City Commission okays Comprehensive Plan, cannabis program

At a City Commission meeting featuring various topics on Tuesday, July 16, leaders and members of the public shared responses to several of them.

The first had to do with the Comprehensive Plan.

“The city [previously] made one change in the Comprehensive Plan. We asked that the [term] ‘merging government’ be changed to ‘merging services,’” said Mayor Reed.

She sought to clarify further.

“The city’s intention of asking for the word government to be changed to the word services was so together we, the city and the county, would both look as to where we might potentially have opportunities to lessen costs to the city and lessen the cost to the county taxpayers,” she said, adding that the latter would be beneficial for the community.

Mayor Reed continued to address matters discussed at a previous Clark County Fiscal Court meeting.

“I want to make it clear that the city of Winchester has no intention…of asking the county to participate in any study about merging any city or county services,” she added. “Tonight, what I want to do is say [the Fiscal] Court’s telling us that we’re not going to tell them what to do about anything, and I just want to make it clear that our intention is not to do that, nor will we do that.”

Mayor Reed also added that, similarly, the City Commission wasn’t bound to any permanent agreements.

Also, an ordinance adopting a legalized medical cannabis program for the city of Winchester was read and accepted by a 5-1 vote.

City Commissioner Kenny Book was the lone ‘no’ vote.

“I am voting no on medical cannabis because I have a grandson and granddaughter who are on drugs, and they had my two great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter [taken] away by the state because of drugs about five years ago. I will never get to see my great-grandkids grow up because of the drugs. My granddaughter is due again, and I may not get to see the grandbaby either,” Book said. “Just look at what happened in Ohio County to the eight-month [old] baby; both the parents and grandparents were on drugs. We have to stop the drugs. There will be a lot of break-ins to get medical cannabis. I know they say you can’t smoke it, and you have to have a doctor prescribe it to get it, but there is a way to get around it. We had another mother pass out in the front seat on drugs over the weekend and a baby in the backseat crying, and their face was red as a beat because of the 98-degree heat in Madisonville, Kentucky. How many more babies are going to have to suffer just because they say medical cannabis is legal? They are going to abuse it.”

Indeed, not least, resident Deatra Newell spoke.

She also brought up the Eugene Gay Splash Park to clarify some questions concerning planning and zoning.

The park had its ceremonial groundbreaking in February 2023, with Newell’s advocacy being essential.

While it was stated that advertisements for bids had gone out, Newell asserted that she would like to see further and more rapid development.

She also asserted having found a previous comment offensive.

“The comment that was made, which really hurts me…that if it wasn’t in our [particular] community, it would’ve already been done,” Newell said, adding that she thought the comment had racial undertones. “I just hope that this can be completed by this year because racism should not have any place to stop children from being able [to play].”

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