(a) Purpose. It is the purpose of this chapter to regulate sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses in order to promote the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Mayfield Heights, and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations to prevent the deleterious location and concentration of sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses within the City of Mayfield Heights. The provisions of this chapter have neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content of any communicative materials, including sexually oriented materials.
Further, it is not the intent nor the effect of this chapter to restrict or deny access by adults to sexually oriented materials which are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, or to deny access by the distributors and exhibitors of sexually oriented entertainment to their intended market. Further, it is not to be the intent nor effect of this chapter to condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene material.
(b) Findings. Based upon substantial evidence that the City Council (and before it, the Planning Commission and Joint Committee of the Legislative and Building Committees) has received and reviewed information concerning the adverse secondary effects of adult uses on the community presented in hearings and in reports made available to the City Council, and on findings incorporated in the cases of City of Renton v. Playtime Theaters, Inc., 475 U.S. 41 (1986), Young v. American Mini Theaters, 426 U.S. 50 (1976), and Barnes v. Glen Theater, Inc., 501 U.S. 560 (1991), and on studies in other communities, including, but not limited to, Phoenix, Arizona; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Paul, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Amarillo, Texas; Garden Grove, California; Los Angeles, California; Whittier, California; Newport News, Virginia; Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Cleveland, Ohio; and Beaumont, Texas; and also on findings from the report of the Attorney General's Working Group on the Regulation of Sexually Oriented Businesses, (June 6, 1989, State of Minnesota), the City Council of the City of Mayfield Heights finds:
(1) Sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses lend themselves to ancillary unlawful and unhealthy activities that are presently uncontrolled by the operators of the establishments. Further, there is presently no mechanism to make the owners of these establishments responsible for the activities that occur on their premises.
(2) Certain employees of sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses, defined in this chapter as adult theaters and cabarets, engage in higher incidents of certain types of illicit sexual behavior than employees of other establishments.
(3) Sexual acts, including masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex, occur at sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses.
(4) Offering and providing such space encourages such activities, which creates unhealthy conditions.
(5) Persons frequent certain sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses for the purpose of engaging in sex within the premises of such sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses.
(6) At least fifty communicable diseases may be spread by activities occurring in sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses, including, but not limited to, syphilis, gonorrhea, human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV-AIDS), genital herpes, hepatitis B, Non A, Non B amebiasis, salmonella infections and shigella infections.
(7) Since 1981 and to the present, there has been an increasing cumulative number of reported cases of AIDS caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States--600 in 1982, 2,200 in 1983, 4,600 in 1984, 8,555 in 1985, and 253,448 through December 31, 1992.
(8) As of October 31, 1996, there have been 8,565 reported cases of AIDS in the State of Ohio.
(9) Since 1981 and to the present, there have been an increasing cumulative number of persons testing positive for the HIV antibody.
(10) The number of cases of early (less than one year) syphilis in the United States reported annually has risen, with 33,613 cases reported in 1982 and 45,200 through November, 1990.
(11) The number of cases of gonorrhea in the United States reported annually remains at a high level, with over one-half million cases being reported in 1990.
(12) The Surgeon General of the United States, in his report of October 22, 1986, has advised the American public that AIDS and HIV infection may be transmitted through sexual contact, intravenous drug abuse, exposure to infected blood and blood components, and from an infected mother to her newborn.
(13) According to the best scientific evidence, AIDS and HIV infection, as well as syphilis and gonorrhea, are principally transmitted by sexual acts.
(14) Sanitary conditions in some sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses are unhealthy, in part, because the activities conducted there are unhealthy, and, in part, because of the unregulated nature of the activities and the failure of the owners and operators of the facilities to self-regulate those activities and maintain those facilities.
(15) Numerous studies and reports have determined that semen is found in the areas of sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses where persons view adult oriented films.
(16) The findings noted in paragraphs (b)(1) through (15) hereof raise substantial governmental concerns.
(17) Sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses have operational characteristics which should be reasonably regulated in order to protect those substantial governmental concerns.
(18) A reasonable licensing procedure is an appropriate mechanism to place the burden of that reasonable regulation on the owners and the operators of the sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses. Further, such a licensing procedure will place a heretofore nonexistent incentive on the operators to see that the sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses are run in a manner consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City. It is appropriate to require reasonable assurances that the licensee is the actual operator of the sexually oriented business and adult entertainment business, fully in possession and control of the premises and activities occurring therein.
(19) Requiring licensees of sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses to keep information regarding current employees and certain past employees will help reduce the incidence of certain types of criminal behavior by facilitating the identification of potential witnesses or suspects and by preventing minors from working in such establishments.
(20) The disclosure of certain information by those persons ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment businesses, where such information is substantially related to the significant governmental interest in the operation of such uses, will aid in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases
(21) It is desirable in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases to obtain a limited amount of information regarding certain employees who may engage in the conduct which this chapter is designed to prevent or who are likely to be witnesses to such activity.
(22) The fact that an applicant for an adult use license has been convicted of a sexually related crime leads to the rational assumption that the applicant may engage in that conduct in contravention of this chapter.
(23) The barring of such individuals from the management of adult uses for a period of years serves as a deterrent to and prevents conduct which leads to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
(24) The general welfare, health, morals, and safety of the citizens of the City will be promoted by the enactment of this chapter.
(25) The enactment of this chapter is necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of the City of Mayfield Heights.
(Ord. 1998-44. Passed 11-23-98.)