Negaunee Township Supervisor Gary Wommer speaks about the township’s marijuana ordinance as township Treasurer Kathleen Carlson and Trustee Patrick Moyle look on. The board sent its marijuana establishment ordinance back to the planning commission for consideration of language governing recreational marijuana. (Journal photo by Lisa Bowers)

NEGAUNEE — Negaunee Township is sending ordinance language that could potentially allow recreational marijuana businesses within its borders back to its planning commission.

Negaunee Township Supervisor Gary Wommer said he placed the matter on the agenda to “clarify a few things.”

“The first thing I want to clarify is that the amount of licenses that we have in Negaunee Township is going to stay the same for a while and there is not going to be an increase, although we get calls for increases daily here. We set (a limit) for a reason and that is the way it’s going to be,” he said.

The township’s current ordinance, which authorizes the establishment of medical marijuana facilities, only allows two provisioning centers in within its municipal boundaries.

Two facilities have obtained permits for dispensaries. The Fire Station is expected to open this fall, with a second conditional-use application for the Lume dispensary approved at a recent planning commission meeting.

Wommer said the language of the current ordinance, which was implemented on Nov. 9, 2017, would need to be considered by the planning commission as the state moves from medical marijuana to recreational marijuana with the implementation of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act.

“We will have to do something with our ordinance,” Wommer said. “We will either find that we will want to include recreational marijuana or not include it at all. I would appreciate a motion to hand it to the planning commission, let them set up a public hearing and get the public’s opinion involved, get all the information involved and send it back to us with an opinion on whether we want to go with recreational and what we should do. And if we don’t, this is what we should do. That is what the planning commission is for, to narrow it down and give us the option.”

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.