FLINT, MI -- The Flint City Council delayed moving ahead with an ordinance change that would expand the possible locations where medical marijuana facilities could be placed in the city.

A special meeting was held Wednesday, March 28, to discuss a proposed ordinance change that would allow medical marijuana centers to operate at least 500 feet from schools, parks and places of worship.

The city currently requires a buffer of at least 1,000 feet.

Council members are weighing their options after a developer sought to open a marijuana facility in a former Family Video store in the Seventh Ward.

A decision on the wording of the ordinance was tabled by the council so they could approve the city's budget in a timely manner. Councilwoman Monica Galloway said the discussion will be picked up Wednesday, April 4.

Mayor Karen Weaver was in attendance to express her concern of how the money that would be generated from taxes at the medical marijuana center would be distributed to the city.

"The way the money is broken up right now allows for 40 percent going to the state, 30 goes to the county, 25 goes to the city and five percent goes to the Sheriff's office, but the city has the burden of policing the issue," Weaver said. "We need to get that changed and make sure that Flint gets its fair share of the money from the taxes coming in. We're stretching our public safety resources, but we don't get the money. We need to talk to state legislators to get our voice heard and our fair share."

Another concern the mayor shared relates to the liquid assets required by the state to operate a medical marijuana facility. The requirement ranges from $150,000 to $500,000.

"This is a state law that the City of Flint does not agree with," Weaver said. "The little person is cut out of this, it does not support the start up of small business owners. Also the fee structure, $54,000 will go to the state and the City of Flint only gets $5,000."

The drafted ordinance would limit marijuana facilities to five licensed secure transporters, five licensed safety compliance centers and 20 limited dispensaries in the city -- minus the number of current licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

Dispensaries would be limited to operating between 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The co-location of a center with a grow or processing facility is permitted if the co-located facility is a minimum of 30,000 square feet.

Drive through windows in a dispensary will not allowed and no consumption of alcohol, marijuana or tobacco is allowed on the property.

Inspection of the dispensary is allowed at any time. Security cameras will be required and must meet Flint Project C.A.T.T. EYE specs -- a project started by city police to surveillance businesses.

Medical marijuana centers will be allowed to operate 500 feet away from schools, public parks and places of worship and 300 feet from residential zoning districts.

According to a draft of the ordinance, at no time will the dispensary be open to the general public. All marijuana must be contained in an enclosed, locked facility.

The proposed revenue for the City of Flint from a dispensary will include a local application fee of $1,500, an annual licensing fee of $5,000, a site plan review fee of $1,002 and a location appeals fee of $5,000.

A licensed individual may appeal a location not listed on the Marihuana Facilities Licensing Map developed by the Planning and Zoning Division.

In order to appeal the location map, the individual's case will be heard by the Flint Planning Commission where they must demonstrate an "undue hardship," and "prove that special and unique conditions pertaining to the piece of of property in question are warranted: for a variance to be granted."

The individual must also pay a non-refundable $5,000 fee.

Below is the a presentation that was given to council on the draft of the City of Flint Medical Marihuana Provisioning Center ordinance.

Council MMFLApresentation 2.28 (1) by zahra A on Scribd