Jul 23, 2024 Township Board

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[INAUDIBLE].

DIGNITARIES. FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE JUST JOINING US, IF YOU INTEND TO SPEAK AT PUBLIC COMMENT, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE FILL OUT ONE OF THOSE GREEN FORMS ON THE TABLE BY THE DOOR, AND YOU CAN HAND THAT TO ANY ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS AROUND THE BACK OF THE ROOM, AND THEY'LL MAKE SURE THEY GET UP TO US WHEN IT COMES TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

[1. CALL MEETING TOORDER]

FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

IF YOU WILL, PLEASE JOIN ME IN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

NEXT UP ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM 3, A ROLL CALL.

WILL THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.

THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.

NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM 4A A AN EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT PRESENTATION.

[4. PRESENTATION]

GOOD. SO I'LL START REAL QUICK AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO NATHAN.

SO FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, I'M SAMANTHA DEAL, THE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FOR THE TOWNSHIP AND NATHAN HERE IS GOING TO BE A SENIOR AT OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL AND HE HAD REACHED OUT ABOUT POSSIBLY DOING HIS EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT, SOMETHING RELATED TO HOME TV.

SO WE MET, KIND OF DISCUSSED WHAT HE COULD DO, AND HE'S GOING TO PRESENT ON THAT REAL QUICK.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

I'M NATHAN BEEMER, AND I'M A BOY SCOUT IN TROOP 125 FROM OKEMOS.

CURRENTLY I'M WORKING TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE RANK OF EAGLE, AND IT'S THE HIGHEST RANK IN SCOUTING.

IN ORDER TO DO SO, I MUST COMPLETE MY EAGLE PROJECT.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO SHOW WHAT I'VE LEARNED OVER THE COURSE OF MY SCOUTING CAREER, INTO THREE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROJECT ARE THAT I PLAN IT, I DISPLAY LEADERSHIP, AND THE PROJECT BENEFITS MY COMMUNITY.

LAST YEAR, I BEGAN INTERNING AT HOME TV OVER THE SUMMER DUE TO MY INTEREST IN FILM, AND I LEARNED A LOT, AND I REACHED OUT TO HOME TV WHILE COMING UP WITH POSSIBLE IDEAS FOR A PROJECT, AND I DECIDED ON WORKING WITH THEM TO HELP WITH THEIR DIGITIZATION OF CDS AND VHS TAPES.

HOME TV HAS MANY HOURS OF FILM STORED IN VHS TAPES AND CDS, CONTAINING VIDEOS OF BOARD MEETINGS AND TOWNSHIP EVENTS AND SHOWS, AND THESE RECORDINGS ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AS THEY CAN BE HARD TO FIND AND THEY'RE NOT DIGITIZED IN THE SYSTEM FOR ALL TO SEE.

SO MY PROJECT WILL BE TO DIGITIZE 50 HOURS OF THE RECORDINGS AND CREATE AN ORGANIZED SYSTEM SO THAT THEY ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.

NOT ONLY WILL THE PROJECT BENEFIT THE TOWNSHIP NOW, BUT IT WILL ALSO BENEFIT THE TOWNSHIP IN THE FUTURE, AS ANYONE TRYING TO DIGITIZE MORE HOURS OF FILM WILL ALREADY HAVE AN

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WITH THIS PROJECT, I WILL BE BENEFITING THE COMMUNITY BY PRESERVING THE RECORDINGS IN AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE DIGITAL FORMAT, AND THE RECORDINGS CAN WEAR DOWN OVER TIME IN THEIR CD OR VHS FORM.

SO I'M HELPING TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN ORDER TO DIGITIZE 50 HOURS OF FILM.

I WILL ASK MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO VOLUNTEER AND HELP ME.

I WILL DISPLAY LEADERSHIP THIS WAY BY TEACHING THEM HOW TO DIGITIZE THE FILMS AND STORE THEM ONCE A PROCESS HAS BEEN SET UP.

CURRENTLY, THE PLAN IS FOR ME TO WORK WITH HOME TV TO ESTABLISH A DIGITIZING SYSTEM THAT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

I WILL THEN GET VOLUNTEERS TO HELP ME DIGITIZE.

A MAXIMUM OF FOUR WILL BE ABLE TO WORK AT A TIME, AND WITH PEOPLE COMING IN FOR A FEW DAYS FOR ABOUT 3 OR 4 HOURS OR SO.

THE PROJECT COULD BE COMPLETED BY THE GOAL TIME, WHICH IS THE END OF AUGUST.

I'M VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE PROJECT WILL BE A SUCCESS AND HELP PRESERVE PART OF THE HISTORY OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP THROUGH FILM.

THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. DO ANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR NATHAN CLERK GUTHRIE? THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU FOR THIS ENDEAVOR.

AS INTERN FROM 1996 AND FOR HOME TV, I WAS ASKED TO TAKE HIGH QUALITY VIDEO TAPE AND TO ARCHIVE THEM ONTO VHS TAPE AND I REMEMBER SAYING, ARE YOU SURE WE SHOULD BE DOING THIS? THE QUALITY OF VHS IS PRETTY LOW.

SO I APPRECIATE THE PRESERVATION OF ALL OF THE WORK FROM HOME TV ALUMNI MEMBERS TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

SO I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

DO YOU OR HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH HOME TV ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD START? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S THOUSANDS OF HOURS AND TONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOOTAGE, YOU KNOW.

SO HAVE YOU TALKED AT ALL ABOUT WHICH SHOW SERIES OR WHICH TYPES OF PROGRAMS YOU WOULD START DIGITIZING? YEAH. YEAH. THERE'S ABOUT THERE'S A LIST OF ABOUT 10 OR 15 PROGRAMS IN MEETINGS THAT WE STARTED ORGANIZING AND SO I THINK THE PLAN IS TO START WITH THOSE AND THEN SEE HOW FAR THAT GETS US.

EXCELLENT. THANK YOU.

YEAH. SO ALSO SO HE'S CORRECT.

SO BACK THERE WAS TWO BIG BINS OF CDS.

SO WE WERE THINKING TO START WITH THE CDS FIRST, BECAUSE THOSE ARE A BIT EASIER TO DIGITIZE THAN THE VHS OR THE BETAMAX TAPES.

SO START WITH THE CDS, GET THROUGH THOSE, AND THEN PIVOT TO THE VHS TAPES AND YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO.

OKAY. YEP. ALL RIGHT AND THEN IF I COULD JUST ASK THE AUDIENCE, IT'S DIFFICULT TO HEAR PEOPLE UP AT THE PODIUM WHEN YOU'RE WHISPERING IN THE CROWD AND SO I WOULD ASK THAT IF YOU NEED TO TALK, IF YOU COULD PLEASE LEAVE THE ROOM BECAUSE IT'S VERY DISRUPTIVE.

THANK YOU.

DESCHAINE. NATHAN, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON MAKING IT TO YOUR EAGLE PROJECT.

VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF SCOUTS EVER GET THAT FAR LESS THAN 5% LAST CHECK.

SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND VERY MUCH GOING TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR EAGLE PROJECT HERE.

SO ANYWAY WE CAN HELP YOU, LET US KNOW AND WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU HELPING OUT WITH THIS IMPORTANT RECORD ARCHIVING PROCESS.

YEAH. THANK YOU. I'LL SIMPLY ADD THAT AS A LIFE SCOUT MYSELF, I GOT TO ALMOST TO THE POINT OF DOING MY EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT.

DIDN'T QUITE MAKE IT.

I'M ALWAYS IN AWE OF THOSE WHO DO MAKE IT TO THEIR PROJECT AND ARE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE IT.

I THINK PRESERVING THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF THE TOWNSHIP IS CERTAINLY A PROJECT WORTHY OF AN EAGLE SCOUT, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NEXT UP ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM FOUR B INTRODUCTION OF NEW FULL TIME FIREFIGHTERS EMTS MAX SLABBEKOORN AND BENJAMIN CONNERS.

GOOD EVENING GENTLEMEN.

THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I DON'T GET HERE VERY OFTEN.

I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW ME VERY WELL, I'M TRAVIS MILLER OF THE FIRE MARSHAL.

I'M FILLING IN FOR CHIEF HAMILL TONIGHT WHILE HE'S ON LEAVE.

SO I HAVE THE DISTINCT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE OUR TWO NEW FIREFIGHTER EMTS.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE RECEIVED NOTICE THAT TWO OF OUR SOMEWHAT SEASONED FEW YEARS ON MEMBERS, WERE LEAVING US AND PURSUING OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. SO WE NEEDED TO DO A HIRING PROCESS TO REFILL THOSE SPOTS.

THAT PROCESS OPENED UP, AND WE HAD A VERY GOOD RESPONSE.

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FROM THERE, WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO FOUR, AND THEN FROM THOSE FOUR, WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO THE TWO THAT YOU SEE HERE.

SO I'LL INTRODUCE OUR FIRST ONE.

MAX ABERCORN.

HE IS FROM ALLENDALE ORIGINALLY GRADUATE FROM THE CAREER LINE TECH CENTERS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROGRAM.

LAST YEAR, IN MAY OF 2023 HE OBTAINED HIS EMT CERTIFICATION IN JUNE OF 2023, AND HE IS CURRENTLY A STUDENT AT THE WEST SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM, WHICH I BELIEVE YOU'RE FINISHING UP NEXT WEEK AND HOPES TO TAKE HIS NATIONAL BOARDS HERE WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO OF AUGUST. SINCE LAST YEAR IN MAY, HE HAS BEEN A PART TIME FIREFIGHTER FOR THE GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT.

SO, MAX, AS YOU WERE SAYING, MY NAME IS MAX.

NICE TO SEE YOU ALL AND MEET YOU ALL.

I'M VERY EXCITED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED.

SO THANK YOU.

WELCOME ON BOARD. GREAT TO HAVE YOU, MAX, VERY NICE TO HAVE YOU.

WELCOME. THANK YOU. MAX.

WELCOME ABOARD. [INAUDIBLE].

OUR SECOND FIREFIGHTER EMT TONIGHT IS BENJAMIN CONNORS.

HE IS ORIGINALLY FROM EAST LANSING.

OBTAINED HIS EMT CERTIFICATION IN MAY OF LAST YEAR ALSO AND HE IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN ASCENSION'S PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.

WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE SAME PROGRAM OUR LAST FOUR NEW HIRES HAVE COME FROM.

SO THAT'S PROVED TO BE PRETTY FRUITFUL FOR US.

HE WILL GRADUATE FROM THAT PROGRAM IN DECEMBER AND HE'S GOT EXPERIENCE WORKING AS AN EMT FOR BOTH MEDSTAR AMBULANCE SERVICE AND THE CLINTON AREA AMBULANCE SERVICE UP IN SAINT JOHNS.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

MY NAME IS BEN.

I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU ALL.

GLAD TO BE PART OF THE TOWNSHIP.

THANK YOU. BEN. WELCOME.

WELCOME, BEN. THANKS FOR COMING [INAUDIBLE].

SO MAX AND BEN ARE JUST WRAPPING UP OUR A NEWLY DESIGNED TWO WEEK KIND OF ONBOARDING ACADEMY THAT WE'RE DOING.

THEY'VE GOTTEN GREAT REVIEWS FROM THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH IN THE STATIONS, AND ONCE THEY GET THINGS WRAPPED UP, I THINK THIS FRIDAY THEY GET CUT LOOSE AND BE ON THE SCHEDULE AS OF SATURDAY.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT.

NEXT UP IS ITEM 4C, OUR INTERIM MANAGERS SEMIANNUAL GOALS UPDATE.

WE'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO INTERIM MANAGER TIM SCHMIDTT.

THANK YOU AND GIVEN THE BREADTH OF THE AGENDA, I WILL TRY AND BE RELATIVELY QUICK HERE.

YOU KNOW, A LITTLE OVER SIX MONTHS AGO, THE BOARD ESTABLISHED THE A SERIES OF GOALS AND ESTABLISHED SPECIFICALLY TOP FIVE GOALS FOR THE YEAR THAT THE BOARD WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE THE BOARD A BRIEF UPDATE ON THOSE GOALS AND AFTER THIS, WE ARE WORKING WITH STAFF AND COMMUNICATIONS TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ON OUR WEBSITE ALONG WITH ALSO PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT FROM WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER WORK STAFF HAS BEEN DOING OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT LAYOUT THAN WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, BUT I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.

SO FIRST AND FOREMOST NOT THAT I COULD HAVE SCHEDULED IT ANY BETTER, BUT ENHANCED PUBLIC SAFETY WAS YOUR FIRST GOAL.

AND ONE OF THOSE ITEMS WAS TO GET POLICE AND FIRE TO FULL STAFFING LEVELS AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT AS OF DECEMBER, POLICE SHOULD BE AT FULL STAFFING.

WE ARE ON. WE SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.

THROUGH DOING IN NO SMALL PART TO THE BOARD'S LEADERSHIP IN PROVIDING US WITH SOME ADDITIONAL TOOLS TO RECRUIT EARLIER IN THE YEAR. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO PRETTY MUCH AT FULL STAFFING AT THIS POINT.

WE ARE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND THAT THROUGH GRANTS, AND WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THAT IN THE FUTURE.

THE OTHER PIECE OF THAT IS THE DORMITORY AT THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION, TO ACCOMMODATE THE GENDER EQUITY THAT WE ARE STRIVING FOR OVER THERE, AND THOSE PLANS ARE IN REVIEW.

DIRECTOR MASSEY AND I HAVE BEEN KEEPING ON TOP OF THAT, WHILE CHIEF HAMEL IS OUT ON LEAVE, AND WE WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD BUDGET INFORMATION DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF.

THE SECOND ITEM NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS IS THE COMMUNITY AND SENIOR CENTER AND THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE ON THAT.

I WOULD NOT TO SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, BUT WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS ON THIS AS WELL.

WE WILL HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT AGAIN TO DISCUSS THE CONCEPT AND RECEIVE MORE PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THE PROPOSED CONCEPT AT

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WE HAVE THE SURVEY THAT IS GOING OUT SHORTLY FOR THE PUBLIC TO RESPOND AND PROVIDE US SOME FEEDBACK ON AND WE WILL BE PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THIS PROJECT AT THE AUGUST 8TH MEETING AS WELL.

JUST A REMINDER, WE DID RECEIVE $5 MILLION FROM THE STATE AND HAVE RECEIVED HAVE BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS WELL ON THIS PROJECT.

SO WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO GETTING THIS PROJECT FUNDED IN A TIMELY FASHION.

THIRD GOAL WAS TO WAS ABOUT CITIZEN OUTREACH AND ENHANCING THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION AND I WILL SAY THAT THIS WAS WE'VE BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL IN THIS AS WELL. I THINK THE LISTENING SESSIONS THAT THE BOARD DID IN 2023 WERE EXCELLENT IDEA AND I THINK THE PIGGYBACK THAT WE DID THIS YEAR IN 24 WAS AN EXCELLENT FOLLOW UP TO THOSE.

WE GOT A GREAT DEAL OF FEEDBACK.

WE TOUCHED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS, AND WE WILL HAVE A FOLLOW UP TO THOSE LISTENING SESSIONS AS WELL IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SHOWING THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE. ADDITIONALLY, AND JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF GRILLO TODAY ABOUT BUDGET AND HOW WE CAN WORK TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT AT THOSE LISTENING SESSIONS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE LISTENING SESSIONS AS WE GO FORWARD.

I DID ALREADY MENTION THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, SO I STOLE MY OWN THUNDER THERE AND LASTLY, PRIME MERIDIAN MAGAZINE CONTINUES TO BE A REALLY SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT.

A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES GOT RID OF THEIR PRINT MAGAZINES OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST DECADE.

OURS IS STILL VERY HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER, AND WE SEND IT OUT TO EVERYONE AND WE ALWAYS HAVE SOME EXTRAS AND THEY TEND TO DISAPPEAR AS WELL.

SO IT'S VERY POPULAR.

MAGAZINE WAY FOR US TO REACH OUT TO THE PUBLIC.

OUR FOURTH GOAL WAS REGARDING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS HERE.

WE'VE BUILT UPON THE EVENTS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT CELEBRATE THE WIDE AND RICH DIVERSITY IN THE COMMUNITY.

I HAVE TO PLUG JUNETEENTH AGAIN BECAUSE SOME OF THE BEST I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF FUNK MUSIC THAT DAY AND IT WAS REALLY HOT, BUT YOU COULDN'T HELP BUT KIND OF START DANCING A LITTLE BIT, AND THEN YOU STARTED SWEATING AND YOU REALLY WANTED TO JUMP IN THE LAKE, BUT IT WAS A GREAT EVENT THIS YEAR. I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE AT THE BOARD ESTABLISHED HAS MADE GREAT PROGRESS ON THE BOARD POLICY, AND THE PERSONNEL POLICIES ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW BY THE TOWNSHIP ATTORNEYS AND WE'LL CONTINUE THOSE BALLS FORWARD THIS YEAR AS WELL AND LASTLY, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, EVEN THOUGH I SKIPPED OVER IT RELATED TO ENVIRONMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECREATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY, THIS ONE COVERS A LOT OF THINGS AND SO I WILL NOT DO DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER WORK JUSTICE HERE IN THE SHORT TIME THAT I HAVE, BUT BRIEFLY THE RFP FOR THE NORTH FIRE STATION SOLAR ARRAY IS GOING OUT.

THE RECYCLING CENTER WAS THE ONE THING THAT WE DIDN'T GET FUNDING FOR THIS YEAR.

IN TALKING TO THE STATE, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE FUNDS THIS YEAR, BECAUSE THE AMOUNT WAS REDUCED, THEY WERE GOING TO GO TO RURAL AREAS THAT WERE FUNCTIONALLY RECYCLING DESERTS AND SO WE TOOK A STEP BACK.

DIDN'T APPLY THIS YEAR AND ARE WAITING FOR NEXT YEAR'S STANDARDS OF REVIEW BEFORE WE APPLY AGAIN, BUT THAT IS STILL VERY MUCH ON OUR RADAR.

STAFF IS WORKING ON INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE AS IT RELATES TO WETLAND.

THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE IN 2021.

HOW DO WE EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHERE THESE.

BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A WETLAND LOOKS LIKE AND SOMETIMES A WETLAND JUST LOOKS LIKE A NORMAL PIECE OF PROPERTY.

ESPECIALLY IN TOWNSHIP PARKS AND LAND PRESERVES, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO HELP PROMOTE THAT.

THE CENTRAL PARK PAVILION HAS BEEN RENOVATED AT THIS POINT.

WE DO HAVE THE BARN DOORS UP.

SO IT'S MORE WEATHER FRIENDLY GIVEN MICHIGAN'S SOMETIME UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER.

PHASE ONE OF MSU LAKE LANSING PATHWAY IS GREAT.

I RAN ON IT LAST NIGHT.

MY RIGHT KNEE DOESN'T APPRECIATE ME, BUT WE GOT SOME MILES IN.

PHASE TWO IS WELL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND WE'LL BE OPEN THIS YEAR AND WE HAVE STARTED ON DESIGN FOR PHASE THREE.

SO THAT PROJECT WHICH, YOU KNOW, PIE IN THE SKY TEN, 15 YEARS AGO IS FINALLY COMING TO FULL FRUITION AND WE SHOULD HAVE AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO THE TRAIL SYSTEM COMPLETED, HOPEFULLY IN 2026.

AND LASTLY, I WILL POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE STARTED THE LEAD AND COPPER VERIFICATION WORK REQUIRED IN THE STATE.

THE WATER METER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM IS GETTING READY TO START, AND WE HAVE APPLIED FOR A GRANT THROUGH EGLE TO HELP FUND OUR FIRST ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND OUR FIRST CAR CHARGING STATION. SO WE'VE MADE A TON OF PROGRESS.

I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THE STAFF HAS DONE AND I THINK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, WE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ON THIS WORK AND VALIDATE THE GOALS THAT THE BOARD ESTABLISHED,

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AGAIN, WE WILL PUBLISH THIS, THIS DOCUMENT ON THE WEBSITE.

NOW THAT WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO PRESENT IT TO THE BOARD, ALONG WITH THE GOALS AND THE SEPARATE STAFF UPDATE THAT WE'RE DOING.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT? WELL, I WILL JUST SIMPLY SAY THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK THAT OUR STAFF HAS DONE TO WORK TOWARD THE COLLECTIVE VISION THAT WE ALL LAID FORTH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. THERE IS A LOT OF AMBITION IN THE GOALS THAT WE SET, AND WE KNEW THAT.

BUT THERE'S WE BELIEVED AND WE STILL DO.

I THINK, THAT THE STAFF, THIS GROUP CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING THEY PUT THEIR MINDS TO, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO BE PROVEN RIGHT TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

YOU KNOW, IF NOT FOR STATE FUNDING, WE'D PROBABLY BE BATTING A THOUSAND RIGHT NOW.

I'LL TAKE 980.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

[5. CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS]

CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS. AT THIS POINT, IF YOU HAVE A GREEN CARD, IT'S TIME TO TURN THEM IN.

IF YOU COULD PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAND THEM TO ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS WHO'S ALONG THE BACK ROW THERE.

THEY WILL MAKE SURE TO GET THOSE UP TO US, AND THEN WE WILL CALL YOU UP WHEN IT IS YOUR TIME.

THERE ARE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT TONIGHT'S MEETING.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO ADDRESS OUR AGENDA, OR ANY ITEM NOT ON OUR AGENDA, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING.

THAT'S RIGHT NOW, AS WELL AS AT THE END OF THE MEETING, THOSE WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD MUST COMPLETE A GREEN CARD, AS I MENTIONED, WHICH ARE LOCATED ON THE TABLE NEAR THE DOOR. I DO SEE THAT WE ARE OUT.

CLERK GUTHRIE HAS RUN TO GO MAKE US SOME MORE COPIES, SO SHE WILL BRING US A FEW MORE GREEN CARDS.

IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET ONE.

WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN, THE SUPERVISOR.

THAT'S ME. WE'LL CALL YOU UP.

THE NEXT SPEAKER UP TO THE PODIUM TO SPEAK TO THE TOPICS INDICATED.

WHILE IT'S NOT REQUIRED, IT IS HELPFUL FOR THE SAKE OF OUR MEETING MINUTES IF YOU PROVIDE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR REMARKS, CITIZENS ARE REQUIRED TO LIMIT COMMENTS TO THREE MINUTES.

AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM KEEPS TRACK OF THE TIME, AND AN INDICATOR LIGHT AND AUDIBLE BEEP WILL ALERT YOU WHEN YOU HAVE 30S REMAINING AND THEN WHEN YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.

WHILE THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD VALUE COMMENTS AND INPUT FROM OUR PUBLIC, THE MEETING FORMAT AND RULES RESTRICT US FROM ENGAGING IN CONVERSATION WITH COMMENTERS OR ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS DIRECTLY.

QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS MAY BE ADDRESSED BY BOARD MEMBERS AT A LATER TIME, OR MAY BE REFERRED TO A MEMBER OF OUR TOWNSHIP STAFF TO FOLLOW UP ON.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADDRESS ALL COMMENTS TO THE BOARD OR THE BOARD'S CHAIR, AND NOT TO INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS OR TO OTHERS IN THE AUDIENCE.

WITH THAT SAID, I DO HAVE A NUMBER OF GREEN CARDS.

FIRST UP THIS EVENING IS STATE REPRESENTATIVE JULIE BRIXIE, AND THEN ON DECK WE HAVE VINOD SINGH.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE BRIXIE, WELCOME GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU. CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? OKAY. YES.

