BRUNSWICK, Ohio —Since the November passage of Issue 2, which legalized marijuana in Ohio, state leaders have continued to wrangle exactly how to regulate licensing of the commodity for sale. Like many Ohio communities, Brunswick has opted to place a six-month moratorium on the issuance of building and occupancy permits for marijuana cultivation, processing or retail sale businesses in the city.
Brunswick City Council Dec. 18 discussed enacting the six-month moratorium, a nine-month moratorium, or waiting for new state marijuana licensing regulations, which are expected by fall 2024.
“It is a moratorium, so we can lift it,” Council President and Ward 2 Councilman Nick Hanek said following Council’s vote for the six-month option. “This gives us flexibility.”
Hanek noted that while areas like cultivation are unlikely in Brunswick, the city has approved medical marijuana processing in the past. Council voted in 2017 to permit medical marijuana processing facilities as a conditional use in the city’s industrial areas. Marijuana dispensaries and cultivators, however, remain illegal in the city.
Also at the meeting, Council authorized the law department to prepare legislation for the Jan. 8 regular Council meeting to establish licensing regulations for tobacco retail establishments in the city. The new regulations would not include current tobacco sellers, but Council asked that the new ordinance include language regulating the proximity of new licensees from each other and limiting the number of licenses issued to one for every 750 residents.
Council also approved advertising for bids for the Magnolia Drive Phase 2 project to repair deteriorated concrete pavement on Magnolia between Judita Drive and east of Sunflower Drive. City Engineer Matt Smith said the project is being partially funded through the Ohio Public Works Commission and is planned to begin in May to avoid as much impact as possible for Memorial Elementary students and parents.
Mayor Ron Falconi issued proclamations to retiring Brunswick Division of Police Chief Brian Ohlin recognizing his more than 28 years of service with the city, and to Annabelle Straus for winning the NBA Math Hoops Global Championship – an online mathematics competition for students in grades 4-8 that uses National Basketball Association player statistics to develop algebra readiness prior to entering high school.
Council also approved:
· a $24,742 payment to Software Solutions for software support services covering various receipts, accounts payable, payroll and refuse and stormwater billing for the period of Feb. 1, 2024 through Jan. 31, 2025;
· an agreement not to exceed $35075 with TAC Computers for software maintenance in the divisions of Police and Fire;
· the issuance and sale of bonds in the maximum principal amount of $12 million to provide funds for the construction, furnishing and equipping of the city’s new fire station;
· a $1,500 change order to Set In Stone Contracting for the city’s 2023 asphalt program. Smith said the increase is due to a clerical error in $1.2 million program approved by Council; and
· a resolution authorizing the sale of obsolete city equipment through internet auction in 2024.
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