The issue was one of several zoning ordinance amendments to come before council during its meeting Tuesday, but it sparked lengthy debate.

In response to a law passed by the state last year which permits body piercing and tattoo parlors, the Kershaw County Planning Commission recommended such businesses be permitted uses in the B-2 business and GD general development districts. But council members said they want more information before a vote.

``I want to know more about tattoo and body piercing,`` Councilman Gene McCaskill said. ``How many counties and municipalities have actually allowed these uses? I`d like to have a little more information.``

Councilman John Wells agreed, saying the county needed to be careful about opening the door to many of these businesses. If no other counties or municipalities allow them, Kershaw County could become a ``Mecca`` for tattoo parlors, he said.

``We need to move carefully on that,`` he said.

Council also discussed an amendment addressing the parking, storage and use of non-recreational vehicles and equipment, as well as what would constitute abandoned vehicles.

The ordinance currently allows county residents to park or store one unlicensed vehicle anywhere on a lot, said Planning and Zoning Director Rollin Reynolds said. The amendment would prohibit parking any unlicensed vehicle unless it was on the back of the lot and out of public sight.

Councilman Max Ford, who said he has been studying the issue of abandoned junk vehicles, asked about adding language which grants the county authority to check on the condition of such vehicles.

But Councilman Sammie Tucker disagreed.

``I know from my years in law enforcement that such a situation would be very difficult to enforce,`` he said. ``I don`t think we could realistically do that.``

Wells suggested that requiring all vehicles to be licensed would probably help the problem, since liability insurance is required to license a vehicle and very few people are willing to insure a vehicle that is not in working condition.

Ford asked that county staff consult other counties and review their ordinances addressing the situation.

Other zoning amendments discussed were mostly procedural changes, Reynolds said. One amendment would combine and convert two tables presently used to show zones and allowable uses into one table. It would also reference the North Atlantic Industrial Classification System (NAICS) rather than the SIC code as the basis for determining land use within each district. This is because the SIC documents are no longer in print.

Another amendment would delete coin-operated amusement divides with payouts and conditions and add the word vendors as a conditional use in all non-residential districts, except for the OI district.

On a motion from Ford, council passed first reading of these amendments.

In other business:

* Council approved first reading of an ordinance amending the public utility ordinance, specifically a section updating the penalties for violation of the ordinance. This is to keep the county current with similar state ordinances governing utilities.

Violation of the ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100, 30 days in jail or both.

At the recommendation of County Attorney Ken DuBose, council passed the ordinance under the pending ordinance doctrine, which allows the county to enforce the ordinance before it passes final approval.

* Second reading of a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Dana Corp. was approved. Under the 20-year agreement, Dana will make a $5 million capital investment and create 60 new jobs. Dana will receive a 7 percent assessment rate and an adjustable millage rate, to be recalculated every five years, starting at 266.8 mills.

* Council awarded bids for the following projects: $35,000 to Seamon Whiteside & Associates, a Charleston-based planning firm, to develop a master plan for the Exit 87 Office Park; $137,000 to Gastonia Sheet Metal Works, Gastonia, N.C., for re-roofing the county library; $61,986.25 to Lanier Construction, Columbia, for resurfacing Bramblewood Road, the route to the Kershaw County Detention Center.

* Council passed a resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and expressing support for it. Council also approved a resolution stating its policy on eminent domain. That is, council recognizes the power of eminent domain as a necessary tool but supports using it only to acquire private property for a public purpose, and that purpose should be demonstrated as necessary to accomplish the general welfare of the citizens.

* Council received recognition from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control for moving forward early with air quality planning.

* County Administrator Bobby Boland briefed council about a letter he is drafting to Duke Energy and the congressional delegation regarding issues the county wants resolved through the Duke hydro relicensing project. Those issues include asking Duke/Crescent Resources to provide the county land for a state or county park and more public access; improved levels of dissolved oxygen in the river below the dam; and having Duke/Crescent provide funding to pave roads on the lake to an acceptable standard. At the request of Wells, Boland will also include the county`s opposition to Duke charging fees for municipalities and water districts for drawing drinking water from the river.

* Boland gave an update on accommodations tax, as well as possible suggestions for the future regarding tourism.

Kershaw County Council next meets at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Kershaw County Government Center, 515 Walnut St.., Camden. Meetings are open to the public.