PLEASANT PLAINS -- Pleasant Plains Township officials are looking toward the recreational marijuana businesses to help boost the local economy.
The Pleasant Plains Township Board of Trustees approved a resolution to opt in to the sale and distribution of recreational marijuana and ask the township attorney to draft an ordinance for such businesses at their meeting on Monday, Sept. 30.
"It's not about how I feel personally about recreational marijuana, it's about what's best for this township," Pleasant Plains Township Supervisor Tammy Ghent said. "The businesses will bring jobs into the community and generate revenue for the township."
According to Pleasant Plains Planning Commission chairperson Su Eling,The Green Door, a company out of Bangor, is looking at opening provision centers in Pleasant Plains with the expectation of providing up to 40 new jobs.
"They would like to eventually expand further with growth facilities and possibly a processing center which would bring even more jobs," Eling said.
Once the ordinance regulating recreational marijuana sales, use, and distribution is adopted, the planning commission will establish guidelines for licensing and fees.
In other business, the board adopted a resolution to establishment of a special assessment district. The special assessment would fund the maintenance and repair of streetlights within the township.
"Our millage for street lights was not renewed and it costs the township around $25,000 per year to maintain them," Ghent said. "We don't have any additional operating millages and we do not get extra operating funds from anywhere else. We don't have the extra funds to cover this, so the best way we can do that is with a special assessment."
The resolution indicates that the board intends to proceed with the public improvement and to defray the associated costs by assessing the land within the special assessment district.
The board plans to hold a public hearing regarding the special assessment in order to hear form those who will be impacted by the assessment.
