SCOTTSDALE – The Scottsdale City Council will decide today whether to put tough new strip club regulations on the May 16 ballot.

Scottsdale strip club owners, who believe the city’s new sexually oriented businesses ordinance will shut them down, asked the council Jan. 24 to put the ordinance to a referendum as soon as possible.

As an alternative, they asked the council to form a subcommittee that would work with them to come up with a new ordinance that would parallel state regulations but not be any tougher.

Last month, supporters of Babe’s Cabaret and Skin Cabaret submitted more than 9,000 signatures demanding the referendum. The County Recorder’s Office is reviewing the petitions to see if the groups have the required 3,384 valid signatures from registered Scottsdale voters.

Once that hurdle is cleared, it is still uncertain when a referendum would be held, although most council members have said they would like to have voters decide the issue May 16.