Babylon's future: A limit on psychics?

Readers of palms, tarot cards and crystal balls might soon find a cold welcome in Babylon Village.

A proposed ordinance would set stiff licensing requirements for fortune tellers and confine their businesses to industrial areas along Route 109 and John Street.

Mayor Ralph Scordino said the law would protect residents against possible fraud from lightly regulated psychics.

Tattoo and body-piercing facilities also face restrictions in new legislation that cites health concerns, "depreciated property values and deteriorated community character."

"They are dealing in blood and needles," Scordino said. "We are concerned about the waste products and their disposal in the heart of the business district."

With a number of schools in the area, trustees were particularly worried about the risk to children, he said.

The village already confines flea markets and adult businesses to its industrial district.

The village has no tattoo or body-piercing shops. It does, however, have one professional psychic, who admitted the proposal caught him by surprise.

"This is all news to me," said the man doing business as James the Astrologer from a crystal-stuffed shop on East Main Street. "I don't feel they should discriminate, especially when my profession has been around since the dawn of time. At the same time, you do have to be cautious," he said. "There are some people in my business who are negative, who are not true."

James opened his shop July 4; Scordino said the timing of the ordinance was unrelated.

The legislation would require all fortune tellers to apply for a license yearly to do business in the village. Applicants would have to be fingerprinted and buy $1 million of business liability insurance.

A fortune teller would have to prominently post a sign reading "entertainment only" in big block type. Not posting would risk license suspension and prosecution under a section of state penal code that makes it a Class B misdemeanor to obtain money by claiming use of "occult powers" to give advice on personal matters or to "exorcise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses."

Babylon Village's proposed rules would ban tattoo artists and body piercers from operating within 500 feet of each other, schools, parks or the boundary of any residential district. Piercing or tattooing minors would be prohibited without parental permission.

Violators could face a $250 fine for a first offense, and $1,000 fines for further offenses.

Such ordinances are not uncommon on Long Island, said Assemb. Tom McKevitt (R-East Meadow), a municipal law expert. Some municipalities, such as the Village of Lynbrook, which bans tattoo parlors entirely, are even stricter.

"It's up to them how they want to regulate the use of property within their borders," he said.

Babylon Village trustees could vote on the code changes as early as Sept. 13.