City council adopts three measures including cannabis revenue account; one no vote recorded

Whitehall City Council adopted two ordinances and one resolution during its March 4 meeting, including an ordinance creating a cannabis revenue account and a resolution approving then-and-now certificates.

The council introduced and moved immediately to adopt multiple agenda items by suspending the rules. Ordinance 20-25, described in the meeting as creating the cannabis revenue account 101440.005 and declaring an emergency, passed after a roll-call vote. Councilmember Morrison recorded a "no" vote on that measure; other members who voted on the roll call recorded "yes." The council also adopted ordinance 21-20-25 (introduced and moved to adopt during the meeting) and Resolution 9-20-25, resolving to approve then-and-now certificates and declaring an emergency.

Why it matters: Adoption of the cannabis revenue account establishes a dedicated fund (101440.005) for receipts identified in the ordinance; declaring an emergency makes each measure effective immediately per the council action. The council repeatedly used suspension of rules to approve the items in a single meeting rather than waiting for subsequent readings.

Details and roll calls: For Ordinance 20-25 (creating the cannabis revenue account), the motion to adopt was made by Mr. Dixon and seconded by Mr. Morrison. The clerk called the roll with recorded votes: Smith — Yes; Harcourt — Yes; Dixon — Yes; Elmore — Yes; Morrison — No; Heck — Yes. The ordinance was recorded as adopted.

Ordinance 21-20-25 was introduced and the motion to adopt was made by Ms. Elmore and seconded by Mr. Morrison; the transcript records affirmative votes during roll call for members who responded "Yes" during the introduction and adoption sequence but the full recorded tally as read aloud at adoption was not printed in the provided transcript excerpt.

Resolution 9-20-25 (then-and-now certificates) was introduced by Ms. Elmore and seconded by Mr. Morrison, the rules were suspended, and the motion to adopt passed on roll call with recorded "Yes" votes from Harcourt, Dixon, Elmore, Morrison and Heck as read during the meeting. The transcript records the resolution as adopted.

Notes: The transcript shows the council repeatedly moved to suspend rules and adopt in the same session; where the roll-call text in the transcript is incomplete for a given item, the article notes that the full tally was not specified in the provided record.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 20-25 — "Creating the cannabis revenue account 101440.005 and declaring an emergency." Motion to adopt: Mr. Dixon; Second: Mr. Morrison. Roll-call (as read aloud): Smith — Yes; Harcourt — Yes; Dixon — Yes; Elmore — Yes; Morrison — No; Heck — Yes. Outcome: Adopted.

- Ordinance 21-20-25 — (text introduced earlier in the agenda; recorded motion to adopt by Ms. Elmore; second by Mr. Morrison). Vote: recorded "Yes" responses during the adoption sequence; full roll-call tally not fully specified in the transcript excerpt. Outcome: Adopted.

- Resolution 9-20-25 — "Approving then-and-now certificates and declaring an emergency." Motion to adopt: Ms. Elmore; Second: Mr. Morrison. Roll-call (as read aloud): Harcourt — Yes; Dixon — Yes; Elmore — Yes; Morrison — Yes; Heck — Yes. Outcome: Adopted.

What council said: Councilmembers used suspension of rules to expedite adoption. Councilmember Dixon moved and Mr. Morrison seconded the motion to adopt Ordinance 20-25; the clerk read the roll call. Councilmember Morrison explained later that he could not vote "yes" on a contract where he had unanswered questions during the agenda meeting.

The meeting record shows the items were tabled earlier in the agenda cycle (several third-reading items remained tabled until March 18), but the three measures above were introduced and acted upon at the March 4 session.