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Centerville council bans commercial adult‑use cannabis but rejects ban on medical marijuana
Summary
Centerville City Council voted 7–0 on March 17 to ban commercial adult‑use cannabis activity in the city, but rejected a separate proposal to bar commercial medical marijuana by a 3–4 vote.
Centerville City Council voted 7–0 on March 17 to adopt Ordinance 08‑25, which prohibits commercial cultivation, processing and dispensing of adult‑use (recreational) cannabis within the city limits. Council later rejected Ordinance 09‑25, a separate proposal to prohibit commercial medical marijuana activity, in a 3–4 roll call vote.
City Planner Ian Velez explained the two measures to the council. “A yes vote on O8 would prohibit adult use cannabis,” Velez said during the discussion. He and other staff noted the measures apply only to commercial activities (cultivation, processing, dispensing) and do not criminalize private possession or use, matters regulated by the state.
The vote on the adult‑use ordinance was unanimous. The council recorded all members voting in favor; Mayor David Compton announced the 7–0 result and said, “Ordinance 08‑25 is approved.” On the medical marijuana ordinance, the roll call produced three yes votes and four no votes, and the presiding officer announced that Ordinance 09‑25 was not approved.
Council members and staff discussed what the differing results mean for future land‑use and zoning work. City staff advised that the state regulates licensing for dispensaries, cultivators and processors, and that local zoning language would be needed to clarify which zoning districts, if any, could host medical dispensaries or production facilities. At the meeting staff said the city previously had treated medical dispensaries as fitting within a pharmacy classification after an earlier moratorium expired.
Council members asked whether state law issues — licensing limits, packaging, taxes and siting — affect local authority. Staff responded that the state’s constitutional amendment on adult use and subsequent state legislation set broad rules and that municipalities retain the authority to prohibit commercial operations within their borders; they also advised further text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) would clarify where, if anywhere, medical marijuana activity could occur.
Votes at a glance: - Ordinance 08‑25 (prohibit commercial adult‑use cannabis): Motion to adopt by Council Member Bill Sayre; seconded by Deputy Mayor Belinda Kenley. Recorded vote: Rauch — yes; Kenley — yes; Pulcher — yes; Sayre — yes; McLaughlin — yes; Engert — yes; Mayor Compton — yes. Tally: 7 yes, 0 no. Outcome: approved. - Ordinance 09‑25 (prohibit commercial medical marijuana): Motion to adopt by Council Member Joanne Rauch; seconded by Council Member John Pulcher. Recorded vote: Kenley — yes; Pulcher — yes; Sayre — no; McLaughlin — yes; Engert — no; Roe — no; Mayor Compton — no. Tally: 3 yes, 4 no. Outcome: not approved.
Why it matters: The council’s action closes the door to commercial recreational cannabis businesses inside Centerville while leaving medical cannabis subject to state licensing and local zoning interpretation. Council and staff indicated the next step will be a UDO text amendment to explicitly define where the state‑licensed medical uses would be allowed, if at all.
The discussion occurred during the old‑business public hearing portion of the March 17 meeting; there were no public comments recorded on either ordinance at the meeting.
