A local marijuana activist is looking to get the city of Austin to bid on hosting one of eight medical marijuana dispensaries under Minnesota’s new medical marijuana law.

Deanna Ryther asked the Austin City Council during its public meeting Monday to put together a committee to ask the state Department of Health to build a dispensary in Austin, citing her own need for medical marijuana as well as the high demand around the state.

“It’s in our best interest to look at Austin as one of those cities,” she said.

Ryther has been an active advocate for medical marijuana over the past year and also organized the first Austin Minnesota Hemp Fest last September. Yet she has also come into conflict with city officials and other community leaders over her ardent advocacy for medical marijuana.

Mayor Tom Stiehm said Ryther is welcome to speak to Police Chief Brian Krueger about the issue, and city staff could research the process if residents advocated for a dispensary. Yet Stiehm couldn’t say whether the city would move forward on the issue.

In other news:

—The council approved a $32,500 contract with CR Planning, Inc. and Short Elliot Hendrickson to help create a new downtown master plan. The contract wasn’t the lowest bid, but did offer the most services and the companies involved had the most experience with Austin and with comprehensive planning, according to Community Development Director Craig Hoium. The lowest bid was $25,000.

Hoium said downtown master plans are redone whenever unexpected major projects, such as Vision 2020 initiatives like the Austin Utilities plant or the Spam Museum relocation, take place. The last downtown master plan was done in 2005, to accommodate the city’s Main Street Project initiative.