MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A Memphis City Council member says it's time to put the subject of topless dancers on the table.
ABC 24 News was first to tell you about Shea Flinn's hope to open an area of the city where all adult entertainment clubs would be located.
Currently, under Shelby County law, there are no topless clubs in Memphis. They're now called "bikini bars."
Any plan involving setting up an adult entertainment zone where the women dance topless and the beer tax money flows like, well… beer, will be controversial. All Shea Flinn says he wants to do right now is to see if it will work.
The City of Memphis had a reputation. If you wanted to go to a place where the adult bars were wide open, where you'd see things on stage that you couldn't see anywhere north of Tijuana, this was the place.
Then a couple of clubs were shut down. Then county commissioners put in tough laws to remove the topless from the dancers.
That's all well and good for Shelby County, according to city council member Shea Flinn.
"The city needs to make sure it's doing what's best in the city's interest," he said.
Flinn is already feeling the heat. It amazes him. All he wants to do with the city council is talk about a place where they might be able to keep all adult entertainment establishments. A containment area, he calls it. He loved the idea of President's Island, but Homeland Security wasn't too thrilled about it.
"I understand that there are areas in parts of this country where the containment strategy has been done to not such great success. We want to see what the mistakes were," Flinn said. "Again, that's the first question, whether it's feasible, and I'm constantly mystified by the people that are afraid to even get an answer to a question."
Thoughts of brass poles and topless women can send shivers through people in a community. Flinn knows that. But those same people might get goose bumps when they see their property tax bills.
"We're in a budget season. We're losing revenue because of the county ordinance from beer sales. We need to be looking and examining at the very least, the revenue projection as well as what's in the best interests of the community."
The chances of an adult entertainment district coming to Memphis are pretty slim. If they can find a place that would work as home for the clubs, Flinn wants not only city council approval, but county commission approval. They're the ones that passed the law to shut them down in the first place.
