Ravenna City Council approves medical marijuana dispensaries plan
Portage County City Council officials and residents gathered on a frigid Monday night to discuss important affairs within the community.
Present at the meeting were representatives Sharon Spencer (Ward I), Rob Kairis (Ward II), Matt Harper (Ward III), and Scott Rainone (Ward IV). At large representatives Bruce Ribelin, Amy Michael, and Fred Berry were also present. Council president Joseph Bica was absent during the meeting.
The biggest issues that was on the agenda Monday night were ordinances 129-132, which will add medical marijuana dispensaries in Ravenna.
Additionally, the dispensaries would be conditionally permitted, meaning it would be allowed in the city and companies would have to go through a process of approval and a hearing in front of the Planning Commission before any entity could set up.
House Bill 523 legalized medical marijuana in Ohio in September 2016. The bill set the framework for state agencies to different agencies for medical marijuana, including cultivating, processing, and dispensing.
Ravenna was recently approved for a level 2 cultivator license in June.
The idea was proposed back in August from several commercial entities, according to Kairis. No one was against the idea and decided to push forward with the proposal.
Kairis also said this ordinance would essentially help give people access to more medicine. The ordinance would allow people to pick up their medication from a pharmaceutical versus an industrial location.
“We certainly are not going to have any of those activities in residential areas,” Kairis said. “We decided that the industrial areas usually the fringe areas of the city. Not too many people reside near those.”
The proposals went through three readings before it could be approved. Kairis said the reason for it is because any new ordinances would have to be properly written into law. The process usually takes about three months, since council meetings are held once a month.
The ordinance passed during the meeting and will go into effect in 30 days.
Additionally, the council voted on several other ordinances throughout the night. Some of them included an agreement with FirstEnergy Solutions, Corp. to supply power to Ravenna residents through March 2021, a resolution to pave roads, and allowing the mayor to apply for various grants to help finance future city projects.
The meeting also allowed residents of Ravenna to speak up about issues in their neighborhood.
Matthew Rockwell, a Ravenna resident, stood at the podium and expressed his concern about his neighborhood turning into an ‘unofficial junkyard.’ He said his neighbor has a huge amount of cars parked in their driveway and that it’s starting to take over property lines and parking spaces on the streets. The council said they will look into the issue.
The meeting ended with no new business and the council is excited to start with new agenda at their next meeting in December.
Words by Tianyu Yang and Brandon Bounds
Video by Brandon Bounds
Ravenna City Council approved several proposals Monday night, including allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Check my recap of the meeting. #JMCRPPhttps://t.co/CGhD0JiMn0
— Brandon Bounds (@brandonbounds_) November 9, 2017
