[Ord. No. 328-2008 §I, 4-15-2008]
A.
Purpose. It is the purpose of this Article to regulate sexually oriented businesses in order to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the citizens of the City and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations to prevent the deleterious location and concentration of sexually oriented businesses within the City. The provisions of this Article have neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content of any communicative materials, including sexually oriented materials. Similarly, it is neither the intent nor effect of this Article to restrict or deny access by adults to sexually oriented materials protected by the First Amendment or to deny access by the distributors and exhibitors of sexually oriented entertainment to their intended market. Neither is it the intent nor effect of this Article to condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene material.
B.
Findings. Based on evidence concerning the adverse secondary effects of adult uses on the community presented in findings incorporated in the cases of City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc., 475 U.S. 41 (1986), Young v. American Mini Theatres, 426 U.S. 50 (1976), Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., 501 U.S. 560 (1991), City of Erie v. Pap's A.M., TDA "Kandyland", 529 U.S. 277 (2000) and City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc., 121 S. Ct. 1223 (2001), the Council finds:
1.
Sexually oriented businesses lend themselves to ancillary unlawful and unhealthy activities that are presently uncontrolled by the operators of the establishments. Further, there is presently no mechanism to make the owners of these establishments responsible for the activities that occur on their premises.
2.
Certain employees of sexually oriented businesses defined in this Article as adult theatres and cabarets engage in higher incidence of certain types of illicit sexual behavior than employees of other establishments.
3.
Sexual acts, including masturbation and oral and anal sex, occur at sexually oriented businesses, especially those which provide private or semi-private booths or cubicles for viewing films, videos or live sex shows.
4.
Offering and providing such space encourages such activities, which creates unhealthy conditions.
5.
Persons frequent certain adult theatres, adult arcades and other sexually oriented businesses for the purpose of engaging in sex within the premises of such sexually oriented businesses.
6.
At least fifty (50) communicable diseases may be spread by activities occurring in sexually oriented businesses including, but not limited to, syphilis, gonorrhea, human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV-AIDS), genital herpes, hepatitis B, Non A, Non B amebiasis, salmonella infections and shigella infections.
7.
Since 1981 and to the present, there has been an increasing cumulative number of reported cases of AIDS caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States — 600 in 1982, 2,200 in 1983, 4,600 in 1984, 8,555 in 1985 and 253,448 through December 31, 1992.
8.
As of December 31, 2006, there have been 15,658 reported cases of AIDS in the State of Missouri.
9.
Sanitary conditions in some sexually oriented businesses are unhealthy, in part, because the activities conducted there are unhealthy and, in part, because of the unregulated nature of the activities and the failure of the owners and the operators of the facilities to self-regulate those activities and maintain those facilities.
10.
Numerous studies and reports have determined that semen is found in the areas of sexually oriented businesses where persons view "adult" oriented films.
11.
The findings noted in paragraphs number (1) through (10) raise substantial governmental concerns.
12.
Sexually oriented businesses have operational characteristics which should be reasonably regulated in order to protect those substantial governmental concerns.
13.
A reasonable licensing procedure is an appropriate mechanism to place the burden of that reasonable regulation on the owners and the operators of the sexually oriented businesses. Further, such a licensing procedure will place a heretofore non-existent incentive on the operators to see that the sexually oriented business is run in a manner consistent with the health, safety and welfare of its patrons and employees, as well as the citizens of the City. It is appropriate to require reasonable assurances that the licensee is the actual operator of the sexually oriented business, fully in possession and control of the premises and activities occurring therein.
14.
Removal of doors on adult booths and requiring sufficient lighting on premises with adult booths advances a substantial governmental interest in curbing the illegal and unsanitary sexual activity occurring in adult theatres.
15.
Requiring licensees of sexually oriented businesses to keep information regarding current employees and certain past employees will help reduce the incidence of certain types of criminal behavior by facilitating the identification of potential witnesses or suspects and by preventing minors from working in such establishments.
16.
The disclosure of certain information by those persons ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the sexually oriented business, where such information is substantially related to the significant governmental interest in the operation of such uses, will aid in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
17.
It is desirable in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases to obtain a limited amount of information regarding certain employees who may engage in the conduct which this Article is designed to prevent or who are likely to be witnesses to such activity.
18.
The fact that an applicant for an adult use license has been convicted of a sexually related crime leads to the rational assumption that the applicant may engage in that conduct in contravention of this Article.
19.
The barring of such individuals from the management of adult uses for a period of years serves as a deterrent to and prevents conduct which leads to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
20.
The general welfare, health, morals and safety of the citizens of the City will be promoted by the enactment of this Article.