Stearns County Board of Commissioners Passes Ordinance Outlawing Marijuana Use in Public Spaces

(KNSI) — The Stearns County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance Tuesday outlawing the use of marijuana in public spaces.

Administrator Mike Williams says after much discussion, the county ordinance was updated to include banning smoking or vaping any substance in restaurants and bars, parking lots, sidewalks, or county land and parks. The final draft was also amended to better describe how to handle situations where a city or township passes its own law on the subject, with Williams explaining, “That’s one thing that we clarified from the last time that we talked about it, was that yeah, if a city or township adopts an ordinance, it actually supersedes our ordinance. So our ordinance would not be in play then for that city.”

Unlike the licensure question for retailers, this is not a moratorium. The Stearns County ordinance will not sunset once the Office of Cannabis Management is fully operational, which won’t open for at least another year. The state law allowing adult use recreational marijuana makes clear local governments can regulate use in public.

Also at the meeting, the board approved a capital improvement plan for 2024 through 2028.

The biggest project looming on the horizon is the new jail. Williams says there is yet to be a consensus on whether it will be a justice center with a courthouse included or where the building would be located. Those questions should be answered soon, he says. “I’m hoping that we’re in those decision modes even yet this year, and I’m hoping that we have the preliminary design in advance of having a referendum on whether or not the public wants to use sales tax to pay for it. So, our target date for all of this leads us into an election in 2024.”

Some projects in the CIP will see a solicitation for bids in the coming months, including replacing the HVAC system at the highway building in Waite Park and a new salt dome.

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