WEST BOUNTIFUL — The West Bountiful City Council recently passed a resolution asking stores in the city to uphold a child-safe community standard.
Translation: Please cover suggestive magazines or move them out of children's line of sight.
Councilwoman Debbie McKean said the city plans to send a copy of the resolution to businesses and ask for their voluntary cooperation.
"They don't have to go by it," McKean said of the resolution, which doesn't create a city ordinance. "We're letting them know that's what we want to happen."
McKean said she's had the idea for a community-wide child-appropriate standard for some time but only recently got the resolution on the council's agenda.
The resolution's whereases make a legal case for setting a standard and state "children in their formative years are not yet emotionally or mentally prepared to make sound and informed judgment regarding sexually explicit material."
And it states children often see such material and may act on it, not knowing any better.
The document resolves that the city sets a community standard of a wholesome environment and adds that the city encourages businesses, schools, public and private professional institutions in the city to adopt a similar child-appropriate standard.
McKean said the resolution only applies to the dozen or so businesses in the city that sell magazines.
She said her local Barnes and Noble had recently displayed a "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue in its front window, which was in her children's line of sight.
But that's because the magazine is one of the store's best sellers, says West Bountiful Barnes and Noble assistant manager Mike LeVasser.
It's a standard practice to put best-selling magazines where customers can find them and buy them, he said.
Children's magazines are displayed separately from magazines for adults, he said.
His store has a policy to keep all pornographic magazines out of sight and available only by request.
"There's no nudity on the shelves," LeVasser said.
Pam Phillips, the store's manager, said Barnes and Noble has a censorship policy, which states the company respects the right of customers to choose what they want and doesn't endorse all books it sells.
The company also asks the public to respect the store's right to bring the public new titles and ideas.
The policy also states that the company follows community standards and respects federal, state and local legislation.
But because the resolution asks that stores voluntarily follow a community standard, Phillips said she will have to check with her corporate office before she determines how to proceed. As of Tuesday evening, she had not received a copy of the council's resolution.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com