Colusa planning officials agreed last week to take on cannabis issues in small steps to come up with a revised ordinance that is business friendly and satisfies the desire of the citizens to enjoy living in a small town free of nuisances.
The Colusa Planning Commission, which opened a public hearing on the ordinance on Oct. 28, continued the public hearing to Jan. 25, after gaining more clarity on their assignment at their Jan. 11 meeting.
Their intent is to discuss several specific items at a time until they send a completed draft ordinance and resolution to the City Council for discussion and final approval. The process is expected to take several months, and may also include planning workshops with members of the community at large, officials said.
“The direction given from Mayor Ponciano and the City Council is a deep dive into the weeds,” said Project Manager Sadie Ash. “They want (the Planning Commission) to look at every aspect of the ordinance, even things that may not be in (their) purview.”
Ash offered two possible scenarios for the Planning Commission to tackle the project.
They can either discuss and approve small sections at a time or have staff come up with the recommendations for the commission to go over and discuss line by line, Ash said.
The commission opted to break the ordinance up into sections. The commission has already cleaned up general language to reflect changes in state law and to update terminology for clarity and consistency, said Planning Commission Chairman John Martin, who was selected last week to lead the legislative body in 2023.
The City Council has also asked the Planning Commission for their specific recommendations to set limits on how many marijuana permits would be issued by the city and whether there should be an application window for cannabis applications.
“There have been concerns voiced,” said Commissioner JP Cativiela. “The question is whether or not a limit on this is appropriate and desired by the community.”
The Planning Commission will also look at revenue from cannabis and make recommendations as to whether the city should be collecting more – or possibly collect revenue quarterly.
The commission will also discuss consistent odor control measures, including requiring specific air filtration systems that will be inspected by the city manager and police chief before companies are allowed to open, and establishing fines for non-compliance.
Planning Commissioners said the previous language in the ordinance essentially allowed for cannabis companies to operate with little repercussions when odors from the pungent weed escaped the confines of their facilities.
Odor from cannabis has been the single largest public complaint about the local cannabis industry.
While support and opposition for the industry, in general, is equally divided, there is far greater opposition to marijuana retail stores in Colusa’s downtown and large cannabis operations near residential areas, which have been overwhelmingly voiced at public hearings in the past year. ■