The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday denied a request for a liquor license at the establishment previously known as Wesley’s Boobie Trap.

Commissioner Joe Knight made the motion to deny the request, which passed by the same 4-0-1 vote on which the body denied a zoning request that would have provided parking for the site. Again, Commissioner Lashunda Scales abstained.

Commissioners have been told that that existing C-3 zoning on part of the property still permits a bar, lounge or brewery where the former adult entertainment establishment had operated in the Bagley community. That business closed in September 2024, thus ending its grandfather provision for adult entertainment, but the new owners had hoped to revive the name Wesley’s Boobie Trap.

At Thursday’s meeting, Joe Knight posed questions about the principals involved in the business and how they initially sought to restore zoning for an adult business and have created several businesses.

“People will come there expecting that (adult entertainment),” Knight said. “I don’t buy it. I really don’t buy it. The shell games. The LLC here, LLC here. Now we (the owners) want a liquor license. Well, are they having dancers in there? Somebody’s got to go and monitor it then because I don’t believe for a minute that won’t happen back in there.”

Knight echoed the sentiment of Commission President Jimmie Stephens, whose District 3 includes the well-known business. He pointed out that residents spoke on the issue when the proposal was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“When they came before zoning, (residents said) those people are loud at night, they’re drunk (and) they get in fights,” he said. “It’s a mile from the line, the Walker County line, and you attract (people) from outside the county coming to that bar.”

Knight said Bagley has transitioned from an area where “honkytonks” were prevalent.

“The Green Top’s gone and this one’s gone,” Knight said. “The bars on the county line are gone and we don’t want to resurrect that. People want to live out there in peace without all that (stuff).

Tax Abatement for StoneX Expansion

The commission also followed up on its previous discussions and approved a tax abatement for StoneX Group Inc. to make a $10.9 million expansion that would create 88 jobs.

This tax abatement will be about $300,000 over 10 years, during which the county is  expected to gain about $1.1 million to its general fund from StoneX’s business and about $600,000 to its education fund.

The commission also recently approved a jobs incentive worth up to $200,000 to support the project.