West St. Paul City Council chambers

West St. Paul City Council Preview: Aug. 14, 2023

City Council Leave a comment

Thanks to FoodSmith for their support.

Marijuana smoking will again come before City Council as they consider a policy to prohibit smoking in parks. Other items on the agenda include Robert Street sidewalk snow removal and a budget update.

Smoking in Parks

After gathering more input from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC), Council will again consider whether or not to prohibit smoking marijuana in city parks. During the last meeting, Council seemed to be divided on the issue. PRAC also had some division, but generally agreed with modifying the existing policy to prohibit marijuana smoking.

  • Policy: Consensus is to make this a city policy, not a legal ordinance. The difference is that it’s not enforceable. Police won’t waste time on the issue and no citizen would face a petty misdemeanor for smoking in the parks. The downside? It’s unenforceable.
  • Agreement: There’s general agreement on treating all smoking the same, whether it’s marijuana, vaping, or tobacco. There’s also agreement that edibles would not be prohibited.
  • Debate: The issues have centered on finding a balance between public health and equity.
  • History: West St. Paul has had a “tobacco-free” parks policy since 2008.

Other Items on the Agenda

  • Budget: During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), Council will get an update on the preliminary budget, which will come for official approval in September. Staff has worked to reduce the levy increase from 8.4% to 6.03%.
  • Drive thrus: Council will consider the final reading of changes to drive thru rules that more specifically spell out requirements.
  • Sidewalk snow removal: Also during OCWS, Council will discuss Robert Street sidewalk snow removal. For the past 20 years the city has hired a contractor to plow sidewalks from Butler to Mendota Roads and billed property owners. Annapolis to Butler has been left to property owners, with mixed results. The current contractor would not bid the northern section due to the many challenges of retaining walls and lack of snow storage.

Engage

Watch: The public can watch the meeting live on Town Square TV or cable TV starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday (5:45 for the OCWS).

Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.

We believe in government transparency and provide these West St. Paul City Council previews with the support of our members.

Leave a Reply