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Lincoln council to advance revised massage‑establishment ordinance; members press on hours, licensing and enforcement
Summary
Council reviewed proposed changes to the city massage‑establishment ordinance, including an affidavit exemption for state‑licensed sole proprietors and a $25 city permit; members asked staff to simplify language, clarify fees and enforcement, and bring the item forward on the regular agenda.
City attorney (identified as Mister Hovlich/Hovlett in the record) presented a revised massage‑establishment ordinance Dec. 9 that incorporates language modeled after Bloomington and adds an affidavit exemption allowing sole proprietors licensed by the State of Illinois to avoid duplicative city requirements.
“Once we looked at Bloomington, the terms are virtually identical to what I have,” the attorney said while outlining the exemption language he inserted. He told the council he had removed redundancies and prepared the draft for council review.
Council members raised several issues: hours of operation (some therapists start as early as 6 a.m. and would be restricted by proposed 8 a.m. start times), whether the proposed $25 city fee is appropriate for state‑licensed therapists, and whether sole proprietors should be exempt. Several members argued the ordinance should be streamlined so the city can quickly identify and shut down illicit operations; Chief Meister said a clear requirement that any person providing massage services within city limits must hold a state license gives police a fast enforcement path.
Members asked staff to simplify the application and clarify whether local background checks or fingerprinting were necessary; staff responded that state licensing already requires background checks and that a requirement for local checks could be duplicative and burdensome.
The draft ordinance will be placed on the regular agenda for a formal vote at the upcoming meeting; council members indicated they expect to revisit and refine language if enforcement issues arise after adoption.
