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Troy council enacts ban on adult-use cannabis operators; two zoning ordinances postponed
Summary
At its Jan. 6 meeting the Troy City Council adopted Ordinance 012025, prohibiting adult-use cannabis operators citywide; two related zoning ordinances (059-2024 and 060-2024) were postponed indefinitely. The council split 6–2 on the final ordinance and heard a public comment threatening a referendum.
Troy City Council voted Jan. 6 to enact an ordinance prohibiting adult-use cannabis operators in the city and postponed two earlier zoning ordinances that would have allowed dispensaries in a limited district.
The council adopted Ordinance 012025 after suspending the three-reading requirement; the motion to adopt, moved by Councilmember William Twist and seconded by Councilmember Samuel Pierce, passed with six yes votes and two no votes. Separately, Ordinances 059-2024 and 060-2024 — both second readings proposing to permit dispensaries in the B-4 district under varying definitions — were moved and passed to be postponed indefinitely.
The vote follows a split committee report presented to council. The committee majority recommended legislation be prepared in support of the Troy Planning Commission’s recommendation to prohibit adult-use cannabis operators and to align the operator definition with the Ohio Revised Code. The minority report, signed by Councilmembers Jeff Schilling and Jeff Witten, recommended permitting one adult-use cannabis dispensary limited to the B-4 district and to prohibit on-site cultivation and processing.
Council debate included concern about federal statutes and timing. One councilmember said they would personally support limited dispensaries but had reservations tied to “the federal stance on the statutes revolving around marijuana.” The council moved to postpone the two 2024 zoning ordinances (059-2024 and 060-2024) indefinitely before taking final action on the new ordinance that outright prohibits adult-use operators.
During the public-comments portion of the meeting, resident Brenda Baringer criticized the council’s action and said she would pursue a referendum. Baringer said, “52% of voters voted for issue 2, and you just told them tonight by passing this ban that their votes don't matter,” and added, “I would much rather want to have marijuana from a regulated and tested dispensary than I would off the street.”
The ordinance as adopted enacts a prohibition; it was approved despite the minority committee recommendation and public objections. The council did not adopt an alternative that would limit operators to dispensaries only.
The council will next meet Jan. 21; the ordinance took effect according to the council’s adoption procedure described at the meeting.
Brenda Baringer’s request for a copy of the ordinance to prepare a referendum was recorded during public comment, and the clerk acknowledged the request on the record.
