'Nip this in the bud.' North Canton looks to ban marijuana dispensaries in city

NORTH CANTON – Council is moving toward banning the sale of marijuana and cannabis in the city.

Council members by voice vote approved placing legislation on its June 3 agenda that would prohibit the commercial "cultivation, processing and sale" of marijuana and cannabis whether for medical or recreational purposes within the city limits.

A memo from the city administration to council said city officials intend to prohibit the establishment of adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the city. The memo notes that state law prohibits such dispensaries from being located within 500 feet of schools, parks or churches. And such dispensaries can't be less than a mile from another cannabis dispensary.

The vote took place more than six months after the majority of Ohio and North Canton voters approved Issue 2, which legalized the recreational possession and use of marijuana but with limitations.

The proposed legislation would not prohibit North Canton residents from growing marijuana plants in their homes to provide marijuana for their own use. The city's public policy analyst Benjamin Young said Issue 2 prohibits cities from restricting such activity.

Mayor Stephan Wilder said North Canton has two CBD businesses that sell cannabidiol oil, an extract from cannabis, to help treat people's medical conditions. But he opposes allowing dispensaries into the city to sell cannabis or marijuana because the city is compact.

"I just feel that if there's (going to be) a dispensary, it can be outside our city limits," Wilder, the city's former police chief, said at a council meeting Monday. "If you look at the map, there's not too many places I think that would be acceptable for a dispensary. But just flat out, just from my experience and where I come from, from my law enforcement background, from the opportunity I had to be our area's first DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instructor. To try to educate our public, our young people about the pros and cons of drug use whether it's legal or illegal. I'm just not in favor of moving forward with this type of business in the city. ... I'd like to just try to nip this in the bud."

Wilder said no marijuana pun was intended.

Ward 1 council member Jamie McCleaster, at-large council member Christine Weyrick and council President Matthew Stroia indicated they agreed with the mayor.

"Is our community a place that wants to have marijuana dispensaries?" asked Stroia. "Does that fit into the (fabric) of our society? I don't believe it does."

$5-a-month sewage fee increase coming

Separately, council approved a $5-a-month fee increase on residential water and storm sewer customers that takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, to fund drainage and storm sewer improvements.

The city allowed a 1-mill storm sewer levy to expire, with the last collection of the levy being this summer. Young said if voters had approved a replacement levy, it would have raised more than $388,000 a year and cost the owner of a $177,000 home about $5.16 a month. The monthly fees, which do not require voter approval, are expected to raise $386,220 a year.

Council continues debate on dispatch center

Council also agreed to postpone until June 3 discussion on whether to end its own dispatch center and join a regional dispatch center. The administration is estimating joining a regional dispatch center would save about $350,000 a year if the city retains a couple of employees who would carry out responding to public record requests and handling non-emergency calls not done by the regional dispatch center.

The city's current dispatch staff since May 12 and until June 1 will be logging all of their duties and how long the duties take. That's expected to help the administration estimate how many full-time employees it would have to retain to perform non-emergency dispatch tasks.

The administration has presented a proposal that says if the city unwinds its dispatch center, the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center or RED Center would be the city's best option to join. The RED Center has the capacity to handle the city's emergency calls, and it's run by a board represented by all the communities the RED Center serves.

The Stark County sheriff's dispatch center does not have a governing board. The sheriff and his staff run it while the Stark County commissioners oversee it through authorizing funding.

City looks to rezone property in and adjoining the Hoover District

Council also agreed to advance to the June 3 agenda a proposal by the city administration to rezone 15 parcels in and adjoining the Hoover District on the southwest corner of Hower Street NE and Taft Avenue NE. Some of the parcels are now zoned industrial and others are residential. They would be rezoned to Main Street Center.

Young said the city wants to establish a transitional buffer zone between residential and industrial zones. It was once an entirely residential area, but the Hoover Co. and Hoover District over the decades acquired properties for industrial use.

The Main Street Center zoning allows multi-family duplexes and some commercial businesses. But it does not permit single-family homes or certain industrial uses, Young said.

Brian Foltz, who owns a duplex on Hower Street NE that he rents to tenants, appeared at the council meeting to express opposition to his parcel being rezoned. He did not give a reason.

Council member McCleaster said he was inclined to grant Foltz's request.

But Young said keeping the property residential west of Taft Avenue while rezoning the other parcels could create a spot zoning situation that the city is trying to avoid where certain uses are within more easily defined boundaries.

Stroia argued that the rezoning proposal shouldn't be changed at this stage without first understanding the implications of excluding Foltz's property from the rezoning.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton council moving to ban marijuana dispensaries