St. Joseph Trustees to vote on recreational marijuana ordinance on Sept. 10

BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com

St. Joseph, Ill. – The Village of St. Joseph Board of Trustees on Tuesday decided to stay within their timeline of having an ordinance on whether to allow the sale of recreational marijuana drafted by its self-imposed October deadline, but will not vote on the measure on Sept. 10, giving residents more time to make their opinions known.

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges said that she was happy to see approximately 70 people attend the public forum at St. Joseph Middle School on Aug. 20.

She felt that the majority of the people talked in opposition to the measure, citing concerns about the availability of marijuana locally.

Fruhling-Voges reiterated some of the points she made at the public forum, stating that it would be costly for the Village to change its zoning and to consider limitations on the sale, just like the Village did when it decided to allow the sale of alcohol in 2006.

She did note at the public hearing that some wanted to see a referendum and that others were interested in the free market.

Fruhling-Voges said that she feels that the Village has been transparent in the matter and that it provided an opportunity for constituents to voice their opinions.

All municipalities will have to make a decision on whether or not they will allow the sale of recreational marijuana within their limits by Jan. 1. The October deadline that was set earlier in the summer was to ensure that there was enough time to get the paperwork done in time for the deadline.

Whether or not the board votes to pursue the measure or to reject it, an ordinance will need to be passed.

Art Rapp said that he felt that the speakers at the public meeting overwhelmingly stated reasons why they did not want to see the trustees create a pro-sale ordinance.

But he said that before the trustees make their decision, the Village should look into the cost of having a referendum and let the public know what that looks like.

He is also concerned that recreational marijuana is still illegal federally and said there are questions as to whether a federal agent would be able to enforce that federal law.

Fruhling-Voges said that there are a lot of unknowns, including whether local governments will be allowed to collect an additional three-percent sales tax on top of the state sales tax.

She also said that she read an article that stated distributors in the black market will sell their product for less than those who are selling it legally. For that reason, she does not feel it will eliminate the black market.

Jim Wagner asked if allowing the sale of recreational marijuana within Village limits would hurt the Village’s chance of getting federal grants. The Village clerk said it might.

He also stated that the sale of alcohol increased patronage at local restaurants.

Trustee Roy McCarty said that he was in favor of creating an ordinance that would not allow the sale of marijuana within Village limits because of all of the unknowns.

Max Painter, who was appointed as Trustee Tuesday night, said that he attended the public meeting, and agreed that the majority of those in attendance were not in favor of the measure, but he continued to say similar arguments about crime and drug use were made when the discussion about allowing the sale of alcohol within Village limits were ongoing.

He said that people within St. Joseph are already using marijuana in their homes, and he did not think it would be different if they purchased it in Champaign or in St. Joseph. Painter believed that conversation was one to be had while legislators were discussing the issue in Springfield.

Village attorney Joe Lierman said that if the board votes on the measure Sept. 10, it will give him the time he needs to create an ordinance based on its decision by October.

The board agreed to continue to listen to constituents, collecting viewpoints until that time.