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Will be discussed Feb. 7 at planning commission meeting
By MaryHelen Swanson
What is an adult use? And what does it have to do with Chisago County?
Defined in the draft adult use ordinance prepared by staff at the Chisago County’s Environmental Services Department, adult uses include: adult bookstores, adult motion picture theatres, adult mini motion picture theatres, adult health clubs, adult sauna/steam room/bathhouse facilities, adult health/sport clubs, adult companionship/conversation/rap establishments.
There’s more. Adult use is also defined as adult cabarets, adult novelty businesses, adult motion picture arcades, adult modeling studios, adult body painting....
Map at bottom
And yet more. “Other premises, enterprises, establishments, businesses or places open to some or all members of the public and membership clubs at or in which there is an emphasis on the presentation, display, depiction or description of “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.”
All of this is what the draft ordinance would regulate if and when the county board approves the ordinance.
Before it comes to that, however, the county’s planning commission will hold a public hearing on the draft at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Government Center in Center City.
The ordinance, when approved, would apply to all portions of the county not within city limits, except those townships who are currently regulating their own zoning and planning. These townships, however, may enact their own ordinances regarding adult use, but cannot be less restrictive than the county.
As County Planner Patrick Hollister distributed the draft ordinance at the county board meeting last week, he also included a map of potential adult use areas. It was not meant to be included in the draft ordinance, he noted, but as an example of areas, in the Limited Business zones, that could possibly be places where such establishments could be opened.
Circled on the map were areas around Almelund, Sunrise, Rush City, Wyoming, and Rush Point.
The county placed a one-year moratorium on approval of adult use businesses last July.
The planning commission’s public hearing is the first step toward the county board approval of the draft ordinance.
In other business last week, the commissioners:
• Heard from Mary Sheehan, Health and Human Services Director, about recruitment and hiring of social workers through the merit process.
Currently there are five vacant positions in Human Services. Sheehan said turnover is the highest in years.
With such a long time required to fill positions, the public is not being served as expeditiously as it should. Sheehan was asking to be able to post for positions because of the time it takes to fill them. Some of the positions, she told the commissioners, are revenue-producing.
• Faced members of the Lakes Area Police Department and John Pechman, Chisago City Administrator who were asking the county to reimburse LAPD $124,343.42 for the mobile computer system they purchased in 2005. They said it was called a matter of fairness, as the county has recently agreed to pay for the MDCs (Mobile Data Computer) for Wyoming and North Branch City Police cars.
The board, however, was not keen on the idea. The county is trying to figure out how it can go on the 800 MHz system to be connected with metro law enforcement. LAPD, it was noted by Commissioner Bob Gustafson, did not wish to join the county some years ago when invited to come aboard. A memo from Sheriff Todd Rivard reviewed the history concerning the ALERTS record management system and MDC system going back to 1996.
The sheriff summed up his written remarks by saying, “We must remember that North Branch and Wyoming have remained with and been loyal to the Sheriff’s Office since 1996. Lindstrom and Chisago City Police Departments withdrew into their own system and were asked several times to rejoin the Sheriff’s Office in the interest of connectivity and were turned down. Now that the system is being funded by the county, the LAPD Police Commission wants the county to pay for their system.”
While the commissioners seemed to look to the day all law enforcement in Chisago County is connected, and are willing to work with the LAPD, they did not commit to the reimbursement at this time.
Below: A map that was handed out at the board meeting last week shows potential areas for adult use establishments if the ordinance is passed. These areas are zoned Limited Business. The entire draft adult use document can be found on the county’s Web site at www.co.chisago.mn.us (Environmental Services).
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