Wayland City Council members and local officials spend the god part of a day last month touring and inspecting marijuana dispensaries and growing operations in Lowell and Ionia.
Local officials are trying to do some research on the feasibility, wisdom and effects of a substance that was illegal until 2008 and finally was made legal in 2018, in two state-wide referendums.
City Manager Josh Eggleston, who has been steadfastly neutral in public about the issue of permitting the growing, processing and distribution of marijuana within the city limits. Proponents argue that such facilities would be good for business and 58 percent of voters in the city approved the state-wide proposition in 2018. Those opposed that the substance would make negative contributions to public safety and quality of life.
“We need to come up with a game plan, whether it’s a ‘no’ or to draft an ordinance,” Eggleston said.
In other business Monday night, the council agreed to put our for bids the purchase of sidewalk snowplowing equipment.
Eggleston said the bid process will lower the price by as much as $10,000 to $15,000, but not all that much below the estimated $150,000 price tag.