GREAT. THANK YOU.

2294 HAMILTON ROAD.

GLAD TO BE ADDRESSING YOU.

THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH IT'S ODD TO BE ON THIS SIDE OF THE PODIUM AND NOT OVER THERE.

I JUST WANTED TO COME AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE TEASER OF AN UPDATE OF THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN DOING TO HELP YOU IN THE LEGISLATURE.

RIGHT BEFORE WE ENDED FOR OUR SUMMER IN DISTRICT RECESS PERIOD, I INTRODUCED A PACKAGE OF BILLS AIMED AT CLOSING THE DARK STORE TAX LOOPHOLE.

SO THAT LOOPHOLE HAS COST LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS, LIBRARIES AND TRANSIT SYSTEMS ACROSS THE STATE, COMING UPWARDS OF $2 BILLION SINCE ITS INCEPTION DURING THE SNYDER ERA. SO THESE BILLS ARE HOUSE BILLS 5865 THROUGH 5868, AND MY COLLEAGUE FROM THE UPPER PENINSULA, REPRESENTATIVE JAN HILL, WAS ON THE PACKAGE, ALONG WITH REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE GREG MCKINNON.

SO THIS IS A BIPARTISAN PACKAGE OF BILLS AND BASICALLY WE ARE LEADING THE CHARGE TO ADDRESS THE UNFAIR TAX PRACTICES THAT BIG BOXES HAVE BEEN EMPLOYING AND SO THE GIST OF THE LEGISLATION IS THAT CURRENTLY BIG BOX STORES ARE COMING IN AND APPEALING THEIR PROPERTY TAX PAYMENTS AND THEIR PROPERTY PROPERTY VALUES.

SO THAT THEY CAN DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THEIR PROPERTY TAX LIABILITY BASED ON COMPARABLE VALUATIONS

[00:25:05]

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS VALUATION THAT HAS BEEN ALLOWED BY THE TAX TRIBUNAL IS THAT THE ONLY REASON THAT THESE BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED AND SHUTTERED IS BECAUSE THE RETAILERS WHO LEFT THEM, WHETHER IT BE WALMART OR SAM'S CLUB OR WHATEVER, THEY PUT A DEED RESTRICTION ON THEM THAT SAYS THEY CANNOT BE USED AS A RETAIL ENTERPRISE.

SO OUR PACKAGE OF BILLS IS VERY COMPLEX AND IT AIMS TO STOP THIS PRACTICE.

AND I JUST WANTED TO KEEP YOU APPRIZED OF IT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MERIDIAN HAS LOST LITERALLY MILLIONS TO THIS, AND SPECIFICALLY OKEMOS SCHOOLS HAS BEEN HIT VERY HARD BY THIS PRACTICE AND THEN THE FINAL THING, IF I COULD, IF YOU COULD INDULGE ME FOR JUST AN EXTRA MOMENT I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE DID GIVE YOU AN INCREASE IN REVENUE SHARING THIS YEAR IN THE BUDGET, AND I WAS REALLY HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT AND MOSTLY WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE DEMOCRATIC VALUES OF THE MAJORITY WE HAVE.

SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SERVICE.

THANK YOU SIR. REPRESENTATIVE JULIE BRIXIE.

NEXT UP WE HAVE VINOD SINGH AND THEN ON DECK WE HAVE [INAUDIBLE].

MUST BE A TEST OF ME READING HANDWRITING TONIGHT.

AJU KUMAR SINGH IS ON DECK.

THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN AND THE BOARD MEMBERS.

I LIVE IN THE MEADOWS COMMUNITY, 3548 ASTILBE DRIVE, WHICH IS JUST ACROSS THE OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL, HALF A MILE FROM HEYWORTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND A MILE FROM THE QUINOA AND CHIPPEWA MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I'M HERE TO REPRESENT AND OPPOSE THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY, WHICH IS PROMISED OR PROPOSED TO BE OPEN AT JOLLY AND OKEMOS ROAD SOMEWHERE. BECAUSE THIS WHOLE SCHOOL AREA COMES WITHIN A RADIUS OF THE KIDS, HALF A MILE, ONE MILE, AND WE DON'T WANT KIDS TO GET IMPACTED WHEN THEY ARE LEARNING.

THEY ARE ADULTS AND THEY'RE TEENAGERS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DECISION THEY ARE MAKING AND HOW THEY ARE GETTING IMPACTED.

LET'S TAKE INTO PERSPECTIVE WHEN A FEW YEARS BACK YOU PROBABLY HEARD THE OPIOID STARTED OXYCODONE.

THIS IS JUST A PAINKILLER.

YOU TAKE IT, IT'S GOING TO HEAL YOU.

IT'S GOING TO FILL YOUR GAP.

WHAT HAPPENED ULTIMATELY? MIDWEST, OHIO, MICHIGAN, ALL THIS AREA WHERE THE MAJOR IMPACTED.

WE DON'T WANT THIS THING TO HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE KIDS WHERE WE ARE BUILDING THE FUTURE BY RAISING THE KIDS, PROVIDING THE GUIDELINES, PROVIDING BECAUSE WE CANNOT MONITOR EACH AND EVERY TIME IT'S GOING TO SCHOOL.

COMING BACK, THEY ARE GETTING CONTACTED WITH SOMEBODY ELSE SO THEY CAN OPEN THE BUSINESS ANYWHERE ELSE THEY WANT.

BUT WE OPPOSE, I OPPOSE TO BE IN THIS LOCALITY BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT DIRECTLY TO THE KIDS AND THE FUTURE OF THIS COMMUNITY AND YOU SEE, EVERYDAY NEWS HAPPEN THIS PEOPLE DIED OPIOID BECAUSE ONCE YOU BECOME ADDICTED, IT'S GOING BACK TO THE NORMAL.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT.

SO THAT'S MY SUGGESTION HERE.

I'M HERE TO REQUEST THE BOARD CONSIDER SERIOUSLY IN THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE BENEFIT OF THE SCHOOL AND THE CHILDREN, THAT THESE THINGS NEEDS TO BE STOPPED HERE OR MOVE SOMEWHERE WHERE IF I NEED TO BUY SOMETHING AND I'M DRIVING, I CAN GO THERE.

BUT KIDS PROXIMITY NEEDS TO BE STOPPED.

SAME TIME, THIS MAY IMPACT THE PROPERTY VALUE AS WELL.

COMMUNITY IN ALL BECAUSE WHEN YOU USE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT IN THE CONTROL.

YOU'RE GOING SOMEWHERE.

IT CAN CREATE ACCIDENTAL SITUATION ON THIS OKEMOS AND BUSY INTERSECTION.

THAT CAN BE ALSO A PROBLEM.

SO THESE ARE THE CONCERNS I BRING TO THE BOARD AND I WILL REQUEST YOU TO CONSIDER HIGHLY AND MAKE SURE THESE THINGS ARE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE KIDS AND THE COMMUNITY.

[INAUDIBLE]. SUKUMAR SINGH FOLLOWED BY HARISH.

SECONDARY NANDANI.

THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS.

I ALSO OPPOSE THE SAME ISSUE, WHICH THE NODES BROUGHT IT UP AND AGAIN, WHAT HE SAID, I'M GOING TO EMPHASIZE I THINK WE WANT TO USE THREE A'S ACCESSIBILITY AVAILABILITY AND AWAY FROM THE SCHOOLS.

I THINK THERE MIGHT BE 1000 PLACES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND YOU COULD FIND MANY PLACES TO HAVE THIS DISPENSARY THERE BECAUSE YOU ARE

[00:30:08]

YOU HAVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS AND WE HAVE SEEN LATELY, LIKE IN OUR AREAS, FOLKS PARKED IN THEIR CARS AND SMOKING STUFF, WHICH IS NOT LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOUR KIDS WALKING AROUND.

SO IT'S A IT'S NOT ABOUT PROPERTY VALUES OR ANYTHING.

IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE ARE TALKING WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR KIDS AND FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE, SECURE AND EASILY LIVABLE FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS.

SO I WOULD HIGHLY REQUEST YOU THAT YOU RECONSIDER THIS AND THERE IS A PLENTY OF SPACE AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND THIS DISPENSARY.

IT HAS A PLACE WE ARE NOT SAYING IT SHOULD NOT BE THERE.

THERE IS A PLACE, BUT FIND THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THAT.

SO I WOULD HIGHLY URGE YOU TO PLEASE RECONSIDER AND MAKE SURE WE ARE PROTECTING THE OUR KIDS, OUR COMMUNITIES AND I DO APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE, AND I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND YOU WILL DO THE RIGHT THING.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN.

THANK YOU.

TRISH [INAUDIBLE] AND THEN [INAUDIBLE] . GOOD EVENING, SIR.

IN ADDITION TO WHAT MY FRIENDS HAVE ALREADY SAID.

MY BIGGEST CONCERN ALSO IS THE TRAFFIC AT JOLLY AND OKEMOS IS PRETTY BAD.

WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS. EXCUSE ME. STOP.

I'M SORRY.

WE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS IN THAT AREA.

ALL THIS WILL DO WILL CREATE MORE PROBLEMS. SO WE'LL BE VERY THANKFUL IF YOU CONSIDER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND THE VICINITY TO THE SCHOOLS THAT IT WILL IMPACT UPON OUR KIDS FOR A LONG TIME.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE] AND THEN TINA [INAUDIBLE], PLEASE.

YES. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK OVER HERE.

I AM THE SAME WITH THE.

I OPPOSE THIS THE BUSINESS COMING IN OKEMOS AREA AS THAT THERE IS A ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE VERY CLOSE BY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [INAUDIBLE] AND THEN [INAUDIBLE].

IF ANYONE HAS A GREEN CARD THAT THEY WISH TO TURN IN, WE ARE APPROACHING THE END OF THE GREEN CARDS WE HAVE HERE.

PLEASE DO SO NOW.

HELLO, MY NAME IS TINA [INAUDIBLE].

I LIVE ON BIRCH BLUFF ROAD AND I AM A SCHOOL TEACHER AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN THE GREATER LANSING AREA, NOT IN OKEMOS.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT.

HAVE YOU EVER TAUGHT OR TUTORED CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR PARENTS BECAUSE OF DRUG ABUSE? HAVE YOU EVER WORKED WITH STUDENTS THAT HAVE LEARNING DELAYS BECAUSE THEIR MOTHER WAS ON DRUGS WHEN THEY WERE PREGNANT WITH THEM? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE IMPACT ON FAMILIES THAT HAVE ADOPTED OR FOSTERED CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN IN THESE CATEGORIES? I HAVE I'VE WORKED WITH THESE KIDS, AND BECAUSE I TEACH ART, I'VE SEEN THEM FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE, AND I HAVE SEEN HOW THEY'VE STRUGGLED FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE.

NO MATTER HOW HARD TEACHERS TRY AND NO MATTER HOW HARD THE RESOURCES THAT WE GIVE THEM, THEY STILL STRUGGLE.

IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT.

IT WAS NOT THEIR FAULT THAT THEIR MOTHER TOOK DRUGS WHEN THEY WERE PREGNANT.

IT WAS NOT THEIR FAULT THAT THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR PARENTS.

HAVE YOU TALKED TO TEACHERS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT STUDENTS HAVE WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS SITUATIONS? I HOPE YOU HAVE GONE TO PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS AND ASKED THEM IF WE HAVE MORE CHILDREN IN THIS AND WITH THESE ISSUES IN THEIR LIVES, HOW IS IT GOING TO IMPACT THE SCHOOLS?

[00:35:03]

THEY HAVE INVESTED IN.

WE HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST, TWO SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, ONE DISCIPLINE SPECIALISTS.

WE'RE HOPING TO GET ANOTHER ONE IN THE FALL.

WE HAVE COUNSELORS, WE HAVE CLASS AIDES.

WE HAVE SPEECH THERAPISTS, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS FOR FINE MOTOR SKILLS.

WE HAVE AMAZING VOLUNTEERS THAT COME IN TO WORK WITH STUDENTS THAT ARE STRUGGLING, AND WE HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE VERY DEDICATED, THAT HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD AND AN AMAZING PRINCIPAL.

THIS PRIVATE SCHOOL HAS INVESTED A LOT OF RESOURCES IN TO HELPING THESE STUDENTS.

WHEN YOU HAVE DONE YOUR COST ANALYSIS, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO HELP GIVE THESE CHILDREN THE SUPPORT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO NEED? HOW MANY MORE SPECIALISTS ARE YOU GOING TO NEED? AND IT'S NOT JUST A ONE YEAR AND DONE.

IT'S THROUGHOUT THEIR SCHOOL CAREER.

THESE KIDS ARE AMAZING AND I'VE SEEN THEM WORK REALLY HARD TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES.

BUT ONCE BRAIN DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE, IT'S VERY HARD TO OVERCOME THAT.

THANK YOU. AS NOT HAVING THIS MARIJUANA DISPENSARY SAVES ONE CHILD, ONE FAMILY FROM GOING THROUGH THIS, THEN IT'S WORTH IT TO ME.

THANK YOU,[INAUDIBLE].TIWARI SINGH AND THEN DAVID [INAUDIBLE].

HELLO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND THANKS TO ALL YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE.

I THINK SO MY NAME IS DOCTOR [INAUDIBLE] AND I LIVE AT 3548 ASTILBE DRIVE IN OKEMOS.

I'M A PROFESSOR AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY AND MY WORK IS ACTUALLY ON CHEMICAL, DIFFERENT KINDS OF DRUGS AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURES THAT PEOPLE FACE ALL THE TIME AND I'M VERY THANKFUL ALL THE PEOPLE PREVIOUSLY WHO HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY BEING IN OUR VICINITY HAVE LAID OUT REALLY WELL DRAFTED POINTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THE DISPENSARY BEING THERE.

I WOULD LIKE TO BRING MY PERSPECTIVE IN THE MEDICAL KIND OF FIELD AND HOW THE TOXIC EFFECTS, YOU KNOW, OF THESE THINGS, EVEN IF SOMEBODY IS SECONDARILY EXPOSED TO THE FUMES OR SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE IS SMOKING NEXT TO YOU, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND I THINK THE WAY OUR KIDS IN THIS AREA, MANY KIDS, THEY WALK AROUND BEING A MOM.

I FEEL THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW THAT OUR KIDS ARE NOT.

THERE'S NOTHING IN THAT AREA THAT COULD BE TOXIC TO OUR KIDS ENVIRONMENT, OR THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOLS OR THEM IN GETTING INTO BAD HABITS AROUND THEM.

SO WHEN I HEARD THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, I WAS REALLY VERY CONCERNED AND AS THERE'S A GOOD REPRESENTATION HERE TODAY, AS YOU CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE IN THAT AREA ARE IN THIS AREA AND VICINITY ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY COMING UP IN THIS AREA.

SO I'M AS A MOM, I AS A NEIGHBOR, AND I AS YOU KNOW, LIVING IN THAT AREA RESIDENT.

I'M REALLY CONCERNED AND HOPE OUR POINTS AND THINGS BRING REALLY, YOU KNOW, A KIND OF YOU KNOW, WE STRESS THIS POINT OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS NOT THE CORRECT PLACE AND AREA FOR A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY, BE IT TRAFFIC, YOU KNOW, PROBLEM, B IT'S THE SCHOOL THING THAT IS AROUND, WHICH IS IN VERY CLOSE VICINITY.

WHETHER IT'S HIGH SCHOOL, WHETHER IT'S MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHETHER IT'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

SO KIDS HAVE TO BE SAFE AND THE THIRD THING IS THAT ANY SECONDARY KIND OF EXPOSURE TO PEOPLE IS ALSO NOT GOOD AND MEDICALLY ALSO, I THINK I AM NOT IN FULL, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NOT IN FULL SUPPORT OF MARIJUANA, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE MEDICALLY IMPORTANT.

WE ALL KNOW THAT AND I KNOW THAT VERY WELL TO YOU, THAT IN CERTAIN CASES THAT IS IMPORTANT.

BUT SOMEBODY CAN GO A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY TO GET IT IF THEY REALLY NEED IT.

SO I COULD NOT STRESS MORE ON THIS POINT HERE, THAT WE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BEING IN THIS AREA, AND HOPE YOU ALL WILL CONSIDER THAT AND SEE THAT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT YOU KNOW IT CAN BE AVOIDED IN THIS AREA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

THANK YOU. THANKS, IF I MAY.

IF YOU WOULD PLEASE REFRAIN FROM APPLAUDING.

IT DOES ALLOW ME TO GIVE EVERYONE THE PROPER NOTICE OF WHO'S COMING UP NEXT.

[00:40:01]

YOU ARE ON DECK.

I AM DAVID POSSET.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

I WANT TO BRING UP A COUPLE OF POINTS.

THE FIRST ONE IS SUICIDE.

THE NUMBER ONE DRUG FOUND IN A SUICIDE VICTIM IS MARIJUANA AND THEY HAVE FOUND THAT IT'S NOT BECAUSE DEPRESSED PEOPLE USE MARIJUANA, BUT THEY'RE STARTING TO FIND THAT IT'S BECAUSE THE MARIJUANA CAUSES THEM TO BE DEPRESSED, AND THEN THEY KILL THEMSELVES.

LET'S LET THAT SINK IN AND THAT'S WHAT THE LATEST LITERATURE AND RESEARCH IS SHOWING.

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL THIS LITERATURE SO YOU CAN SEE IT AND THERE'S THIS TALK THAT THIS IS HIGHLY REGULATED.

THE INTERACTION INSIDE THE BUILDING.

CERTAINLY IT'S REGULATED IN THE BUILDING.

BUT AS SOON AS THE 21 WALKS OUT OF THE BUILDING AND HE HANDS IT TO A 14 YEAR OLD THAT'S NO LONGER REGULATED.

THAT'S NOW A DEALER.

SO ESSENTIALLY THE BUILDING HAS CREATED A DEALER AND WHAT HAPPENS IS CHILDREN ARE MUCH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ADDICTION AND ONCE THEY START GETTING ADDICTED ON THESE GUMMIES, THEIR BRAIN STOPS DEVELOPING.

THE BRAIN ACTUALLY GETS DESTROYED IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL WITH IT AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY'RE STARTING TO FIND THAT WHEN THEY GET ADDICTED.

THE ADDICTION LASTS THEIR WHOLE LIFE, AND THEY HAVE ALTERED DEVELOPMENT, AND THEY HAVE A RISK OF SUICIDE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

SO WHEN YOU'RE TAKING AT THE CROSSROADS WHERE THERE'S SCHOOLS, CROSSROADS WHERE ALL THE SCHOOLS ARE AND ALL THE BUSSES ARE GOING BY, AND YOU DESENSITIZE THE KIDS TO THE DANGERS OF THIS, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SETTING UP A BUNCH OF KIDS FOR SUICIDE.

FOR SUICIDE? THIS IS WHAT THE LITERATURE IS SAYING.

THIS IS WHAT THIS IS BRIXEY HAS OVER.

THERE IS SOME OF THE LITERATURE, AND I'M GOING TO GET YOU ALL A PACKET OF THIS.

THIS IS NOT A CHILD'S GAME HERE.

THIS IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE.

WE'RE LEARNING THIS NOW.

MAYBE TWO OR 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO.

WHEN THIS PROCESS STARTED, WE DIDN'T KNOW AS MUCH.

WE DID HEAR ABOUT, REMEMBER IN THE DETROIT SCHOOL SYSTEMS HOW THE SUPERINTENDENT IS BEGGING FOR HELP BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY ADVERSE EFFECTS HAPPENING FROM THIS.

THE GOVERNOR, SHE'S THE SUPERINTENDENT, IS BEGGING THE GOVERNOR FOR HELP.

I'M SURE MRS. BRIXEY KNOWS ABOUT THIS.

PLEASE ADDRESS THE BOARD.

OKAY. I'M SORRY.

SUICIDE. SO WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO DO IS PLEASE, DEEPLY THINK ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THIS BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS DECISION.

THIS IS NOT CHILD'S PLAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. SURESH.

FOLKS, IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE.

SURESH. FOLLOWED BY [INAUDIBLE].

SURESH. GOOD EVENING.

SUPERVISORS. COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US YOUR NAME? SURESH. YEAH.

GOOD EVENING, SUPERVISORS AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

I'M HERE TO REPRESENT ABOUT THE OPPOSED FOR THE MARIJUANA IN THE OKEMOS.

WHY? IT IS HAPPENING? BECAUSE I WORK FOR THE STATE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND WE ARE IN THE I'M IN THE CHILD SUPPORTS SO I DAILY [INAUDIBLE] I AM REPRESENTING 83 COUNTIES AND WE ARE DAILY GETTING THE CASES.

THE GIRLS TEENAGERS ARE INVOLVED EVEN THE TEN YEARS I MEAN 15 YEARS, 12 YEARS GETTING PREGNANT, SO MANY ABORTION CASES ARE COMING AND WE ARE GETTING THE CHILD SUPPORT, SPOUSAL SUPPORT, MEDICAL SUPPORT, FOSTER CARE, EVERYTHING WE ARE PROVIDING.

THEN THIS IS WE CAN GO FOR THE MARIJUANA SOMEWHERE ELSE.

WHY? THIS IS IT HAS BEEN CHOSEN CLOSE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS NEARBY WITHIN TWO MILES RADIUS AND THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES WE CAN SHIFT IT AND WE CAN COLLECT THE TAX. I MEAN, MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ARE ANY COUNTY, THEY CAN COLLECT THE TAXES, THEY CAN GET THE REVENUE.

BUT WHY THIS PLACE ESPECIALLY HAS BEEN CHOSEN.

ANY SIGNIFICANT REASON, ANY SOMEONE.

I MEAN, WE CAN THINK OVER IT AND MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE SO THAT WE CAN SAVE OUR, AS OTHER PEOPLE SAID OVER HERE, WE CAN SAVE OUR COMMUNITY, SAVE OUR KIDS AND SECURITY FEATURES AND SO MANY GOOD ADVANTAGES.

WE CAN BUILD THE GOOD COMMUNITY, GOOD ENVIRONMENTS AND RESPECT THE PEOPLES AND THEIR FEELINGS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] AND [INAUDIBLE] RAJA [INAUDIBLE]. OKAY.

[INAUDIBLE]. CAN YOU PLEASE COME UP TO THE PODIUM?

[00:45:11]

SO ACTUALLY, MAINLY WE ARE OPPOSING THAT DISPENSARY TO COME THAT AREA.

THAT'S ONLY. MY MAIN MOTTO IS.

THANK YOU.

IT'S REALLY AWESOME. MARTINA AND RAVI SHANKAR.

[INAUDIBLE] ALRIGHT.

GOOD EVENING. THIS IS MARTINA.

I'M HERE TO OPPOSE THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.

THE LOCATION IS CONCERNING BECAUSE WE ARE CLOSE LIKE ALL OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAID.

IT'S CLOSE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT KIDS GO TO SCHOOL.

WE DON'T WANT TO THE KIDS TO LOOK AT THAT AND GET ATTRACTED TO THAT.

SO PLEASE CONSIDER TO.

MOVE IT TO SOME OTHER PLACE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

RAVI SHANKAR AND VENKATA BONHAM.

YEAH. HI. I'M ALSO MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE] I'M HERE TO OPPOSE THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY.

I HAVE TWO KIDS.

ONE OF THEM GOES TO THE HIGH SCHOOL OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL, AND I ALSO LIVE IN THE MEADOWS AREA THERE, SO I.

WE ARE IN THE VICINITY OF THE AREA AND WE DO NOT WANT THE DISPENSARY TO BE HERE.

