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BY CAROL ARNETT

The Florissant City Council held a public hearing at the council meeting Monday concerning a planned tanning salon in the city.

HT Tanning would like to open between Gold’s Gym and Schnucks in the Florissant Marketplace shopping center at 8786-8188 North Lindbergh.

Felicia Ausbury represented the salon. She said the salon would feature stand-up tanning. It would be the first of a planned eight HT salons in the metro area. Ausbury said that no one under the age of 16 would be allowed to tan, and those 16 to 18 would need parental permission to use the facility.

The salon would limit the amount of tanning a client could do by using a finger scan system to monitor visits.

Councilman Tom Schneider said that Gold’s Gym had expressed interest in having a tanning salon nearby when it opened.

“I look at this like running,” Schneider said. “It’s not good for your knees, but it helps you in other ways. Tanning’s not good for your skin, but maybe it will act as a catalyst for taking care of yourself in other ways.”

Councilwoman Karen McKay said she could not support the salon. She noted that she used to have tanning at her own salon, but gave it up over concerns about cancer. “I wish you were bringing in spray tans,” she said. McKay cited her work with the American Cancer Society and said the tanning lights are dangerous.

No citizens spoke at the hearing. The council held a first reading of a bill that would authorize the salon.

In other matters, Mayor Robert Lowery addressed various issues at the council. He talked about the St. Louis County tax assessments. “These are unfair,” he said. “If the general assembly doesn’t do something, people need to.”

“St. Louis County is singled out of all the counties in Missouri to have this every year,” he said.

The council also heard first reading on the city budget for the next fiscal year that starts on Dec . 1 and ends on Nov. 30, 2008. (watch for story next week on the budget appropriations)

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