Marijuana proposition passes in Harker Heights; City Council to decide fate
Published: Wed, 11/09/22
Marijuana proposition passes in Heights; City Council to decide fate
Young cannabis plants thrive under grow lights at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Grandview, Mo. Marijuana growers and sellers in Missouri and several other states are helping fund campaigns as voters decide whether to legalize recreational sales in upcoming elections.
Charlie Riedel - staff, AP
Killeen Daily Herald
Jack Dowling | Herald
November 8, 2022
The residents of Harker Heights appeared to vote Tuesday to affirm Proposition A, a measure to decriminalize marijuana possession within city limits with most votes counted as of 11: 15 p.m.
The hotly contested ballot initiative was sent to the voters by the City Council in July after 1,018 signatures were verified in early June, and was affirmed on election night in a vote of 5,074 to 2,892, a 63.7% majority, according to the latest election results from Bell County. More than 92% of votes had been counted, late Tuesday, officials said.
The decriminalization ordinance in Harker Heights prohibits city police officers from issuing citations or making arrests for Class A or B misdemeanor possession of marijuana offenses except in limited circumstances. It also prohibits Class C citations for drug paraphernalia in lieu of a possession of marijuana charge, and prohibits the use of city funds or personnel to perform testing to confirm whether a substance meets the legal definition of marijuana except in limited circumstances.
City Manager David Mitchell said Tuesday that the city staff’s position on the issue has not changed.
“The first step is to canvass the vote, so we’ll set up a date for that. After that though, the ball will be in council’s court, and they’ll have to make a decision on what to do,” he said. “City staff’s opinion is that (the ordinance) is unconstitutional.”
The ordinance will take effect once the vote has been officially counted, or canvassed. From there, the Harker Heights City Council will have the opportunity to either remove the ordinance or to let it stand.
Opponents to the city law say it goes against state and federal marijuana laws.
As of 11:15 p.m., 37 of the county's 42 voting locations had reported in.