Bloomington council approves amended massage-establishment ordinance after weeks of public comment

The Bloomington City Council voted June 23 to adopt an ordinance amending Chapter 22 of the Bloomington City Code to add regulations for massage establishments after several weeks of public comment and staff revisions.

Council Member Ward moved to adopt the ordinance with three text amendments: (1) revise application requirements to remove outdated personal data while retaining background‑check support (Text Amendment 1); (2) exempt sole proprietors from the full establishment application while requiring a copy of the state license and a sworn affidavit that they are a single‑operator business with limited operating requirements (Text Amendment 3); and (3) remove the ordinance’s dress‑code provisions (Text Amendment 4). The motion was seconded and carried with no nays.

City Manager Jeff Jurgens explained the final fee structure and background‑check approach before the vote. “The application fee stays as a $100, but that includes the $75 that we’ll have to pay for the background check,” Jurgens said, and staff proposed setting the annual licensing fee to $0 in the fee…