BOUNTIFUL, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Thinking of a job with the City of Bountiful? have a tattoo you can't cover up? If so, forget it. The city just approved a ban on visible tattoos for all its new employees.
Tattoos are becoming more popular and part of mainstream culture. They can be seen on all kinds of people, but you won't see them on any new Bountiful City employees.
The resolution was passed tuesday and states, "Employees are prohibited from having any form of tattoo, branding, piercing (except for ordinary earrings for women), skin markings, or other forms of body art on the face, neck, head, and hands. Employee applicants with such items shall not be hired."
"We would like to present, like any business would, city would like to present a business like atmosphere among our employees," said city council member Fred Moss.
One city employee ABC 4 talked to says he can understand the decision for the ban.
"If you're gonna work for someone and they want you to bring up an image, then I believe in that for sure," he said.
But over at the Punctured Piercing and Tattoo shop, owner Casey Wardell says the ban seems extreme.
"An 18-year-old kid who gets his neck tattooed isn't necessarily thinking five years from now trying to get a job with the city, but five years after he gets that tattoo a city job may be exactly what he'd be ideal for," said Wardell.
Wardell explains that tattoos are a part of almost every culture and society, and for the city to shut out opportunities to certain people isn't right.
The ban does not apply to city employees who already have visible tattoos, but if any employee does get a tattoo from now on, they are "deemed to have resigned their employment from the city."
