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CHAMPION -- Township trustees will have their legal counsel prepare a resolution to set guidelines on recreational marijuana dispensaries locating in the township.
Trustees met in special session Wednesday on what the resolution should include, such as limiting the number of dispensaries to one, hours of operation, building appearance and police presence at the location.
Trustee Chairman Doug Emerine said there was a recent inquiry about putting in a recreational-use dispensary in a building along state Route 45 south of Educational Highway.
He said Champion's current resolution, which was previously enacted, was for medical marijuana dispensaries and does not have any regulations for recreational marijuana dispensaries.
The township zoning application form for the dispensary was made by Culture Cannabis (Culture Retail Partners of Ohio Inc.).
Emerine said the township cannot prohibit the one that is being considered because it would be grandfathered in before trustees pass the resolution. He said a new resolution can be prepared by legal counsel Mark Finamore to include both medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries. He said the current resolution would be rescinded and replaced by the new one.
He said when the statewide ballot issue to legalize recreational marijuana passed, Champion voters were 48% for and 52% against the measure.
Trustees said the township would receive tax dollars from the business and also attract additional part-time police officers to provide security at the site in their off hours.
Police Chief Larry Skaggs said the officers would earn between $50 and $55 per hour and be paid for those hours by the dispensary, not the township.
Trustee Rex Fee said the dispensaries will pay 10% in sales tax, with 6.25% to go to the county and of the remaining 3.25%, the township would get 36% of it.
He said the state was originally going to provide communities with 36% of the recreational marijuana sales tax but that may be decreased to 20%.
Marijuana dispensaries are located in Warren, Hubbard and Niles.
Trustees and Skaggs said they do not use marijuana and while they do not support it, they understand what the state allows following passage of the state issue.
"The times have changed as the state legislators placed this issue on the ballot and it passed by a majority of Ohioans," Skaggs said.