Sherburne County officials were present at last Wednesday’s Santiago Township Board meeting, with discussion topics including cannabis and solid waste.

Assistant County Zoning Administrator Marc Schneider and hydrogeologist June Volkers were present at the meeting to discuss the state’s new cannabis legislation, as well as solid waste enforcement efforts.

Volkers reviewed the four landfills within the county and talked about regulation and inspection efforts, as well as source separated organics, septic system compliance and household hazardous waste.

Since 2018, the amount of solid waste going to the landfills has doubled, and mitigation efforts are a top priority for the county.

Schneider discussed the cannabis legislation and noted that the county has had to put a number of other priorities on hold to try and be prepared for January 1, 2025 when the current moratorium on associated businesses will expire.

One of the difficulties the county is facing is that the state isn’t even done with their own work before requiring the county to do theirs.

“We have to write our own ordinances, and at the same time the state is writing their rules,” Schneider commented.

Some of the topics the county is wrangling include the zoning (where the businesses can be located), the licensing (who can sell it and how), and the sheer number of possible nuisances that can occur with the industry (security, odor, etc.).  Other topics to consider include the huge energy requirements and water usage that can be linked to some of the businesses.

Schneider noted that state law requires 1 retail license for every 12,500 residents, meaning the county would have to allow nine retailers at a minimum (although cities can do their own licensing and that would count towards the statutory minimum).

In the end, the county is seeking input from the supervisors and residents as to the drafting of the ordinance.

In Other Action, the Board:

• Discussed road maintenance, including a tar patch on 41st Street and a culvert patch on 62nd Street;

• Discussed the asphalt project on 67th Street, which came in $6,287 under budget.  Striping on the roadway was discussed and the supervisors noted that none of their other roads are striped so Becker Township would have to pay to have it done on this shared roadway;

• Heard the sheriff’s report, including 90 calls for service, up 16 from the same period a year ago.