City Council hears from residents on vape law

Despite not having a quorum, members of Dublin City Council and staff heard from residents Thursday as they expressed their feelings on an ordinance prohibiting the establishment of new vape shops within the city limits.

Councilwoman Tess Godfrey and Councilmen Bennie Jones and Richard Mascaro were the only council members at the meeting. Dublin Mayor Joshua Kight said four council members are required to conduct business. He announced that they have rescheduled a business meeting for this Thursday, May 22, at noon.

“We will go over the items that were on today’s meeting next week,” Kight said. “We’ve had a little curveball thrown at us. Because of some unexpected issues, we were not able to have a quorum of council members to be able to conduct business. But through no fault of the council members, they are not able to be here today for totally understandable reasons.”

After a special presentation, the council heard from three people who wanted to talk about the resolution on new vape shops. Ashley Black, director of RISEUP (Recovering In A Supporting Environment Utilizing Peers), addressed the council, telling them that she supports the resolution prohibiting additional vape shops in the city.

“I realize the danger of teen vaping in our school systems and the amount of children who have access to vapes,” Black said. “It is unreal, and that goes all the way down to the elementary schools. We already have a surplus of vape shops, and some are literally next to each other.” 

Sonya Cauley, who opened the first vape shop in the city in 2012 near the courthouse, believed this ordinance should have happened a long time ago.  

“I do agree that we have extremely too many stores, and I believe that a lot of those stores are selling to minors because they do not check their ID,” Cauley said. “I also believe that once you are shut down for doing something illegal, you do not have the right to reopen or resell it.” 

Cauley believed that she should have the right to sell her business to her children without losing the license. 

“Especially if I have done everything by the book,” she said. “If I get shut down for doing stuff I am not supposed to do, I think I should have to close my doors and go home.”   

Joseph Loadholt is also a business owner who is in favor of the ban. He brought up a few points for the council to take into consideration. Like Cauley, he believes an owner of a business should be able to pass it on to their children without losing the right to sell vape.

“Also consider those who are established but have to relocate,” Loadholt said. “We’ve had a lot of bad weather these last couple of years, and if somebody’s business is taken away they have 90 days to try to get back up. Insurance may not pay it and the landlord may not have it done in 90 days, and what do you do then? I support it. I have five kids, and I don’t want them to do the things I do.” 

Loadholt encouraged the council to go after those not checking IDs.

“Until something like that happens, they are selling to minors and underage kids,” he said. “I have seen kids at high school events (vaping), and they are not of age. You have to be 21. We need to take care of that matter, too.” 

Kight said the second reading and public hearing on the new vape shop ordinance will be held during Thursday’s meeting. 

Ricky Brown and Eugene Smith both got up to talk about the $75 park fees, especially pertaining for the upcoming Southside reunion. Brown went through the history of the reunion, adding that this year’s will be held Memorial Day weekend.

“Now we are being charged $75 for the park,” Brown said. “I don’t understand it. It’s a public park right? We want to bring the grills and feed the kids. Everything is free. Who is supposed to pay the $75? This is something the council needs to talk about.” 

Smith agreed with Brown.

“Seventy-five dollars may not seem like a lot of money today,” Smith said. “Seventy-five dollars is not a dealbreaker, but it’s a thorn to the process. In the community, we come together to have fun. It looks like when we do come together to have fun, we have thorns thrown at us.”

During council comments, Jones said he did not believe a group should be charged for the use of a park.

“We want to encourage them to come to the park and then you want to knock them away,” Jones said. “Thank you for coming in and speaking up.”

After Godfrey and Mascaro gave comments, Kight also addressed the park fee. He thanked both men from the Southside Association for bringing up the park fee to the council.

“It is my understanding that the $75 is a reservation fee that just applies so that you can have exclusive use of a park facility during a reserved time,” the mayor said. “But council needs to take a look at whether or not we can reduce or waive that fee for nonprofits. Thank you for bringing that to our attention. We want to come up with a policy that will encourage, and certainly not deter nonprofits to make good use of our public spaces. I appreciate all that you guys do for the community.”  

In other business news:

– Kight reminded everyone that Thursday was Peace Officer Memorial Day and that city flags were flying at half-staff.

– City Manager Josh Powell announced that Joletha Dixon, administrative assistant to Dublin Fire Chief Matthew Cutler, was the employee of the first quarter. Dixon began her tenure with the city on April 14, 1980 when she was 18. Eventually, former fire chief Robert Drew made her his assistant. 

“She has been with the city for 45 years,” Powell said. “To her credit, she has changed three fire chiefs – Drew, (Pat) Ballard and (Matthew) Cutler. She will tell you that each administration has had its challenges, but she has worked with all three with ease.”