The sale of synthetic kratom will be banned in unincorporated areas of Christian County.  The county’s board voted in favor of said measure during its August meeting Tuesday night.  The vote came following the tabling of the related motion at July’s meeting to consider whether to include natural forms of the substance within the ban.  The ban the board ultimately voted for does not include natural kratom.  Board Chair Bryan Sharp said the extra month gave him and the board time to consult with health department officials and other experts on the matter. 

Sharp also recounted a recent visit to a gas station where, as he described, he came across a concession that contained kratom. 

Vicki McMahon relayed some of the stories shared at the May health department meeting, where the body formally recommended the kratom ban. 

Other motions the board passed regard a $2,000 community cleanup grant in Kincaid and an engineering agreement amounting to over $62,000 for the Stonington Township Bridge Replacement Project.

The board voted to table a resolution that would have set civil fees and criminal and traffic assessments to be aligned with state regulations.  The board will revisit the topic at a previously arranged special meeting set for Thursday, August 27.  It will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Taylorville High School cafeteria.  That special meeting was originally dedicated for discussion on temporary restrictions regarding data center construction and carbon dioxide pipeline and carbon sequestration.  Sharp says tabling the assessments motion will allow the board to accurately process the topic with County Clerk Jeff Vorhees in attendance.

The next regular county board meeting is set for Tuesday, September 15.