FARMINGTON – The Board of Selectmen approved a warrant for a special town meeting Tuesday, with solar power, curb cuts and a retail marijuana moratorium among the issues to be discussed on Nov. 22.
The warrant includes six action items, beginning with a 180-day moratorium on applications, permits and licensing for retail marijuana establishments. That moratorium, which could be extended for additional 180-day periods if necessary, would allow the town to develop ordinances in relation to the presumed passage of Question 1 at Tuesday’s referendum.
Question 1 would create the “Marijuana Legalization Act” and legalize, at the state level, both a limited amount of marijuana for recreational use as well as the licensing and taxation of different kinds of marijuana retail establishments. It appears to have passed by approximately 4,000 votes statewide, although a recount is possible. The act includes language allowing local municipalities to either restrict or outright prohibit the operation of retail marijuana establishments or social clubs.
Town Manager Richard Davis said that he had been approached by some residents who had expressed concern about where such establishments might be located in town. Ordinances could either be modified or created to restrict where marijuana establishments or social clubs would be located.
If approved by voters on Nov. 22 and if necessary, the moratorium could be extended by the selectmen for additional, 180-day periods after the scheduling of a public hearing.
Attendees of the special town meeting will also vote on an ordinance that would regulate solar energy systems. Such units would classified as either residential, with up to 2,000 square feet in surface area with a capacity of 20 kilowatts; commercial, with up to 20,000 square feet in size and 250 kilowatts; and industrial projects that could be up to 800 acres in size. Constructing a solar project would require an application to the Code Enforcement Office, with larger commercial and industrial-sized installations requiring permit applications and planning board approval.
The ordinance requires that the larger installations meet safety standards, notify abutters and set panel arrays at least 75 feet back property boundaries. The system would have to meet sound limits, referring to the hum of the units’ inverters, not exceeding 50 decibels at the closest property lines for residential solar and 60 dB for the larger sites. Commercial and industrial site electrical and control equipment would need to be fenced off, with wiring and conductors installed underground, if possible.
Solar power systems would need to be removed if they did not produce any power for 12 consecutive months. While residential systems would simply need to be removed by the owner, larger installations would require the filing of a decommissioning plan which would include a “demonstration of financial assurance.”
Permit fees for solar systems would include $50 for residential systems and $500 for the larger, planning board-involved projects.
Article 4 would add a new performance standard to the town’s Site Review Ordinance, allowing the Planning Board to consider curb-cuts and background connectors when approving proposed business developments. The goal would be to limit the number of curb-cuts when possible, as fewer cuts are generally seen as being safer along heavily-traveled roads like Route 2 & 4.
Article 5 would issue a release deed to Bill Marceau in relation to property alongside the new parking lot on Church Street, while accepting a similar deed from Marceau. That exchange of release deeds would go toward confirming a common boundary between the town parking lot and Marceau’s property.
Article 6 would establish an ordinance allowing selectmen to stop in individually at the town office to sign disbursement warrants, allowing the town to meet payment obligations. Historically, selectmen in Farmington and many other towns have utilized that process, but the town recently discovered that by default the warrants should be signed at a meeting by the entire board. From a practical standpoint, board members noted, holding meetings specifically to sign the warrants would result in meetings being held every week.
The ordinance would allow selectmen to continue the practice of visiting the town office individually, reviewing and signing the warrants.
The special town meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 22 will be held at the Community Center at 127 Middle Street at 7 p.m.
Municipal moratoriums on legalization are just the death throes of scared, angry baby boomers throwing themselves in the way of progress. Don’t drag it out — clarify your ordinances, and get out of the way.
Jeez we have bars on main street but people are worried about where people could buy pot?
I’m not quite sure why so many people are so worries about the usage of pot. People need to read the history of alcohol. People hid in the woods making it , smuggling it everywhere….hmm mm sound familiar????? However? You can’t grow alcohol from the ground ! Pot is a natural plant and it’s never KILLED a person when it was CONSUMED as a drug in saying that it needs regulations just like alcohol and people need to use their common sense just like alcohol or there will be out comes just like alcohol. The ONLY reason people are fighting it because they’re uneducated about this ” drug” . Alcohol is a drug too folks so do your research . Bet your history books out or get your Google Apps. going! You read about people dieing from alcohol poisoning all the time .Have you ever heard of a person dieing from a pot overdose ? NO you have not ! Thanks and have a good day !
