The Simpson County Board of Supervisors dealt with ordinances for medical cannabis at their regular meeting on April 3. Board Attorney Danny Welch advised the board on an ordinance to regulate medical cannabis in the county, saying that state law governs these types of facilities to a large extent. Welch researched ordinances of other counties that enact a permit fee to allow any activities under state statutes, including businesses that do cultivation, research, testing, transportation, disposal, and dispensing of cannabis products. Businesses must have a license for each aspect of cannabis operations. Welch said most counties regulate the hours of operation and prohibit them in subdivisions. Other counties also require these businesses to produce site plans, odor ventilation and control plans, lighting plan, security plans, and remediation plans if they cease operating. Other ordinances also give the Sheriff’s Office the right to inspect the property. Welch explained that enforcement carries penalties of $100 on first offenses and up to a $1,000 fine and jail time on a third offense of violating the ordinance. Welch said the ordinance is not zoning, but it creates a permit system that works in addition to state law. He said the permit fee should be for each cannabis activity, and not a blanket fee to do all activities. Randy Moore moved to adopt the ordinance and institute a $2,500 permit fee per cannabis activity, and a $1,500 renewal fee each year. Renewals will be due a calendar year after issuance of the permit. The motion carried unanimously.County engineer Buddy Wolverton gave an update on State Aid and LSBP county projects. Issues were discussed on the working schedule for Star-Braxton Road. Wolverton explained that the contractor is waiting for cross drains to come in to complete the project. Supervisor Moore said the drains and culverts are in and the contractor needs to complete the project.Christian McQueen with McQueen Road Construction Company appeared before the board to discuss the 2022 Simpson County resurfacing project. Wolverton reported that the project is 57 percent complete, and the contractor has completed reseal operations on 24 of 94 roads. The contractor will resume the project when weather conditions permit.Issues with the project were discussed in March, and most of the board expressed displeasure with the job being done by the contractor, specifically with the pre-leveling. Several issues surfaced with the pre leveled roads early in the project when the company was still working through the process. There were complaints of stripping in spots, and the process of laying rock and emulsion was discussed. McQueen explained that there are a lot of variables to consider when laying rock and emulsion and that different techniques work well for different companies. He said the air temperature, surface temperature, weather conditions, the company the products were purchased are all factors when laying rock and emulsion. However, he said he was not beyond tweaking the process for what works best for the county.McQueen went on to explain that all the materials needed to resume the resurfacing project are in stockpile, and a work schedule is being prepared so that work would resume in District 1 along the main road and branch out to feeder roads along the way. He added that crews are currently waiting for a weather pattern that would allow the work to stick.Chancery Clerk Tim Gray recorded in the minutes an order appointing a District Youth Court Guardian Ad Litem, and the opening of a bank account by Gray for the South Central Regional Solid Waste Management Authority. A 16th Section lease was also approved.Richard Rankin with the Simpson County His
