They may not be lining up any time soon to get their ‘tats, but the Tarrytown Trustees voted overwhelmingly in favor of tattoo parlors' freedom to open in our town. Despite the public debate that’s been stirring for months, victory came clearly at Monday night’s Board of Trustees meeting. 

After an hour and a half of discussion from both camps for and against, the vote fell strongly in favor of for. The Board voted to approve the legislation 5 to 1. Trustee Robert Hoyt voted no and Becky McGovern was not present. 

“There were people who clapped in support,” Village Administrator Michael Blau said, also citing an equal number who weren’t clapping.

Tattoo parlors will not be allowed to open on Main Street, but they will be permitted on ground floors as long as the operations are screened and not visible from the street. They must be both 500 feet from a school and from each other.

According to Mayor Drew Fixell, "The legislation was the same as the prior noticed legislation which allowed tattoo parlors subject to a number of restrictions, with additional restrictions that prohibit parlors in the Main St. historic district (the blocks west of Broadway), prohibit tongue splitting, and prohibit tattooing or piercing to be seen from the street."

The tattooist sparking all this controversy, C.O. Högnell, who wants to open a second shop here, was present and pleased, albeit weary. "I don't know that it's sunken in yet. I feel like stressing about it has been part of my everyday routine the last few months," he said on Facebook.

Other matters on the agenda resolved on Monday night were:

• The Board approved (6-0) the local law that will transfer its taxi cab and livery licensing program over to Westchester County.
• Trustees approved new member(s) to the Fire Department.
• Finally, the Trustees rejected all bids for Pierson Park/Andres Park Improvement Projects as “well over budget,” said Blau. “Now we have to go back and essentially scale back or redraft projects to bring them within budget.”