Council debates whether to keep local body-art licensing or yield to state oversight

Counsel Kirk Yernan presented a first reading of an ordinance to amend Title IV, Chapter 9 (body-art establishments), saying the city has two primary options: repeal the local chapter and rely on Minnesota Department of Health licensing, or update local licensing and remove the numerical limit.

Yernan noted the city adopted local licensing in 1998 and that the Minnesota Department of Health introduced statewide licensing in 2011. "We have about 4," he said when asked how many establishments currently operate in the city. He urged council direction about whether to repeal or amend the ordinance before the May 1 license-renewal cycle so businesses know how to proceed.

Councilors discussed enforcement and staffing implications if the city keeps local regulation. The presenter said the police department currently does not perform compliance checks and that maintaining a local licensing regime could require more police or staff time. Council debated whether to set a numeric cap on the number of establishments; staff suggested a cap of five as a starting point while some councilors said market demand should influence the number.

There was no final action on the ordinance at first reading; staff said they will bring back proposed amendments for a second reading that could either implement state rules with a negotiated local numeric cap or maintain a local licensing program with added compliance procedures.

The council asked staff to notify existing establishments and to return with information on how peer cities handle licensing and the likely workload for city staff if local regulation remains.