Bingo returns to Afton

AFTON - A new activity is coming to the Afton Community Center. During Wednesday’s city council meeting, the city of Afton allowed the Afton Development Center to hold events like bingo in the community center after the state awarded a gambling license.

The ADC is a nonprofit that has worked with the city before for community events and activities.

Bingo isn’t the only activity planned for the community center. The gambling license allows for activities such as raffles as well.

Instead of just allowing for the ADC to host events such as bingo, the license allows for other non-profits to use the community center for bingo events to do so.

The limits of the license means the community center is the only space the license allows.

With ADC’s status as a nonprofit, the funds from gambling will be given back to community organizations. This concept works with the ADC’s goal to bring more events to the community center.

Previously, the Afton Lions Club held a gambling license to hold bingo events, but that license expired about a year ago.

In other Afton city news...

An average 4% increase in salary across the board for employees of the city has been approved for the 2025 fiscal year. An 8% increase in salary for the city’s only police officer in Jake McGuire was also approved, citing a need to match other cities’ salaries for their police chiefs.

The Muscle Mat Club successfully obtained a liquor license for Saturday’s Fight Night Fundraiser at Union County Fairgrounds. Among other concessions, beer can now be sold during the event. UC Fairgrounds typically doesn’t allow for alcohol to be sold without the proper license and insurance, which MMC now has.

Discussions around changing livestock licenses took over a small portion of the meeting while approving two new licenses and tabling a third. These changes have not been formally drafted yet.

A special meeting for more budgetary discussions has been scheduled for March 26.