The Planning Commission urged Lakeville to overrule a recent law passed by the Legislature, moving the city a step closer to completely opting out of an ordinance that provides stricter regulations for strip clubs and other adult entertainment businesses.
According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the law gives local governments the authority to block adult businesses from moving into cities if a similar business exists within 50 miles. It also requires those businesses to give cities 60 days' notice before opening. The law gives local governments the freedom to adopt their own rules, continued the report, but it blankets the state wherever local ordinances don't overrule it.
A final decision on the matter will be made by the Lakeville City Council on March 5.
The League of Minnesota Cities is warning local governments that the state law could be ruled unconstitutional, reported the Pioneer Press. In 2006, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the new state laws likely violated the First Amendment after two strip club owners challenged the law in nearby Minneapolis and Duluth.
