Oak Lawn Residents Invited To Public Hearing On Recreational Pot

OAK LAWN, IL — Residents will have the chance to tell village officials how they feel about recreational cannabis sales in Oak Lawn at a public hearing set for Tuesday, Dec. 3. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Oak Lawn Village Hall, 9446 S. Raymond Ave. Community members who wish to speak must sign in before the hearing begins.

Most village trustees have already indicated they would be voting against the sale of adult use marijuana sales in Oak Lawn. To bar dispensaries from setting up shop in Oak Lawn, the village board has to take affirmative action to opt out before the end of the year, when the new law allowing adult use recreational marijuana takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

To opt out of recreational marijuana sales, a public hearing needs to be held, village attorney Paul O'Grady told the mayor and trustees at the Nov. 25 village board meeting.

“By doing so legislatively, we can opt back in at a later date,” O’Grady said.

Village trustees can also vote to refer the question of allowing cannabis businesses to operate within village limits to the Oak Lawn Zoning and Planning Commission, which will lay the ground rules for where a dispensary is located away from schools and parks in accordance with the new state law.

“People who smoke marijuana won’t be breaking the law,” O’Grady explained. “Is there a way we can control it, yes through zoning. There are towns around us that are allowing it, residents can go to a dispensary in another town.”

Randy Palmer, wearing dual hats as chief of police and acting village manager, said he felt like he was "being torn in two directions.”

“This is precarious ground for me … I’m seeing the budget and what we’re trying to do to avoid raising property taxes,” he said. “The problem is whether we pass this or not, [the police department] is going to be dealing with another unfunded mandate from the state.”

Palmer, who is not a voting member of the village board, said once the new law goes into effect, Oak Lawn police officers will need more training spotting drivers high on pot as well as some officers becoming certified in drug recognition. Sooner or later, Palmer said, the village will have to deal with legalized marijuana and residents traveling to other towns to buy it.

“As acting village manager, this is a way to get revenue that could address these issues,” Palmer said. “We’re already dealing with the opioid crisis. We’re trying to find funding to get Narcan [heroin overdose antidote] for our patrol cars and ambulances. We’re trying to get a grant to fund these things, but they’re increasingly hard to find.”

Announcing that he would be voting to opt out, Tr. Bud Stalker (Dist. 5) told fellow board members he took an informal poll at a recent Oak Lawn Chamber meeting. Most chamber members weren’t dramatically in favor of allowing pot shops in the village, “but it was more than 50 percent.”

“Was it scientific? Of course not,” Stalker said.

Tr. Tom Phelan (Dist. 6), the village board member most vehemently opposed to allowing a dispensary to open in Oak Lawn, cautioned his colleagues against make a decision for the added revenue it may bring under duress. While video gaming is currently benefiting local bars and restaurants, Phelan claimed, the dispensary business model would be operated by connected, wealthy outsiders of the village.

“It’s not a great new thing,” Phelan said, adding that he tried marijuana in college but didn’t like it. “When government is involved and all these layers of taxes come, the price is going to skyrocket. We’ll have all these black market people hovering around.”

Although he’s not personally in favor of marijuana, Tr. Tim Desmond (Dist. 1) favored sending the issue of a possible dispensary to the zoning commission.

“It might be a windfall, why shut the door on that,” Desmond said. “If there is any way to keep property taxes down, I’m for it.”

Trustees voted 5 to 1, with Desmond the dissenting vote, to hold a public hearing to gather public input for opting out of marijuana sales. After the hearing, an ordinance will be crafted and go before the Oak Lawn Village Board for a full vote on Dec. 10.

Can’t make the public hearing? Tell village officials how you feel about recreational marijuana sales in Oak Lawn:

Mayor Sandra Bury, sbury@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. Tim Desmond (Dist. 1), tdesmond@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2), aolejniczak@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. Paul Mallo (Dist. 3), pmallo@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. Terry Vorderer (Dist. 4), tvorderer@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. William “Bud” Stalker (Dist. 5), wstalker@oaklawn-il.gov
Tr. Tom Phelan (Dist. 6), tphelan@oaklawn-il.gov