The possibility of marijuana businesses in Bad Axe took another step forward at this week’s Bad Axe City Council meeting.
The council, by a 4-1 margin, voted to allow City Attorney John Ferris to create a rubric scoring system to judge qualifications for licenses to establish marijuana facilities.
Police Chief David Rothe, who previously provided updates to the city council, said that such rubrics are being used in other Michigan municipalities and have been held up in court.
The village of Pinckney, which Rothe thinks can serve as an example Bad Axe can follow, was sued by a rejected applicant for saying its scoring system is discriminatory, with U.S. District Court ruling in favor of the village.
“This system is tested in the court system and it passed, so why not use it?” Rothe said. “Why take a chance on something that could fail?”
He explained their process for approving licenses is broken into two parts. Part A of this process is for applying for a special-use permit via building and zoning, which would ensure everything in the proposed building is in compliance.
Part B of the process is a checklist of required materials for approving a license. Applicants are required to provide an area location map showing its distance from schools and churches, ownership documents or lease agreements, a…
