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Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for August 15, 2022 <br />Page 8 of 10 <br /> <br /> <br />when, where, and how to permit it. A moratorium could be effective for 12 months. He said the <br />City could do nothing, or the City could adopt a moratorium and ask staff to look into possible <br />regulatory steps to bring back to the Council for consideration. Snyder had provided Council a <br />copy of a moratorium other cities had adopted, but said the Council had to determine what was <br />right for Hugo. Snyder also noted that during the process, the merchants would get the <br />opportunity to provide input. <br /> <br />Weidt asked if the moratorium could be pulled at any time and if other cities in Washington County <br />had adopted one. Snyder answered “yes” to both questions. <br /> <br />Petryk asked about products being sold freely in the absence of City regulations and whether <br />there was testing of products or would the City have to monitor. Snyder replied that in absence <br />of a moratorium, merchants were free to sell. He explained that currently THC amounts are label <br />dependent, and there were no regulatory mechanisms for testing. One speculation was the state <br />would be formulating some testing verification tools, and he said it was not likely cities would <br />have to take on the obligation of testing products. Petryk asked if products needed to be kept <br />behind the counter, and Snyder replied that it had not been addressed. <br /> <br />Miron said he understood THC could not be sold at liquor stores. Snyder replied that it was <br />likely because of other regulations on alcohol vendors. He talked about regulating it through <br />zoning, and a moratorium would allow the City to set regulations. <br /> <br />Klein said he saw it as paralleling to the liquor license. He said there are concerns with how to <br />regulate it. Comments from sheriff department, attorney, and retailers would be needed, and it <br />would take time to evaluate. <br /> <br />Miron agreed and said to not have uniformity from community to community was a disservice. It <br />would be easy if there was a common set of guidelines, and hopefully the state will take a look at <br />it and provide some guidance. He said a pause would be prudent to see if the state comes up with <br />something or allow time for the communities to. <br /> <br />Strub agreed on the moratorium saying there were more questions than answers. <br /> <br />Weidt said he had never seen anything with less direction. Nothing is known about the product, <br />and the state needed to take their time when passing laws. <br /> <br />Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve ORDINANCE NO. 2022-515 PROHIBITING <br />THE SALE, TESTING, MANUFACTUR1NG, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THC <br />PRODUCTS. <br /> <br />Miron pointed out it could be lifted at any time, and the City could reach out to neighboring <br />communities for uniform standards. <br /> <br />All Ayes. <br /> <br />