Bristol residents will weigh in on digital signs and whether the town should temporarily ban recreational marijuana-related businesses during a special town meeting Tuesday, Aug. 22.
For the past several months, Bristol officials have been discussing how the town will address the regulation of recreational marijuana retail shops, social clubs, and commercial cultivation.
Maine voters legalized recreational marijuana, subject to regulation and taxation, for ages 21 and up, during a statewide referendum in November 2016. Bristol voters opposed the measure 995-868, according to unofficial results.
After a series of meetings, the Bristol Planning Board voted June 1 to recommend an ordinance temporarily banning all recreational marijuana-related businesses until the state completes its rule-making process. Under legislation passed in January, lawmakers have until Feb. 1, 2018 to make rules governing such businesses.
The planning board, and later the selectmen, decided to move forward with an ordinance that temporarily bans marijuana rather than a moratorium.
Under state law, a moratorium must not last more than 180 days and may only be extended for additional 180-day periods if “the problem giving rise to the need for the moratorium still exists” and the town is making reasonable progress to “alleviate the problem giving rise to the need for the moratorium.”
In separate meetings with the selectmen and the planning board, Bristol Code Enforcement Officer Joe Rose said Bristol would be legally required to work on an ordinance during the 180-day moratorium. Rose also said he had spoken with officials from other towns that have enacted moratoriums and they expressed regret about the decision due to the requirements.
At a public hearing to discuss the warrant items July 19, residents expressed a mix of opinions about whether the town should regulate or even allow recreational marijuana-related businesses within the town.
Voters will also consider a non-binding referendum vote regarding the use of illuminated digital signs. The question was added to the ballot at the request of Selectman Paul Yates after the Bristol Parks and Recreation Commission and Bristol Fire and Rescue jointly purchased an electronic sign for Ellingwood Park in Bristol Mills.
During the July 19 public hearing, Yates said he doesn’t feel the signs fit with the “historical tone” of Bristol, while other residents expressed concerns about safety issues related to motorists trying to read the sign while driving.
Elsewhere on the ballot, voters will decide whether to authorize the selectmen to transfer $50,000 in unspent appropriated funds from the road management account to the revaluation and cemeteries accounts. Both the selectmen and the Bristol Budget Committee recommended passage of the article.
Residents will also consider amendments to the town’s shellfish conservation ordinance, which were approved by the Bristol Shellfish Committee on July 17.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town office.
