Council reviews draft to permit temporary cannabis events; directs staff on parks, hours and smoking

Council reviewed a draft ordinance amending the city code on permitted amusements to address temporary cannabis events licensed by the Office of Cannabis Management. Staff said the draft would create a permit process with 30 days’ notice, allow administrative approvals where no special services are requested, and permit deposits to cover city costs for extra services.

Pam, who presented the draft, told the council the ordinance "is strictly for discussion" and is intended to allow the city to know when events occur so staff can plan for street closures, security needs or other special services. Pam also noted the Office of Cannabis Management licenses temporary cannabis events and the state statute governs certain aspects of those events.

Councilors questioned whether the city should add distance restrictions from schools or parks and whether on‑site consumption should be permitted. The council signaled a preference not to add a blanket distance restriction from schools, to exclude city parks from allowable public-property locations, to permit on‑site consumption in restricted forms and to include an explicit no‑smoking provision aligning with existing smoking rules. Council suggested hours consistent with other events, roughly 8:00 a.m. to midnight.

Staff said the Office of Cannabis Management’s licensing work is currently delayed by litigation, but recommended preparing local code now so the city is ready when licensing resumes. Council asked staff to clean up numbering and punctuation in the draft and return the ordinance for further consideration.