PLEASE DO CONSIDER AND DO WHATEVER THAT CAN BE DONE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] AND THEN SUNITA OJHA.

HI, I LIVE IN MEADOWS.

I'M 2525 AND MY SON GOES TO EIGHTH GRADE.

THERE WAS AN INCIDENT, I THINK LAST YEAR IN THE SCHOOL AND THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

THEY JUST REFER IT AS INCIDENT AND THAT WHEN IN THE INCIDENT INSTANT HAPPENED, MY SON DIDN'T GO WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL BECAUSE HE THINKS THAT SOMEONE WILL PUT THOSE GUMMIES IN HIS LOCKER OR BLAME HIM AND HE WILL BE CAUGHT BY THE POLICE.

SO HE DIDN'T GO TO THE SCHOOL FOR TWO DAYS JUST BECAUSE OF THAT INSTANT AND HE AND I KNOW ANOTHER FIVE OF HIS FRIENDS DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL THAT WHOLE WEEK.

SO I WOULD JUST REQUEST YOU TO CONSIDER ALL THESE THINGS, AND WE MAY MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T COME INTO THE OKEMOS AREA.

THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE JULIE BRIXIE.

HI, MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE].

I OPPOSE THE OPENING THE MARIJUANA SHOP IN THIS AREA.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE JULIE BRIXIE AND [INAUDIBLE].

THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR. THE ONLY REASON I'M ASKED TO COME BACK AND SPEAK AGAIN IS BECAUSE A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC INFERRED THAT I WAS OPPOSED TO THE APPLICATION THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, BECAUSE I WAS HOLDING LITERATURE THAT HE HAD HANDED ME MOMENTS BEFORE AND I WANT TO MAKE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BOARD THAT I AM NOT, IN FACT, OPPOSED TO THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT BEING PROPOSED DOWN BY THE 711. I THINK THAT IT LOOKS LIKE A DECENT PROJECT.

IT'S A REASONABLE APPLICATION OF SOMETHING THAT WAS PASSED OVERWHELMINGLY BY THE RESIDENTS OF MICHIGAN, AND I DO NOT APPRECIATE HAVING A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC INFER THAT I AM OPPOSED TO SOMETHING SIMPLY BY BEING HERE AT THE MEETING WHEN THIS IS BEING DISCUSSED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INDULGING ME AND ALLOWING ME TO CORRECT THE RECORD.

THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE], [INAUDIBLE]..

YOU'RE ON DECK. HELLO [INAUDIBLE] AGAIN, I'M HERE TO OPPOSE THE OPENING OF THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY AT THE LOCATION AND THE OKEMOS AND THE JOLLY THE BASIC REASON DISCUSSED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS ABOUT SCHOOLS IN THE PROXIMITY.

KIDS SEEING THOSE MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPEN TO AVAILABLE TO ALL KIND OF GIVES THEM IMPRESSION OF IT IS OKAY TO HAVE A MARIJUANA, WHICH IS ADDICTIVE.

SO I AM AGAIN OPPOSED TO THE WHOLE IDEA OF OPENING THAT DISPENSARY OVER THERE.

THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE]. AND THEM.

[INAUDIBLE]. HI.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

I AM ALSO WORKING FOR STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

I AM ALSO A CAME HERE TO OPPOSE THE MARIJUANA AND DISPENSARY CENTER OPENING AT OKEMOS AND JOLLY.

PLEASE PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY AND THE CHILDREN OF [INAUDIBLE].

THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE].

[00:50:01]

I LIVE IN RIGHT OPPOSITE TO THAT.

OKEMOS. HIGH SCHOOL AN THE THE SCHOOL, THE AREA, CLOSE AREA.

I HEARD THAT WE ARE OPENING A STORE.

MARIJUANA STORE NEAR TO THAT SCHOOL.

I THINK SO MANY PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT IT.

I JUST CAME HERE TO OPPOSE IT.

JUST WANT TO THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] AND THEN [INAUDIBLE].

HI, I'M [INAUDIBLE] AND I'M A MEADOWS RESIDENT.

MY KIDS ARE GOING TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

YOU KNOW, I HEARD ABOUT MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES GOING TO SET UP AT OKEMOS AND JOLLY ROAD.

EVERY DAY MY KIDS HAS TO GO THROUGH, AND THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT PLACE BECAUSE THEY ARE ATTENDING MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES OVER THE JUNCTION.

SO I'M OPPOSING MARIJUANA DISPENSARY AT OKEMOS AND JOLLY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, [INAUDIBLE].

AND THEN JAMIE [INAUDIBLE].

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

SO I MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE] AND I LIVE IN SPRING LAKE NEAR HIAWATHA AND I STRONGLY OPPOSE MARIJUANA.

DISPENSARY. I HAVE THREE KIDS AND TWO OF THEM ARE GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL, AND THEY TAKE THE SAME ROUTE AS JOLLY ROAD EVERY DAY WHERE THE DISPENSARY WOULD BE OPENING UP, AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE. THEY WILL BE GOING AT THE SAME ROUTE, BECAUSE IF YOU GO THROUGH THE RESEARCH, IT SAYS THAT IT IS THE SAME IMPACT AS AN ALCOHOL OR MARIJUANA.

PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSUMING MARIJUANA, THEY HAVE THE SAME EFFECT.

SO I DON'T FEEL SAFE.

SOMEONE IS DRIVING IN THAT ROUTE WHERE MY KIDS WILL BE WALKING, WILL BE TAKING THEIR BIKES TO SCHOOL, SO MAYBE I'LL BE SCARED EVERY DAY IF THERE WILL BE A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OVER THERE.

MY KIDS WALK TO 7-ELEVEN TO JUST GET A SLURPEE, AND IF THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE LINGERING AROUND HAVING A EFFECT OF I DON'T OPPOSE MARIJUANA CONSUMPTION, BUT I OPPOSE WHERE IT'S LITERALLY IN OUR BACKYARD.

SO IT'S NOT A ONE DAY PROBLEM.

IT'S LIKE A WHOLE EVERY DAY THERE WILL BE EVERYDAY STRUGGLE.

THERE WILL BE EVERYDAY ISSUES.

WE IN OKEMOS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN USA.

I MOVED FROM OREGON, PORTLAND, OREGON JUST TO OKEMOS, MICHIGAN BECAUSE IT'S THE SAFEST PLACE FOR OUR KIDS TO LIVE IN AND NOW COMING TO THE MARIJUANA, I MEAN, IF YOU PULL UP EVERYTHING, YES, IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS, BUT OUR KIDS ARE GETTING EXPOSED TO SOMETHING, A SUBSTANCE THAT WE WANT THEM TO KEEP AWAY FROM. SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING ABOUT THE LAW.

THIS IS SOMETHING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY, OUR SOCIETY, HOW WE WANT TO RAISE OUR KIDS AND HOW WE WANT TO PROTECT OUR KIDS.

SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT IT.

THINK ABOUT AS A PARENT, THINK ABOUT THE FELLOW, YOU KNOW, CITIZENS WHO ARE LIVING HERE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND I HOPE YOU TAKE A RIGHT DECISION.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

JAMIE [INAUDIBLE] AND JOHN [INAUDIBLE].

GOOD EVENING TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

MY NAME IS JAMIE [INAUDIBLE].

MY ADDRESS IS 400 SOUTH OLD WOODWARD IN BIRMINGHAM.

PRIOR TO I AM, ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

I AM THEIR LEGAL COUNSEL, AND I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO THIS BOARD MULTIPLE TIMES, AS THE BOARD HAS DILIGENTLY AND THOUGHTFULLY CRAFTED A LICENSING AND ZONING ORDINANCE THAT IS IN THE SPIRIT OF WHAT THE STATE STATUTE IS IN TERMS OF WHERE MARIJUANA RETAIL LOCATIONS ARE PLACED IN THEIR PROXIMITY TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER SENSITIVE USES.

THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BOARD HAS DILIGENTLY CRAFTED AN ORDINANCE AND TOOK THEM, I WOULD SAY, DOZENS OF TIMES TO PASS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS COMFORTABLE WITH.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD.

PRIOR TO MOVING FORWARD WITH WITH MY PUBLIC COMMENT, I THINK THAT THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN GENUINE CONCERN AND FEAR MONGERING ON BASELESS FACTS. SO I DID WANT TO SHARE SOME DATA TO THE BOARD THAT I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE LINK IF REQUESTED.

MARIJUANA REGULATION HAS AN IMPACT ON CRIME RATES AND DRUG USE IN TERMS OF IT ACTUALLY REDUCING CRIMES AND IT ACTUALLY MAY PLAY A ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF CERTAIN CRIMES.

EXCUSE ME. THIS IS CORROBORATED BY MANY JOURNALS.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR AND ORGANIZATION FINDING THAT LEGALIZED REDUCED CONSUMPTION OF MARIJUANA, REDUCED ILLEGAL CONSUMPTION OF OTHER DRUGS, AND ILLEGAL CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT A RETAIL LOCATION DOESN'T NECESSARILY, OR DOES NOT MEAN AT ALL, CONSUMPTION OF MARIJUANA AT A RETAIL SITE SIMILAR TO PURCHASING ALCOHOL, WHICH YOU CAN PURCHASE AT THE 7-ELEVEN THAT IS ADJACENT TO OUR SPACE.

[00:55:01]

IT'S THE SAME EXACT RULES AS IT PERTAINS TO MARIJUANA RETAIL LOCATIONS.

IN FACT, IN ORDER TO WALK INTO A MARIJUANA RETAIL STORE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IDENTIFICATION TO PROVE THAT YOU'RE 21 YEARS OLD.

SO THERE ISN'T REALLY ANY THIS FEAR MONGERING ISN'T BASED IN FACTS AND HOW CANNABIS RETAIL SITES ACTUALLY OPERATE.

MOST OF THEM HAVE A STELLAR RECORD, INCLUDING OURS.

WE ARE SUBJECT TO CRA CANNABIS REGULATORY AGENCY INSPECTIONS ANNUALLY, TWICE ANNUALLY, EXCUSE ME, AND REGULARLY BY ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THE COMPLIANCE RULES ARE BEING FOLLOWED.

AND JUST BECAUSE OF THE NEWNESS OF MARIJUANA, OF COURSE, IT'S A NEW INDUSTRY.

IT'S A NEW MARKET TO ENSURE THAT THE TOWNSHIPS AND CITIES THAT WE OPERATE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH ALL OF THE HAPPENINGS.

SO THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT RELATES TO OUR SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPLICATION.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

WE WOULD ASK IF YOU COULD TO STICK AROUND FOR THE AGENDA ITEM IN CASE WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

JOHN WREN FOLLOWED BY DEBRA DANTAS.

ALRIGHT. SO MY STRONG OBJECTION FOR OPENING MARIJUANA SO CLOSE TO PUBLIC AREA FOR THREE REASONS.

FIRST, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, IF YOU CHECK A NEIGHBORING TOWNSHIP, NO ONE DID THIS SO CLOSE TO PUBLIC AREA.

HOW CLOSE? WE ARE ABOUT A MILE RADIUS.

THERE ARE THREE SCHOOLS HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY, CHIPPEWA MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL.

THAT'S THE FIRST THING.

SECONDLY, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WE HAVE A RECYCLING CENTER IS A SUMMER FAR AWAY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.

WHY DO WE WANT TO OPEN MARIJUANA SHOP SO CLOSE TO PUBLIC AREA? THAT'S A QUESTION EVERYBODY SHOULD THINK ABOUT, RIGHT? EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT TRYING TO SAY I OBJECT OPENING A MARIJUANA RETAIL STORE.

BUT WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL AS TO WHERE WE SHOULD OPEN THAT, BECAUSE MANY KIDS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT, WHAT'S WRONG.

THEY JUST SAY, THIS IS OPEN, ACCESSIBLE.

THEY WILL DO IT. THIRDLY, IF YOU CHECK REAL ESTATE MARKET, THEY SAY THIS HOUSE IS SO CLOSE TO PUBLIC AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, HOSPITAL.

THEY NEVER SAY THIS CLOSE.

SO CLOSE TO MARIJUANA SHOP.

IT WAS, YOU KNOW, REDUCE THE HOUSE PRICE, THE MARKET REAL ESTATE PRICE, MAKE OUR TOWNSHIP LESS LIVABLE, MAYBE LESS SAFE AND ENVIRONMENT IS NOT MAYBE NO LONGER A BETTER PLACE OR GOOD PLACE TO RAISE FAMILY KIDS.

SO I WANT EVERYBODY TO THINK ABOUT THAT RATHER THAN JUST TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO OWN A MARIJUANA STORE WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE SUITABILITY OF THE LOCATION.

OKAY, THAT'S MY POINT.

THANK YOU.

DEBORAH DANTES AND THEN [INAUDIBLE].

HI, I'M DEBORAH DANTES, 3590 BREEZY POINT DRIVE IN OKEMOS, AND I REALLY WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE, BUT MY HEART IS RACING SO HARD RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I'M FRUSTRATED AND UPSET.

WE HAVE A STATE REPRESENTATIVE SAYING THAT THESE PROPOSAL ARE PASSED WITH SO MANY VOTES, WHICH IS OVERWHELMING VOTES.

I'M SORRY. USE THE WORD OVERWHELMING VOTES, WHICH IS NOT TRUE.

WE KNOW THAT IS NOT TRUE.

IT PASSED WITH 11 VOTES, I BELIEVE 11 OR 12 A DIFFERENCE.

SO THAT'S NOT OVERWHELMING.

THEN WE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE SAYING THAT IT YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO BE IN RELATION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY ACCEPTING ALL OF THESE. THE COMMUNITY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE.

YOU HAVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO DID NOT KNOW.

WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THESE WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME.

OUT OF THAT, 100 PEOPLE THAT I SERVED A MONTH AGO, 98 HAD NO IDEA.

SO IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOWS AND THAT IS WHY THE PROPOSAL THAT I BROUGHT IN TO YOU LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO WAS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, LET'S DO IT IN THE RIGHT WAY.

LET'S EITHER PUT IT IN THE VOTE, DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE, TALK TO TEACHERS LIKE SOMEONE SAID, TALK.

MAKE, MAKE YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS DECISION.

IT IS WE'RE TRYING.

WE HAVE VALUES. WE'RE TRYING TO BRING UP FAMILIES CLEAN IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A FLOWER SHOP INSTEAD OF THIS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT, BUT SOMETHING THAT BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER, NOT SOMETHING THAT BRINGS COMMUNITY APART.

SO IF WE CAN PLEASE POSTPONE THESE IN ORDER FOR US TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THE COMMUNITY LIKE, LIKE WE SHOULD DO BECAUSE THIS HAS IT WILL IMPACT US AND THIS IS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

[01:00:02]

WE EITHER VOTE ON IT IN THE RIGHT WAY.

HAVING EVERYONE KNOWN I ALREADY GOT MESSAGES ON MY PHONE ABOUT THE INFORMATIVE MEETING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ABOUT THE SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER.

THAT'S FANTASTIC.

WHY DIDN'T I GET ONE FOR THESE TWO FOR THE MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES? I WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE ON THAT DAY.

WHY DIDN'T WE? WHY WEREN'T WE ANNOUNCED FOR THAT MEETING, WAS THERE ANY WAS THERE ONE IN THE SAME WAY THAT YOU ARE ADVERTISING ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT ARE COMING AHEAD? I DID NOT GET ONE AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO REALLY CONSIDER WHAT IS HAPPENING.

YOU'RE HEARING VOICE AFTER VOICE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT HAPPY.

SO YOU ARE A REPRESENTATIVE.

YOU REPRESENT US, SO PLEASE DO THAT.

WHAT WE'RE ASKING TO DO.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME.

STEVEN TYLER AND MARCOS DANTAS.

HI. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

RESPECTED BOARD MEMBERS AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NAME IS STEVEN LEE.

I'M A FATHER OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND ONE OF THEM GOES TO THIS HIAWATHA, WHICH IS BASICALLY PRETTY CLOSE TO THIS LOCATION WHERE THIS IS BEING PLANNED.

SO FIRST OF ALL, I AM OPPOSING THIS NINE F THE THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN THAT INTERSECTION AND SOMEONE IS SAYING THIS IS ALL FEAR MONGERING AND THEY'RE PULLING STATISTICS, SAYING THIS DECREASES CRIME RATES AND ALL.

WHAT CRIME RATES DO WE HAVE THOSE CRIMES IN OKEMOS DO WE HAVE THIS ILLEGAL DRUGS AND ALL THAT STUFF? I DON'T THINK SO.

WE ARE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT NON-EXISTING PROBLEMS AND SOLVING THEM.

WE WANT TO PREVENT THESE PROBLEMS FROM OCCURRING.

RIGHT. SO PLEASE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LEGAL OBLIGATION YOU GUYS HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL THESE PROPOSALS FROM BUSINESSES, BUT I SINCERELY REQUEST YOU GUYS TO PLEASE TRY TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE OF SCHOOLS WHERE CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO RIDE.

THE BUSSES ARE GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THESE PRIMARY SCHOOLS THERE AND THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THIS BUSINESS AT THE INTERSECTION AND ALSO WE'RE WELCOMING PEOPLE WHO ARE ALL COMING FROM DETROIT WITH THIS DISPENSARY.

THAT'S THE WELCOMING TO OKEMOS.

I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD YEAH.

SO PLEASE TRY TO DO IN YOUR POWER TO HELP HELP US ALL TO BUILD A GOOD COMMUNITY AND PREVENT THIS IN THAT INTERSECTION.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MARCOS DANTAS AND CLAIRE EAGLES NEXT.

YES. GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN HERE A COUPLE OF TIMES, ALL TO TRY TO AT LEAST DELAY A DECISION ON THE CREATION OF A RECREATIONAL DISPENSARY OF MARIJUANA IN OUR COMMUNITY.

I WAS PRIVY TO HEAR THE PLANS AS LAID OUT BY TIM SCHMIDTT, WHO HAS BEEN PLANNING ABOUT THIS.

IN HIS MIND, THIS IS A DONE DEAL, AND THERE WERE THREE ASSUMPTIONS IN THIS PLAN THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP.

NUMBER ONE, TRAFFIC WILL NOT BE IMPACTED.

THIS WAS BASED ON A 2019 ASSESSMENT OF THE TRAFFIC.

ASSUMING THAT THIS IS A REGULAR BUSINESS.

JUST LIKE IF YOU SWITCH 7-ELEVEN, BUY SOMETHING ELSE, OR, YOU KNOW, BUY QUIZNOS, THAT SAFETY WILL NOT BE IMPACTED.

AGAIN, ASSUMING A REGULAR BUSINESS, THIS IS JUST LIKE HAVING ANOTHER CLEANERS AND THAT CHILDREN WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BECAUSE THIS IS ONLY PRODUCTS SOLD TO 21 YEAR OLDS AND THEY CHECK ID.

I KNOW YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH TO REALIZE THAT THESE THREE ASSUMPTIONS ARE NAIVE.

THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BUSINESS.

THIS IS A CASH ONLY BUSINESS.

THIS IS NOT A CLEANERS THAT DOESN'T ADVERTISE IN THE FREEWAY AND TRIES TO BRING A BUSINESS.

THIS IS WHY THEY LIKE THIS INTERSECTION.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, THESE DRUGS ARE ALREADY ACCESSIBLE TO OUR CHILDREN.

I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE OF THAT.

IF NOT, I'M SURE THAT ANY TEACHER IN ANY OF THESE SCHOOLS WILL BE GLAD TO TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS THEY ARE HAVING ALREADY WITH DRUGS AND OPENING A A RECREATIONAL DISPENSARY RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF ALL THESE SCHOOLS IS JUST SENDING THE WRONG

[01:05:01]

SO I HOPE THAT YOU LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU ARE SERVING.

IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IF THE COMMUNITY HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS.

THIS WAS NOT OVERWHELMING.

THIS WAS A FEW VOTES AND VERY FEW PEOPLE VOTED.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE, IT WAS DONE IN THE SUMMER AND NOBODY KNEW.

SO PLEASE LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY AND THEN YOU'LL BE THE HEROES OF THE COMMUNITY, RATHER THAN ALL OF A SUDDEN PEOPLE WAKING UP AND SAYING HOW THIS HAPPENED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. CLAIRE RIEGEL AND [INAUDIBLE] SINGH.

HELLO. MY NAME IS CLAIRE RIEGEL.

I LIVE AT 3712 AUTUMN WOOD LANE.

I ALSO HAVE SPOKEN TO THIS COMMITTEE VARIOUS TIMES AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.

I JUST WANTED TO SUMMARIZE EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE SAID EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN UP HERE.

I STARTED OFF WITH SAYING THAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN BEING A PRIME COMMUNITY.

PRIME PARKS, PRIME BUSINESSES, PRIME SCHOOLS.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT SAYS THAT WE ARE SAFE, WE VALUE FAMILIES, AND WE VALUE EDUCATION.

IN FACT, MANY OF YOU ARE RUNNING AS A PRIME TEAM.

THIS I WOULD LIKE TO CORRECT THE PREVIOUS PERSON THAT SAID THAT THIS WAS A UNANIMOUS VOTE.

THIS WAS NOT A UNANIMOUS VOTE.

THIS THE FIRST TIME IT PASSED BY 12 VOTES AND THE RECALL, IT PASSED BY SIX VOTES.

THAT IS NOT UNANIMOUS.

WE ALL HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE FEEL THE LEGALITY OF MARIJUANA IS LEGITIMATE.

THAT SHIP HAS SAILED.

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS LOCATION.

WE OPPOSE THIS LOCATION BECAUSE OF ITS ACCESSIBILITY, ITS AVAILABILITY, AND ITS VISIBILITY TO THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE THAT GO TO THESE SCHOOLS HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY, THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

WE OPPOSE IT BECAUSE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A LEGITIMATE TRAFFIC STUDY THAT'S BEEN DONE.

THAT TRAFFIC STUDY WAS DONE FIVE YEARS AGO.

IT WAS DONE BEFORE THE LANDSCAPE CHANGED BEFORE THE AIR CAME IN.

IT IS NOT LEGITIMATE.

WE OPPOSE IT BECAUSE THAT COMMERCIAL PARK IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY COMMUNITY.

IT'S GOT PEOPLE COMING UP TO THE 7-ELEVEN FOR SLURPEES.

IT'S GOT A BIG B, IT'S FAMILY FRIENDLY.

THIS IS NOT A FAMILY FRIENDLY BUSINESS.

SANDS LLC DOES NOT CARE ABOUT US.

THEY SEE US AS A CASH COW, AND THEY KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

AND I DON'T BLAME THEM. IT'S A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM.

IT'S NOT A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US.

YOU ARE ELECTED BY US TO REPRESENT US.

AND PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] SINGH AND ASHIM AGARWAL.

GOOD EVENING, BOARD MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS BHANU SINGH AND I'M NOT GOING TO REPEAT WHAT EVERYONE SAYS.

MY, I ALWAYS ASK MY MYSELF, WHY AM I HERE? I'M A CONSULTANT.

I ALMOST TRAVEL EVERY WEEK BY WEEK THROUGHOUT THE STATES.

I DO TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL, BUT STILL I WOULD LOVE TO LIVE IN THE OKEMOS COUNTY.

THE REASON I FEEL IT'S SAFE.

I FEEL IT IS SECURE.

IT'S A GOOD COUNTY TO LIVE FOR.

IF I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE THESE TWO AND I'M TRAVELING AND I THINK LIKE THIS PLACE IS NOT SAFE FOR MY FAMILY AND MY KIDS, I DON'T THINK I WOULD LIKE TO BE HERE.

