North Aurora moves video vending law to Jan. 17 vote

North Aurora shoppers may soon be able to rent a video from outdoor vending machines, since the village thinks it has figured a way to prevent such machines from dispensing adult videos.

The village board, meeting as a committee of the whole Monday, agreed to move amendments to its zoning and adult-products sales law to the board's Jan. 17 agenda for a vote.

The board Nov. 1 first considered a zoning amendment strictly for video machines, to regulate placement. Some trustees worried that youths would be able to rent R- and X-rated items from the unattended machines, such as those operated by Redbox and Blockbuster. Neither company stocks X-rated materials in their machines. The village attorney warned that the village could face challenges on free speech grounds if it specifically prohibited the machines from dispensing adult movies.

North Aurora has one store that sells adult items. It requires the store to screen its windows so products cannot be seen from the outside.

The adult-products amendment will require all such products to be sold inside a building.

The village attorney hopes the changes will keep the village from being challenged on 1st Amendment free-speech issues. Federal courts have upheld municipalities' rights to have special regulations for sex-oriented businesses, such as limiting them to certain areas of town.

“I don't see a reason why it would not hold up” to such a challenge, Scott Buening, the village's community development director, said Tuesday.

The outdoor vending machine amendment will cover all vending machines regardless of content. The rules will cover how close machines must be to a building, lighting, and how many are allowed per lot.