When the Gardiner City Council meets this week, it will consider whether to impose annual licensing on marijuana-related businesses inside city limits.
This proposal comes two weeks after city elected officials hosted their first public hearing on changes to the city’s land use ordinance related to marijuana establishments, which would dictate where in Gardiner different establishments would be allowed.
A second public hearing and possible approval is on Wednesday’s agenda.
The licensing proposal outlines requirements for first-time applicants, renewal applicants and applications involving expansion or relocation, and sets standards for reviews.
In a cover memo from the Ordinance Review Committee, members said that because state approval is tied to municipal approval, annual licensing “creates a powerful tool for the Council to assure that any allowed establishments do not create problems for the City.”
It also sets a schedule of non-refundable annual fees for different types and sizes of cannabis-related enterprises, ranging from $500 for a testing facility to $2,500 for a Tier 4 cultivation facility, which involves growing mature marijuana plants with a plant canopy of more than 7,000 square feet.
Elected city officials are also expected to consider:
• a second read and possible approval, following a public hearing, of proposed amendments to the land use ordinance addressing the treatment of commercial solar arrays
• adopting 2020 goals and meeting guidelines from the Feb. 1 City Council goal-setting workshop
• awarding bids on tax-acquired properties
• canceling the Sept. 16 City Council meeting
• amending a support request from the City Council to apply for a Coastal Communities Grant
• making appointments to city boards and committees
• granting authorization to apply for an Assistance to Firefighters grant to replace Engine 2
• accept the minutes of the Feb. 5 and Feb. 19 City Council meetings.
The Gardiner City Council meets at 6 p.m., Wednesday in the City Council chamber at 6 Church St.
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