If you can’t stop them, you might as well charge them.

That seems to be the mantra of Clinton’s City Council as they march head on into a new venture that could earn them nearly a million dollars next year.

In a unanimous vote last week, council members opted to level a $2,500 per video gaming machine privilege license fee that will impact about seven businesses in the city limits. In total, some 89 machines have been identified in those businesses, and all 89 would be subject to the newly approved licensing fee.

The fee comes on the heels of a council-initiated survey to review what other municipalities are doing regarding video gaming machines.

The city cannot ban the machines because state law prohibits members from doing so; however there are no stipulations that prevent city officials from taking steps to level fees.

And that is exactly what members did last Wednesday night, May 5, opting to raise their initial $500 fee suggestion to the far stiffer $2,500 per machine.

In theory, council members believe they should recoup some of the money they must spend in monitoring the gaming activity and keeping an eye on the businesses that have them on their premises.

It’s a wise idea and one that will either bring the city some additional revenue or, in the case of those who don’t want to pay such a stiff fee, rid the town of some of the machines that currently exist.

It only makes sense to charge a license fee for the operations which, up until now, have been regulated but haven’t been charged.

The fee increase was a suggestion by Councilman Steve Stefanovich, who noted in his motion that he believed a $500 fee was simply too low, particularly given that so many other like-sized municipalities were levying much higher fees.

He was right. If there’s no way to eliminate the machines, then the city should reap some of the benefits from their operation.

We applaud City Council for approving the higher and likely far more controversial fees rather than simply accepting $500 and moving on.

In reality, gaming machine operators may find this a significant blow to their wallets, but even they know that the fee is a reasonable price to pay for machines that have been known to produce far more revenue than that in a couple hours time.

Video gaming machines are a popular, border-line illegal, game of chance that attracts many people across this country. The state has decided it’s OK to keep them around, so we see no reason at all why the city shouldn’t recoup some of its money for regulating them.

It was a wise move and one citizens should applaud.