Despite indications in recent meetings that the City of Burnside was looking to be available as a possible site for a medicinal cannabis dispensary in Pulaski County, the town's city council instead decided on Monday to put it in writing that they would not welcome such a business into the community after all. In a rare split decision — Burnside Mayor Robert Lawson couldn't recall ever having to break a tie vote as mayor — the six members of the Burnside City Council were locked at 3-3 on the matter before Lawson cast the tiebreaking "no" vote at the October city council meeting. Councilors George Bryant, Lula Jean Burton and Keith Summers were the councilors who voted "no.
" Randy Berry, Carol Griffin and Dwayne Sellers voted "yes" to ordinance The key reason behind that decision? Economic cost analysis. "There's no benefit to the city to do it," Burnside Mayor Robert Lawson told the Commonwealth Journal on Tuesday following the meeting. "All it's going to put is a burden on the police department, and end up costing the citizens money.
"The state has not allowed the cities or counties to put any type of tax on it," he continued. "The only thing we can do is charge a business license. There's really no benefit for the cities to opt in" If there was a taxing mechanism in place, would that change things? "Depending on what that looked like .
.. I'd definitely take a look at it," said Lawson.
However, he said, he just returned from a Kentucky League of Cities conference, where.