CITY TO CONSIDER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE SOON

DEARBORN HEIGHTS - A zoning ordinance amendment that would allow
medical marijuana manufacturing facilities in the city went past its
first reading before City Council on Sept. 14.

The ordinance amendment also deals with medical marijuana
dispensaries, facilities where legally registered primary caregivers
can assist qualifying patients with medical marijuana use.

A medical marijuana moratorium was extended by council at the
meeting. The moratorium was created to give council time to adopt
ordinance dealing with the changes in state law on medical marijuana.

Council Chair Ken Baron said council will have a study session in
about three weeks to discuss the ordinance before it goes for a
second reading. The session will be public and any interested
residents are welcome, he said.

Mayor Dan Paletko said he there are some interested residents who
have already contacted his office regarding the ordinance.

"A lot of the council members don't know which way to go, and I'm one
of them," Baron said. "I see a lot of problems."

Councilwoman Margaret Van Houten said she is against the ordinance
because she believes it will be impossible to enforce.

She would like Dearborn Heights to move in the direction of not
allowing marijuana manufacturing facilities in the city, she said,
which she believes is the direction Dearborn and Livonia are going in.

"A lot of residents are very concerned that the laws are going to be
abused," Van Houten said.

She said she shares the concern that manufacturing facilities could
be abused and lead to the situation where they would be accessed by
the general public.

The city can't restrict residents licensed for medical marijuana for
their own use, Van Houten said, but the city does have control over
what kinds of businesses come here.

There are a lot of questions council has at this point, Baron said.
He said attorney Mark Roberts will be at the study session to answers
their questions.

Council has to be careful with the ordinance, he said. He hopes there
will be a good explanation of what residents can and can't do, he
said. He said he wishes the state had made laws on medical marijuana
more stringent.

The moratorium has been extended four months, Baron said, so council
has the time to give the ordinance careful consideration.

City looking to run retention basin

In other business, council approved to have the city's engineering
firm Wade Trim develop an operation plan to take control of the
Combined Sewer Overflow retention basin from Wayne County. The basin
temporarily stores wastewater that exceeds system capacity.

Baron said has always had the option of managing the operation of the
basin. The city is looking into this to see if it can save some money
by doing so, he said.

Council also approved a license fee increase from $5 to $25 for a
vicious animal or pit bull license. The recommendation to increase
the fee was based on the additional work and administrative expense
to review and enforce these licenses.