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Council sets temporary cannabis‑event fee and agrees to review legal limits before final action
Summary
The Committee of the Whole agreed to forward a proposal that establishes a temporary cannabis‑event registration fee to the City Council, setting $350 per day with a maximum four‑day duration per event for city consideration, and asked staff and city attorney review before final adoption.
Committee members discussed draft changes to the city code and fee schedule to accommodate state‑licensed temporary cannabis events. Staff described the state licensing process and the city’s ability to set a local registration fee and distance buffers from sensitive sites.
City planning staff explained that state rules require events to be registered with the city after the state grants an event license and that an event must be held on private property within city limits. The draft fee proposed by staff was $25 per day; several council members expressed that figure was too low to cover staff and public‑safety resources.
After discussion, a council motion was made, amended and approved at the Committee of the Whole to forward the item to the April City Council agenda with a proposed temporary cannabis‑event registration fee of $350 per day, up to four days maximum. The Council specifically asked that staff and the city attorney verify any state fee caps or statutory limitations before the Council acts on Monday and requested legal review prior to placing the item on consent.
Council members and staff discussed buffer distances from schools, parks and residences. Staff said the draft policy uses larger buffers for temporary events than the city applies to retail cannabis stores, based on police‑department concerns about control of event perimeters and consumption. Staff also clarified that events of this type typically allow on‑site consumption as part of an approved state license and that they would not be allowed on city‑owned public property such as Spies Pavilion unless privately owned and otherwise eligible.
No final ordinance amendment was adopted at the Committee of the Whole; the Committee forwarded a fee and registration proposal to the full City Council with instructions for legal review and asked that the item not be placed on the consent agenda so the city attorney can review legal limits and confirm fee authority.