I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES AND ALL, SO MANY PEOPLE I KNOW THEY ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THESE TWO MAJOR FACTORS.

I HEARD ABOUT A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REAL AND GENUINE CONCERN VERSUS FEAR MONGERING.

LET'S SAY ASSUME IT'S A FEAR MONGERING.

DO YOU WANT ME TO LIVE IN A FEAR? WHO WANTS TO LIVE IN A FEAR EVEN IF IT'S NOT CORRECT? I'M TRAVELING WITH A FEAR THAT SOMETHING CAN HAPPEN WITH MY FAMILY.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WILL.

SO IF WEARE ACCEPTING THAT THIS IS CAUSING A FEAR MONGERING ALSO WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, THAT'S NOT GOOD.

NOBODY'S GOING TO ACCEPT OR LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU WILL NOT LEAVE FEELING SAFE, AND YOU WILL LIVE IN A FEAR.

WE CAN HAVE MULTIPLE REASONS.

WE UNDERSTAND WE WILL NOT GO TO THE POLITICAL THINGS AND WHY THIS NEEDS TO BE THERE.

WE TALKED ABOUT THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

PEOPLE WALK THERE.

WE HAVE A RESTAURANTS THERE.

WE HAVE A MARTIAL ART CLASSES FOR THE SMALL KIDS.

WE START FROM THE KINDERGARTEN UNTIL THE SEVENTH, EIGHTH, AND EVEN THE HIGH SCHOOLERS GOES THERE.

DO YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING CLOSE TO THAT? I HEARD LIKE, YEAH, WE HAVE A LIQUOR AVAILABLE IN ALL THE LOCAL SHOPS.

YES. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I HAVE A HEADACHE.

THEN I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A STOMACH PAIN ALSO.

I'M ONLY DEALING WITH ONE PROBLEM.

IS NOT GOING TO HELP WITH CREATING ANOTHER PROBLEM.

EVERY PARENTS HERE HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS FOR YOUR KIDS.

WE HAVE COVID, WE HAVE VIRUS.

WE HAVE ALL OTHER PROBLEMS. WE HAVE TO SEE OTHER THINGS ON TOP OF IT.

IS THIS SOMETHING WE ARE OPENING FOR A BETTERMENT OF OUR KIDS?

[01:10:04]

I CAN TALK FOR HOURS WITH THE PROBLEMS, BUT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DISCUSSED ABOUT IT AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE HEARD ALL OF IT.

I JUST ADDED WHAT I FEEL WHY PEOPLE WANT TO BE IN THIS COUNTY.

FEW PEOPLE SAID THAT BECAUSE IT'S SAFE AND SECURE, AND IF IT IS NOT GOING TO BE, WHO ALL WOULD LIKE TO BE HERE? WHY? I WOULD LIKE TO BE CHOOSE THIS COUNTY IF I CAN GO TO OTHER PLACES.

WE WANT TO BE HERE, BUT WE ALSO WANT OUR KIDS, OUR FAMILY, OUR COMMUNITY TO BE SAFE AND SECURE.

SO I'M STRONGLY OPPOSING THIS AND I HOPE YOU ALL WILL CONSIDER IT SERIOUSLY.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE] AND THAT'S ALL THE GREEN CARDS WE HAVE THIS EVENING.

IF ANYONE HAS A GREEN CARD AND WISHES TO TURN IT IN, THIS IS YOUR LAST CALL.

THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I'M. MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE].

I'M AN EYE SURGEON, AND I HAVE SEEN MARIJUANA SINCE THE DAYS I WAS A SCHOOL STUDENT.

ONE OF, I THINK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPPOSING SIDE AND I'M OPPOSING THE MOTION AND THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPPOSING MOTION SHARED THAT MARIJUANA IS A SAFE, AND IT'S NOT IT DOES NOT LEAD TO INCREASE IN THE REAL DRUG ADDICTION.

I DISAGREE OVER A TIME AND TIME.

THERE ARE MANY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT MARIJUANA IS A GATEWAY DRUG.

PEOPLE START WITH MARIJUANA AND GRADUATE ON TO BIGGER THINGS.

NOW, THE STATE AND ITS INFINITE WISDOM HAS ALLOWED MARIJUANA FOR RECREATIONAL USE.

BUT I THINK IT'S A REGRESSIVE STEP.

THE SECOND THING IS THAT OTHER THAN ALL THE CHILDREN BEING EXPOSED TO IT AND ALL THAT, WHY WOULD ANY COMPANY WANT TO PUT IT AT A CROSS SECTION WHERE IT IS VISIBLE TO INCREASE ITS BUSINESS? HOW DOES IT INCREASE ITS BUSINESS? BY SHOWING EVERYONE THAT WE ARE HERE.

WHAT IT DOES IS IT DESENSITIZES EVERYBODY AS TO THE USE OF MARIJUANA BEING AN ACCEPTABLE THING OR THERE IS A SUBWAY, IT'S OKAY TO EAT A SUBWAY SANDWICH.

THERE IS 7-ELEVEN WHERE YOU CAN GO GET A COKE AND THERE IS BIGGBY.

YOU CAN GRAB A COFFEE FROM THERE AND THERE IS A DRY CLEANER SHOP.

OH, AND THERE IS A MARIJUANA PLACE.

I THINK WE'RE ALL GOING TO GET DESENSITIZED TO THIS, THAT IT'S JUST A NORMAL BUSINESS.

IF YOU EVER GO TO SOME PARTS OF THIS TOWN AND IF YOU GO TO TIMES SQUARE OR ANYWHERE IN CHICAGO, YOU CANNOT GET AWAY FROM THE SMELL.

IT'S EVERYWHERE.

I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE SMELL WAS UNTIL ONE OF THE KIDS POINTED OUT, DAD, THIS IS MARIJUANA.

THIS IS NOT A RACCOON. THIS IS NOT THIS IS A SKUNK.

THIS IS A MARIJUANA SMELL AND THEN I STARTED REMEMBERING THIS.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS ALL PERVASIVE AND WHEREVER THERE ARE MARIJUANA SHOPS, PEOPLE USE IT, PEOPLE SMOKE IT, AND WE WILL ALL BE EXPOSED TO IT IN SOME FORM OR THE OTHER. I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S A HARMFUL EXPOSURE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WHICH OURSELVES AND OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GET EXPOSED TO.

SO FOR THESE REASONS, I THINK WE SHOULD AT LEAST GIVE MORE THOUGHT BEFORE AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT ONCE YOU OPEN ONE DISPENSARY, IF YOU DRIVE DOWN PENNSYLVANIA, THERE ARE DISPENSARY AFTER DISPENSARY AFTER DISPENSARY AFTER YOU SAY YES TO THE FIRST DISPENSARY, I DON'T SEE HOW THIS ORGANIZATION WILL SAY NO TO THE NEXT FIVE.

THANK YOU, [INAUDIBLE].

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND OF COURSE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.

I'M A RESIDENT IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN OKEMOS HERE.

I WON'T ADD TOO MANY POINTS.

I WON'T TAKE TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME.

I'M A FACULTY AT MICHIGAN STATE IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AS WELL.

I UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BALANCE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES.

I DO WANT TO SAY THAT MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE WHO OPPOSED TODAY I CONCUR WITH THEM, AND I DO NOT THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA.

THE LOCATION PARTICULARLY.

I'M PERFECTLY FINE WITH HOW DISPENSARIES COMING IN CERTAIN LOCATIONS WHICH ARE RELATIVELY LESS ACCESSIBLE TO KIDS, BUT THE SPECIFIC LOCATION IS SOMETHING THAT'S NOT SO, I SUPPORT.

I JUST WANTED TO PUT MY VOICE OUT THERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.

SO I WAS NOTIFIED THAT YOU WERE LOOKING TO SPEAK AGAIN.

SORRY, I'M TALKING TO THIS GENTLEMAN.

WE DO NOT ALLOW FOLKS TO SPEAK TWICE.

GENERALLY, THERE IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE END OF THE MEETING, IF YOU'D LIKE.

SURE. ANYONE WHO HASN'T SPOKEN.

THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY UNTIL THE FINAL AT THE END OF THE MEETING.

THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN AND THE BOARD.

[01:15:02]

RIGHT. WITH THAT SAID, SEEING NO OTHER GREEN CARDS PUBLIC COMMENT IS CONSIDERED CLOSED AT 7:13.

WE HAVE BEEN AT THIS FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

I WILL ASK THE BOARD'S INDULGENCE FOR A FIVE MINUTE RECESS, AND WE'LL BE BACK AT 7:18.

THE MAJORITY OF IT AT THIS TIME.

TWO STREETS ARE ON HOLD PENDING INFORMATION FROM THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE.

[6. INTERIM TOWNSHIP MANAGER REPORT]

TUNNEL RESTORATION GOING ON IN THE LOCAL ROAD PROGRAM.

ALL KUDOS TO DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER AND HIS WORK ON THAT, THIS WORK THIS YEAR.

WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE LEAD AND COPPER RULE AND THE PERSONNEL POLICY.

SO WE'LL GLOSS OVER THOSE.

I DID SEND OUT AN EMAIL THIS EVENING TO THE BOARD AND REGARDING DEPUTY ADAM PROMOTION TO SERGEANT OFFICER SLOVIK WAS OUR OFFICER OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR.

HE'S WELL REGARDED IN THE ORGANIZATION.

HE IS BEING PROMOTED TO SERGEANT.

WHAT THAT DOES IS THAT OPENS UP A SLOT IN INVESTIGATIONS AND [INAUDIBLE] ONE OF OUR OTHER EXCELLENT OFFICERS, IS MOVING OVER INTO THAT.

SO WITH PD GETTING FULLY UP TO SPEED HERE, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF NEW FACES AND A LOT OF NEW SEATS.

SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT HAPPENING.

IT'S GOOD FOR THE ORGANIZATION.

YOU KNOW, I WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK TREASURER DESCHAINE FOR HIS WORK ON THE BANK SWITCHOVER.

WE ARE NEARING THE END OF THAT.

IT HAS BEGUN.

THE LAST PIECE WILL BE PAYROLL, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THAT RIGHT AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT CAROL IS ABLE TO TAKE VACATION AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT.

SO LASTLY, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT OUR IT DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL CLOUD STRIKE INCIDENT THIS WEEK.

IT TURNS OUT WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FIRST ORGANIZATIONS TO NOTICE IT BECAUSE WE WERE ON THE PHONE WITH THEIR IT HELPDESK AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON YET, AND WE EVENTUALLY GOT DISCONNECTED BECAUSE THEIR SYSTEM WENT DOWN.

BUT WE WERE ON TOP OF IT VERY QUICKLY.

DIRECTOR GIBBS AND HIS TEAM AND AGAIN, DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER STEPPING IN TO ASSIST GOT EVERYONE LARGELY UP AND RUNNING FAIRLY EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THEN WENT BACK AND WAS ABLE TO FIX THE REMAINING ISSUES.

I ACTUALLY THINK MY OLD OFFICE WAS THE LAST BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY HIT THE BUTTON AND THEY DIDN'T.

SO I WENT UP THERE TODAY AND IT WAS STILL STILL SHOWING THE SCREEN.

SO ALL CREDIT TO TO, MANAGER GIBBS AND OR DIRECTOR GIBBS AND HIS STAFF AND, TO DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER.

AND AS I'VE SAID TO A FEW PEOPLE, IF YOU HAVE AN IT PROFESSIONAL IN YOUR LIFE, GIVE THEM A HUG BECAUSE THEY NEED IT THIS WEEK.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FOR INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT? NOPE. SEEING NONE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR REPORT.

NEXT UP IS BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[7. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS]

TREASURER DESCHAINE. THANK YOU.

I'LL BE REAL BRIEF. THE BOARD MET LAST WEEK, AND ALL OF YOU HAVE THE COMMUNITY REPORT IN FRONT OF YOU.

IF YOU OPEN IT UP, YOU'LL SEE ON PAGE SIX.

RIDERSHIP. IT IS UP.

MORE THAN A MILLION FROM 2020.

PRE-PANDEMIC ERA AND THERE'S SOME EXCITING THINGS GOING ON WITH CATA RIGHT NOW.

MICROTRANSIT IS ON ITS WAY, AND MICROTRANSIT IS KIND OF A COMBINATION OF UBER, LYFT, AND THE RELIABILITY OF A MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM.

SO YOU CAN TAKE THE FIXED LINE BUS TO A CERTAIN PART IN THE LAST MILE MICROTRANSIT WILL FILL IN THERE.

THERE'S A PILOT BEING LAUNCHED THIS FALL AND WE HOPE TO ROLL IT OUT FULLY LATER THIS IN 2025.

I ALSO WANT TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE BEEN ELECTED AS SECRETARY TREASURER OF THE CATA BOARD, SO I'M PROUD OF THAT.

IT ALSO, IT'S NOT JUST ME.

I THINK CATA RECOGNIZES THE FACT THAT WE PAY 22% OF THE PUBLIC REVENUE THAT THEY GET, AND THEY RECOGNIZE THAT.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TWO BOARD MEMBERS ON THE CATA BOARD.

ALL I HAVE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

TREASURER DESCHAINE.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ON AND I WILL BANK OFF OF THAT REPORT FROM CANADA THAT THEY DO PROVIDE FREE BUS SERVICE ON ELECTION DAY.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CONTACT THEM AND THEY WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU FREE OF CHARGE, NOT ONLY ON ELECTION DAY, BUT DURING EARLY VOTING AS WELL.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY I'M VOTING TODAY.

PLEASE GIVE IT TO ME FOR FREE AND THEY WILL WAIVE THE CHARGE.

SO IN REGARDS TO ELECTION, THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN ANY OTHER MANNER THAN IN PERSON WAS YESTERDAY, MONDAY, JULY 22ND.

NOW THROUGH ELECTION DAY, YOU CAN REGISTER TO VOTE RIGHT HERE AT THE LOCAL CLERK'S OFFICE.

WE'RE RIGHT OVER THERE.

WE'RE SUPER EASY TO GET TO.

LET'S SEE, WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED ALMOST 40% OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS HAVE BEEN RETURNED OF THE ONES THAT WE'VE ISSUED.

[01:20:04]

WE DO HAVE DROP BOX LOCATIONS AT THE HASLETT LIBRARY OKEMOS LIBRARY INTO AT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

YOU CAN USE THE ONE OUTSIDE CURBSIDE.

EASY. JUST PUT IT IN OR RIGHT HERE INSIDE THE BUILDING IF THAT MAKES YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.

EARLY VOTING IS FROM SATURDAY, JULY 27TH TO SUNDAY, AUGUST 4TH FROM 8 A.M.

TO 5 P.M.

WE WILL BE HERE TO SERVE YOU.

IT'S RIGHT HERE AT THIS BUILDING AND ELECTION DAY IS ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 6TH FROM 7 A.M.

TO 8 P.M.

VOTER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE MICHIGAN WEBSITE.

SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE A SAMPLE BALLOT NEED TO KNOW YOUR POLLING LOCATION.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR VOTER ID CARD ON YOU, JUST GO TO THE MYGOV SLASH VOTE.

WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON ELECTION SECURITY PLANS HERE, SO NOT ONLY ARE WE ADMINISTERING ELECTIONS, BUT WE'RE ALSO WE ALSO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON INCREASING OUR ELECTION SECURITY.

WE DEVELOPED A PROPER MAIL HANDLING PROCEDURES, AND WE ALSO MET WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO REVIEW OUR ELECTION SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY PLANS.

WE HAVE RECEIVED A REPORT BACK FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, BUT THEY'RE STILL SECURE ABOUT IT.

NONE OF US CAN GET INTO IT.

I'VE REQUESTED A NEW PASSWORD SEVERAL TIMES.

THEY KEEP RE EMAILING IT, SO HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AND MAKE AN ASSESSMENT AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD.

I'M SURE THERE WILL BE BUDGETARY REQUIREMENTS.

SO WE WILL LOOK AT IT AS A GROUP WITH THE WITH THE DEPUTY TOWNSHIP MANAGER AND BRING THAT TO THE BOARD WHEN WE HAVE IT.

I'M ALSO HOPING TO WORK WITH THE CHIEF THE FIRE CHIEF VERY SOON ON AN ELECTION EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN.

IN REGARDS TO POLICY UPDATES, SINCE I'VE BEEN TALKING SO LONG AND TRUSTEE PETER TREZISE IS ON THE POLICY WORK GROUP, I'M HOPING THAT HE CAN GIVE AN UPDATE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO LISTEN TO ME GO ON AND ON AND ON.

ALRIGHT. THAT'S MY REPORT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INDULGENCE, TRUSTEE TREZISE.

NOW THAT THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED.

YES, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON POLICY UPGRADES.

WE HAVE GONE THROUGH AS A GROUP PROBABLY, WHAT, 13, 14 MEETINGS, MOST OF THEM TWO HOURS AT A TIME AND SOMETIMES LONGER.

WE'VE GONE THROUGH ALL OF THE GENERAL POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES AND HAVE MADE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS AND TURN THAT OVER TO COUNCIL TO WORK ON THAT AND WE'VE THEN TAKEN UP THE POLICY FOR THE BOARD AND ITS RELATIONSHIP AS A BOARD WITH EACH OTHER, THEIR AUTHORITIES, WHAT WE CAN DO.

THAT'S PRETTY MUCH PRETTY MUCH WRAPPED UP.

WE'VE GOT ANOTHER MEETING TOMORROW TO TO SEE IF WE'VE GOT SOME FINE TWEAKING TO IT AND HOPE TO BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN AUGUST.

PROBABLY THE SECOND MEETING.

GIVEN THE AGENDA THAT MAY BE ON THE FIRST MEETING.

SO BUT WE'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO A DISCUSSION WITH THE SUPERVISOR AS TO WHEN HE WANTS TO PUT IT ON.

THE BOARD WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT WELL BEFORE THE MEETING, AND IT WILL BE PART OF THE PACKET, THE BOARD PACKET.

WE'VE CHANGED THE FORMAT A BIT.

WHAT USED TO BE THREE DOCUMENTS WILL BE REDUCED TO 2 OR 1, ONE DOCUMENT, AND THEN WE WILL ALSO BE WORKING, IF THE BOARD WISHES US TO WORK ON SOME INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BOARD AND THE NEW MANAGER THAT WE HIRE AND CLARIFY SOME OF THAT RELATIONSHIP AND AUTHORITIES.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.

THANK YOU. TRUSTEE TREZISE TRUSTEE WILSON.

THE CRC, THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE COMMISSION, MET ON JULY 10TH, AND WE HAVE A VERY EXCITING PROJECT COMING UP.

BETWEEN THE KIWANIS AND ROTARY.

PHIL IS THE KIWANIAN.

I'M A ROTARIAN.

WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER $5,000 FROM OUR TWO CLUBS TO DO BACKPACKS AND OTHER SUPPLIES FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS IN THE AREA.

HASLETT AND OKEMOS SCHOOLS.

SO WE ARE HAVING A PACKING PARTY ON AUGUST 13TH, AND THEN EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE DELIVERED TO THE SCHOOLS.

SO THIS IS GOING THROUGH THE MERIDIAN CARES ARM, WHICH IS WHAT OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCE COMMISSION IS OVER AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS AND THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS THAT WE ARE HAVING AN OPEN FORUM AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT AT 5:30 TO 7 ABOUT

[01:25:10]

I UNDERSTAND WE'RE GOING TO BE AT THE PAVILION RIGHT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT, SO ANYONE IS WELCOME TO COME.

WE WILL HAVE THE LARGE RENDERINGS OF WHAT THE BUILDING COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK LIKE, AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK ABOUT THE AMENITIES AND THE DESIGN AND SO ON.

SO WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US AT 5:30 TOMORROW NIGHT.

THAT'S MY REPORT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. TRUSTEE WILSON, OTHER TRUSTEE MCCURTIS.

JUST REAL QUICK.

JULY THE 10TH WAS MY FIRST MEETING FOR LAND PRESERVATION, AND I LEARNED A LOT THROUGH THAT WITH INVASIVE SPECIES AND ALL OF THAT.

THE BIG THING THAT CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING IS THAT THERE IS A RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY AT DAVIS FOSTER PRESERVE AT 6:00 ON AUGUST THE 14TH. THAT'S MY REPORT.

THANK YOU. TRUSTEE MCCURTIS.

ANYONE ELSE? I'LL SIMPLY ADD THAT I ATTENDED OUR COMMUNITY CENTER SENIOR CENTER DISCUSSION SESSION THAT WAS IN THIS ROOM ON THE 16TH, AND I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE TURNOUT THAT WE GOT FROM THE PUBLIC.

SO THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO CAME AND SPOKE WITH US AND ASKED THEIR QUESTIONS.

I FEEL LIKE WE GOT A VERY POSITIVE RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE NEW IMAGERY WE'RE ABLE TO SHOW, AND SOME OF THE NEW AMENITIES THAT THIS SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER WILL BRING TO THE TOWNSHIP.

SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO INCORPORATE THOSE SUGGESTIONS, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR MEETING TOMORROW EVENING AS WELL.

WITH THAT SAID, WE'LL GO ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS AGENDA ITEM EIGHT, APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.

[8. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]

TREASURER DESCHAINE. SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE MCCURTIS.

ANY DISCUSSIONS ON THE AGENDA? SEEING. NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM NINE ARE CONSENT AGENDA.

WE HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING, INCLUDING OUR COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE TOWNSHIP BOARD.

[9. CONSENT AGENDA]

THE BILLS FOR THIS PERIOD, AND THE APPOINTMENTS OF THE BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR JIM HODULF A LICENSING RESOLUTION FOR APPROVAL IN ZONE THREE ORDINANCE 2020 405 LIQUOR LICENSE REGULATIONS UPDATE.

THIS IS FOR REINTRODUCTION.

SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL WE INTRODUCED THIS FOR INTRODUCTION LAST MEETING.

HOWEVER, OUR ATTORNEYS HAVE SUGGESTED SEVERAL SMALL TECHNICAL CHANGES THAT DO NOT CHANGE THE SUBSTANCE AND AS THERE WERE CHANGES, RECOMMENDED THAT WE REINTRODUCE THE AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS WHY IT IS ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA.

DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING? DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS FIELD.

I'M SORRY. THERE'S ALSO DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS VEHICLES THAT I SKIPPED RIGHT OVER, I APOLOGIZE.

DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING? TRUSTEE WILSON, MOVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

SECOND, SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

ANY DISCUSSION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON.

UNDER COMMUNICATIONS, THERE WAS ONE ADDRESS THAT WAS INCLUDED, AND I ASKED THE BOARD TO ALLOW ME TO REDACT THAT AS PART OF THE OFFICIAL RECORD FOR PRIVACY ACT PROTECTION.

ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

AS THE CONSENT AGENDA DOES CONTAIN THE FINANCIAL COMPONENT, WE'LL ASK THE CLERK TO PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CLERK GUTHRIE.

NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM TEN QUESTIONS FOR THE ATTORNEY.

WE HAVE NONE.

ITEM 11, THE HEARINGS WE HAVE NONE AND THEN AGENDA ITEM 12 A FOR ACTION ITEMS WE HAVE FINAL PLAT NUMBER 19012 FOR SANCTUARY NUMBER THREE AND WE'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO, WELL

[12.A. Final Plat #19012 – Sanctuary 3]

I HAVE SWITCHED HATS ON YOU.

SO THIS IS A REQUEST FROM JAGUAR HOMES FOR FOR THE FINAL PLAT FOR SANCTUARY THREE.

