The Todd County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 30 to adopt a planning commission‑recommended addition to the county planning and zoning ordinance that regulates cannabis businesses and establishes a process for temporary cannabis events.

Planning staff said the proposed Article 12 (which will be renumbered when inserted into the ordinance) includes a temporary‑event provision modeled on liquor‑license procedures and creates a $300 maximum civil administrative fine for conducting a temporary cannabis event without authorization.

Adam, planning staff, said the $300 amount reflects the maximum permitted for that class of civil administrative penalty: "The $300 is the maximum penalty for a civil administrative fine," he said during the discussion. Commissioners said the item had been reviewed during October‑December planning commission public hearings and returned with two highlighted changes requested at the last meeting: the temporary events language and the administrative fine provision.

Some commissioners expressed discomfort with the measure. One commissioner said they would prefer to vote against the adoption but acknowledged the ordinance language and recommended process had come through the planning commission and that further amendments could be pursued in the future. The board approved the article by motion and voice vote and asked staff to maintain a tally of potential changes to consider as the county gains experience with implementation.

The planning staff recommendation, the public‑hearing record and the board’s adoption mean the temporary events process will be handled administratively and that unauthorized events could be subject to a civil administrative penalty capped at $300. Staff said further amendments could be drafted and returned to the planning commission and board as experience dictates.

Next steps: The adopted ordinance language will be incorporated into the county planning and zoning code and enforced by planning staff; potential future amendments were flagged for tracking.