It is the purpose of this chapter to regulate certain sexually oriented businesses to promote the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the city of Monroe. The city of Monroe council finds that these businesses, when unregulated, promote illegal activities including obscenity, sexual offenses, and prostitution, as well as creating a variety of negative secondary impacts on local communities including increase of crime, decline in property values, blighting of neighborhoods, diminution of the quality of life, and depression of business activity. This chapter has neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content of any communicative materials, including sexually oriented materials. Similarly, it is neither the intent nor effect of this chapter to restrict or deny access by adults to sexually oriented materials protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or to deny access by the distributors and exhibitors of sexually oriented entertainment to their intended market. It is also neither the intent nor effect of this chapter to condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene material or child pornography nor the display or distribution of harmful material to minors.

It is also the purpose of this chapter to regulate sexually oriented businesses in order to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the city of Monroe, and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations to prevent the deleterious location and concentration of sexually oriented businesses in the city of Monroe. 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. Similarly, it is not the intent nor effect of this chapter to restrict or deny access by adults to sexually oriented materials protected by the First Amendment, or to deny access by the distributors and exhibitors of sexually oriented entertainment to their intended market. Neither is it the intent nor effect of this chapter to condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene material. (Ord. 029/2003)