Good evening.

I'd like to call to order tonight's Powell Operations Committee meeting for September 15th.

Elaine, could you call the role, please?

Yes, thank you.

Leave Carlson here.

Carlos Crawford is out yet.

Any just asani?

Here.

Matthew Harvey?

Here and David Lester.

Okay.

The first item on our uh agenda is approval of last meeting's minutes.

They were all included in your packet.

Can we get a uh consensus to approve those minutes?

So move.

All in favor?

Yes.

Great.

Uh minutes are approved.

Tonight's business item A is massage parlor regulations for exploration and review.

Take it away, Andy.

Um so since we talked about it last staff has undertaken an exercise to kind of look at historical record, and I can't remember how much we talked about previously, but there was discussion, I think, as far as 2015 that came to fruition with a mock-up uh ordinance, which is included in the package tonight in 2019.

There were several meetings of public discussion, not well attended.

Uh council at the time directed staff to conduct a public hearing, which was set and uh conducted.

Uh we heard on the record mainly from businesses that were concerned over the duplication of a licensing program in place with the state and you know the potential for redundant cost, and then we went to the fall of 2019.

Uh there was a number of staff turnover positions.

Then I wound up in town and the whole world shut down, and we moved on to other things.

This was talked about again in 2022.

Um, but it died on the vine.

So with the conversation we had earlier with some experts in the field earlier this year and some of the activities of concern noted throughout the country but Central Ohio as well.

We've now undertaken more of a comprehensive review.

Um, there are several items for you to review of examples in other communities.

Um has worked very well and has a presentation we'd like to present to you tonight, which kind of gives you a myriad of options that are in place in other communities.

We've kind of settled in in a hybrid uh recommendation for you.

We wanted to present that tonight, some feedback and see how you feel about the options that we've kind of settled on.

If that's comfortable with modification without, we can then begin to work with legal and legislative to bring this before council for adoption.

Um, with that, I would appreciate the opportunity to allow the chief to provide the committee with his presentation, and then we can answer questions along the way.

Please feel free to stop us any time.

Chief.

Good evening, Chairman Carlson and members of the operations committee.

Tonight's discussion is really a continuation from our July meeting where we had some uh individuals, uh Aaron Dennis from Ohio Organized Crime, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, and Detective Sergeant Ryan Pence, who was the lead investigator on the two incidents that we had here in the city of PAL earlier this year, and then also back in 2015.

Um criminal investigations involving the human trafficking, and we're gonna look at some potential legislation tonight and for dealing with these illicit massage businesses.

Um again, the discussion tonight is intended to determine the direction that we should take regarding possible massage ordinance.

The goal is not to target any uh legitimate massage therapists or businesses.

The purpose of the review is to go over some other Ohio communities to decide what tools and options POW may use to protect public safety, have legitimate businesses and the safety of our community.

Umsage businesses, as I said in the city of Powell operate lawfully and are legitimate services.

However, POW has had again those prior investigations of these illicit businesses.

Um existing criminal laws may not always provide the best intervention tools for us.

A local ordinance would help identify who owns and operates these businesses, verify uh proper license, establish clear uh operating guidelines, and address uh provide administrative remedies for when problems become more difficult to deal with.

Um in your packets, you've been given some ordinance from five other communities, and then also the draft legislation that the city of PAL had from 2019.

So Yaz was able to provide uh an ordinance from the city of Cincinnati and Westerville.

Our clerk was able to get one from the City of Delaware.

And then Aaron Dennis, who was here in July, he was he had recommended Strongsville and Picker Tanna's ordinances that we should consider.

So those are there for you to review as well.

Ohio already regulates massage therapy through the state medical board licensing.

The question for POW is whether the state licensing alone is enough or whether the city should regulate the business location and the operations further.

Other Ohio communities rely on the higher revised code, authorities for municipal regulation and licensing of massage-related businesses.

The city of Delaware, for instance, has an ordinance that specifically is for zoning related, gives them the authority for public health, safety, and welfare basis for local action.

Rather than covering each of the sections of these community ordinances, they really break down into three different general categories.

Delaware uses a zoning focused approach.