City considers recreational marijuana; Gainesville holds public hearing on the sale of marijuana inside city limits

About a dozen people attended a public hearing last week at Gainesville City Hall to gauge interest in whether or not recreational marijuana sales should be allowed inside the city limits.

Although several in attendance, and all who addressed the council, seemed to be in favor of the idea, city council members were told by City Clerk Lisa Goodnight that the city couldn’t regulate the sale of recreational marijuana because the issue had been approved by Missouri voters in November.

“We really don’t have any control over it because it was legalized by Missouri voters,” Goodnight told the council following the public hearing.

While the sale of recreational marijuana was approved statewide by voters, the proposal wasn’t popular in Ozark County, where voters overwhelmingly opposed the matter.

Goodnight said the council could put the question before voters in the 2024 general election, and the city could then (with approval of voters) vote to prohibit sales inside the city limits.

Several of the proponents attending the public hearing urged the city council to allow the sale of recreational marijuana because of the tax revenue that would come into the city.

“If you don’t allow it in the city, then that’s just tax revenue the city will miss out on,” one woman said as she addressed the council.

The city would be able to collect sales tax on any sales from a dispensary inside the city limits, and municipalities could also impose up to a 3% tax on all recreational marijuana sales.

Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Seth Miller told council members that marijuana “is already here.”

“It’s been here a long time,” Miller said. “The thing about a dispensary is the marijuana would be regulated, and we would know it wouldn’t be laced with fentanyl.”

The deputy told the council that local young people sometimes come in contact with marijuana that is laced with something else and that can be dangerous and potentially deadly.

“You don’t know what all’s out there,” Miller said. “Different strengths, some potent stuff.”

Others at the meeting focused on the tax revenue.

“I’m just here because I feel like the city shouldn’t miss out on the potential tax revenue,” one man said. “If Gainesville doesn’t get it, somebody else will.”

Another woman said a dispensary in West Plains did $11 million in sales the first weekend recreational marijuana was legalized. “That’s a lot of tax revenue for them,” she said.

After hearing from those in the public hearing, the city council discussed the issue later in the city council meeting and voted to table the matter.

Council members said they wanted to study the issue a little more and weigh the public comments they had received.

Goodnight said the council also needed to address whether or not public use of marijuana would be allowed inside the city limits.

“That’s probably something the council needs to focus on, because if you don’t address public use, you’re going to have marijuana at Hootin an Hollarin,” Goodnight said.

Currently there are no marijuana dispensaries in Ozark County.

In other business during the March 21 council meeting the council:

• Agreed to reduce the price per meter for water meters for Daniel Smith, who owns the Airport Trailer Park. Smith wants to install 25-30 individual water meters and had asked the council to consider changing the water connection from one meter to 22 individual meters at the trailer park so residents could sign up and be responsible for their own water connections. After a brief discussion, the city council agreed to discount the individual meter installation cost from $600 to $425, which will save Smith about $3,850 for the overall project.

• Heard about an appraisal completed recently on the city’s airport property. The appraisal on the 17.96 acres came in at $117,000, Goodnight said.

• Heard about the completion of the Lick Creek bank stabilization project. Goodnight said the project, which was done with a $320,000 grant, was recently completed.

• Heard an update on planned improvements to sidewalks on Third Street that would make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project was scheduled to begin March 22, and would take about 90 days to complete, depending on the weather.

• Discussed an ongoing project to improve safety for Gainesville High School students who are crossing High School Drive, a city street in front of the high school. The school had asked the city to consider closing the street, but alderwoman Lana Bushong said she has spoken with the superintendent about possibly putting crosswalks across the street. She said they talked about proper crosswalks that would have flashing lights and possibly barrier arms that would come down when students cross. The council members said they were still in discussions with the school to come up with a solution.

• Voted to allow a wifi booster to be put on the city’s storm siren tower.

• Opened bids on two city-owned trucks. The city received five bids on a 1984 Chevrolet pickup that is currently inoperable. The council voted to accept the highest bid of $1,400 from Richard Yeggy. The council received four bids on a Stewart-Stevenson 2.5 ton military truck. After a discussion, the council opted to donate the truck to the Gainesville Saddle Club, which had asked the council to consider donating the truck to be used as a tanker truck to water down the arena before and during events to control dust.

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