City Council Considers Regulations, Fees

The City of Marlow Council met on Monday to discuss several agenda items, including the continuing discussion of subdivision regulations as well as setting fees for municipal portions of Medical Marijuana licensing.

A discussion of subdivision regulations gave Council members the opportunity to ask questions regarding the ongoing developments with subdivision regulations that have been a topic for several months. City Administrator Jason McPherson said that he would like to move forward with having the City Attorney look at the proposed regulations to ensure compliance with state law. McPherson said that the Planning and Zoning Commission had thought the proposed regulations were possibly too strict; however, Councilman Danny Glover pointed out that there is some flexibility.

“Isn’t it true that the City has the authority to grant exemptions or exceptions? We can let more out than we can bring more in,” Glover said. “So we need to start off more strict and then if there’s something we need to change we can do that.”

“You do have that latitude,” McPherson said.

The Council approved proceeding with the subdivision regulations as proposed.

Completing certificates of compliance for Medical marijuana dispensaries

The Council also approved setting fees for completing Certificates of Compliance for marijuana dispensaries to compensate for the time needed to ensure compliance with regulations for licensure for the state.

“The license holder has to get a license through the state; they have to come through us to make sure the zoning is correct, fire safety, health codes are covered, and we have a process to do that,” McPherson said. “We would like to charge for that time.” McPherson suggested a fee of $50 that will cover approximately two hours of labor for the City’s time to ensure compliance; this amount is less than some larger cities charge, and may be changed in the future.

In his general comments, McPherson discussed a sidewalk project by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), on Broadway from Kiowa south to Chickasaw on the west side, and Kiowa to Cheyenne on the east side of the road. Sidewalks will be widened from 4 feet to 5 feet, and ramps will be installed at the corners. The project will begin approximately February 10 and will close the outside lanes of Highway 81 during the day and possibly at night on occasion. “They’ll start on the southwest side and move north, then switch and go back,” McPherson said. He said the project will take approximately 45 days. “We don’t have any money in this and we don’t have a lot of say in it,” McPherson said. “This is an ODOT issue.”

Trees along Broadway are of concern to residents and the Council, and ODOT is dealing with homeowners who would like their property to be exempt from the project due to issues with trees.

“A tree-lined Broadway is important to us, and they understand that,” McPherson said.

Elsewhere on the agenda, the Council decided that:

• Chisholm Trail Consulting, LLC will provide construction engineering services and initial inspection of construction for the Cemetery Road Resurfacing Project.

• The City will seek bids for a general contractor for the Police/Fire Building renovation.