SO JUST FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH A PLAT PROCESS WE APPROVE THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT.

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THEY FURTHER REFINED THE ENGINEERING AND THAT WAS APPROVED.

THEN WHAT HAPPENS ON A PLOT IS THEY BUILD ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND GET IT READY TO ACTUALLY BUILD HOMES, BUT BEFORE THEY CAN BUILD A HOME OR SELL A HOME OR PUT A HOME UNDER CONTRACT, THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE FINAL PLAT DOCUMENTS TAKEN CARE OF THAT INVOLVES APPROVALS HERE, APPROVALS OF THE COUNTY AND THEN ULTIMATELY APPROVAL AT THE STATE LEVEL AND SO THE PROPERTY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THIS AREA RIGHT HERE OFF OF ROBBINS WAY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF ROBBINS WAY.

IT WAS APPROVED FOR SEVEN HOMES.

IT WAS A VERY SPECIFIC DESIGN.

AND THIS IS THAT SPECIFIC DESIGN.

THEY'VE GONE THROUGH SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WORK WITH THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE TO GET THE DRAINS TO WORK JUST RIGHT AND ONE HAD ONE

[01:30:10]

THERE'S A PATHWAY THAT WILL GO TO THE NORTH HERE AND CROSS OVER AND CONNECT TO THE EXISTING SYSTEM TO THE NORTH, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONSUMERS ENERGY CORRIDOR.

HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL WAITING ON A CONSUMERS ENERGY EASEMENT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

AND SO PURSUANT TO THE ORDINANCE AND THE LAW, THEY ARE PERMITTED TO PUT A BOND DOWN FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THAT, ALLOWING THE FINAL PLAT TO GO FORWARD.

THAT IS THE ONLY PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS NOT BEEN INSTALLED AT THIS POINT.

WE DO HAVE THE BOND. THEREFORE, WE ARE BROUGHT THIS TO THE BOARD FOR FINAL PLAT APPROVAL.

UNDER STATE LAW, WE DO HAVE 20 DAYS TO APPROVE THIS WHICH IS WHY IT'S ON YOUR AGENDA THIS EVENING.

BECAUSE OF THE 20 DAYS EXPIRED ON SATURDAY.

THE PROPOSAL THAT YOU SEE IS FUNCTIONALLY EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY APPROVED AT TENTATIVE, PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PRELIMINARY PLAT AND SO STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE FINAL PLAT FOR SANCTUARY THREE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS. ANY DISCUSSION OR COMMENTS ON THIS MATTER? TREASURER DESCHAINE. ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO WE HAD A DISCUSSION OF THIS.

I THINK MAYBE CHAIRMAN, YOU KNOW FOR SURE, BUT WE HAD AS MANY PEOPLE FROM ROBBINS WAY TALKING ABOUT THIS AS WE HAD PEOPLE COMING TONIGHT AND OTHER ISSUES.

AND AS I RECALL, IT WAS ORIGINALLY A TEN PARCEL PLOT AND AT THE REQUEST OF THE RESIDENTS, YOU SCALED IT BACK TO SEVEN.

IS THAT CORRECT, JIM? YES IT IS. OKAY AND I APPRECIATE THAT AND SO THIS IS I THINK ONLY CATHY AND I WERE ON THE BOARD AT THE TIME, BUT IT WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE DEVELOPER LISTENING TO WHAT THE RESIDENTS WANTED, AND THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THAT WOULD CREATE WITH TEN HOMES AND A LITTLE TOO MUCH DENSITY.

SO WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE.

IT WAS A RESULT OF A COMPROMISE WITH WITH THE RESIDENTS, AND I APPRECIATE THE APPLICANTS WILLINGNESS THEN TO SCALE BACK HIS PROPOSAL TO ONLY SEVEN PARCEL PLOTS.

THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON.

COULD YOU SHOW US? I HAD A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE PATHWAY CONNECTION.

CAN YOU SHOW ON THE GOOGLE MAP WHERE THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE CONNECTIONS RIGHT HERE AND WHERE DOES IT GO? TO THE NORTH. OFF OF ELDERBERRY.

COMES DOWN TO THE SOUTH HERE ALONG THE NORTHERN PART OF THE PROPERTY, AND THEN CONNECTS DOWN INTO ROBBINS WAY RIGHT ABOUT HERE.

DOES IT GO BEHIND THIS HOME THAT I SEE TO THE.

IS THAT THE EAST? THIS HOME? YEAH. OR DOES IT A STRAIGHT PATH? IT'S GOING TO COME STRAIGHT DOWN HERE, CUT ACROSS TO AN ADVANTAGEOUS POINT TO CROSS AND THEN COME UP BETWEEN THESE TWO, THIS DETENTION BASIN, THIS WETLAND.

AND THAT'S ALL ALONG A CONSUMERS.

THIS IS THE CONSUMERS CORRIDOR RIGHT HERE YOU CAN ROUGHLY SEE THE LINES.

SO THIS IS NOT THIS IS OWNED BY JAGUAR.

THIS IS THE PROPERTY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

SO WHAT THEY NEED IS THAT EASEMENT TO GET THROUGH, TO GET ACROSS THAT, GET THROUGH THE CONSUMERS CORRIDOR.

YES. OKAY. BUT THERE'S NO UTILITIES WHERE ALL THOSE TREES ARE.

THERE WILL BE NO UTILITY IMPACT.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

TRUSTEE TREZISE.

YEAH. I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ON THIS BOARD WHEN IT CAME, BUT I WAS AT BOTH OF US WERE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION WHEN IT CAME TO US AND I ALSO COMPLIMENT MR. JAEGER FOR NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT WITH THE NEIGHBORS TO DEVELOP A VERY NICE SMALL ADDITION TO THAT AREA.

SO. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. THIS IS ON FOR ACTION THIS EVENING AND THERE IS A MOTION PROVIDED BY OUR STAFF IN THE PACKET.

IS THERE ANY BOARD MEMBER TRUSTEE TREZISE I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION FOR FINAL PLAT.

NUMBER 190120 HOMES FOR SANCTUARY NUMBER THREE A SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISION CONSISTING OF SEVEN LOTS LOCATED EAST OF HEWLETT ROAD, NORTH OF JOLLY ROAD, OFF OF ROBBINS WAY.

SUPPORT SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE WILSON.

ANY FURTHER COMMENTS AT THIS TIME? SEEING NONE. CLERK WILL PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

CLERK GOT THREE VOTES.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM 13, A TEXT AMENDMENT #2024-04, LOCAL PROSECUTION OF MARIJUANA VIOLATIONS ORDINANCE.

[13.A. Text Amendment #2024-04 – Local Prosecution of Marijuana Violations Ordinance]

[01:35:07]

ALL RIGHT. I'M HUSTLIN.

GOOD AFTERNOON BOARD.

THANK YOU FOR HEARING US TODAY.

WE COME HERE TO PROPOSE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024-04, WHICH IS THE ADOPTION OF THE CODE.

I'M SORRY, ADOPTION OF THE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA ORDINANCE.

WHAT WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO HERE IS JUST ADOPT THE CURRENT LAW BY THE TOWNSHIP TO DIRECT FINES TOWARDS US, AS OPPOSED TO THE COUNTY FOR MINOR MARIJUANA VIOLATIONS.

I BELIEVE IT WAS 2008 WHEN THE TOWNSHIP ADOPTED THE MOTOR VEHICLE CODE AND THE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CODE AND THIS IS A SIMILAR PROPOSAL AS TO WHAT THAT WAS.

I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AS IS COLIN HARKNESS, OUR TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. HARGIS. ANYTHING TO ADD? I THINK CHIEF GRILLO SUMMED IT UP PRETTY WELL.

THIS IS THESE ARE OFFENSES THAT ARE ALREADY CONTAINED UNDER THE HEALTH CODE, AS THE SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS WEREN'T HERE THE LAST TIME WE DID THIS, BUT WE'VE ADOPTED ALL OF THE CRIMINAL OFFENSES UNDER THE MICHIGAN CRIMINAL CODE.

THIS IS UNDER THE HEALTH CODE.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. BUT THESE ARE ALREADY PENALTIES THAT EXIST UNDER STATE LAW AND SO ALL WE'RE DOING IS ADOPTING THEM UNDER LOCAL ORDINANCE SO THAT WHEN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP OFFICERS ISSUE CITATIONS OR COME TO ME FOR WARRANT REQUESTS, THEY'RE HANDLED LOCALLY RATHER THAN THROUGH THE COUNTY.

SO THEY'RE ALREADY BEING HANDLED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THE ONLY THING THAT WILL CHANGE IS THAT THEY'LL BE HANDLED LOCALLY INSTEAD OF BY THE COUNTY, AND THE FINES WILL BE REDIRECTED TO THE TOWNSHIP RATHER THAN THE COUNTY.

GOT IT. ALL RIGHT.

BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? JUST TRUSTEE MCCURTIS.

YES. THANK YOU. JUST FOR EDUCATION PURPOSES, FOR ME AT LEAST.

IS THIS BECAUSE NOW, YOU KNOW, THE RESOLUTION MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES HAVE PASSED AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ENTERTAINING HAVING MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES IN THE TOWNSHIP? OR IS IT JUST BECAUSE OF JUST MARIJUANA IN GENERAL? JUST MARIJUANA IN GENERAL? I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE CHIEF HALL WAS HERE.

OKAY. SO THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING, AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF EVENTS THAT HAVE COME UP AND SOME CHANGING OF THE GUARD THAT HAVE STALLED THIS, WHICH IS FINE. BUT I FINALLY FOUND A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY I GOT WITH CHIEF GRILLO.

I GOT WITH TIM SCHMIDTT AND I, WE FINALLY FOUND A TIME TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD.

SO THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY TIED TO THE DISPENSARIES.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO BRING FORWARD.

ONCE THE STATE ADOPTED THE STATE REGULATIONS, I WANTED TO GET THE TOWNSHIP TO DO THIS LOCALLY.

BECAUSE IF WE CAN DO IT LOCALLY, WHY NOT? SURE. THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU AND WE DID ADOPT THE CRIMINAL ORDINANCE NOT THAT LONG AGO, AS I RECALL.

I THINK I WAS HERE WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

THAT WAS JUST A COUPLE A YEAR AGO OR SO, PROBABLY WHEN WE DID THE LAST BATCH.

YEP. THIS IS SORT OF A HOUSEKEEPING THING, REALLY, TO ALLOW US TO RETAIN CONTROL OVER THESE CASES AND RETAIN SOME OF THE FINES AND FEES AND HAVE THEM COME TO US AS OPPOSED TO THE COUNTY AND THE JURISDICTION OBVIOUSLY STILL GOES THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, THE CIRCUIT COURT SYSTEM OR DISTRICT COURT, BUT THE ACTUAL PROSECUTION COMES FROM US AND NOT FROM THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR.

IS THAT MORE OR LESS CORRECT? YES, SIR. OKAY, TERRIFIC.

THANK YOU. OTHER TREASURER DESCHAINE.

THANK YOU. THIS ORDINANCE SEEMS TO HAVE TWO MAIN CLAUSES ONE POSSESSION OF IT, EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF MARIJUANA, AND A MINOR IN POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA.

AM I READING THAT CORRECTLY? ESSENTIALLY, YES. THERE'S.

WITH ANY BALLOT INITIATIVE? STATUTE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT CONVOLUTED.

BUT THEY THE STATUTE BREAKS IT UP INTO MINORS IN POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA AND MINOR BEING ANYBODY UNDER 21.

THEY SET FORTH SEPARATE PENALTIES FOR THOSE OVER 18 OR LESS THAN 18 AND THEN ANYBODY THAT POSSESSES MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT ALLOWED UNDER LAW, FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PENALTIES.

THE OTHER THING THAT WE'VE ALSO BUILT INTO IT IS USE OF MARIJUANA ON ANY TOWNSHIP PROPERTY OR PARK IS PROHIBITED, AS WELL AS USE IN PUBLIC GENERALLY.

DO WE? ANY OF YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES WE'VE HOW MANY CITATIONS WE HAD IN 2023, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THESE OFFENSES?

[01:40:04]

SO ONE OF THE TWO CHARGES OR THESE ARE THE MINOR AND IN POSSESSION SO MINOR IN POSSESSION, I COUNT.

FIVE. CHECK THAT I COUNT SIX.

OKAY. SINCE 2022.

OKAY. TRUSTEE WILSON, THIS SEEMS LIKE A LOGICAL STEP TO TAKE.

WE DON'T. WE'RE GOING TO PROSECUTE THROUGH THE TOWNSHIP.

WHY NOT COLLECT THE FUNDING FOR THE TOWNSHIP? AND WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS BEFORE AND I WOULD ADDING THIS OFFENSE TO OUR ROSTER OF OFFENSES DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR PROSECUTION CHARGES. WELL, THAT SEALED THE DEAL.

IT DOES, HOWEVER, EXPEDITE THE PROCESS BECAUSE IT GOES A LITTLE QUICKER IF WE GO THROUGH THE TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY A LITTLE QUICKER.

A LOT, A LITTLE QUICKER.

THAT'S WHAT I'LL PUBLICLY SAY.

THANK YOU. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON.

SO, DID I HEAR YOU SAY THAT THIS IS THIS LANGUAGE IS MIRRORED LANGUAGE FROM SOMETHING ELSE.

IT'S DIRECTLY FROM THE STATE HEALTH CODE.

THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS THE STATE HEALTH CODE ON A COUPLE OF THE OFFENSES, HAS PENALTIES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF WHAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO UNDER THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP ACT. SO ON THOSE, I HAD TO CRANK THE FINE DOWN TO $500 INSTEAD OF I THINK ONE OF THEM WAS $1,000.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THEY MIRROR THE STATE STATUTE.

SO IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE TOWNSHIP CAN DO BEYOND THE STATE STATUTE OR IS THIS LIMITED TO THE LANGUAGE THAT WE SEE BEFORE US? FOR INSTANCE, IN THE FIRST OFFENSE, IT HAS ONE A THERE'S COMMUNITY SERVICE THAT HAS TO BE DONE, BUT NOT UNDER ONE B FOR A FIRST OFFENSE.

SO THERE I WOULDN'T ADD ANYTHING BECAUSE THAT THAT PART SHOULD MIRROR THE STATE STATUTE.

OKAY AND THE RATIONALE BEHIND WHY THEY, WHY THEY HAD IT IN THE FIRST AND NOT THE OTHER.

AGAIN, THIS WAS A BALLOT INITIATIVE AND SO I THINK TECHNICALLY SOMETIMES WHEN YOU GET BALLOT INITIATIVES, THERE ISN'T A WHOLE LOT OF LOGIC BEHIND THINGS, YOU KNOW.

SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO BASICALLY ADOPT WHAT THE STATE LANGUAGE IS, NOT GO OFF TOO FAR INTO AS FAR AS THOSE SECTIONS.

YES. IF THERE ARE OTHER MORE GENERALIZED REGULATIONS THAT THE TOWNSHIP WANTS TO PUT IN PLACE YOU KNOW, IT, WE COULD DO THAT ALONG THE LINES OF, YOU KNOW, NOT USING IN PUBLIC, NOT USING IN PARKS IF THERE'S SOME OTHER TOWNSHIP PROPERTY THAT THE TOWNSHIP WANTS TO IDENTIFY, WHERE THEY WANT TO PROHIBIT USE OF MARIJUANA, THAT'S CERTAINLY ALLOWABLE.

I JUST HIT THE WHAT I FIGURED WOULD BE THE BIG ONES NOT USING IN PUBLIC AND NOT USING ON TOWNSHIP PROPERTY AND PARKS, BECAUSE THAT'S ALREADY TECHNICALLY BARRED UNDER STATE LAW.

DOES THAT ALSO WHEN YOU SAY PARKS, DOES THAT ALSO INCLUDE LAND PRESERVES OR DOES THAT LANGUAGE NEED TO BE INCLUDED AS WELL? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE? WE COULD CERTAINLY ADD THAT IN FOR CLARIFICATION.

IF WE USE THE TERM PARKS, IT'S GOING TO BE WHATEVER OUR OTHER ORDINANCES DEFINE A PARK TO BE.

SO IF THE DEFINITION OF A PARK INCLUDES A LAND PRESERVE, WE'RE COVERED.

IF WE WANT TO SPECIFICALLY NAME IT, WE CAN CERTAINLY ADD LAND PRESERVES.

INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT, COULD YOU CLARIFY FOR THE BOARD IF THE DEFINITION OF PARKS DOES INCLUDE LAND PRESERVES, TRAILS, OR ARE THOSE SEPARATE? I TRIED TO PROLONG MY QUESTION TO GIVE YOU TIME.

I TRIED TO SPEAK SLOWLY.

IT ALSO DOES REFERENCE ANY TOWNSHIP PROPERTY.

RIGHT. SO IF IT'S OWNED BY THE TOWNSHIP, WE ARE COVERED IN THAT SENSE AS WELL.

THAT'S WHERE I'M BECAUSE THE DEFINITION OF PARK UNDER PARKS AND RECREATION IS SPECIFIC TO PARKS AND RECREATION, BECAUSE LAND PRESS HAS THEIR OWN ENABLING LEGISLATION.

SO I THINK WE'RE BETTER COVERED BY MR. HARKNESS'S RESPONSE THERE RATHER THAN TRYING TO ADAPT A DEFINITION.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

I'M SATISFIED WITH THAT.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.

I THINK YOU FOUND A GENERALLY RECEPTIVE BOARD.

IT SOUNDS LIKE WE MAY BE SEEING THIS TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE WE GET IT APPROVED.

MAYBE ONCE. WE'LL SEE.

BUT BUT THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THIS FORWARD TO US.

ALWAYS LIKE A PROACTIVE IDEA LIKE THAT.

[01:45:01]

ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP ON.

OH, WHAT HAVE I DONE? SORRY. NEXT UP ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM 13 B SPECIAL USE PERMIT NUMBER 2409 SANDS MERIDIEN LLC, 3520 OKEMOS ROAD.

[13.B. Special Use Permit #24-09 – SANDDS Meridian LLC– 3520 Okemos Road – Recreational Marijuana Retailer]

JUST ONE SECOND. MY APOLOGIES.

I LOST MY PLACE.

THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR JUST BUMPING THE SCREEN.

SO JUST TO GIVE EVERYONE A SENSE OF WHERE WE'RE AT OKEMOS JOLLY ROAD.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS SPOT RIGHT HERE ON THE EAST SIDE OF OKEMOS ROAD, JUST TO THE NORTH OF JOLLY ROAD.

THE APPLICANT HAS APPLIED TO ESTABLISH ADULT USE MARIJUANA PROVISIONING CENTER IN THE EXISTING SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE SHOPPING CENTER.

SITE'S ABOUT 0.4 ACRES ZONED COMMERCIAL.

THE OVERALL PROPERTY IS ABOUT 12,990FT².

THEY ARE NOT TAKING UP THAT ENTIRE SPACE.

THEY'RE TAKING UP THE SOUTHERN SPACE ONLY.

THE SITE ITSELF MEETS ALL THE UNDERLYING ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS IN THE C-2 DISTRICT AND THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED WITHIN THE MARIJUANA OVERLAY DISTRICT.

SO JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND THE TOWNSHIP'S BEEN DISCUSSING MARIJUANA FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

THE WAY OUR PROCESS WENT HERE WAS WE STARTED WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSING, AND WE ESTABLISHED A SERIES OF SEVEN DISTRICTS WHERE WE WERE GOING TO ALLOW ONE OF SEVERAL TYPES OF USES RELATED TO MARIJUANA WITHIN THOSE DISTRICTS.

WE DID A STAFF PURSUANT TO THE ORDINANCE, DID A SERIES OF RANDOM DRAWS TO DETERMINE WHO THE APPLICANT WAS IN EACH OF THOSE DISTRICTS. WE RECEIVED FIVE TOTAL APPLICANTS.

TWO OF THE SITES WERE ESSENTIALLY DEEMED NON-VIABLE BY THE INDUSTRY.

THIS WAS OUR MEDICAL APPLICANT FOR THIS DISTRICT.

SO THE DISTRICT AT JOLLY AND OKEMOS ROAD IN 2019, 2020, EACH OF THE APPLICANTS WENT THROUGH THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT PROCESS FOR MEDICAL RECEIVED SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPROVAL. THIS APPLICANT ACTUALLY STARTED CONSTRUCTION AND THEN COVID HIT AND LARGELY SHUT DOWN EVERYONE AND THIS APPLICANT DID CONTINUE CONSTRUCTION, ALBEIT AT A SLOW PACE, IN THE INTERVENING YEARS.

THE BOARD THEN CHOSE IN 2023 TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF PERMITTING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES IN THE TOWNSHIP, AND SO THAT STARTED WITH A REVIEW OF THE DISTRICTS, AT WHICH TIME WE ELIMINATED TWO DISTRICTS, SHRUNK TWO DISTRICTS AND THEN ESTABLISHMENT OF LICENSING STANDARDS AND ZONING STANDARDS FOR ADULT USE, NOT JUST MEDICAL USE.

AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS A LICENSING PROCESS SEPARATE FROM THE MEDICAL PROCESS BECAUSE UNDER THE STATE ENABLING LEGISLATION, THEY HAVE SEPARATE PROCESSES AND SO WE HAD TO DO THIS ONE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OUR MEDICAL LICENSE WAS ESSENTIALLY A RANDOM DRAW THAT WAS NOT PERMITTED FOR RECREATIONAL ADULT USE AND SO WE OPENED A WINDOW IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, RECEIVED ONE APPLICANT FOR THIS DISTRICT, THIS APPLICANT, THIS APPLICANT OWNS THE SHOPPING CENTER.

THEY PURCHASED IT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT OF CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY FOR THE SPACE FOR THE MEDICAL DISPENSARY.

THEY ARE NOW PROPOSING A NEW SPECIAL USE PERMIT AS THE LAST STEP IN THE PROCESS FOR AN ADULT USE FACILITY, AND SO THE LICENSE HAS BEEN CONDITIONALLY GRANTED ALREADY BY THE BOARD, BOTH FOR RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL.

THE MEDICAL SPECIAL USE PERMIT FUNCTIONALLY AT THIS POINT IS COMPLETE BECAUSE THEY HAVE OCCUPANCY TECHNICALLY AND SO THEY COULD OPEN SUBJECT TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY NEED TO FINISH SOME CABINETRY, IF MY UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY AND SO NOW WE ARE AT THE POINT OF SPECIAL USE PERMIT ANALYSIS FOR THE RECREATIONAL FACILITY AND SO JUST TO REMIND THE BOARD WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS EVENING IS UNDER SECTION 86- 126 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES.

THERE'S A SERIES OF NINE STANDARDS THERE AND THAT IS THE THOSE ARE THE DETERMINING FACTORS FOR ANY SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUEST.

EVERYTHING FROM BEING CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THE DISTRICT DOWN TO IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND SO THOSE NINE STANDARDS ARE WHAT'S BEING REVIEWED BY THE BOARD THIS EVENING IN THEIR REVIEW OF THIS DISCUSSION.

STAFF, THE STAFF REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION DATED MAY 13TH, 2024 GOES THROUGH EACH OF THEM WITH OUR AT LEAST INITIAL FEEDBACK.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID REVIEW THIS AND DID RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO THE BOARD UNDER THE ZONING ORDINANCE THAT THE BOARD DID ESTABLISH.

