By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.— On Aug. 2, Ortonville voters narrowly OK’d marijuana sales in the village. Township voters will be asked the same question in November.
Residents in the township will have a proposal for recreational marijuana on the Nov. 8 ballot. The ballot language was approved to go to Oakland County for certification during a special meeting on Monday night by a 4-3 vote from the township board.
The proposed ordinance was filed to the clerk’s office on Aug. 2 with over 700 petition signatures. The petition was circulated by the organization Build a Better Brandon, and needed 378 signatures, which is 5 percent of the votes cast in the township in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
“We have now approved that language to go to the county to be certified,” said Brandon Township Clerk Roselyn Blair.
The proposed ordinance would amend the code of ordinances to allow for one recreational marijuana retailer in Brandon township, and prohibit others. It would also repeal the current ordinance that prohibits recreational marijuana establishments.
The motion by the board was to approve the ballot language, which will then go to the November election to allow residents to decide if they want retail establishments or not. Trustees Bob Marshall and Steve Unruh and supervisor Jayson Rumball voted against the motion to approve the ballot language.
“It’s important to remember we didn’t pass this because we are for or against the proposal,” said Blair. “The people have a right to petition their government. If we didn’t vote this through, it would have gone into litigation and cost the township residents more money, and they probably would have won the case anyway because they followed all the rules.”
The proposed ordinance states that a proposed ordinance must be 750 feet away from a public or private k-12 school, a state-licensed daycare, or a residential property. Should this pass, the township may adopt a zoning ordinance that is not in conflict with the provisions of the ordinance.
According to state law, municipalities are authorized to completely prohibit marijuana establishments within their boundaries. The law also states that all marijuana retail establishments are subject to an excise tax of 10 percent of all sales, which means on top of a regular Michigan six percent sales tax, there would be an additional 10 percent tax that would go to the Marihuana Regulation Fund. The state then divides those funds with 15 percent going to the municipality where the establishment is located, 15 percent to the county where the establishment is located, 35 percent to the state School Aid Fund and 35 percent to the Transportation fund for road improvement. If this were to pass, it is uncertain how long it would take to open a marijuana establishment or how long it would take for the township to receive any of those funds.
This also does not conflict with the ordinance that passed on Aug. 2 in the village of Ortonville, which allows up to two establishments in the village limits. Ortonville and Brandon Township are separate municipalities.
The full proposed ballot language is available at the counter at the Clerk’s Office, 345 Mill St., Ortonville.
“This is a hard situation,” said Blair. “But they have a right to petition. So it’s important that no matter what side you’re on, for or against, encourage voting, campaigning, and organizing. Get out and vote.”