The City of Hannibal moves forward with legislation intended to discourage illegal drug use.

Two Bills regarding illegal drugs received a Second and Final Reading at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.  One makes it more difficult for landlords to rent to someone previously evicted for illegal drug use in Hannibal.  A list will be maintained by the city of those evicted.  Landlords would be expected to check the list as part of their background checks. If the tenant receives a second drug eviction, the city can ban occupancy at the rental unit for a period of time.

The second Bill establishes standards for testing and decontamination where meth production has occurred. The Bill was amended to include individual units of occupancy within a multi-unit building. The change clarifies that only the individual units of a building where the illegal activity occurred would be subject to the ordinance, not the entire complex.  City Manager Jeff LaGarce says the language change also applies to drug use in hotels and motels in the city.  LaGarce says the Building Inspector has obtained a list of contractors that meet  EPA requirements for testing and cleanup of meth contaminated structures.

In other business, cost saving measures by the City of Hannibal has resulted in the need to restructure the Building Commission.  With the elimination of the city engineer position in July, engineering services are now contracted with an outside firm when needed.  The current ordinance requires the city engineer serve on the Building Commission. City Manager Jeff LaGarce says having an outside engineer attend routine Building Commission meetings is an unnecessary expense.  The council gave First Reading to a Bill removing the engineer requirement. The new ordinance if adopted would allow the Mayor and council to appoint a city employee of their choosing.

Several Holiday events will take place in downtown Hannibal after council approval:

  • Saturday, November 29th, the Chamber of Commerce will host the Small Business Saturday/ Festival of Christmas.  Part of the celebration will involve caroling and a performance by the Salvation Army Band at the Main and Bird parking lot.  McKenzie Disselhorst of the Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce says options are being explored to place a large Christmas tree in the historic area.
  • The Jaycees Christmas Parade will take place Saturday evening, December 6th   along Broadway to Main Street.
  • The council voted to make a special wish come true for an 11 year-old local girl with a serious medical condition.  Amanda Thorne from The Make a Wish Missouri Foundation spoke to the council regarding "Molly's" request to have a fireworks show viewing party complete with Disney Princesses.  The fireworks display will take place at Lover’s Leap at a still-to-be-determined date in December. The event will require temporary closure of the park during the event. Gail Bryant of the Hannibal Convention and Visitor’s Bureau says the Mark Twain Brewing Company has offered to host the viewing party in one of its meeting rooms.

 

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