THE BOARD IS THE FINAL SAY FOR ALL MEDICAL AND RECREATIONAL MEDICAL AND ADULT USE MARIJUANA APPROVALS AND SO WE ARE IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING

[01:50:10]

I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AS WELL.

I WILL ALSO POINT OUT JUST TO BE COMPLETE, THE BOARD DOES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT IF UNDER THE ORDINANCE, YOU HAVE DETERMINED THAT THERE IS SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT IS NEEDED OR A FURTHER PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED.

YOU CAN HOLD THAT.

BUT THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID HOLD THE REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS MATTER, AS SHOWN BY THE MINUTES IN THE PACKET THIS EVENING AND WITH THAT, I WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT MAY HAVE ARISEN.

THANK YOU, INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT.

BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR AWAY I JUST WANT TO UNDERLINE AND UNDERSCORE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED IN THAT OVERVIEW AND CLARIFY, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF OUR AUDIENCE, WHO ISN'T NECESSARILY HERE FOR EVERY ONE OF THESE.

WHEN THE BOARD CONSIDERS ANY SPECIAL USE PERMIT MARIJUANA OR OTHERWISE.

WE ARE OBLIGATED TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT CRITERIA, AS IT'S LAID OUT IN OUR ORDINANCE. IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT IS AN ACCURATE STATEMENT AND SO WE ARE GENERALLY NOT PERMITTED TO CONSIDER ANYTHING THAT FALLS OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THOSE NINE CRITERIA.

CORRECT. OKAY.

THANK YOU. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MENTION ABOUT THE INCLUDED TRAFFIC STUDY IN THIS APPLICATION AND THE APPLICATION MATERIALS THAT WERE PROVIDED SPECIFICALLY, A LOT OF DISCUSSION AROUND THE TIMING OF THE GENERATION OF THAT TRAFFIC STUDY. IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE, CAN YOU GO OVER ONE MORE TIME, THE VALIDITY OF THE TRAFFIC STUDY FROM THE, FROM 2019? YEAH. SO LET ME START BY SAYING THAT THE PERSON THAT DID THIS STUDY IS ONE OF THE MOST WELL RESPECTED EXPERTS IN THE STATE.

AND BILL WAS OLD WHEN I WAS YOUNG, SO I TEND TO TRUST MR. STIMSON'S INFORMATION.

THERE IS NO FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE IN IT CLASSIFICATION BETWEEN RECREATION, BETWEEN ADULT USE AND MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

THEY ARE SIMPLY ONE USE.

IT IS A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY AND SO THAT DATA THAT WAS PROVIDED IN 2019 FROM A TRAFFIC GENERATION, FROM A TRAFFIC GENERATION PERSPECTIVE IS BASED ON A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY, HARD STOP AND SO THAT SHOWS THAT THERE WOULD BE A PEAK HOUR, 25 TRIPS IN THE MORNING AND 52 TRIPS AT PEAK HOUR IN THE EVENING. SO THAT FUNCTIONALLY HASN'T CHANGED.

I MEAN, THAT IS THE DATA THAT EXISTS THE BACKGROUND GROWTH AND THE OTHER CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED.

WHILE MAY HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE ACTUAL TRAFFIC COUNTS SPECIFICALLY DON'T IMPACT THE ACTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY, WHICH IS THAT THE EXPECTED IMPACTS OF ADDING SITE GENERATED TRAFFIC TO THE DRIVEWAYS ON OKEMOS ROAD ARE NEGLIGIBLE BECAUSE THE AT 20 5A.M.

TRIPS AND 50 2 P.M.

TRIPS, THAT WILL NOT CHANGE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT INTERSECTION FUNCTIONALLY, BECAUSE WE DON'T CONTROL OUR ROADS, THIS ULTIMATELY ALSO COMES DOWN TO THE ROAD DEPARTMENT.

IF THEY NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THAT THEY WILL SEEK ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

GIVEN THAT THIS IS A YOUTH SWAP INSTEAD OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THEY WILL NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SO SORRY, JUST TO PUT IT A SIMPLER WAY, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ADDITION OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM ON JOLLY ROAD. THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT A COUPLE OF OTHER AREAS AND SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY IS MEANT TO IDENTIFY ANY CHANGE IN TRAFFIC DUE TO THIS FACILITY SPECIFICALLY.

CORRECT AND IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT THAT IT OTHER THINGS WILL BE HAPPENING IN THE SURROUNDING AREA.

ABSOLUTELY. OKAY.

WE TO PUT IT EVEN SIMPLER.

YOU CAN'T PUT THE REQUIREMENT OF A FIX ON THE LAST PERSON IN AND SO THE TRAFFIC EXISTS AS IT IS, AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY ASSOCIATED WITH IT, UNLESS THEY WERE CAUSING A DETRIMENT TO THE LEVEL OF SERVICE.

YOU CAN'T PUT THE FIX ON THE LAST PERSON IN, AND I GUESS I ASSUME THAT THERE WAS A TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY DONE BY THE SPARROW, THEN SPARROW, NOW U OF M EMERGENCY FACILITY WHEN IT WAS BEING PITCHED.

I YES, ALTHOUGH THAT WAS LITERALLY THE FIRST PROJECT I WORKED ON HERE.

SO I APOLOGIZE IF MY MEMORY IS A LITTLE HAZY, BUT I DO BELIEVE THERE WAS ONE.

[01:55:04]

WE KNEW HOW MANY. LIKE THAT'S EASY.

YOU KNEW HOW A MEDICAL OFFICE IS A VERY EASY DRIVER OF TRAFFIC AND SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BRING? SURE AND THEN THE OVERALL TRAFFIC TRENDS BETWEEN THE PRE 2020 PERIOD AND TODAY, YOU HAD MENTIONED IT PREVIOUS MEETINGS THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE STILL LOWER ACROSS THE BOARD IN TRAFFIC VOLUME NOW THAN WE WERE PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.

WE'VE ABSOLUTELY SEEN THAT AND I THINK MOST RECENTLY THE ONE THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T REALLY BELIEVE US, BUT THAT THE REZONING REQUEST ON PARK LAKE ROAD AT GRAND RIVER, THE TRAFFIC HAD NOT RECOVERED DESPITE AND I LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

I GET IT, THERE'S MORE.

IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S MORE TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO COSTCO AND THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY IN FRONT OF YOU.

BUT THAT INTERSECTION HAD NOT GOTTEN BACK TO COVID LEVELS YET.

IT WAS CLOSED. IT WAS A REAL CLOSE.

BUT LIKE, THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY A THREE YEAR DROP OFF AND SO WE'RE JUST STARTING TO SEE WHERE TRAFFIC IMPACTS TRAFFIC.

TRAFFIC, BACK GROUND TRAFFIC LEVELS HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT OF PRE-COVID IN MOST CASES AND IT'S A VERY TRICKY THING ANECDOTALLY TODAY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN WITH THE CONSTRUCTION ON 127, WE SEE TRAFFIC DUMPING OFF ONTO JOLLY AND OKEMOS INTERSECTION AND A MUCH HIGHER RATE THAN WE EVER DID BEFORE. HOWEVER, OF COURSE THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROBLEM, RIGHT? THEY CAN'T POSSIBLY KEEP DOING CONSTRUCTION ON THAT ROAD FOREVER.

AT SOME POINT IT WON'T BE.

YOU KNOW, YOU'D THINK 127 BECOMES THE SHIP OF THESEUS AT SOME POINT, BUT YES, THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER ISSUE IS AT WHAT POINT DO YOU GET GOOD DATA? I MEAN, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE STATE IN THE LAST TWO TO 3 OR 4 YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT TWO, 3 OR 4 YEARS, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A VERY REAL FACTOR OUT THERE WITH RESPECT TO TRAFFIC AS IT RELATES TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION.

I MEAN, THERE'S ENOUGH OF IT THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY ALTERING TRAFFIC PATTERNS.

SURE. SO WE TALKED ABOUT TRAFFIC A LITTLE BIT.

HOW ABOUT LOCATION? SO WHAT I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE IN THE SPECIAL USE CRITERIA THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US IS A PROVISION THAT DISCUSSES GENERALLY, CAN SOMETHING BE HERE OR NOT? RIGHT. THERE ARE ROUNDABOUT WAYS TO MAYBE GET AT IT, BUT ESSENTIALLY OUR ORDINANCE, AS IT WAS PASSED IN 2023 FOR ADULT USE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA CREATED OVERLAY ZONES.

THIS BEING ONE OF THEM THE APPLICANT WHO APPLIED AND WAS SELECTED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS IS WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS TO OPERATE IN THE ZONE THAT WAS CREATED.

IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT? CORRECT. SUBJECT TO SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPROVAL? SURE. BUT THAT SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPROVAL DOESN'T NECESSARILY CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION IS SUITABLE OR NOT, BECAUSE THE UNDERLYING ZONING IS ALLOWED.

CORRECT. WHEN? WHEN THE BOARD [INAUDIBLE] YES.

WHEN THE BOARD ESTABLISHED THE OVERLAY MAP THAT FUNCTIONALLY STATED WITHIN THOSE RED LINES, ANY PROPERTY THAT MET THESE STANDARDS COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS USE.

YES. OKAY.

THANK YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MENTIONED IN THE SPECIAL USE CRITERIA IS ODOR AND I KNOW THAT THE ACTUALLY, IF OUR APPLICANT WOULDN'T MIND STOPPING BY REAL QUICK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, WE DO CONSIDER IS ODOR MITIGATION AND ENSURING THAT THESE DO NOT HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES AND OTHER USES.

IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE, CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE ODOR MITIGATION STRATEGY THAT YOU INCLUDED IN YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS? SURE. AS YOU STATED, WE DID SUBMIT AN ODOR MITIGATION PLAN.

IT IS REQUIRED IN MOST LICENSING APPLICATIONS, AND IT HAS BEEN APPLIED IN ALL OF OUR EXISTING OPERATIONS.

WE INSTALL BRAND NEW HVAC UNITS THAT HAVE WHAT ARE CALLED.

I MIGHT BE PRONOUNCING THIS WRONG, BUT HEPA FILTERS AND THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO FILTER OUT ANY ODORS THAT ARE WITHIN THE FACILITY TO STAY

[02:00:09]

WE DO NOT ALLOW ANY UNPACKAGED MARIJUANA INSIDE OF OUR RETAIL STORES.

THERE ARE SOME STORES THAT TAKE IN ORDERS THAT ARE IN BULK, AND THEY'LL PACKAGE THEM IN A ROOM TO GET THEM READY FOR THE SALES FLOOR.

THAT CREATES A LOT MORE ODOR, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT'S UNPACKAGED MARIJUANA AND IT'S OUT IN THE OPEN.

THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS ALLOWABLE WITHIN OUR OPERATIONS.

EVERYTHING IS PREPACKAGED AND GOING TO GET INVENTORIED AND THEN ON TO THE SALES FLOOR.

SO THAT IN AND OF ITSELF REDUCES ANY POTENTIAL ODORS.

OKAY. THANK YOU AND THEN, TIM, THE TENANTS OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT CRITERIA, THOSE ARE INTENDED TO REGULATE THE PROPRIETORS OF THE BUSINESS, NOT THE CUSTOMERS OF THE BUSINESS.

WOULD THAT BE AN ACCURATE STATEMENT? ABSOLUTELY CORRECT AND SO THE COMMENT ABOUT, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY LEAVE THE STORE.

THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THIS BOARD IS PERMITTED TO CONSIDER AS IT IS NOT A TENANT OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT PROCESS.

I CANNOT THINK OF A SCENARIO UNDER WHICH I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU DO THAT.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO WRITE DOWN SOME OF THE OTHER SPECIAL USE CRITERIA.

IT'S ADEQUATELY SERVED BY PUBLIC FACILITIES.

THIS IS AN EXISTING COMMERCIAL COMPLEX AND THEREFORE GENERALLY IS, I PRESUME, CORRECT.

OKAY. IT'S ADEQUATELY SERVED BY PUBLIC SANITATION FACILITIES.

OBVIOUSLY, THIS HAS BEEN AN EXISTING COMMERCIAL COMPLEX AND SO WOULD BE ADEQUATELY SERVED.

WE DON'T EXPECT THERE TO BE ANY GLARE, NOISE, SMOKE, THAT SORT OF THING FROM A FACILITY LIKE THIS AND SO THEN, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IN MY REVIEW OF THE SPECIAL USE CRITERIA AND WHAT WE ARE LEGALLY ALLOWED TO CONSIDER.

I FIND IT A VERY DIFFICULT ROAD TO HOE TO SAY THAT WE COULD DO ANYTHING BUT MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS APPLICATION. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT FROM FOLKS WHO ARE UPSET OR WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS NOT HAPPEN.

THE REALITY IS THAT THE APPLICANT HAS APPLIED IN A WAY THAT IS LEGALLY ACCEPTABLE AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, PROVIDED PERHAPS THE MOST COMPLETE AND MOST THOROUGH APPLICATION OF ANY OF THE APPLICANTS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE TOWNSHIP.

SO THIS IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A REFERENDUM ON WHETHER OR NOT THE COMMUNITY DOES OR DOES NOT ACCEPT ADULT USE MARIJUANA.

THE PLACE FOR THAT IS AT THE BALLOT BOX AND THAT HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE TOWNSHIP.

IT WAS BROUGHT UP ONCE ALREADY DURING PUBLIC COMMENT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN 2018, WHEN THE STATEWIDE INITIATIVE WAS BEING PASSED PASSED IN JUST FROM THE VOTERS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, 55.89% TO 44.11%.

I'M SORRY, THAT WAS THE STATEWIDE VOTE.

THE LOCAL VOTE WAS ACTUALLY FIVE POINTS BETTER THAN THAT.

IT PASSED 60.83 TO 39.17% AND TURNOUT IN THAT ELECTION WAS AT NEARLY 70% FOR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

THE LOCAL INITIATIVE HAS BEEN DISCUSSED.

THE OPT OUT INITIATIVE THAT OCCURRED IN 2022 DID COME DOWN TO A HANDFUL OF VOTES.

THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

HOWEVER, TURNOUT IN THAT ELECTION WAS AT 35%.

SO TURNOUT IN THE AUGUST OF 2022 ELECTION, SPECIFIC TO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, WAS HALF OF WHAT IT WAS WHEN THE STATEWIDE INITIATIVE PASSED IN 2018.

AND SO AS I'VE WRESTLED WITH, YOU KNOW, MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON ADULT USE MARIJUANA, AND I LOOK TO, YOU KNOW, ASK MYSELF WHICH OF THOSE TWO RESULTS IS A BETTER REFLECTION OF HOW THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE FEELS ABOUT THIS ISSUE? I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE ELECTION WHERE WE HAD TWICE AS MUCH VOTER TURNOUT IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND THE RESULT PASSED 60 TO 39. THAT'S WHERE I COME FROM ON THIS ISSUE.

A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS THAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID REVIEW THIS A NUMBER OF TIMES AND RECOMMENDED THIS PROJECT UNANIMOUSLY TO THE BOARD.

[02:05:06]

WHEN THEY DO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATION AUTHORITY TO US AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS FACILITY WOULD POSSIBLY EXPAND IN THE FUTURE.

THE OWNERSHIP OF THE PLAZA BEING A MATTER OF CONCERN FOR A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

AS I UNDERSTAND IT AND PERHAPS MANAGER SCHMIDTT CAN HELP ME TO VERIFY THERE IS ACTUALLY A PROHIBITION ON THAT.

THEY WOULD HAVE TO, I GUESS, COME BACK FOR ANOTHER SPECIAL USE PERMIT IF THEY WERE GOING TO EXPAND AND EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO I BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH FACILITY TO THE NORTH WOULD PRECLUDE THEM FROM DOING SO ANYWAY.

IS THAT ACCURATE? YES.

SO THIS PROPERTY IS ACTUALLY SPLIT, WHICH IS THE SOUTHERN PORTION, WHICH IS WHERE WE'RE DISCUSSING THIS EVENING, IS THE APPROPRIATE DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE LANSING CHINESE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE PROPERTY IS NOT.

SO THAT WOULD EXPANSION OF THIS FACILITY IS NOT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE POSSIBLE UNDER OUR ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

I'VE TALKED FOR A LONG WHILE, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S INDULGENCE IN ME GOING THROUGH THAT.

IT'S BEEN HELPFUL FOR ME TO SORT OF GO THROUGH THOSE CRITERIA.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WISHING TO COMMENT.

TRUSTEE MCCURTIS I HAVE A COMMENT.

QUESTION, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SUBJECTIVE OR IF WE HAD ANY TYPE OF STUDY DONE BUT NUMBERS FOUR AND FIVE, WHICH IS WHAT A LOT OF THE CITIZENS ARE TALKING ABOUT AS WELL.

THE PROJECT WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT OR BE HAZARDOUS TO EXISTING NEIGHBORING USES AND SEEMS A BIT SUBJECTIVE.

THE CRITERIA IS THERE, BUT IN TERMS OF HOW DO WE JUDGE THAT? AND ALSO FOR NUMBER FIVE, HOW DO WE JUDGE IF THE PROJECT WILL NOT BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE ECONOMIC WELFARE OF SURROUNDING PROPERTIES OR THE COMMUNITY? SO WE TALK ABOUT PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, BEING LOWERED OR, YOU KNOW, HOME VALUE, PROPERTY VALUE BEING LOWERED.

HAS THERE BEEN ANY TYPE OF STUDY DONE TO, YOU KNOW, TO MEET THESE TWO CRITERIA? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? NO IT DOES.

IT'S A GOOD QUESTION AND SO TYPICALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT ESPECIALLY SPECIAL USE PERMIT CRITERIA THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING WITHIN THE APPLICATION THAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A HAZARDOUS SITUATION.

FOR NUMBER 4, A HAZARDOUS IMPACT ON THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES.

SO IN REVIEWING THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS FUNCTIONALLY, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT OR NOT LIKE IT IS JUST A RETAIL USE.

THEY'RE NOT PROCESSING, THEY'RE NOT PACKAGING, THEY'RE NOT DOING DISTILLATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

IT IS LITERALLY A CASH TRANSACTION, CREDIT TRANSACTION, HOWEVER IT WORKS AND SO TYPICALLY WITH A RETAIL USE, THERE'S NOT YOU WOULD NOT FIND THAT SORT OF HAZARDOUS IMPACT AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE ANALYSIS THAT WE GO THROUGH.

ON THE DETRIMENTAL THE ECONOMIC WELFARE I MEAN, STAFF HAS LOOKED INTO THIS.

THERE'S NOT A LONG TERM STUDY THAT HAS ANY INDICATION THAT THIS USE HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SURROUNDING PROPERTY VALUES.

THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES ARE ALL COMMERCIAL.

IN FACT, YOUR COMMERCIAL SEVERAL DEEP.

YOU'VE GOT AN ARBY'S, YOU'VE GOT A CAR DEALERSHIP, YOU'VE GOT AN OFFICE PARK.

YOU'VE GOT A HOTEL.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF COMMERCIAL USES AND COMMERCIAL USES.

I DON'T WANT TO SAY FUNGIBLE, BUT THEY'RE RESILIENT TO THE SURROUNDING USES.

I MEAN, THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE.

HOTEL IS BASED OFF OF THE HOTEL VALUES, TYPICALLY BASED OFF OF ITS OCCUPANCY RATES.

YOU KNOW DRIVE THROUGH RESTAURANTS GOING TO BE BASED OFF HOW MUCH BUSINESS THEY DO AND HOW MANY CARS TRAVEL IN FRONT OF ON A DAILY BASIS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THE SURROUNDING USES TYPICALLY DON'T HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE USE TYPICALLY DOESN'T HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON COMMERCIAL WHEN IT'S IN THIS SITUATION. NOW, IF WE WERE DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO RESIDENTIAL, WE MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION HERE, BECAUSE I CAN CERTAINLY SEE FURTHER ANALYSIS THAT WHEN YOU'RE DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO RESIDENTIAL, YOU MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM.

BUT LUCKILY, WE'RE IN A SITUATION IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THAT.

WE'RE SURROUNDED BY COMMERCIAL IN THESE CASES AND THAT GOES TO HOW WE ESTABLISH THESE DISTRICTS.

YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO ESTABLISH THEM IN SUCH A WAY THAT THERE WASN'T GOING TO BE THOSE IMPACTS.

THANK YOU. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

[02:10:02]

SO TRUSTEE MCCURTIS HAD ASKED ABOUT QUESTION NUMBER FOUR, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT THAT AS WELL.

SO WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IN YOUR RESPONSE IS THAT THE EXISTING NEIGHBORING USES ARE NOT HOMES.

IT IS THE COMMERCIAL AREA THAT IS THE EXISTING NEIGHBORING USES THAT IT'S TALKING ABOUT IN QUESTION NUMBER FOUR FOR THIS PARTICULAR SHOP.

IS THAT CORRECT? SO YEAH.

YES. THE EXISTING AREA IS COMMERCIAL IN NATURE.

YES. OKAY. DOESN'T GO BEYOND THAT.

I MEAN, SO I'M NOT NECESSARILY FORECLOSING ON THAT POSSIBILITY, BUT THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING IN THE APPLICATION THAT WOULD LEAD US TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PROPERTIES FURTHER AWAY.

RIGHT. YOU'RE TYPICALLY MOST FOCUSED ON THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY ADJACENT BECAUSE AS AS OF ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, LOCATION IS PARAMOUNT AND THE THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY ADJACENT ARE GOING TO BE THE ONES THAT TAKE THE MOST IMPACT IF THERE IS A NEGATIVE EXTERNALITY.

AS YOU GET FURTHER AWAY, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING AS PART OF THAT APPLICATION THAT WE BELIEVE IS NOT BEING MITIGATED THROUGH THE APPLICATIONS PROPOSAL THAT WE THINK IS NOW GOING TO CAUSE THAT PROBLEM.

STAFF AT THIS POINT HAS NOT IDENTIFIED ANYTHING THAT WE BELIEVE WOULD RUN AFOUL OF QUESTION FOUR.

SO IS IT IS THE EXISTING NEIGHBORING USES? IS THAT IS THE NEIGHBORING USES OUTLINED IN THE OVERLAY DISTRICT AS COMMERCIAL? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? DOES THAT QUESTION MAKE SENSE? SO THE IN THE OVERLAY DISTRICT, IT REFERS TO THE EXISTING.

THE OVERLAY MAP REFERS TO THE EXISTING ZONING OF THE ADJACENT PROPERTIES AND THEY ARE ALL COMMERCIAL.

YES OKAY AND SO QUESTION NUMBER 4 YOU ADDRESSED THE HAZARDOUS COMPONENT OF THAT.

BUT IN THE BUT THAT CRITERIA I'M SORRY NOT QUESTION THAT CRITERIA AND 4 ALSO HAS A FIRST PART THAT SAYS THE PROJECT WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT YOU ADDRESS THE HAZARDOUS PORTION AND TRUSTEE MCCURTIS QUESTION, BUT NOT THE FIRST PORTION OF THAT WHICH WHICH IS NOT ADVERSELY AFFECTING.

COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO THE BOARD HOW STAFF OR THE PLANNING COMMISSION DETERMINED THAT THE FIRST PORTION OF THIS CRITERIA FOR THIS SCP DOES NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE NEIGHBORING USES.

YES. I MEAN, STAFFS ARE TO BE SO WORDY.

NO. YOU'RE OKAY. I'M HERE TO SERVE THE EVERYTHING I SAID, FRANKLY, STILL QUALIFIES HERE.

FUNCTIONALLY, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A RETAIL USE.

