KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen City Council approved an ordinance originally passed in Proposition A in November, but it removed one controversial section.
In a 4-3 vote, the council chose to remove language from the ordinance that would prohibit police officers from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for search and seizure.
Otherwise, the rest of the ordinance, which effectively de-criminalizes low-level marijuana offenses, remains intact and is now in effect.
This comes after the council a moratorium on the ordinance during a Nov. 22 meeting to allow for further research and discussion.
'I was kind of disappointed in the outcome, but from the get go, I knew it was going to pass one way or the other," said council member Jose Segarra, a vocal opponent of the ordinance since its inception. Segarra voted to pass the amended version of the ordinance on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, there were several other attempts to amend the ordinance that were unable to garner enough support. One included a proposal to remove language that calls for disciplining police officers who do not comply with the ordinance.
The ordinance requires the city manager to prepare a report for the council in three months to outline the effects of its implementation. Council members plan to re-evalute their decision then.
"Let's all use common sense so that we don't give the city council an excuse to repeal this ordinance," urged David Bass of Texas Veterans for Medical Marijuana.
Harker Heights vetoed a similar ordinance in November.
