By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Jan. 4, 2018) A committee of three Berlin citizens and two councilmembers have been drafting a tattoo regulation for the town, but will likely ask for more time before to complete the job.

The deadline to approve the measure is January, following the Berlin Town Council’s approval in September of a 120-day moratorium on new tattoo businesses so regulations could be developed. The council created the Tattoo Ordinance Committee and appointed its members on Nov. 13.

That group, which includes councilmen Dean Burrell and Zack Tyndall, tattoo artists Matthew Amey and Dana Helmuth and parks commission members Patricia Dufendach, met for the first time last month.

Town Administrator Laura Allen, who helped facilitate the first session, said the group worked with drafts of ordinances from Ocean City and Baltimore, as well as Worcester, Calvert and Alleghany counties. Allen also provided the group with copies of tattoo regulations for Maryland and Delaware.

“We also talked about the state health department and county commissioners’ role in managing the health department. To the extent that the group is interested in health-related regulations, which I believe is the case, we will need to be doing some work with the country to have those regulations put into place,” Allen said.

Also during the meeting, the group elected Amey as chairman and Helmuth as vice chairman.

Allen said the moratorium would expire at the end of January, but she expects Amey and Helmuth to attend the next mayor and council meeting, Jan. 8, to request an extension.

Amey, reached for comment, said first meeting went well and he hoped officials from the health department would attend the next scheduled Tattoo Ordinance Committee meeting, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.