All right, everybody.

We are now recording.

I'm calling this morning's meeting of the mayor's code enforcement committee on April 9th, 2026 to order at 9 01 a.m.

Um, the first item on the agenda is approval of minutes of our last meeting on March 12th.

Do I have a motion for approval of the March 12th minutes?

I move to approve.

Uh Dean, I saw your hand.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Tom, thank you.

Any discussion?

Any changes that need to be made?

Anything like that.

All right.

Seeing none, um, please unmute yourselves.

So signify by saying I if you approve.

I need opposed, unmute yourselves and say nay.

Any abstentions.

Seeing none, motion passes unanimously at 9 02 a.m.

Uh, next we have a uh public session.

I don't see any members of the public here today with us.

So I'm gonna close the public session.

Um, under four new business, um, our item from the police department is municipal action against landlords renting to businesses selling cannabis products without a license.

Nick, the floor is yours.

Uh no, just uh we had uh two-part issue come up regarding marijuana.

One was was that what Chris just said, uh the landlords and the businesses, more to do with the like smoke shops, our street crime unit goes in, raids them, makes some arrests, takes all the product, and then the very next day they're back up and running with just new product.

So we're looking for something with some more teeth.

Um and there it appears there's a statute that allows the cities to go after these landlords after they've been warned and fine them, I think up to $30,000 a day, if I'm not mistaken.

Um then the second part of the issue was uh the use of marijuana cannabis on like city property um and restaurants outdoor areas.

So we had a meeting at City Hall with legal, and Chris was there and spearheaded it.

So he drafted an ordinance for the uh consumption of cannabis on public property issue that's now gonna go to public safety, I believe.

So that part is resolved, and now um, as you said before we logged on, we're working on this other thing.

Sounds like there's gonna be a meeting.

So I guess Chris, I guess I'll let you take it from there and kind of give us an update on that.

Sure.

So first on the ordinance.

So um the PD brought to our office's attention, and I'm sorry, the train is honking and going choo-choo outside my window here.

So it's too loud, I can't really hear anybody.

Um, but um the an or they wanted to draft an ordinance prohibiting the use of cannabis on city property, just like we prohibit the use of alcohol on city property.

Um, you know, that they're saying, look, we're getting a lot of complaints from downtown businesses and individuals and residents.

Um, I included Kevin Elak on this conversation as well because it strikes me as it's potentially a public health issue.

Um we have a draft ordinance.

Nick, what I need is I need the chief to respond and say that it's good to go from his perspective.

I saw Derek's email saying that he thought it was good to go, but I'm I'm waiting on the chief to give the blessing so we can send it to public safety and to the board of uh Board of Health to get that process started.

So if you can work on that for me, I would appreciate it.

The second issue is um, you know, we have this issue with businesses and smoke shops selling um illegal cannabis products, right?

As we all know, the state a few years ago passed a law that says you can dispense cannabis if you you know are approved by the state to do so.

You can grow cannabis if you're approved by the state to do so.

But of course, what do we have?

We have all these businesses that are not approved that are not licensed, and here they are selling illegal cannabis products.

And for the longest time, you know, zoning, PD, everyone would come to our department or every other department and be like, what can we do?

And you know, unfortunately, there was no law on the books that said, you know, zoning can do this, or the AG's office or state's attorney's office can do this.

So everyone was just kind of pointing and doing this.

Um, there is a newer law um that it's pretty powerful.

It's uh it's a new state statute that allows municipalities to go after the the owners of the buildings that lease spaces to businesses that sell illegal cannabis products.

And um, what it allows the city to do is it allows our office on behalf of the mayor on behalf of the city to file what's called an ex parte injunction with the court.

And what that means is it's uh it's an injunction that you file without the business owner's knowledge, right?

Like we just file it in injunction with the court, asking the court to allow the PD to go in, seize the products, and charge the business owner um $30,000 per violation, um, which is the maximum amount allowable under the statute.

Um so it is it is a very hefty fine, and the whole point is to discourage business owners from continuing to lease spaces to um these these businesses that um you know knowingly are selling illegal cannabis products.

Um because it is new, um, and it is you know labor intensive on our end, just because injunctions aren't easy.