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Morris Council debates keeping local cannabis licensing or delegating to county; asks staff for fiscal and regulatory analysis
Summary
Staff briefed the council on guidance for local cannabis regulation. Councilors debated whether to delegate licensing authority to the county or retain city control (and limit licenses to one), raising questions about compliance costs, zoning authority, state revenue shares, banking and municipal operation options; staff will return with revenue-share figures and procedural options.
City staff summarized a webinar on local cannabis governance and asked council whether Morris should retain licensing authority or delegate it to Stevens County. Speaker 3 asked directly, "Do we wanna delegate our authority to the county?" and outlined trade-offs: delegation shifts registration and compliance work to the county but would also leave countywide caps and zoning decisions in play.
Council members discussed caps (how many licenses the city would allow), compliance costs and staffing, and whether revenues from registration and state revenue-share make keeping authority worthwhile. Speaker 1 said he was concerned about where businesses would locate if authority were delegated and emphasized the city's interest in controlling siting. Speaker 3 noted the county will have a cap and that municipal zoning authority would remain regardless of delegation.
Members also raised the possibility of a municipal-run operation (similar to the city liquor store), but staff warned of staffing, facility, banking and regulatory hurdles; the council asked staff to collect data on state revenue-share percentages, the costs to administer compliance checks (including whether police officers would be required), and the mechanics of delegating authority vs. keeping it. Several members indicated a preference for limiting city licenses to one if the city retained authority, though opinions varied.
No ordinance was introduced; staff said a draft city cannabis ordinance will be prepared this fall and the council asked for additional information before making a policy choice.
