Highfill restricts marijuana use, reassigns duties
HIGHFILL — The city council in Highfill, on Sept. 10, passed four ordinances, all on three readings and some with an emergency clause attached, relating to reassigning some duties of the recordertreasurer, restricting the possession and use of marijuana in public places, and accepting the final plat of two subdivisions.
Final plats were accepted by the council, at the recommendation of the planning commission, for Phases 1 and 2 of the Woodward Hills Subdivision and for the Little Osage Hills Subdivision. The council reviewed work being completed to meet city requirements and then approved the final plats.
To restrict the use of medical marijuana in public places such as the city park and at businesses and facilities open to the public within the city, an ordinance was passed to make use or possession of marijuana in public places illegal. It also makes the smoking of marijuana illegal in a vehicle, in the presence of children under 14, in the presence of a pregnant woman or in any place where the smoking of marijuana is likely to cause another person not authorized to use marijuana to come under the influence of marijuana.
Penalties for a first offense are between $50 and $150. A second offense is between $100 and $300, and a third or subsequent offense carries with it penalties between $200 and $500.
The council passed an ordinance reassigning the finance-related duties of the city’s elected recorder-treasurer to the city’s administrative assistant. Those duties include preparing financial reports, posting journal entries, reconciling city journals and accounts, coordinating audits of the city finances, administering the city payroll, preparing the city budget, collecting and disbursing funds.
The non-financial duties assigned by law to the treasurer-recorder will continue to be the responsibility of the treasurer-recorder.
The ordinance alleges that the council “has determined that the current city recorder-treasurer has not adequately carried out her accounting responsibilities” in accord with Arkansas accounting law.
As a result of the change, no financial report was available for the council at its Sept. 10 meeting.
The council, by vote, approved extending the payment term of a water customer who was never billed for water service to four years to make repayment to the city more affordable.
Michelle Rieff, Highfill mayor, reported the hiring of two part-time employees, Alisha Hawkins and Felicia Foster, to serve as city administrative assistants.