SOUTHAMPTON – Voters at the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday will decide the future of the town’s regulations on the marijuana industry with five articles on the warrant that could amend the town’s bylaws.
The Special Town Meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the William E. Norris School gymnasium. There are 27 articles on the warrant, which include funding for Town Hall repairs and bonding to replace the East Street bridge.
The first three warrants relate to the town’s general bylaws concerning retail marijuana and public consumption of marijuana.
Residents will be asked to vote on whether or not to accept a 3 percent local tax on the sale of marijuana products by a retailer in town.
Article 2 is an amendment to town bylaws to ensure marijuana retail establishments do not exceed 50 percent of licenses issued by the town for the “retail sale of alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises.”
There would be a fine of $300 for a violation of the public consumption bylaw proposed in Article 3. The article reads, “no person shall inhale, ingest, or otherwise use or consume marijuana or THC while in or upon any public space.”
Public spaces include public or private streets that the public has the right to access, sidewalks, public ways, footways, passageways, stairs, bridges, parks, playgrounds, recreational areas, school grounds, and parking lots, according to Article 3.
Articles 5 and 6 would amend the town’s zoning bylaws to permit the cultivation, manufacturing, processing, and selling of recreational and medicinal marijuana. It states these facilities “should be located in such a way as to ensure the health, safety, and general well-being of the public.”
The bylaw amendment in Article 6 also lays out general guidelines that marijuana establishments would need to follow in order to get a special permit from the town of Southampton.
With repairs necessary to the HVAC system and plumbing in Town Hall, Article 11 would allow for an appropriation of $8,000 to the Town Hall building expense account if approved.
The last article on the warrant, Article 27, would authorize the town to borrow $1.6 million to replace the East Street bridge. The bond would cover costs for construction, fees and permits, engineering and other associated costs for the bridge, according to the article.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com