IT MAY SELL A PRODUCT THAT PEOPLE FIND OBJECTIONABLE, BUT IT IS A RETAIL USE AND IT IS A FULLY PACKAGED RETAIL USE AND SO THERE IS NOTHING IN OUR ANALYSIS, AND WE'RE OBVIOUSLY HAPPY TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THESE MEETINGS.

IF PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING FROM THIS USE THAT WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT OR BE HAZARDOUS TO ANEIGHBORING USE.

ABSOLUTELY OPEN TO HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.

BUT FROM OUR ANALYSIS, THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF USE THAT'S GOING TO HAVE ANY.

THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A NEGATIVE EXTERNALITY TO THIS USE, AND THAT IS THE SAME FOR THE CRITERIA IN NUMBER FIVE, I'M ASSUMING, IS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING FOUND TO BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE ECONOMIC WELFARE OF THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES, AND THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES ARE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN THIS SUP AND I WILL SAY THAT STAFF HAS FOUND.

NO NONE OF THE STAFF HAS FOUND THAT NONE OF THE NINE CRITERIA ARE NOT MET WITH THIS APPLICATION.

OKAY. COULD CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME AND CRITERIA NUMBER SIX.

FOR AN SUP AND I THINK THIS IS A BIG CONCERN THAT WE'VE HEARD IN REGARDS TO SCHOOLS AND I KNOW OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL IS DOWN THE STREET ON JOLLY ROAD, AND OKEMOS SCHOOL DISTRICT DID CHOOSE TO PUT THEIR SCHOOL NEXT TO A LIQUOR STORE.

AND I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE THE DISTANCE OF THIS MARIJUANA FACILITY ON OKEMOS ROAD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE HIGH SCHOOL, AS WE HEARD FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE AND HOW NUMBER SIX ADEQUATELY SERVES EXISTING ROADS, SCHOOLS AND THAT SORT OF THING.

[02:15:01]

RIGHT. THE QUESTION IS YEAH.

CRITERIA NUMBER SIX REFERS TO PUBLIC SERVICES BEING AVAILABLE FOR THE USE, NOT LOCATION.

AGAIN, LOCATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS SPECIFIC ANY OF THE NINE CRITERIA REALLY.

THE LOCATION CRITERIA ARE FOUND IN THE THE ZONING OVERLAY DISTRICT IN 86 FOR 45 AND IT IS IT MEETS THE PROPOSED USE MEETS THE STANDARDS IN SUB E2 AND E3, WHICH THOUSAND FEET FOR ANY PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SCHOOL MEASURED HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN NEAREST PROPERTY LINES AND SO WHAT SIX IS DOING SIX IS ASKING CANDIDLY.

SIX RELATES FAR MORE TO RESIDENTIAL THAN COMMERCIAL BECAUSE SIX IS ASKING IF I BROUGHT IN THIS THOUSAND UNIT APARTMENT COMPLEX, CAN IT BE SERVED BY WATER? CAN IT BE SERVED BY THE SCHOOLS? CAN IT BE SERVED BY THE EXISTING ROADS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC RECREATION? BECAUSE WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS BRING IN A USE THAT OVER THAT OVERRUNS ONE OF THOSE, BECAUSE THOSE TEND TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE FIXES AND SO SIX, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH IT DOES APPLY, OUR SPECIAL USE PERMIT CRITERIA APPLY TO ALL SPECIAL USE PERMITS.

WE DON'T DIFFERENTIATE.

BUT I WILL SAY THAT IS ONE THAT DEFINITELY APPLIES MORE TO RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL USES.

OKAY AND THEN IN WAS EITHER TRUSTEE MCCURTIS OR SUPERVISOR HENDRICKSON WHO ASKED ABOUT THIS, I CAN'T REMEMBER.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF THE FACILITY NOT BEING POSSIBLE TO THE NORTH.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO THE SOUTH OR.

NO. THE FACILITY IS NOT EXPANDABLE AT THIS POINT.

SO THEY ARE UNDER OUR CURRENT SET OF ORDINANCES BECAUSE THE WAY THOSE BUILDINGS, I MEAN, THE BUILDINGS ARE OBVIOUSLY BUILT PRIOR TO MOST OF OUR ZONING ORDINANCE STANDARDS ANYWAY.

SO YES, I VENTURE A GUESS THAT IT IS AN EXISTING NON-CONFORMING FROM SETBACK PERSPECTIVE AND SO EXPANSION OF THE BUILDING EITHER TO THE EAST OR TO THE SOUTH IS PROBABLY GOING TO RUN INTO SETBACK ISSUE.

EXPANSION TO THE NORTH IS NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEN YOU RUN INTO THE THOUSAND FOOT ISSUE.

EXPANSION TO THE WEST WOULD THEORETICALLY BE POSSIBLE, BUT THEN YOU'D HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PARKING, WHICH IS PROBABLY ALREADY NON-CONFORMING AS WELL, AND THERE'S NO PLACE TO PUT MORE PARKING AND SO FUNCTIONALLY, THIS IS WHAT IT IS, THAT BOX IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES IN OUR UNDERLYING ZONING, WHICH WOULD BE A MUCH BIGGER DISCUSSION.

THANK YOU. I THINK THOSE WERE ALL MY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

PLEASURE TO SHANE.

THANK YOU. DURING THE A FEW POINTS I WANT TO BRING UP, YOU'RE GETTING THE TRAFFIC IMPACT.

YOU SAID THAT THE ASSUMPTION OF THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER WAS THAT RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL WERE FUNCTIONING THE SAME IN TERMS OF THE TRAFFIC IMPACT IS THAT IT'S NOT THEIR OPINION.

SO TRAFFIC ENGINEERS USE IT.

I'M SORRY. INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS MANUALS, TRIP GENERATION MANUALS AND IT THE RECOGNIZED STANDARD DOES NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MEDICAL AND ADULT USE.

OKAY THAT WE'RE AWARE OF.

THAT SEEMS TO BE A STRANGE ASSUMPTION.

WE APPROVED THESE MEDICAL FACILITIES, MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES, AND ACROSS THE BOARD THEY SAID, WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT NOW BECAUSE THERE'S NO DEMAND FOR THAT AND THEN WHEN WE OPENED IT UP TO RECREATIONAL, OF COURSE, WE HAD MANY APPLICANTS.

SO WHAT ARE POTENTIAL LICENSEES ARE TELLING US IS THAT ONE'S VERY VIABLE.

IT WOULD CREATE A FAIR AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AND ONE WOULD CREATE NEGLIGIBLE TRAFFIC.

BUT I THINK I DON'T DISAGREE IN OUR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE.

I THINK THE KEY TO REMEMBER WITH IT IS THEY'RE COLLECTING DATA NATIONWIDE, IF NOT WORLDWIDE.

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY AND SO THEY'RE SEEING DATA FROM DISPENSARIES.

IN STATES THAT HAVE NOT ADOPTED ADULT USE AND SO THEY'RE AMALGAMATING ALL THE DATA.

RIGHT, WRONG OR INDIFFERENT, I AM NOT A TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER.

TRUST ME, I DIDN'T WANT TO GO DOWN THAT ROUTE.

BUT IT IS THE RECOGNIZED STANDARD HERE AND THAT IS THE DATA THAT'S PROVIDED.

I ALSO APPRECIATE TRUSTEE MCCURTIS QUESTIONS ABOUT FOUR AND FIVE AND AS WELL AS CLERK GUTHRIE BRINGING THESE UP, I THINK WE WANT TO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS SPECIAL USE CRITERIA, WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT FIVE.

BECAUSE IF FIVE SAID THE PROJECT WILL NOT BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL WELFARE OF THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY OF THE COMMUNITY, THAT WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT DISCUSSION HERE, IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING TONIGHT, IS CONCERN ABOUT THE SOCIAL IMPACT ON THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES AND THE COMMUNITY.

[02:20:08]

BUT CERTAINLY WE ARE HEARING A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF THIS ON THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES, NEIGHBORS AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

THAT'S MORE OF A QUESTION OR COMMENT THAN A QUESTION.

REGARDING THE SUPERVISOR'S COMMENT ABOUT THE VOTE ON THESE TWO ISSUES, YOU'RE RIGHT.

THE 2018 VOTE WAS 6240, BUT IT WAS A DIFFERENT VOTE.

IT WAS A VOTE. DO WE WANT TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA AND ALLOW COMMUNITIES TO OPT IN OR OPT OUT? THE 2022 VOTE WAS JUST THAT.

DO WE WANT TO OPT IN OR OPT OUT AND THAT VOTE WAS SIX VOTES FROM BEING DECIDED EITHER WAY AND AS THE SUPERVISOR KNOWS, WE HAD TO STOP COUNTING ON THAT BECAUSE WE HAD CERTAIN PRECINCTS THAT WERE DISALLOWED FOR RECOUNT BY THE COUNTY CLERK.

BASED ON WHAT WE SAW TONIGHT, I THINK A HIGHER TURNOUT ON THAT REFERENDUM HAD BEEN CLOSER TO 50 OR 60.

WE WOULD LIKELY HAD A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.

I THINK IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS, SOMEONE MADE A COMMENT EARLIER, ONE OF OUR COMMENTERS ABOUT WHY HAVEN'T ASKED HIM.

WELL, WE'RE DOING THESE COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSIONS ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER.

WE DID OUR SIX LISTENING SESSIONS LAST YEAR, WHICH WE'VE BEEN A GREAT IDEA.

WE'VE REALLY GOTTEN GREAT FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.

WE STARTED ALL THESE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR, AND I WONDER, I THINK IT'S A LOSS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE INSIGHT TO DO THAT BEFORE WE WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BECAUSE WE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN MORE FEEDBACK ON THIS.

THESE HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT FORUMS TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY AND MANY OF THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT DID NOT KNOW WHAT WE WERE DECIDING WHEN WE PASSED THIS LAST IN JUNE OF 2023. WE DID NOT NOTIFY PEOPLE OR DID PUT IT IN OUR PUBLIC NOTICE, BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY BUSY IN THEIR LIVES.

THEY'VE GOT FAMILIES, THEY'VE GOT DEMANDING JOBS, THEY'VE GOT LOTS OF OTHER DEMANDS ON THEIR TIME.

THEY AREN'T LIKELY CHECKING IN ON THE TOWNSHIP BOARD AGENDA EVERY WEEK.

THEY'VE GOT A 100 OTHER MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THEY FOCUS ON.

IF WE'VE TAKEN THIS MESSAGE TO THEM, AS WE HAVE THE PROPOSED SENIOR CENTER, COMMUNITY CENTER AND OTHER TOPICS, WE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN MORE FEEDBACK ON THAT.

THAT WOULD HAVE INFORMED US.

I THINK THAT WAS A LOSS.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT INSIGHT BACK THEN.

NOT IT'S NO ONE'S FAULT.

WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY WOULD BE.

THEY'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL HERE.

IN TERMS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION ON THIS.

I MEAN, WE JUST WE HAD A90 VOTE FROM PLANNING COMMISSION TO BUILD A THREE STORY, 999 UNIT STORAGE FACILITY RIGHT OFF OF GRAND RIVER, WHICH THIS BOARD VOTED DOWN SEVEN TO NOTHING.

SO PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION IS BY NO MEANS A GUARANTEE.

THIS BOARD IS GOING TO ENDORSE IT.

I ALSO WANT TO THANK THOSE THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT FOR COMING, GIVING YOUR EVENING UP TO SHARE WITH US YOUR CONCERNS.

I'M SURE THEY'VE BEEN WE'VE GOTTEN 35, 40 VERY THOUGHTFUL, ARTICULATE LETTERS FROM ALL OF YOU ABOUT WHY YOU'VE OPPOSED THIS AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT AND TIME YOU PUT YOU PUT INTO THIS.

YOUR FEEDBACK IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND INFORMS ME AND OTHERS HERE ON THE BOARD OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS DECISION.

I TRULY WISH WE COULD HAVE HAD THIS FEEDBACK EARLIER, PARTICULARLY BEFORE JUNE OF 2021, JUNE OF 2023, WHEN WE WE OPTED IN TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.

BUT I DO VERY MUCH.

I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR OUR WELL INFORMED COMMUNITY AND THOSE THAT CAME TONIGHT.

THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS TRUSTEE WILSON.

TIM, I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT SIGNAGE.

YES, MA'AM.

THERE'S A SMALL SIGN THAT'S COVERED ON THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING.

WILL THAT BE THE EXTENT OF THE SIGNAGE THERE? I DO NOT HAVE THAT ANSWER.

I'D HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT THE PREVIOUS SIGN SIZE WAS.

ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT WE'VE CHANGED THE ORDINANCE SINCE THEN.

COULD YOU SPEAK TO WHAT IS ALLOWED TO BE ON A SIGN AND WHETHER IF THERE'S SIGNAGE ON THE BUILDING, IS THERE OTHER SIGNAGE ALLOWED ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PROPERTY? SO ANY BUSINESS IS PERMITTED?

[02:25:03]

BUT THEIR GROUND SIGN DOESN'T HAVE.

RIGHT. SO SOME OF THE SHOPPING CENTERS HAVE NAMES LISTED.

SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, THIS IS THEIR GROUND SIGN FOR THE SHOPPING CENTER.

IT WOULD REQUIRE COMPLETE RENOVATION OF THE SIGN.

ALSO NOT TO GET TOO DEEP IN THE WEEDS.

WE'D HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THIS SIGN ACTUALLY IS AS IT RELATES TO THE PROPERTY LINE, SO IT BECOMES SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLICATED.

TO ANSWER THE SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION.

SUFFICE TO SAY, I CAN TELL YOU THERE WILL BE A WALL SIGN.

I DO NOT EXPECT THERE WILL BE A GROUND SIGN AT THIS TIME.

THE GROUND SIGN.

WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL STANDARDS IN THE LICENSING PROVISIONS WHICH OBVIOUSLY ARE NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION THIS EVENING.

BUT IF I CAN PULL THEM UP QUICKLY, I WILL SHARE THEM WITH YOU.

APOLOGIES. I WAS NOT ANTICIPATING THIS QUESTION.

SORRY. NO, I HAVE A LOT OF TABS OPEN.

THINKING I WAS GOING TO COVER MOST EVERYTHING.

THERE'S RESTRICTIONS AND THERE IT IS.

SO THE PROVISIONS THAT WE PUT IN THE LICENSING, NO PICTURES, PHOTOGRAPHS, DRAWINGS OR OTHER DEPICTIONS OF MARIJUANA OR MARIJUANA PARAPHERNALIA SHOULD APPEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF ANY PERMITTED PREMISES, NOR THE VISIBLE OUTSIDE OF THE PERMITTED PREMISES ON THE PERMITTED PROPERTY.

THE WORDS MARIJUANA, CANNABIS AND ANY OTHER WORDS USED OR INTENDED TO CONVEY THE PRESENCE OR AVAILABILITY OF MARIJUANA SHALL NOT APPEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PERMITTED PREMISES, NOR BE VISIBLE OUTSIDE THE PREMISES ON THAT PORTION.

SO FUNCTIONALLY, THE PART THAT THE KEY PART FROM THE BOARD'S PERSPECTIVE IS THE WORDS MARIJUANA, CANNABIS, AND ANY OTHER WORDS USED TO INTEND OR CONVEY THE PRESENCE OF AVAILABILITY OF MARIJUANA SHALL NOT APPEAR SO.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES, AS WE SAID, WHEN WE REVIEWED THE LICENSING ORDINANCE, WE CAN REGULATE THE CONTENT BECAUSE IT IS TECHNICALLY FEDERALLY.

THERE ARE FEDERAL ISSUES WITH IT.

SO WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE THAT WE ARE OUT OF BOUNDS REGULATING CONTENT HERE.

THAT'S THE ONLY TIME I'LL EVER SAY THAT.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

I DO FEEL OBLIGATED TO RESPOND TO ONE COMMENT FROM TREASURER DESCHAINE.

AS MY DAY JOB IS IN THE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE WE DID NOT STOP COUNTING.

EVERY COUNTABLE PRECINCT WAS FULLY RECOUNTED AS WAS APPLICABLE THROUGH THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS AND PRACTICES. ANY BALLOT BAGS THAT WERE NOT OPENED WERE NOT OPENED BECAUSE STATE LAW PROHIBITED THEM FROM BEING OPENED.

SO WE DID NOT STOP COUNTING.

I JUST THERE'S A LOT OF THERE'S A SORE SUBJECT ABOUT ELECTIONS.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE INFORMATION 100% ACCURATE AND CORRECT.

MY POINT WAS JUST THAT THEY WEREN'T ALL RECOUNTED AND I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE FOLLOWING THE STATE REGULATIONS, BUT THE EFFECT WAS WE COULDN'T RECOUNT ALL OF THE BALLOTS.

TRUSTEE TREZISE. YEAH AND ALSO WITH THAT ELECTION WE'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS TONIGHT THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS IN THE WORKS.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA WAS GOING TO BE CONSIDERED IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

THERE WAS AN ORGANIZED OPPOSITION TO ALLOWING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA FACILITIES.

OPPOSED TO THAT ORDINANCE? AS A MATTER OF FACT.

THE VOTE CAME UP AS A RESULT OF A PETITION DRIVE AND SO THERE WAS INFORMATION AVAILABLE AND CIRCULATED BY OPPOSING GROUPS AT THAT TIME AND STILL, ALTHOUGH IT WAS A SMALL TURNOUT, IT WAS PASSED OR IT WAS REJECTED.

I MEAN, IT WAS A VERY POORLY WORDED PROPOSAL, BUT AT ANY RATE, THE APPROVAL FOR THE MARIJUANA SALES OR FACILITIES WAS APPROVED AT THAT ELECTION.

EVER SINCE, THE TOWNSHIP HAS BEEN INVOLVED OR LOOKING AT EITHER RECREATIONAL OR MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT STRIDES OR GREAT PURPOSE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DID NOT BECOME AN OASIS OF MARIJUANA SHOPS.

WE RESTRICTED THE NUMBER OF AREAS WHERE IT COULD BE IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

WHAT COULD BE DONE IN THOSE AREAS AND RESTRICTED THEM TO EITHER INDUSTRIAL OR COMMERCIAL SITES? WHEN IT CAME TO RECREATIONAL, WE FURTHER RESTRICTED THAT FROM SEVEN AREAS TO FIVE, AGAIN IN COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS

[02:30:03]

THIS JUST HAPPENS TO BE ONE THAT IS FACING US BASED ON THE CRITERIA ON THE SUP.

IF WE CAN'T FIND THAT THEY HAVEN'T MET SOME OF THE CRITERIA THE STATE AND FEDERAL STATUTES INDICATE OR THE POLICY INDICATES, AND THE LAW INDICATES WE WILL BE APPROVING THE SUP.

IT IS AT THIS POINT THE QUESTION IS THERE ANY ONE OF THOSE NINE CRITERIA THAT THEY VIOLATE OR HAVEN'T MET? AND I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING.

MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO.

GO AGAINST OR EVEN CONSIDER GOING AGAINST THE THE VOICES WE'VE HEARD TONIGHT.

BUT FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE.

I'M WILLING TO LISTEN TO ANYBODY ON THE BOARD THAT THINKS WE DO AND THEIR RATIONALE FOR IT.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S THE WAY THE ORDINANCE IS WRITTEN.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.

SO THEN HERE WE FIND OURSELVES, HAVING TALKED ABOUT THIS A NUMBER OF TIMES AND HAVING HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF OUR MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC. THIS MATTER IS BEFORE US THIS EVENING FOR DISCUSSION.

IT IS NOT BEFORE US THIS EVENING FOR US TO TAKE ACTION.

WE GENERALLY, AT THIS POINT, DO PROVIDE THE STAFF WITH SOME DIRECTION AS TO THE FEELINGS AND SENTIMENTS OF THE BOARD. I THINK GIVEN THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE AND THE WEIGHTINESS OF IT THAT IT MIGHT BE PRUDENT TO ASK OUR STAFF TO GENERATE TWO MEMOS.

SORRY, TWO RESOLUTIONS.

RESOLUTIONS PRIOR TO OUR NEXT MEETING.

SO THAT WE MAY HAVE TIME TO CONSIDER THAT ALONG WITH TWO MOTIONS.

THIS MATTER WILL BE BEFORE US AGAIN ON AUGUST.

OCTOBER? I DON'T KNOW WHAT MONTH IT IS.

THIS MATTER WILL BE BEFORE US FOR ACTION ON AUGUST 8TH.

THAT IS A THURSDAY AND DOES DEPART FROM OUR GENERAL MEETING CALENDAR.

I MENTION THAT FOR OUR PUBLIC IN THE ROOM AND THAT IS BECAUSE AUGUST 6TH IS ELECTION DAY AND THIS ROOM IS NOT AVAILABLE TO US BECAUSE IT'S BEING USED FOR BY CLERK GUTHRIE FOR OUR ELECTIONS AND SO WE'LL BE MEETING AT 6 P.M.

IN THIS ROOM ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 8TH, WHEREUPON WE WILL TAKE FINAL ACTION ON THIS MATTER.

IS THERE ANY OBJECTION FROM THE BOARD TO THAT COURSE OF ACTION?NO.

SEEING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT.

THANK YOU. NEXT UP ON OUR AGENDA IS.

OH, GOODNESS. ZOOM ITEM 13 C ORDINANCE 2024-07 REZONE TWO PARCELS AT 350 HASLETT ROAD AND THE

[13.C. Ordinance 2024-07 – Rezone Two Parcels at 350 Haslett Road and the Adjacent Vacant Parcel from RR, Rural Residential, to RA, Single-Family Residential]

SO TRUE. THAT IS THE REQUEST BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING IS TO REZONE.

TWO PROPERTIES.

ONE IS THIS LITTLE VACANT SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE RIGHT THERE, AND THE OTHER IS THIS VERY BIG VACANT PROPERTY RIGHT HERE.

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE AT, THIS IS HASLETT ROAD.

THIS IS COPPER CREEK.

PHASES 1 THROUGH 4.

THIS IS THE PROPERTY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE EXTENSION OF COPPER CREEK.

THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

THEY'VE HAD PREVIOUS PLANS APPROVED THAT HAVE MULTIFAMILY ON THE SITE.

THEY'VE DONE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT USES OVER THE YEARS AND SETTLED ON COPPER CREEK PHASE THE ORIGINAL PHASES.

IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, I THINK PROBABLY MORE SO THAN THEY ANTICIPATED, EVEN AND SO THEY ARE THEY'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING DONE WITH PHASE THREE AND FOUR, AND

[02:35:04]

SO THE PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY ZONED R, OUR RURAL RESIDENTIAL.

THE REQUEST IS TO REZONE IT TO RA SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.

AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE 2023 FUTURE LAND USE MAP, THIS PROPERTY IS NOW IS NOW DESIGNATED CONSISTENT WITH THE SURROUNDING PROPERTIES AS SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL.

THIS WAS ACTUALLY PREVIOUSLY NOT THIS DESIGNATION WAS CHANGED IN THE 2023 MASTER PLAN UPDATE.

THIS IS THE SURROUNDING ZONING.

AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S ALL RA.

SO ONE, THIS PROPOSAL WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH BOTH COPPER CREEK AND THE OTHER SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ALREADY EXISTING.

AND SO IT WOULD BE A CONSISTENT ZONING STILL, OBVIOUSLY A NUMBER OF HOOPS THAT THEY HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH BEFORE THEY GET TO ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION.

BUT FROM A ZONING PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE REQUEST.

