Fayette city council members heard citizen support of a newly proposed ordinance regarding adult entertainment businesses and set a date for a public forum to discuss downtown parking plans during its most recent meeting on Tuesday, March 12.

Nicole Atkins, who with her husband owns and operates the popular coffee shop Fireside Bake & Brews in Fayette, told the council that she fully supports the ordinance, which defines adult entertainment and regulates where such establishments could conduct business in the city.

The lengthy boilerplate ordinance was presented by city attorney Nathan Nickolaus, who said he was surprised Fayette did not already have such an law on the books. The timing of the ordinance was spurred by a downtown business that presented a ladies’ night complete with male strippers the following Saturday night.

TJ’s Diner & Bar is on the west side of the downtown square. Owner Jill Sunderland explained to the council that the event was a one-night affair and that age restrictions would be strictly enforced, and windows would be blacked out so that nothing could be seen from the street. 

The reason for the event, Sunderland said, was to bring in business during a week that local college students were on spring break.

TJ’s, which is managed by Southwest Ward candidate Tristan Head, does brisk business on Thursday evenings with the college crowd. Sunderland said another revenue stream was needed to make up for the absence of the CMU students.

She later reported the event proved extremely popular, with a line out the door.

Saturday’s sold-out Chippendales-style entertainment, while salacious sounding, was not as “indecent” as some may have expected. The “Handsome Heroes” do not fully undress during their performances.

But that’s not good enough for some. Fayette resident John Parker told the council he was offended by the proposed entertainment. And while he didn’t mention TJ’s by name, he alluded to advertisements he had seen online. He asked if other cities had similar ordinances that went further to prevent “the event that’s happening on Saturday.”

“We live in a city where people want information about their town and have Fayette information on their Facebook and have to scroll through and see half-naked men on their feed,” he said. “They have to see half-naked men on posters in town. This is not something that can simply be swept under the rug as one person’s opinion or one business owner’s opinion and one citizen’s opinion. I’m not saying my opinion should trump everyone else’s.”

Council members punted on the proposed matter for the time being, having only received the 17-page ordinance the night before. The issue was tabled in a 5-1 vote, the lone opposition vote coming from East Ward Alderwoman Ronda Gerlt. It is likely to be voted upon during the council’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 26.

Regardless of any action that could have been taken, the proposed ordinance would not have prevented TJ’s from hosting its ladies’ night entertainment. Rather, among other things, it defines and prevents strip clubs and pornography stores and theaters from setting up shop within certain reaches of schools and churches. It would not infringe upon theatre or opera productions, nor nude portraits and similar works of art on display in such places as the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art.

The complete ordinance may be viewed here.

The council also set a date and time to host a public forum to consider parking changes downtown. The public is invited to submit input on any proposed changes, which could include one-way streets around the square and parallel parking, which has been widely opposed.

The moderated forum will occur at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, in the courtroom on the second floor of the Howard County Courthouse. Those wishing to speak will be held to three-minute time limits.

In other business, the council approved an ordinance to allow non-citizens to participate on some city boards, such as the parks board and the tree board. Such bodies often do not have enough members, and those residing in rural parts of the county may now join in.

The Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited. However, the council’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 26, will take place at the Keller Building since construction work will be taking place in City Hall at that time. That will also mark the final full meeting for Mayor Jeremy Dawson and Southwest Ward Alderwoman Bekki Galloway, neither of whom sought new terms.