MT. PLEASANT, Ia. - The Mt. Pleasant City Council has recently passed some strict zoning restrictions on any new adult-oriented business (of which the city has none at present) or tattoo parlors, limiting them to an industrial zone outside of town.
"I think we've heard from enough of the citizens of Mt. Pleasant that really want us to restrict where these things can go,"city administrator Brent Schleisman told mpnews.net. "This is probably the best we could do, because we can't outlaw the businesses. It really is strict, it really narrows the available places they can go."
Completely outlawing the businesses would be a violation of the Constitution.
"Before, [adult businesses] could have been right downtown on the square," Schleisman said. "No one's contacted us or said they want to come in. We're just trying to stay ahead of the game.
Currently there are two tattoo parlors downtown which are both grandfathered in and will not have to relocate. Under the new ordinance, however, both businesses will not able to expand unless they move into the designated zone.
"Like any zoning, this is important for the community because it puts proper entities in the proper places," Mt. Pleasant mayor John Freeland told mpnews.net. "I guess the same thing applies for adult entertainment - find a place for it because we can't outlaw it. People need to understand that we have to abide by the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the land - and that we're at the bottom of the feeding trough." Freeland said. "We take our oath of office very seriously."
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