City of Washburn changes stance on medical marijuana, pursues construction efforts
September 4, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
At a city hall meeting on Tuesday, August 20, the Washburn City Council moved forward with several key decisions that will affect the town for years to come. Among items discussed were the city’s previous discussions about medical marijuana, a new garage area for city vehicles and sewer system smoke testing.
The Washburn City Council revisited the previous attempted actions regarding Amendment 2 of the Missouri Constitution that legalized medical marijuana. Previously, the council was pursuing legislation that would bar the creation and operation of medical marijuana facilities within city limits.
In August, the city instead opted to formally adopt Amendment 2, which allows for the limited production and sale of medical marijuana in municipalities, as part of Washburn City ordinance. This makes permissions granted to citizens by Amendment 2 not only protected on the state level, but also protect the citizens of Washburn from fines or persecution on the local level, as well.
Next, the city moved forward with seeking bids for smoke testing to be done on the city’s sewer system. According to city officials, this type of testing can help identify leakages in the city’s sewer system and allow for the public works department to have an accurate road map to their repair.
It was determined in the meeting that the council would pursue these bids by putting ads in local papers, while also contacting Greg Perkins, a representative of Trekk Design Group, of Springfield. Perkins appeared before the council at a public meeting in April to discuss the possibility of getting the city to work with them on a project like this.
In that meeting, Perkins informed the city that Trekk has a long history of helping smaller municipalities apply for grants that would lessen the financial burden of such operations on taxpayers. According to Washburn mayor John Tiedeman, the city would be responsible for 10 to 20 percent of the overall cost of the project while the grants would fund the remainder.
Then, the council voted to appoint Washburn alderman Jeremy Johnston as the city’s emergency management coordinator. According to mayor Tiedeman, Johnston’s appointment was qualified by his years as a member of the Washburn Fire Department. Tiedeman also commented the classes required for Johnston to maintain his status as a member of the fire department would give him a good base knowledge of the duties of the city’s emergency manager.
Additionally, the city also moved to pursue bids for a new garage area in which to house city vehicles and excess building materials. According to Tiedeman, the city previously had an open carport area that served that function, but it was destroyed by inclement weather.
The city previously put an ad in local papers for construction bids on the structure but received no replies. The council opted to move forward with an additional notice regarding bids, but according to mayor Tiedeman, the city will pursue their own contracts in order to get the structure constructed.
For any additional questions regarding construction bids or changes to city ordinances, contact Washburn City Hall at (417) 826-5242.
Vinnie Roberts
At a city hall meeting on Tuesday, August 20, the Washburn City Council moved forward with several key decisions that will affect the town for years to come. Among items discussed were the city’s previous discussions about medical marijuana, a new garage area for city vehicles and sewer system smoke testing.
The Washburn City Council revisited the previous attempted actions regarding Amendment 2 of the Missouri Constitution that legalized medical marijuana. Previously, the council was pursuing legislation that would bar the creation and operation of medical marijuana facilities within city limits.
In August, the city instead opted to formally adopt Amendment 2, which allows for the limited production and sale of medical marijuana in municipalities, as part of Washburn City ordinance. This makes permissions granted to citizens by Amendment 2 not only protected on the state level, but also protect the citizens of Washburn from fines or persecution on the local level, as well.
Next, the city moved forward with seeking bids for smoke testing to be done on the city’s sewer system. According to city officials, this type of testing can help identify leakages in the city’s sewer system and allow for the public works department to have an accurate road map to their repair.
It was determined in the meeting that the council would pursue these bids by putting ads in local papers, while also contacting Greg Perkins, a representative of Trekk Design Group, of Springfield. Perkins appeared before the council at a public meeting in April to discuss the possibility of getting the city to work with them on a project like this.
In that meeting, Perkins informed the city that Trekk has a long history of helping smaller municipalities apply for grants that would lessen the financial burden of such operations on taxpayers. According to Washburn mayor John Tiedeman, the city would be responsible for 10 to 20 percent of the overall cost of the project while the grants would fund the remainder.
Then, the council voted to appoint Washburn alderman Jeremy Johnston as the city’s emergency management coordinator. According to mayor Tiedeman, Johnston’s appointment was qualified by his years as a member of the Washburn Fire Department. Tiedeman also commented the classes required for Johnston to maintain his status as a member of the fire department would give him a good base knowledge of the duties of the city’s emergency manager.
Additionally, the city also moved to pursue bids for a new garage area in which to house city vehicles and excess building materials. According to Tiedeman, the city previously had an open carport area that served that function, but it was destroyed by inclement weather.
The city previously put an ad in local papers for construction bids on the structure but received no replies. The council opted to move forward with an additional notice regarding bids, but according to mayor Tiedeman, the city will pursue their own contracts in order to get the structure constructed.
For any additional questions regarding construction bids or changes to city ordinances, contact Washburn City Hall at (417) 826-5242.
