13-year-old Joseph Nevills is using his feet to walk around town rather than his wheels.

"It sucks,” says Joseph.

City leaders say the problems mostly happened on the square. Though there were no accidents, the mayor says there were some close calls with drivers and skaters.

"They go straight into the streets, whether it a car was coming or not,” says Mayor Jerry Hardesty. “I think it was probably harsh, but we had to do something. We have to do something to protect the citizens."

Hardesty also says skaters have damaged property and disturbed other citizens. "I think some of them are making bad names for others,” he says.

Four aldermen voted for the ban on Monday night; one was absent; and one person voted against the ban. That person was James Ferrell. He says that a city-wide ban was just too much. "It'd be pretty harsh on these children,” says Ferrell.

It's harsh on kids like Joseph in a couple of ways. Not only does he feel deprived of an activity he loves, he also feels like what he likes is wrong.

"I can't skate here so it's kind of forcing me to give up skateboarding,” says Joseph. "I think they think skateboarders are bad and stuff. But they don't know what we're really like."

One thing city leaders can agree on is the need for a skate park. Right now there are no plans to build one, but city leaders encourage anyone to come forward.