[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6101749,"mediaKeyId","2807163-a5bd231cdce274efb10b6462fd4ffb21","parentId",2807163,"title","Votes at a glance: Warren City Council actions, March 25, 2025","audioSeconds",1684,"startMs",8027000,"endMs",9711000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2807163-a5bd231cdce274efb10b6462fd4ffb21&start=8027&end=9711","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2807163-a5bd231cdce274efb10b6462fd4ffb21/thumbnail_8027000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6101749/Warren-City/Macomb-County/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Warren-City-Council-actions-March-25-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101749-da9df02cfe2972aa47f326e2031023b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200069&Signature=WdBRjhNw42D1u9ShXBPK7vtu90Ka7GBxDmYRYud1zX0JI9J7vLuVSYf--wOjPnHPk~9-3fNl1QQw2F6EsEmH2omVmHNgqHn23~8vMtw4EGYwFfGiKGWcRNaHoWoIgE-L-n70gtZOMLPHoAw25QrtubYf5Jo9TVw0H5HubUKasR1anZQAB2KRHYWroKQE7FyFv1BAZepDreZxU~Z-~cD95mU1NkElniK1li7oOgWghk8BbDuDBbYtmO2yDkZVk05y5drLLfer-act8UuW4MKDsCJS8UhLKF~ukRTVzoTG12wUYIg--1omamqA4XQXEd~Fj9yKCxTTldQsDle5xkxZGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TV Warren","date","2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Warren City Council took a number of formal actions during its March 25, 2025 meeting. Below are the principal motions, recorded outcomes, and brief notes for each item.

Ordinance and licensing
- Chapter 19.5 amendment (12a) — Approved (5–2). See separate story for details on marijuana zoning and licensing. (Moore yes; Lafferty yes; Dwyer no; Boiki yes; McGee yes; Noonan no; Roganci yes.)
- Adult-use municipal license fee (12a1) — Approved unanimously; $5,000 annual fee for adult-use retailers.

Economic development and property
- Brownfield plan second amendment, Northpointe (former Warren transmission site) — Approved. Amendment adds costs for electrical substation (~$5.5M), revises anticipated completion to c.2028, and increases total investment estimate from ~$180M to ~$210M. Vote recorded in favor by council.
- Sale of two tax-reverted parcels (13A) — Approved (open-bid sale, $500 per parcel; best bid confirmed). Council discussion noted the sale had been publicly bid.
- Award and developer agreement (13H) — Approved (purchase and development agreement with Toco Custom; motion carried).

Public safety and equipment
- Appropriation: Police training funds (13B) — Increase in budgeted revenues and appropriations of $50,000 to account for additional state training funds, approved.
- Purchase and appropriation: Faro laser scanner (13C) — Approved increase of $132,082 to purchase a Faro laser scanner to replace inoperable equipment; motion carried.
- Purchase: Feral crime scene mapping scanners (GSA-based procurement) — Approved.
- Purchase: Road rescue ambulance from DDA construction bond fund proceeds (13I) — Approved via bond resolution amendment.

Licenses, permits and lists
- 60-day extension of adult-use and medical licenses for M 3 LLC (11A) — Approved contingent on remedial payments for any city delinquencies.
- 60-day extension for Mask Enterprise LLC (11B) — Approved.
- Planning department fee schedule (11C) — Amended planning department fee schedule adopted.
- Police towing vendor list (recommendation accepted) — Abel Towing; Bill’s Towing; Ellis Brothers Towing; M & D Towing; Official Towing; Service Towing — approved.

Procurement and contracting
- Responsible contracting moratorium extension (13G) — Council approved a 3-month interim moratorium on enforcement of Warren Code 2-401 sec to allow further work on the ordinance language and stakeholder discussions (amended on the floor from the proposed duration).

Consent, routine and finance
- Adoption of agenda; consent agenda and routine financial items (bills, revenue/expenditure reports) — Approved as presented. (Standard roll-call approvals were recorded for general fund and water & sewer bills and for receipt and filing of revenue reports.)

Votes with recorded tallies are listed above where available; unanimous and voice votes are indicated in the minutes. For contested items see the full meeting transcript and the separate article on the marijuana ordinance.

Sources: Council roll-call votes and motions recorded in the March 25, 2025 meeting transcript; presentations from city staff and outside counsel.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","TV Warren Live Stream City Council Meeting - 03/25/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Summary of major decisions taken by the Warren City Council on March 25, 2025, including infrastructure, police equipment, license extensions and property sales.","taxTitle","Warren City, Macomb County, Michigan","taxId",3689,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6101753,"Warren City Council adopts ordinance limiting adult-use retailers by zoning and sets $5,000 city license fee",7499,1188000,8687000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2807163-a5bd231cdce274efb10b6462fd4ffb21&start=1188&end=8687","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2807163-a5bd231cdce274efb10b6462fd4ffb21/thumbnail_1188000.jpg","/articles/6101753/Warren-City/Macomb-County/Michigan/Warren-City-Council-adopts-ordinance-limiting-adult-use-retailers-by-zoning-and-sets-5000-city-license-fee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101753-42bc257114289e65e717dc5f9b230ed3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771200069&Signature=EFfw6OamBl0EXR4QUrotpKiYe8Y1XJD~SevwjqNKtI-guzvPJpX0YT7p-oDbjjhujJkun7vPiieass9ASmo7S5CqJmKMTXwBZ0TTECvyx3y1artZSWB3eVw~OwVzUxW1kroJ85UKjclkjCViFh5NNY35sAGTO0o9gUn2~Z59dzh0cEENRmbJl9GbT3~jB7cANIrlOzRFRwo9ii0kACRIEI1Sb7YMIRv0nEiXB7IbifIxxdgkHDWth0oSSI~b6~8usz~IhfzDw6~gydrevgybMu4r7Rfe~dlPDnwkMVXZi0kXNr2js1aUtuPC1JWSdv7jDVRmzKApSmWa6NCbC8uaxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Warren City Council on March 25, 2025, approved an amendment to chapter 19.5 of the city code to regulate adult-use (recreational) marijuana retail by zoning and unanimously adopted a $5,000 annual municipal license fee for adult-use retailers.

