FAIRFIELD — The Town Council has opened the door to future retail marijuana businesses in Fairfield despite opposition from some residents.

Councilors voted 4-1 Wednesday to adopt an amendment to Fairfield’s land use ordinance that would allow and set local regulations for retail marijuana businesses in the town’s village, commercial, industrial and rural zones. Under the approved language, retail marijuana businesses would not be allowed in other town zones.

A Fairfield resident raises a concern Wednesday night about the proposal to allow retail marijuana businesses in town. The Town Council voted 4-1 in favor of the proposal later that night. Staff photo by Matt Junker

“Without this, the dog has no bite,” said Council Chairman Michael Taylor, who voted in favor of the new ordinance language. “We have no control over things without this ordinance being in place. For those that think marijuana is not in this town, that it’s going to promote people to start using it, I believe that they’re greatly mistaken. Those that want to use it are already using it.”

The ordinance change will allow retail marijuana stores, cultivation facilities, manufacturing facilities and testing facilities to open in those land-use districts and would require any such establishments to obtain permits and licensing from the Planning Board, the council and the state. The ordinance language prohibits such facilities until the state finalizes retail marijuana licensing and regulation.

“We can shut these places down if they violate this ordinance, so it gives us an opportunity to control things,” Taylor added.

The other three “yes” votes were from Councilors Beverly Busque, Courtney Chandler and Aaron Rowden. Vice Chairman John Picchiotti was the lone “no” vote, earning him some praise from members of the packed audience.

Several residents expressed concerns about existing medical marijuana facilities in town and potential expansion of medical facilities to allow retail. Those concerns included the effect on their children, the potential for distracted or impaired driving, and the smell.

Resident Shelley Rudnicki, chairwoman of the School Administrative District 49 school board, did not address the council Wednesday night but said after the vote that allowing retail marijuana in town will affect the schools and suggested that councilors’ “minds were made up before they listened to anybody.”

Rudnicki, who owns a used-car dealership in town, spoke before the council at its Sept. 13 meeting and said the smell of an existing medical marijuana facility nearby has affected her business.

“They open a car and that’s what they are smelling,” she said about potential customers earlier in September.

The language passed Wednesday night includes a section on odor control that requires a retail marijuana facility applicant to submit “a detailed report on the effective mitigation of any marijuana odors of the proposed operation.”

Rudnicki and Rowden are running against each other to represent Fairfield, Mercer and Smithfield in the Maine House of Representatives. They are vying to replace Picchiotti, who serves in the District 108 seat along with serving as council vice chairman.

“I’m glad that we’ve heard from so many people,” Rowden said. “While it is tempting to try and put this genie back in the bottle, … a single municipality cannot do that. That would be up to the people of Maine. I think that we need to use the tools that we have available to us to regulate this, before we have a very serious problem of an unregulated industry on our hands.”

In July, the Legislature overrode a veto of Gov. Paul LePage and enacted L.D. 1719, “An Act to Implement a Regulatory Structure for Adult Use Marijuana.” Under that law, municipalities have the option of allowing retail marijuana establishments but are not required to do so.

Maine voters narrowly passed the Marijuana Legalization Act by referendum in November 2016. It took the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation multiple attempts to develop the regulatory structure.

Sen. Scott Cyrway, who is running for re-election in his District 16 seat representing several municipalities including Fairfield, addressed the council at its previous meeting to oppose the marijuana ordinance change. A retired law enforcement officer, Cyrway said earlier this month he has “fought this, well, since I became a DARE officer.”

“I believe we will become, in a sense, an accomplice in an illegal drug dealing operation,” Cyrway said Sept. 13, noting that marijuana continues to be illegal at the federal level.

Any future retail marijuana establishments must be at least 500 feet from any existing public or private school, public library, park or playground designated as a drug free zone, halfway house, drug or alcohol rehabilitation facility, house of worship or other retail marijuana store facility, the Fairfield ordinance says.

The council also approved a fee schedule Wednesday night for any retail marijuana businesses in town, which would impose annual licensing fees on retail marijuana-related businesses. Under that schedule, retail store facilities, manufacturing facilities, and testing facilities would pay $1,500 in fees. Cultivation facilities would have a sliding fee schedule of $1,500 to $4,500.

Matt Junker can be contacted at 861-9253 or at:

mjunker@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @mattjunker

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories