East Ridge officials regulated strip clubs and adult bookstores during a spirited City Council meeting Thursday.
Tied into their efforts to “revitalize” the city’s image, councilmen voted 5-0 for an ordinance that restricted where adult-oriented establishments can be located in East Ridge.
“We cannot forbid someone from buying a license to operate an adult-oriented business,” Mayor Mike Steele said. “What we can do is we can restrict where they put it.”
The new ordinance confines adult-oriented establishments to Scruggs Road, which runs about 100 yards before hitting Georgia’s state line. The city already has one adult novelty store on Ringgold Road, which is allowed to stay in its location.
City Attorney John Anderson added that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibits censoring adult-oriented “content,” but allows local governments to regulate “time, place and manner.”
In other business, City Manager William Whitson said the city’s long-debated budget will have its second and final reading on Aug. 12. A public hearing will start at 6 p.m. before the council’s regular meeting.
“It’s based on the same property tax rate with no increase,” Mr. Whitson said.
Officials recently cut funding toward Waterhouse Public Relations — the city’s PR firm — and canned its fledgling biodiesel program.
Another East Ridge project was delayed.
After determining that East Ridge Community Pool operated under outdated code standards, city officials decided to take more time to make it safe.
Mr. Whitson said it was “logistically impractical” and “physically impossible” to open the pool before summer’s end. He said a state grant that East Ridge plans to apply for could help officials steer toward opening the pool in 2011.
Mr. Whitson reported preliminary pool repair estimates ranging from $500,000 to $750,000.
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: East Ridge agrees to buy pool
Article: East Ridge trucks ahead with biodiesel program
Article: Suit claims East Ridge mayor went too far with PR deal
Chris Carroll covers federal politics for the Times Free Press. A Chattanooga native, he went to Red Bank High School and graduated with honors from East Tennessee State University. Chris investigated violent crime, municipal government and hospitals before taking the political beat. For tornado coverage, he and Pam Sohn won a first-place Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors deadline reporting award. In 2010, Chris won the Golden Press Card Award of Merit and another deadline reporting ...
"Officials recently cut funding toward Waterhouse Public Relations — the city’s PR firm — and canned its fledgling biodiesel program."
That's a shame. From the Waterhouse PR firm that gave you Rockey--The Flea-bitten Rabid Recycling Raccoon (for just $100,000.00, ratty costume not included), you could have had Porko--the Pusillanimous East Ridge Biodegradable Pig! Just throw taxpayer money at him and Porko gives you the slops back (minus Porko's fee of $$125,000.00 to pass around City Hall, Waterhouse PR Fee not included, but be ready to bend over when the bill arrives).
East Ridge City Government- Making Red Bank look good!
i shuld get a house on scruggs road
The porn business pays a lot of taxes into a city government and puts a lot of people in city seat positions.
It's funny how most people who try to ban it don't tell you that back door action like "Nina Hartley" would say back in her porn hay day.
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