A Marijuana Eradication Program is hereby established under the authority of statute and the County Weed Control Board as follows.
(A) The County Weed Control Board shall appoint a marijuana eradication officer for the county who shall establish and administer a marijuana eradication program for the county.
(B) In the event, no such marijuana eradication officer is appointed by the Board, the County Sheriff or a person designated by the County Sheriff shall serve in that capacity.
(C) (1) The marijuana eradication officer may establish a laboratory for the purpose of identifying or confirming the identity of marijuana leaves, and further, that officer may apply for and pursue grants to:
(a) Establish and maintain equipment and supplies for such a laboratory;
(b) To obtain training to qualify as an expert in the identification of marijuana;
(c) To train law enforcement officer working in the county in the identification and eradication of marijuana; and
(d) To train or equipment law enforcement officers working in the county in the methods and procedures necessary to seize and eradicate growing or cultivated marijuana.
(2) In addition, the marijuana eradication officer may expend funds to assist law enforcement officers in locating, seizing and destroying marijuana.
(D) The marijuana control officer shall periodically convene, or as otherwise needed, a meeting of all of the chief administrators of law enforcement agencies working in the county and also such other representatives, as the marijuana control officer determines are necessary, from the agriculture industry in the county and thereafter review the marijuana eradication effort within the past period and implement such programs necessary to more effectively eradicate marijuana in the future within the county.
(E) This section establishes the “Decatur County Marijuana Eradication Fund” for all fees collected under I.C. 33-37-5-7 as such law now exists or is hereafter amended. The marijuana eradication officer shall propose an annual budget for the use of this fund for the purposes described in this section. That officer shall also administer expenditures from this fund under the appropriated budget. Hereafter:
(1) The Clerk of the county courts shall periodically deliver all fees collected under I.C. 33-37-5-77 to the Auditor of the county for administration and accounting as required by statute; and
(2) The Auditor shall maintain a separate accounting for these fees to be used exclusively for the purposes under this section, as appropriated by lawful county authority.
(Ord. 2003-7, passed 4-21-2003)