Lemoore City Council poised Tuesday to approve new cannabis laws and guidelines to appoint new council member

The Council is also expected to decide what to do about filling Councilmember Chad Billingsley’s position, which he is expected to vacate later this month when the leaves Lemoore for a new job in Denver. Billingsley was elected in November 2018.

In the council’s last meeting, during which it approved the initial reading of the proposed marijuana ordinance, city leaders gave their go ahead, expecting to reap big rewards for the city’s annual budget. The ordinance, if passed Tuesday night, is expected to open the city to the sale, cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and distribution of marijuana.

The ordinance spells out the sale or recreational marijuana, which would be limited to the downtown and commercial parts of the city.

Council members will also be asked to approve a resolution establishing procedures and protocols for the appointment of future vacancies to the Lemoore City Council, which if approved could clear the way for appointing a new council member upon a vacancy.

While there are already state laws regarding the removal and appointment of council members, Lemoore’s elected leaders will be asked to approve a resolution acknowledging the governing laws related to the selection of council members and reasserting the procedures already adopted by the council under both the Lemoore Municipal Code and the city’s rules of procedure.

Staff is recommending that the council augment those procedures to include a process for the selection of the appointee should the Council choose to appoint to a vacancy.

For example, the city recommends that it publish any council vacancies on its web site  and “any other means deemed legally appropriate.” The city would invite any citizen interested in the position to apply for the open council seat. In Billingsley’s case, an appointment would be limited to his district. During a 30-day period, anyone seeking the appointment will be allowed to apply. At a regular meeting, the applicants will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and present to the Council and the public reasons why they should be selected. Each applicant will have no more than 10 minutes.

A majority vote of the council must fill any vacancy.