At this moment there are two in Terry County, but only one is operating because the other is expecting to get new slot machines. Instead of being able to shut them down completely the new rules will ensure that no more are added and it will push the two that exist now out of town. “That gives them sixty or ninety days to become in compliance with the county regulations.” The board joked, “did you say five miles out of town?” another person responded “isn’t it eleven miles to Meadow?” Sheriff Click said “I talked to the guy who co-wrote the bill and he said that was the whole purpose they had done it like this. The law is so vague that it gives us the power to put specifics in it.” Based on the new regulations it seems as if the commissioners court will succeed in its goal of eliminating the game rooms in Terry County.