@Right Side of History, Baby Boomers were pretty much the first generation to smoke pot!
I myself smoked quite a bit of it in Vietnam.
We really should be passing laws to encourage the use of solar power. This is so backwards.
Marijuana became a “social concern” when white soldiers returning from Vietnam started smoking it. Why it became such a huge issue is a mystery. I suppose it has something to do with the government not being able to make a profit from something that can be grown almost anywhere by anyone.
Why would anyone need a permit to install a home solar panel? And have to pay $50 for it? The state is encouraging alternate systems, the town is discouraging it.
Is a permit required also to have a wood or pellet stove or furnace installed? or a generator for back up?
This report begins “The warrant includes six action items,” but after listing two items without identifying numbers (marijuana moratorium and solar energy ordinance) it then goes on to list Articles 4, 5, and 6. An Article 3 (or is it 1 or 2?) seems to be missing.
Article 1 is to elect the moderator.
“180-day moratorium on applications, permits and licensing for retail marijuana establishments”
Stop standing in the way of the people’s decision. Do not drag out this new found freedom that was VOTED in by the people of this state. Franklin County had a higher percentage in favor of Question 1.
When is Farmington having its first prohibition meeting for alcohol?
Drunk driving accidents has not prompted any special town meeting-
Hypocrisy pure and simple-
we are going to have to convert to other means of power soon enough. maybe marijuana will help us move forward with solar power. I agree/w Dave.
@ Right Side of History – Exactly. Well said.
The people have spoken. We want our marijuana. Get out of our way.
Marijuana prohibition is as stupid and wasteful as alcohol prohibition. Legalize it nationally as fast as possible. Regulate it like tobacco, control it, punish for DUI as you do for alcohol, and tax it. Fantastic for the economy.
I am not a fan of the moratorium. Let the people decide with their pocketbooks if they would like the business in town. I would take ten retail shops in place of the one grow facility on Front street.
Is it $500 for a small business to put solar on it’s building? If so that would be unreasonably expensive for the Farmington area.
Everyone on the pro cannabis side and pro solar power side of this argument should be at this town meeting.
We also need to be looking at commercial growing of hemp. Paper can be made from hemp, cloth can be made from hemp, ropes can be made from hemp. Hemp is a renewable product that can be grown in Maine and result in Main manufacturing jobs.
I hope the selectmen have read these comments. Very lopsided in favor of common sense!
@ Far North …. No Farmington probably didn’t have a “special meeting ” to approve the sale of alcohol but I’m pretty sure the CONGRESS did !
Considering that there are multiple grow rooms all over town and at least 1 caregiver has an office on Main street already, what the hell,is the point of any moratorium….
I thought Farmington was deemed business friendly by the State….we should act like it….
It’s unfortunate that the busy bodies involved in government are able to force the rest of us to take action to keep them from interfering in our lives or suffer the consequences. Always more fees, more prohibitions and more inane attempts to become relevant.
When such a small percentage of the people affected by these proclamations and votes are even aware of what is going on here I can only hope enough of the opposition will show up to stop them.
Maybe we should all go back and watch the film Reefer Madness. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug for a reason. I grew up in the 60’s and watched many friends lose themselves and spiral out of control from this drug. Please educate yourself on the subject before being so quick to want it in your town.
Maine should take a look at how Washington state has worked with the legalization of pot. Making a lot of revenue from the taxes. Also pot growing is regulated to minimize the use of pesticides and test for molds. Also the consumer knows the amount of THC in the produce that you’re buying. This has also brought down the price to less then $10 a gram depending on the amount of THC.
Solar power should be encouraged. I would like to know how the ordinance was created. The “75 foot setback” is unreasonable, as the installation needs to be done where it will be most effective.