Jackson Aldermen approve medical-marijuana zoning, move forward on sewer extension

Zoning for medical-marijuana businesses in Jackson was approved Monday night by the city's Board of Aldermen, but only after two Jackson residents asked the aldermen that the buffer zone between those businesses and any existing schools, churches and day care centers be changed from 100 to 500 feet.

"A hundred feet is the distance from home plate to second base," David Ludwig told the aldermen. "I just feel like that could be improved and going to 500 feet would be similar to what the city council in Cape is considering."

Ludwig said he's concerned the presence of a medical-marijuana dispensary too close to schools and day cares would send the wrong message to children.

"You have a lot of young people, and young people are susceptible to this," he said. "I'd like to have more than 500 (feet), but since 500 seems to be a compromise figure that is doable, I'd like to see the ordinance changed."

Also speaking in opposition to the zoning ordinance was Jackson resident Brian Thompson.

"I am against medical marijuana and dispensaries," he told the board.

Although they will be legal in Missouri, Thompson said he is concerned businesses related to medical marijuana would bring more crime to the community.

"You bring in gangs and that's not an element we want in our town," he said.

Unlike Ludwig's request to increase the buffer zone to 500 feet, Thompson said he wanted the city to be more restrictive.

"I would not like to see it in Jackson at all," he said.

Following the public comments, city attorney Tom Ludwig noted because Missouri voters approved medical marijuana, communities such as Jackson cannot prohibit licensed marijuana businesses.

"The only thing Jackson or any other city can deal with is zoning," he told the aldermen.

Following some brief discussion, board member Katy Liley moved that the minimum distance medical-marijuana businesses can be from schools, churches and state-licensed day care centers be changed from 100 feet to 500 feet. Alderman David Reiminger seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved by the rest of the board, which then approved the zoning ordinance.

As of early July, the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services had received one pre-application for a medical marijuana-related business in Jackson, for a cultivation operation. Formal applications will be accepted by DHSS starting Aug. 3.

Also Monday night, the aldermen accepted a bid from Jokerst Inc. of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for the first phase of the Williams Creek sanitary sewer extension.

The bid, in the amount of $1,306,689.10, was one of four bids received for the project that ranged as high as $1.8 million. The Jokerst bid was slightly lower than the estimated cost of the project that has been in the planning stages for many years, according to Jackson administrative services director Rodney Bollinger.

The sewer line extension is in the South Old Orchard Road area.

Other business

• Set 6 p.m. Aug. 5 as the time and date for a public hearing to consider the rezoning of 2370 N. High St. from general commercial to light industrial as requested by MAMCO Investments LLC;
• Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Aug. 19, to consider the proposed 2019 parks and recreation, general revenue, cemetery and band tax rates;
• Approved a motion to record in the minutes the disposal of city records destroyed in compliance with the Missouri Secretary of State's Record Retention Schedule;
• Approved an ordinance accepting a general warranty deed from Rosemund Welker, relative to property at 424 Howard St.;
• Approved an ordinance readopting Chapter 1, Article VIII of the city's Code of Ordinances, relative to ethics;
• Approved a resolution supporting the updating of the city's sewer ordinances to reflect program requirements issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources;
• And accepted a bid from Zoellner Construction Co. of Perryville, Missouri, in the amount of $106,450 for a storage building at Russell Heights Cemetery.

Study session

• Heard an update on the Jackson police station construction project;
• Discussed equipment expenses related to the 911 emergency dispatch center the city plans to operate in conjunction with Cape Girardeau County;
• Discussed options for replacing Pavilion 5 in Jackson City Park, which was destroyed by high winds during a storm June 21;
• Reviewed a proposed new chapter in the city's Code of Ordinances pertaining to wireless communication services;
• And heard an update on the Missouri Department of Transportation's diverging diamond interchange project proposed for the intersection of U.S. 61 and Interstate 55 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.