After two years of discussion, it will be Sept. 1 before the city of Coldwater will take application for recreational marijuana licenses under two ordinances approved Monday night.

With two “no” votes by Second Ward Councilmen Chad Johnson and Jim Knaack, the ordinances passed 6-2 with Fourth Ward Councilman Randall Hazelbaker absent.

The first overturns a moratorium on such licenses. It also sets up a license program with a $5,000 annual fee. The other sets up special use permit zoning requirements that will limit where the businesses can be located.

The ordinances go into effect July 14, but staff wanted until Sept. 1 to start. City Manager Keith Baker said “we wanted time to set up the application process.”

“There is a desire to be first so we need to be completely ready so we don’t have a disorderly start to our process,” City Attorney Megan Angel said. “It’s important who gets it first on our counter.”

“We have not spent a lot of time preparing for this process,” Angel said.

Baker added “we just determined where they would be located.”

City Planner Dean Walrack said the applicant must first apply and prequalify with the state.

This comes as the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency begins to set up one on-line license procedure for both the medical and recreation licenses. The MRA has shut down the application process until June 26 to merge into an single on line portal.

In Coldwater, zoning by special use permit will concentrate retail around the U.S….