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Rangely council adopts emergency ordinance to regulate natural-medicine businesses
Summary
RangelyTown Council adopted Emergency Ordinance 703 to add local rules for natural-medicine businesses, limiting where they may operate and deferring to state law on time-and-manner restrictions; the measure passed after council debate about buffers, public-safety safeguards and local control.
Rangely Town Council voted to adopt Emergency Ordinance 703, amending the town's municipal code to add regulations for natural-medicine businesses. Council members said the measure is intended to set place, time and manner rules while acknowledging state law constrains local authority.
Council members stressed the ordinance confines such businesses to industrial zones and includes limits intended to address public-safety concerns. "We can't say that we don't want it here in town, but we can limit the time frame," a council member said during the discussion, describing limits the town plans to place on operating hours and locations.
Several council members raised health and safety concerns after they said hospital providers warned about potential emergency-room impacts tied to weekend operations. "Their concerns were mainly on weekends, things like overloading the ER," one council member said. Another suggested infrastructure conditions, including specialized sewer or drainage systems, should be required and paid for by any operator.
The council also debated buffer distances from schools and other sensitive sites. A member noted a statutory 1,000-foot buffer and asked whether the town could increase that distance to keep facilities away from college drive; other members said state statute limits how far the town may change those setbacks.
During debate one council member expressed frustration with state lawmakers, calling the restriction "almost a power grab by our state legislators" for limiting local control. Council members countered that the ordinance represents the restrictions the town can lawfully impose under state statute and that the emergency measure can be amended later if needed.
The ordinance was approved by majority vote. The transcript did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting text; council members indicated the motion "carries." The ordinance is expected to take effect in the coming weeks; council members said they may return to revise specifics to address local concerns.
What happens next: Council members said staff will monitor implementation and recommend any necessary code amendments. The council did not set a specific reconsideration date during the meeting.
