Chelsea council unanimously adopts ordinance regulating vape sales and imposing 10¢/ml tax

The Chelsea City Council on Aug. 19 adopted Ordinance 10-36 to regulate the sale and distribution of consumable vapor products within the city and to impose a local excise tax of $0.10 per milliliter.

City Attorney Grant Howard summarized the ordinance for the council before the vote, outlining its structure: “Ordinance 10-36 to regulate the sale of vape products. Section 1, definitions. Section 2, applicability. Section 3, a tax of 10¢ per milliliter. Section 4, due date. Section 5, records. Section 6, penalties. Section 7, effective date. Section 8 severability and repealer,” he said.

The council first voted to suspend the rules to consider the ordinance immediately; the suspension passed by roll call vote with all members voting aye. The ordinance was then adopted by a unanimous roll call vote. The record shows Mayor Tony Pickleseimer and the council members voting in favor.

The ordinance text includes definitions, recordkeeping requirements and penalties; the city attorney noted an effective-date section but the council did not read an explicit effective date aloud during the meeting. Copies of the ordinance were made available to the public at the meeting for review.

The measure creates a local tax tied to product volume (10 cents per milliliter), which will apply to consumable vapor products sold within Chelsea city limits. The council did not discuss implementation details such as collection procedures, retailer compliance timelines or the exact effective date during the meeting.

Council members approved the ordinance without amendments.

The council scheduled no separate follow-up action during the meeting; implementation steps, administrative rules and enforcement processes were not specified on the record.

The ordinance will be available in the city clerk’s office and at City Hall for anyone seeking the full text.