from www.freep.com – A lack of a quorum at a Detroit City Council meeting this morning may derail a scheduled vote next week on a licensing ordinance to govern strip clubs in the city.

The meeting started at 10 a.m. with comments from the public. Nearly 200 people are packed in council chambers and spilling into the hallway and foyer of the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Some spoke on behalf of the adult entertainment industry, including owners of clubs, and others, including Pastor Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church, spoke in favor of the licensing ordinance.

The council is considering several changes to the way the clubs do business, including banning the sale and consumption of alcohol and requiring strippers to wear pasties and keep at least 6 feet from patrons. The council is to also consider a zoning ordinance that would require future establishments to locate in industrial areas and away from residential areas.

Present at this morning’s meeting were council members Kwame Kenyatta, Brenda Jones, Ken Cockrel Jr., JoAnn Watson and Sheila Cockrel. After seeing the packed room, Sheila Cockrel left, saying the larger auditorium should have been reserved.

The council was to hear testimony today and vote next Friday. With the lack of a quorum, the council won’t be able to officially introduce the ordinances until next week, thus delaying any vote on the ordinances that was scheduled for next week.