PLANNING COMMISSION DID HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING, RECEIVED NO COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND DID RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF IT AFTER THAT PUBLIC HEARING.

AS IT WOULD FIT THE CHARACTER OF THE AREA, AND IT WOULD MEET THE MASTER PLAN'S GOALS FOR INCREASED WALKABILITY AND DIVERSITY OF HOUSING, BECAUSE WE HAVE ACTUALLY EXTENDED THE PATHWAY SYSTEM OUT TO THE THIS PROPERTY NOW.

SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MIGHT HAVE AT THIS TIME.

BOARD MEMBERS ANY QUESTIONS.

TREASURER DESCHAINE. JUST TO CONFIRM, THIS AREA IS INSIDE OUR URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY.

WATER AND SEWER ARE AVAILABLE, SO WE'RE NOT TOUCHING THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY OR MAKE THAT DECISION ABOUT.

IT WAS OUT AND IT WAS IN AND W AND THEN WE MADE THE DECISION YEARS AGO.

CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE THIS VIEW AND APPROXIMATELY DRAW THE LINE.

IS IT THAT WE'RE SEEING BEFORE.

SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS THE LINE OVER HERE.

THAT'S MERIDIAN ROAD AND IT'S I BELIEVE IT GOES JUST NORTH OF THE MUD LAKE DRAIN.

OKAY. KIND OF COMES DOWN WRAPS AROUND THIS BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE CUL DE SAC FOR THIS FLOOR AND IT DOES THIS WEIRD LITTLE JOG AROUND HERE.

I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY THE PROPERTY LINES LIKE THAT.

IT DOESN'T MAKE A TON OF SENSE TO US, BUT SO THIS LARGE PIECE AND THEN THAT HOUSE, THIS IS A CURRENT PHOTOGRAPH.

THIS IS RELATIVELY NEW, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE.

I MEAN, IT'S 2021 PROBABLY BECAUSE THAT IS THE FIRST THIS WAS THE MODEL FOR COPPER CREEK, AND THESE WERE THE FIRST COUPLE OF HOMES THAT WERE BUILT.

SO IS IT FARMLAND IN THIS USE HERE WE'RE SEEING IT LOOKS AT OR HAS IT ALREADY BEEN CLEARED IN ITS ANTICIPATION OF DEVELOPMENT? I THINK IT'S FORMER FARMLAND.

IT HAS NOT BEEN CLEARED IN ANTICIPATION OF DEVELOPMENT, IF THAT'S YOUR QUESTION.

TRUSTEE WILSON.

TIM, HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS WITHIN THE URBAN SERVICE BOUNDARY.

LET ME PULL IT UP REAL QUICK BECAUSE YOU'RE OUT ON MERIDIAN ROAD.

YEAH. IT'S LIKE, THIS WILL TAKE ME JUST A SECOND.

IT DOES JOG. OKAY.

BUT I'LL PULL IT UP JUST FOR EVERYONE.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

[INAUDIBLE] AT WHAT LEVEL OF ZOOM DO WE ALL NEED? SO IF IT'S GRAY, IT'S WITHIN.

SO THIS IS THE RED LINE.

THIS IS THE ONLY POINT WHERE IT GOES THIS FAR TO THE WEST IS FOR THIS PROPERTY AND THERE'S 68 ACRES OF WETLANDS ON HERE.

THERE'S A LOT OF WETLANDS ON THIS.

HOW COULD YOU AND SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO MITIGATE THAT? THEY'RE GOING TO DO THE 40 FOOT BUFFER.

OH YEAH THEY'LL WORK AROUND IT JUST LIKE SO THIS IN PHASE ONE THIS IS ALL WETLAND BACK HERE OKAY.

THEY DIDN'T TOUCH IT. THIS HOUSE GOT THIS IS THE CLOSEST ONE.

THERE'S ACTUALLY I THINK A SIGN RIGHT THERE.

BUT YEAH, THEY'RE ALL THEY'RE MITIGATING.

THEY'RE WORKING AROUND ALL THE WETLANDS.

I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE THE DRAIN.

COMMISSIONER'S NOT FUSSING ABOUT THE MUDLIKE DRAIN.

SO TYPICALLY THE DRAIN COMMISSIONER DOES NOT GET INVOLVED AT A REZONING.

THE TIME YOU HEARD THEM ON PARK LAKE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE.

THEY WILL GET INVOLVED ONCE WE HAVE AN ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL.

OKAY. GREAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

BOARD MEMBERS. ANYTHING ELSE? I'LL SAY THAT I SUPPORT THE REZONING IN THIS CASE.

CERTAINLY. WE HAVE A THIS IS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING.

ESPECIALLY THIS IS ESPECIALLY SOME ADDITIONAL HOUSING AND HASLETT, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

THE DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON HAS GONE OVER LIKE GANGBUSTERS.

YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT SOME FRIENDS WHO ARE LOOKING TO MOVE UP THERE AND BUILD UP THERE AS WELL AND CERTAINLY THIS IS A DESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND I'M SURE THAT BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND THE RESIDENTS WHO MOVE IN THERE WILL BE HAPPY TO HAVE THEM.

WHEN SOMETHING GETS DONE, ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT CONTEMPLATE A DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL, WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT WILL BE IN THIS CASE AND SO REZONING

[02:40:01]

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, ARE WE COMFORTABLE WITH BRINGING THIS BACK FOR APPROVAL AT OUR NEXT MEETING? SO THIS WILL BE AN INTRODUCTION AT OUR NEXT MEETING BECAUSE IT IS TECHNICALLY AN ORDINANCE CHANGE.

YES. YEAH. SPEAKING OF I DID WANT TO TALK ABOUT ONE SLIGHT DEVIATION FROM PREVIOUS PRACTICE THAT I'VE DISCUSSED WITH INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT TO KEEP OUR MEETINGS A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT, AND I AM VERIFYING THAT WITH THE ATTORNEY.

STILL. OKAY, WELL, SO THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE, AND WE'LL SAY IT IN A PUBLIC MEETING SO THAT IT'S KOSHER.

WE ARE EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY IN THE CASE THAT WE HAVE A THREE HOP PROCESS, DISCUSSION, INTRODUCTION AND FINAL ACTION.

TAKING THE MIDDLE STEP AND PUTTING IT ON CONSENT IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS RAISED BY THE BOARD DURING THE DISCUSSION.

THAT WAY WE DON'T TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THREE TIMES FULLY.

BUT STILL DO TAKE ACTION UNLESS THERE'S A SPECIFIC OBJECTION THAT THE BOARD HAS, IN WHICH CASE WE'LL BRING IT BACK.

FOR ACTION TO DISCUSS FOR INTRODUCTION.

ABSOLUTELY. SO BE AWARE THAT WE'RE EXPLORING THAT POSSIBLE CHANGE TO OUR AGENDAS TO KEEP OUR MEETINGS EFFICIENT AND TIMELY.

BUT THAT IS A DEVIATION FROM THIS, WHICH WE WILL SEE AGAIN NEXT TIME WE WILL BE BACK WITH THIS ON THE 8TH.

YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

ITEM 14 ON OUR AGENDA IS COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

[14. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC]

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO OFFER YOUR GREEN CARDS TO INTERIM MANAGER SCHMIDTT OR ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS AROUND THE BACK.

THEY WILL BRING THOSE UP TO US, AND WE WILL CALL YOU UP.

SAME RULES APPLY.

THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT.

PLEASE WAIT UNTIL WE CALL YOU AND ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD.

I WILL ASK AGAIN MORE OFFICIALLY, THIS TIME TO REFRAIN FROM ANY APPLAUSE OR OUTBURSTS FROM THE LISTENING AUDIENCE.

FIRST UP, WE HAVE ALLISON [INAUDIBLE], PLEASE.

ALLISON [INAUDIBLE], 3082 SUMMER GATE LANE AND I'M APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD TONIGHT AND MY POINT IS TO THE ACTUAL AGENDA HERE AND PERHAPS I'M NEW TO ALL THIS, SO I DON'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND THE WHAT'S ALLOWED AND WHAT'S NOT ALLOWED BUT I'M SPEAKING TO NUMBER FIVE.

THE CITIZENS ADDRESS THE AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS. I AS A CITIZEN, I APPRECIATE THIS TIME TO COME FORTH TO YOU WITH MY CONCERNS AND I'M HOPING THAT YOU RESERVE THIS PORTION OF YOUR MEETING TO HEAR FROM ACTUAL CITIZENS AND MAYBE IT'S MY ASSUMPTION THAT IT'S, ONLY ALLOWED FOR US, BUT PERHAPS IT'S NOT AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE HAD AN ATTORNEY SPEAK TONIGHT WHO WAS NOT A CITIZEN, AND SHE WAS REPRESENTING A PROPOSED BUSINESS TO OUR AREA AND SO WE CITIZENS REPRESENT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE TIME FOR US TO SPEAK TO YOU.

MAYBE IT WAS MORE APPROPRIATE THAT SHE CAME DOWN TO NUMBER 14 AND SPOKE TO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

BUT THAT'S MY LOOKING AT YOUR AGENDA.

I WOULD ASSUME THAT A CITIZEN WOULD BE ME, SOMEBODY WHO'S A PROPERTY OWNER HERE IN THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

SO I'M SPEAKING TO THAT, AND I'M ALSO SPEAKING ONCE AGAIN, I APPRECIATED THE LISTENING PORTIONS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED MARIJUANA YOU KNOW, DISPENSARY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.

I AM CONCERNED I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS FEAR MONGERING AT ALL, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT LOCATION WILL AFFECT MY PROPERTY VALUES.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CANNOT FORESEE.

IT'S SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE.

BUT DATA THAT I HAD LOOKED AT FROM REAL ESTATE AGENCIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES THAT HAD GATHERED THAT INFORMATION DID ESSENTIALLY ALLUDE TO PEOPLE BEING LESS LIKELY TO LOOK AT A PROPERTY WITHIN ONE MILE OF A DISPENSARY.

SO I AM FEARFUL THAT MY PROPERTY VALUES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS AND NOT ONLY YOU KNOW, AS A PROPERTY OWNER, BUT THERE IS THAT SOCIAL COMPONENT THAT I'M CONCERNED THAT THIS DISPENSARY WILL WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT PEOPLE IN THE AREA AND PROSPECTIVE BUYERS IN MY AREA, WHICH SOME OF MY INFORMATION DID KIND OF ALLUDE TOO.

SO I KNOW THAT MAYBE WE'RE AT THE VERY END OF THIS AND THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO BE DONE, BUT I'M GOING TO SPEAK BECAUSE YOU'VE GIVEN ME OPPORTUNITY TO AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT

[02:45:04]

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, BEN CASA AND THEN WE HAVE TINA.

THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME IF I AM.

MY WORDING IS NOT CORRECT.

JUST EXCUSE ME.

SO THIS PROCESS I HEAR BETWEEN YOU AND THE OFFICER, I MEAN, I SHOULD NOT FIND.

SO, OFFICER, IT'S ALL BEEN TO THE NINE POINTS, AND THAT WORD IS JUST A RETAIL.

SO YOU ARE LOOKING IT AS A RETAIL.

BUT I DON'T THINK IN THE CONVERSATION IT IS AS LIKE A MARIJUANA, RIGHT.

I OWN A BUSINESS PREVIOUSLY AND WHEN I WANT TO PUT A BUSINESS, I CHECK WHERE THE CROWD IS.

I DON'T LOOK IT AS A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OR NOT, AND I PUT MY BUSINESS RIGHT NEXT TO THE UNIVERSITY, MSU.

WHY? BECAUSE I GET STUDENTS, I GET A SO EVEN ANY BUSINESS DOES THAT.

SO WHY ARE YOU NOT CONSIDERING THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO ATTRACT SCHOOLS AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES? SO YOU ARE SAYING, I MEAN ALL THE CONVERSION.

I AM UNDERSTANDING THIS IS A RETAIL PROPERTY AND YOU ARE MARKING 100 YARDS EXAMPLE.

I'M JUST GIVING 100 YARDS AS A RETAIL PROPERTY, BUT 100.05 IS A SCHOOL.

WHY ARE YOU GUYS NOT CONSIDERING THAT IN YOUR APPROVALS? WE'RE JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE NINE POINTS, THE WHOLE PROCESS, MY UNDERSTANDING AS A DATA ENGINEER IS GETTING A WAY BY USING RETAIL BOARD AND SUCH.

NINE POINTS.

SO WHY SUCH A RISKY THING? WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE APPROVING NOT LOOKING THAT ABOVE NINE POINTS AND NOT CONSIDERING 100.1 YARD? SO I JUST REQUEST I DON'T KNOW WHAT STAGE THIS IS, BUT CONSIDER IT AS A HUMAN AND NOT AS A RETAIL VOTING.

WE CAN ALWAYS HAVE A VOTING SAYING RETAIL.

BUT ACTUALLY THAT RETAIL IS MARIJUANA.

SO WHY DID FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DIDN'T APPROVE THAT TO BE IN A GROCERY STORE? WHY ARE THEY SAYING IT'S SPECIAL? THE APPROVAL ITSELF IS SPECIAL.

RIGHT. SO IN THAT CASE WE CAN HAVE IT IN MAIER OR WE CAN HAVE IT IN ANOTHER GROCERY STORE.

THAT VOTING IS SPECIAL.

BUT WHAT IS THAT SPECIAL? IT'S MARIJUANA. PEOPLE ARE JUST GETTING APPROVAL BASED ON THE VOTING OF RETAIL AND NINE AND THEY ARE SAYING, I'M TYING YOUR EYES.

JUST LOOK AT THIS.

NINE SO CONSIDER ALL YOUR MEMBERS THINK WHAT WE ARE APPROVING.

I KNOW YOU ARE APPROVING.

IT'S BASED ON THE RULE BOOKS.

SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SAY.

JUST LOOK WHAT EXACTLY YOU ARE APPROVING.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

TINA.

HELLO. MY NAME IS TINA.

COULD YOU PLEASE START ME AT THREE? OH, YEAH. THANK YOU.

I LIVE AT 2087 BIRCH BLUFF ROAD.

IF THE MAP WAS UP THERE, I WAS JUST BARELY OFF OF IT.

I LIVE LESS THAN A HALF A MILE.

IF YOU WALK STRAIGHT TO THE JOLLY LOCATION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN OKEMOS LOCATION, LESS THAN HALF A MILE.

I CAME TO A MEETING HERE A FEW WEEKS AGO.

I WENT HOME AND I DID WHAT I OFTEN DO WHEN I'M UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING.

I TOOK A WALK WITH MY DOG AND IT WAS LIKE AT 11, 10:00 AND I FELT SAFE AND I WAS WALKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

I REALIZED THAT IF THAT MARIJUANA SHOP START OPENS UP, I WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

MY DAUGHTER IS A COLLEGE STUDENT.

SHE TOOK A WALK LAST NIGHT.

I FELT LIKE SHE WAS SAFE.

I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FEEL LIKE THAT IN THE FUTURE.

I LISTENED TO YOUR CRITERIA AND I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT PEOPLE'S HEALTH IS NOT A CONSIDERATION.

CHILDREN'S HEALTH IS NOT A CONSIDERATION.

CHILDREN THAT COULD BE BORN TO MOTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN ON DRUGS IS NOT A CONSIDERATION. THAT DOESN'T MATTER.

CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM PARENTS BECAUSE OF DRUG ABUSE IS NOT A CONSIDERATION.

[02:50:01]

YOU SAID IT WAS SOCIAL.

IT'S MORE THAN SOCIAL.

WE TALKED ABOUT SUICIDE ONE YEAR SINCE I MOVED HERE.

THERE WAS THREE TEENAGE KIDS THAT DIED OF SUICIDE WITHIN A YEAR.

I LOOKED AT THE PARENTS FACE AT THE FUNERALS.

IT BROKE MY HEART BECAUSE THOSE PARENTS DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO TRY TO SAVE THOSE KIDS.

BUT THAT'S SOCIAL.

THAT'S NOT YOUR CRITERIA.

IT SHOULD BE SAFETY.

GOOD SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS.

IT'S SO HARD FOR TEACHERS TO MEET ALL THE NEEDS OF THEIR STUDENTS.

SO HARD AND WHEN YOU ADD STUDENTS THAT HAVE MENTAL CHALLENGES AND LEARNING DISABILITIES BECAUSE THEIR MOTHERS WERE ON DRUGS, IT MAKES IT HARDER AND THOSE KIDS, IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT.

THEY SHOULD NOT.

THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN.

WE DO NOT WANT AN INCREASE.

HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE SCHOOLS? HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE PRINCIPALS ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE? HOW? TRYING TO REACH THOSE KIDS.

YOU SAID IT'S SOCIAL.

THEY ARE PUTTING THESE THIS DISPENSARY WHERE IT'S SPECIFICALLY IN THIS ONE SPOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO IMPACT THOSE SCHOOLS.

THEY WANT THOSE KIDS BUSINESS.

THERE IS DRUG PROBLEMS AT OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL AND WE'RE FEEDING IT.

IF YOU PUT THIS IN YOUR FEED IN IT.

THANK YOU. JOHN RYAN AND THEN DAVE PAWSAT.

FIRST, I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION.

IF YOU LIVE WITHIN ONE MILE FROM THAT STORE, RAISE YOUR HAND.

ANYBODY? ONE MILE.

IF YOU LIVE WITHIN TWO MILES, THAT RAISE YOUR HAND.

SO THE ONE PROPOSED TO OPEN THE DOOR LIVES OUTSIDE THAT AREA.

DOES HE CARE ABOUT OKEMOS? THAT'S THE ONE THING FOR EVERYBODY TO CONSIDER.

SECONDLY, HAVE YOU ANY OF YOU CONSIDER THE POSSIBLE NEGATIVE IMPACT TO THE HOUSE PRICE AND THE TOWNSHIP PROPERTY TAX REVENUE? HAVE YOU ANY OF YOU CONSIDERED THAT? I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER.

OKAY. BECAUSE FOR SURE THIS GOING TO LOWER THE HOUSE PRICE, MAKE OKEMOS A LESS FAVORABLE PLACE TO RAISE YOUR FAMILY, TO RAISE YOUR KIDS.

OKAY. SO I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER USING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS RATHER THAN JUST THE POLITICAL FILTER.

THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU, DAVID, AND THEN MARCOS DANTUS.

THANKS AGAIN.

I GUESS THE CURIOUS THING HERE IS WHAT'S THE RUSH? WE ALREADY KNOW THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.

ALL THE LATEST LITERATURE IS SHOWING THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.

WE'RE ALL TALKING FROM OUR HEART.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WANTS OUR KIDS SAFE.

WE'RE TALKING FROM OUR HEART HERE.

YOU SAW THE COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND TRUST ME, THERE'S THOUSANDS OF THEM AND THEY'LL ALL KNOW ABOUT THIS IF WE RUSH THIS.

WE ASKED TO SLOW IT DOWN AND PUT SOME TASK FORCE TOGETHER SO THAT WE COULD KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE.

WHAT IS THE RUSH? WHAT IS THE RUSH? SLOW IT DOWN.

LET'S PUT TASK FORCE TOGETHER LIKE WE PROPOSED.

THAT'S YOUR THIRD OPTION.

THAT'S YOUR OPTION.

SAYING YES TO THE COMMUNITY.

IF YOU DON'T SLOW THIS DOWN, YOU'RE SAYING NO TO THE COMMUNITY.

IT IS A LEGAL OPTION TO SLOW THIS DOWN.

THAT IS YOUR LEGAL OPTION.

WHAT'S THE RUSH? LET'S FIND WAYS TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.

BEFORE YOU MAKE A VERY BAD DECISION.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MARCUS SANTOS AND THAT IS THE LAST GREEN CARD I HAVE.

ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK? PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU GET A GREEN CARD AT THIS TIME.

YES. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ONE MORE TIME.

TODAY WE HEARD THE TWO THINGS THAT SEEM TO BE AT ODDS WITH.

WITH EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE ASSUMING.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE HEAR THAT, OH, THIS IS JUST RETAIL.

NOBODY'S GOING TO BE USING MARIJUANA THERE.

THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY TRAFFIC CONCERN.

HOWEVER, WE HEAR FROM THE BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE THAT CAME TO TELL US THAT DON'T WORRY, WE PUT HEPA FILTERS.

SO WHY WOULD YOU PUT HEPA FILTERS SO THAT THE SMOKE DOESN'T COME OUT?

[02:55:03]

BUT THE OWNER IS TELLING US, OF COURSE THERE'S GOING TO BE USE.

YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO LET OUR CUSTOMERS TEST THE, THE YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE SELLING THE DRUGS.

SO DON'T ASSUME THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE USED THERE BECAUSE THE OWNER JUST TOLD YOU THAT THERE WILL BE USED THERE.

THE SECOND THING IS WE HEARD FROM THE PLANNER.

RIGHT AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

YOU SAID IT'S 1000FT AND THEREFORE THEY CANNOT EXPAND BECAUSE THERE'S A CHURCH ACROSS THE BOARD.

OKAY, WELL, I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY BEHIND HIS BACK.

WELL, THE ORDINANCE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP ORDINANCE SAYS 500FT FROM A CHURCH.

OKAY. SO WE'RE NOT ASSUMING THEY CANNOT EXPAND.

GUESS WHAT? THEY WILL EXPAND BECAUSE THE ORDINANCE IS 500FT AND NOW THEY WILL TAKE THE WHOLE THING BECAUSE IT'S WITHIN THEIR PREROGATIVE.

THEY OWN THE CENTER.

WHY WOULDN'T THEY EXPAND? I ASSUME THEY WILL AND WE WILL ALL BE SAYING, OH, BUT DIDN'T THEY TELL US THAT 1000FT.

MAYBE SOMEONE DIDN'T READ THE ORDINANCE PROPERLY.

IT'S 1000FT FROM SCHOOLS, BUT 500FT FROM CHURCHES.

SO BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR ASSUMPTIONS.

YES, THERE IS NO TRAFFIC IMPACT.

YES. ON A STUDY DONE IN 2018.

OKAY AND ASSUMING MEDICAL MARIJUANA, AND AS WAS ELOQUENTLY SAID, MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS NO BUSINESS.

NOBODY WANTED TO OPEN THAT BECAUSE THERE'S NO BUSINESS.

SO THE IMPACT OF THAT TRAFFIC STUDY I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WOULD CONSIDER THAT VALID.

I WOULDN'T CONSIDER THAT VALID.

OKAY. IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO REALIZE THAT MEDICAL IS NOT THE SAME.

OKAY. THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BUSINESS.

THIS WILL ATTRACT A LOT OF PEOPLE.

I'M NOT SURE. EVEN IF THE PARKING THERE WILL BE ENOUGH.

OKAY, SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

PLEASE TAKE A CAREFUL LOOK AND DON'T MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS.

SO THE SUGGESTIONS OF TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND READING THE ORDINANCES DON'T TAKE WHAT THE PLANNER IS TELLING YOU.

THE PLANNER IS PROBABLY TIRED BY NOW WORKING FIVE YEARS ON THIS PROJECT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OUR LAST CALL. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE. PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED AT 9:01 P.M..

ITEM 15 ON OUR AGENDA IS OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.

ANY OTHER BOARD MATTERS BEFORE US THIS EVENING.

SEEING NONE. ITEM 16 IS FOR ADJOURNMENT.

DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. MOVED BY TREASURER DESCHAINE.

WE HAVE A SUPPORT, SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE MCCURTIS.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNMENT SAY AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AND THE BOARD STANDS ADJOURNED AT 9:01 P.M.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.