WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Williston city officials are working to clear up confusion over how much longer downtown strip clubs can operate.
The City Commission in January restricted all exotic dancing to industrial zones on Williston’s outer fringe, citing crime and a desire for a cleaner image for the oil patch hub.
One of the two downtown clubs, Whispers, announced plans to operate solely as a bar, but officials with the other, Heartbreakers, expressed disappointment with the decision and uncertainty over the club’s future.
Heartbreakers’ attorney Greg Hennessy said employees left the January meeting with the impression that the club could continue to offer both topless dancing and alcohol for a year while owners drafted new business plans. But the city sent the club a letter in February setting a three-month deadline, which expires on May 7, the Williston Herald reported (https://bit.ly/1SCpTO4 ).
“This is about fairness. Everything that was said in public was in regards to one year,” Hennessy said.
City Attorney Jordan Evert thinks the 90-day provision was clear but Mayor Howard Klug isn’t so sure.
“To say there wasn’t any confusion by the employees - I really believe there was,” he said.
City officials have agreed to review recordings of the January meeting to resolve the matter.
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Information from: Williston Herald, https://www.willistonherald.com
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