Agenda - Council Work Session - 11/25/2014

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MEMORANDUM TO: JJL FROM: Nathan B. Shepherd DATE: August 19, 2014 SUBJECT: Retainer/Massage Parlor Ordinance File No. 4033-0026 Certain aspects of the draft massage parlor ordinance have been identified as being onerous or unnecessary. This memorandum is offered so that a fully informed decision can be made regarding their inclusion, exclusion, or alteration. 1. The draft ordinance requires both business and therapist licenses. This is consistent with all but one ordinance on this subject in surrounding communities. The goal is to place the burden of ensuring only legal activities take place on both the individual massage therapists and on the business owner, and to prevent a business owner from shifting blame to individual employees while maintaining the business. 2. Several items the draft ordinance requires on the application were identified as concerns. Each of these requirements is included on some or all of the nearby community ordinances. a. Citizenship status: prostitution and solicitation crimes are sometimes accompanied by international human trafficking. Requiring the disclosure of citizenship status may assist police in determining if an applicant is from an area associated with human trafficking. b. Past five years of addresses: this is meant to allow police to check the background of an applicant if that applicant has recently moved to the area from somewhere else. Background check systems are sometimes separated by state or county boundaries. c. Past five years of employers: like the previous point, this is meant to allow police to ascertain if an applicant has previously associated with a business engaged in the type of activity this ordinance is meant to address. d. General physical description: this is meant to allow police to inquire of previous employers or other licensing agencies if the information written on the sheet matches a physical description of the person whose information is being used.