NEW FESTUS RULE MAY RESTRICT METH MAKERS

Methamphetamine producers may soon find it harder to buy the ingredients
they need without being caught in the city of Festus.

The City Council discussed a proposed ordinance concerning methamphetamine
ingredients at its Feb. 12 meeting.

The ordinance would restrict the sale of certain products containing the
ingredient ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Such products can be found easily, particularly in over-the-counter sinus
and cold medication products.

"It can be found in drug stores and convenience stores on shelves," city
administrator Gary Edwards said. "(Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) can be
used to make meth."

If the ordinance is approved, stores that sell ephedrine or pseudoephedrine
products would need to change the way they sell those items.

"They will be asked to put the items behind the counter so people would
have to ask for them," Edwards said. "If someone is going from store to
store to pick up large supplies of these items, that would be considered
suspicious.

"Many communities are enacting similar ordinances."

Provisions of the proposed ordinance call for those who sell products
containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to report to the police any theft,
disappearance or loss of such items or if any individual buys an inordinate
amount of them.

Edwards said the council is waiting to vote on the proposed ordinance until
the stores that sell the products described in it are made aware of the
measure.

In other business, the council:

Approved a 90-day moratorium on the issuance of all business licenses to
give it time to update its ordinances.

"We are in the process, working with an attorney, to reword our adult-store
ordinance," Edwards said. "Some people would call it a pornography ordinance.

"So that no adult store applies while this is in progress, we will have a
moratorium."

The moratorium only is in effect for those who have not already notified
city officials of their intent to open a business, Edwards explained.

Festus does not have any adult-oriented businesses, Edwards said. Officials
want to have an updated ordinance in place covering them in the event
someone wanted to open such a store in town, he said.

The council approved the nomination by Mayor Jack King of George Vogt to
assume the Ward 2 council seat that had been held by Rick Hedge since November.

Hedge, who took over the position after Brian Vestal's resignation,
resigned from the seat for personal reasons. Hedge also has dropped out of
the race for the seat in the April election.

Announced that a public hearing over the annexation of the Blue Ridge
Terrace subdivision, which is located west of West City Park, will be held
before its Feb. 26 meeting.