(Photo Source: Unsplash)
Town of Cincinnatus and village of McGraw officials are taking different approaches to their decision on New York state’s marijuana regulation and taxation bill.
In March, the state legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 or older. The state is giving municipalities until December 31st of this year to opt out of allowing marijuana dispensaries and on-site consumption establishments. If municipalities don’t take action, dispensaries and on-site consumption are automatically legal at the beginning of next year.
The Cincinnatus town board will hold a public hearing at its meeting on Thursday, Aug. 12 to hear feedback from residents on each part of the state’s MRTA bill.
The hearing/meeting is slated for 7 p.m. at the town hall on 2770 Lower Cincinnatus Rd. If needed, a second public hearing could be scheduled at the town board meeting on Sept. 9, said town supervisor Luann King.
Further decision-making by the town board will be based on residents who turn out for the hearing. A final decision could be made as early as the Sept. 9 meeting, King said.
The village of McGraw Board of Trustees put the discussion to a mandatory referendum, leaving it to village residents to make a decision on each part of the bill through voting at the general election in November.
“The people need to voice their opinion,” village mayor Allan Stauber said. “We’re going to follow what the people want to do.”
Voting results from the village will decide if the Board of Trustees want to have a thorough discussion at a meeting following the election, Stauber added.
As for Cincinnatus, King noted the town has drafted two MRTA bill-based local laws, which are both available if any of the town residents “want to understand the wording.”
The Cincinnatus town board considered putting the matter to a permissive referendum to give town residents a chance to vote on the issue in November, but King said the board decided against it since the final decision would still come back to the board before the Dec. 31 deadline.