Legal counsel for the council urged the ordinance as the most likely path to end ongoing litigation tied to licenses awarded in 2019. The recommendation, and the council’s vote, came after a lengthy presentation from the city’s special legal counsel and more than two hours of public comment both for and against allowing retail marijuana in Warren.

The legal context has dominated discussion. Jeff Schroeder, the council’s special legal counsel, summarized the five-year case known in court records as Pine Brook Warren v. City of Warren and said the initial 2019 licensing process violated the Michigan Open Meetings Act. Schroeder described a long history of hearings and appeals and said the city has incurred large legal costs; he told the council the proposed zoning approach is intended to remove elected officials from “picking the winners and the losers.” Schroeder said, “The lawsuit is called Pine Brook Warren versus the city of Warren,” and later told the council, “we are in total agreement that, this is the strongest, way to end the lawsuit. We feel we feel that it will end the lawsuit.”

Why it mattered: Council members and dozens of residents debated public-safety, neighborhood-odor, economic, and fairness issues. Opponents said the changes would invite too many retailers and risk neighborhood impacts; supporters and several attorneys representing the industry said the zoning approach is a practical way to resolve protracted litigation and allow industrial redevelopment already underway.

Key facts and council action
- The ordinance (second reading) passed 5–2. Recorded votes: Moore — yes; Lafferty — yes; Dwyer — no; Boiki — yes; McGee — yes; Noonan — no; Roganci — yes. The council’s legal staff will prepare a final draft for publication and the clerk will publish the ordinance as required.
- The council separately approved an amendment to the city fee schedule establishing a $5,000 annual municipal license fee for adult-use retailers; that fee passed unanimously.
- Schroeder said the city previously collected roughly $5,000 per location and that, statewide, he found 177 active state licenses for non‑retail operations; he also cited a 2018 local ballot measure that passed with about 59% of the vote in favor of adult use legalization.

What councilors and speakers emphasized
- Legal exposure and history: Schroeder and city attorneys traced the litigation to closed-door selection processes in 2019 and named Judge Carl Marlinga and former mediator Judge Peter Massaroni as central to earlier rulings and settlement talks. Schroeder warned of continued litigation if the city again attempted a merit-based licensing committee that could be perceived as choosing winners.
- Zoning limits: The ordinance restricts retail locations to specific industrial zoning classifications and keeps buffers from sensitive uses (1,000 feet from schools/school parks; 500 feet from residential lot lines, churches, planned unit developments and libraries), which proponents say sharply limits where retail can locate.
- Public safety and odors: Several residents and nurses raised concerns about odor, youth exposure, and linking marijuana use to further substance abuse; industry speakers and attorneys said retail stores rarely cause off-site odors and noted state security, tracking and inspection rules. A number of speakers from both sides urged stronger enforcement of odor and nuisance rules for grow operations.
- Economic and land-use effects: Schroeder and several industry speakers noted that marijuana-related businesses have already occupied industrial properties and raised taxable value. Schroeder estimated about $100 million in added taxable value to industrial properties since 2018 and said municipal revenue from fees and excise distributions can be meaningful to small-city budgets.

Public comment and community reaction
Dozens of residents and business owners spoke during the audience period. Opponents called the proposal “unlimited” (a characterization council attorneys disputed, saying zoning creates a real limit) and urged councilors to prioritize children’s safety and neighborhood quality. Supporters — including attorneys with experience in cannabis-related litigation — said competitive/merit licensing processes also lead to litigation and that zoning is a defensible alternative. Multiple speakers asked whether parties to the ongoing litigation would receive priority; the city clarified that details about settlement proposals and litigation strategy were discussed in closed session and could not be disclosed.

What happens next
City attorneys will prepare the ordinance in final form for publication, and the clerk will publish it according to code requirements. Council members also said staff and legal will continue to take procedural steps needed to implement the zoning approach and to coordinate enforcement with the police and building departments.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A by Jeff Schroeder, city special legal counsel; comments from Andrea Pike and Mary Michaels (city attorneys), public comments recorded in the March 25, 2025 council meeting transcript.","After a legal briefing on a five-year lawsuit over 2019 marijuana licenses, the Warren City Council approved changes to chapter 19.5 to confine retail marijuana by zoning and unanimously set a $5,000 annual city license fee for adult-use retailers.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Warren City Council actions, March 25, 2025

Warren City Council adopts ordinance limiting adult-use retailers by zoning and sets $5,000 city license fee