The Owen County Fiscal
Court held the first reading last month of an ordinance (number
152) regulating sexually oriented businesses “to promote
the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the
county, and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations
relating to sexually oriented businesses.”
Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion said the ordinance is not
in response to any applications for such businesses, but is
a preventative measure. He said all of the surrounding counties
have similar ordinances and the fiscal court did not want Owen
to become a “dumping ground” for sexually oriented
businesses.
“We want to be proactive instead of reactive,” O’Banion
said.
The ordinance does not prohibit these businesses, but includes
restrictions and regulations intended to be for the county’s
best interest. Neither does it “deny access by adults
to sexually oriented materials protected by the First Amendment”
or “condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene
material.”
The ordinance classifies sexually oriented businesses as adult
amusement arcades; adult bookstores, adult novelty stores or
adult video stores; adult cabarets; adult motels; adult picture
theaters; adult stage theaters; escort agencies; and sexual
encounter centers.
A copy of this or any ordinance is available in its entirety
at the judge-executive’s office in the courthouse.
