The Bad Axe City Council voted 5-2 to turn down the city’s proposed marijuana ordinance at the July 1 city council meeting in front of a full gallery.
Prior to the vote, there were several people who spoke up, both in favor and against the ordinance, with the council also having to rescind its decision from the previous meeting to put the ordinance on the ballot for the voters to decide.
“My biggest reason for approval is because of unintended consequences,” Jo Wolschlager said. “We may not all agree with recreational use of marijuana, but it also has a lot of medical uses. If an individual does not agree with recreational use, then simply don’t go there.”
Wolschlager said, though she is not a resident of Bad Axe, she does own property in Bad Axe and understands that not only does medical marijuana have medical benefits for people, but also the direct and indirect revenue stream it would bring to the city could be beneficial.
“That money would be spent in another community, but not here,” Wolschlager said.
Of the few who spoke during the public comment portion, Wolschlager was the sole person who spoke up for the ordinance, with several others, including Kevin Richardson, opposing the issue.
“I just don’t want (the council) to think that, ‘We’re going to get a lot of tax revenue from this,'” Richardson said. “We do have to draw lines. Just because you get tax money from it, doesn’t mean it’s right.”
The final vote came down to a 5-2 decision against the ordinance, with council members Clark McKimmy, Dan Rapson, Joel Harrison and Nicholas Rochefort, along with the Bad Axe Mayor Kathleen Particka, voting against the ordinance. Council members Steve Perez and Dan Glaza were the two yes votes.
Recreational marijuana was passed in Michigan following the 2018 general election, where 56% of Michigan residents voted “yes” on Proposal 18-1. However, Huron County voters voted against the state proposal 8,261-5,479, with the city of Bad Axe against it by a slim seven-vote margin, 541-534.
The discussion of marijuana facilities has been on and off since the 2018 election with the council starting the process of the ordinance in November 2023
