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Sutter County supervisors weigh one-year, tightly regulated reopening of industrial hemp after heated public hearing
Summary
After hours of divided public comment and testimony from the agricultural commissioner and sheriff, Sutter County staff recommended allowing limited hemp cultivation and processing through a one-year licensed program with setbacks, a $7,500 deposit and strict enforcement; the board moved to approve but no final vote is recorded in the transcript.
SUTTER COUNTY — The Sutter County Board of Supervisors opened a special public hearing and heard more than two dozen speakers before a motion was put on the table to allow licensed industrial hemp cultivation and processing for a one-year trial period.
County Administrator Steve Smith told the board staff recommends introducing an ordinance that would modify interim urgency ordinance No. 17-29 to permit licensed hemp operations under strict conditions. "Cultivation or processing of hemp in violation of the ordinance is declared to be a public nuisance subject to abatement and the imposition of administrative penalties," Smith said while outlining requirements including zoning limits, a $7,500 deposit plus bond or security to cover enforcement costs, and minimum setbacks (a 2.5-mile/13,200-foot buffer from incorporated city limits, the Sutter Point specific plan boundary and sensitive facilities; and a 0.25-mile/1,320-foot buffer from off-site residences without owner consent).
The Agricultural Commissioner, Lisa Herbert, testified she remains strongly opposed to permitting hemp in the county.…
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