Metro East Sun

Caitlin Rice, senior planner for the City of Collinsville, recently brought three different areas of City code to the City Council for amendments.

The changes to the first ordinance were to clearly define which types of businesses they apply to, including massage therapy and body art establishments such as tattoos and body piercings. The amendment more closely aligns the City code with the state requirements for licensure, registration and operation. There were also three changes to sections of City code regarding personal care services.

"So, you know, staff reviewed these uses and found they're very similar to the other uses," Rice said in the Nov. 22 meeting. "You know, it's 2022 we have really good laws and regulations in place now and finds that, looking at other municipalities in the surrounding area, these would fit and have a place in Collinsville."

The second amendment dealt with body art establishments in regard to working with a minor. The change was a cleanup of code regarding how these establishments deal with the age requirements for their services, and they needed to include a section about piercing a minor. The minimum age for tattoos and piercings is now 18.

The final section of amendments for personal care codes dealt with land usage. It proposed to consolidate some of the similar uses into a large category, with no new or special uses proposed. It also expanded the code into two new districts of the city: the Collinsville Crossing area and hotels and recreation areas.

The council approved all three of the amendments.