Ronan council passes marijuana ordinance

RONAN - The city of Ronan passed a temporary zoning ordinance on businesses selling medical marijuana on Monday night.

Adopting the basic outlines of a similar ordinance passed in Billings, the regulations will force businesses to set up shop in the south side highway commercial area.

Rather than create an outright moratorium on the businesses, the city council voted to approve the temporary zoning ordinance, good for up to six months. The next step will be for the city planning committee to meet and create a permanent zoning ordinance for medical marijuana dispensaries. Penny Ross was the lone dissenter in a 6-1 vote passing the ordinance.

The regulations will limit any marijuana dispensaries or grow houses from residential areas and within a certain distance and/or sight line of public schools, making the south side highway commercial area the only viable location businesses could set up.

The hearing on the ordinance was advertised in the newspapers, Mayor Kim Aipperspach said, but no one from the public showed up to give feedback on the proposal.

Ronan Police Chief Dan Wadsworth said the high electrical needs of such a business and fertilizers necessary for a hydroponics growing operation make marijuana grow houses a fire hazard and unsafe to have in the business district or residential neighborhoods. He said he hopes the houses would be secure, as they could be a target for crime. It would be better to restrict them to agricultural areas, further outside of town, Wadsworth said.

In other news, the council reviewed proposals for the water project from prospective engineers and administrators. The council appointed Shari Johnson, the lone applicant for the engineer position, but will review the three applicants for the administrator position before making a decision.

The council approved LeRoy Hoversland to another three year term on the joint airport board as his current term has expired and he had expressed interest in serving again.

In a nonaction item, Chief Wadsworth updated the council on the new police manual the department is using. He said the manual language evolves over time, and that the new version tweaks different things that have changed each year. He said the new manual goes more in-depth than the older version to make sure the department has clearly defined certain things, like job descriptions and the correct way to respond to a high speed chase.

The council will next meet on March 22.