BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's Note: The video in the story is from a previous story.
Bibb County commissioners voted to approve moratoriums for pawn shops and liquor stores in a unanimous decision on Tuesday. This means you won’t be seeing any new ones come to town beginning in late February.
Mayor Lester Miller proposed an indefinite moratorium on new liquor stores when he took office.
"Certain liquor stores open up in certain parts of the county that are already poverty stricken, crime stricken. I think it adds to the situation," Miller said. "I think it depreciates the values of certain properties, certain stores do."
The moratorium on pawn shops will last for up to 6 months, or 180 days.
"If I get off on an exit somewhere and I'm driving through, out of town, and I see a bunch of that, I know I'm in a bad area. I say bad area loosely. Nothing against the people that live there, but I know it's an area a lot of focus has not been put on for good businesses," Miller said.
Miller says existing liquor stores and pawn shops will be grandfathered in, so this will only affect new ones who are trying to open in the county.
Both moratoriums go into effect on February 22 at midnight.