The Village of Garden City Board of Trustees is expected to set the date of Thursday, Nov. 4 for a public hearing to consider a proposed local law prohibiting the licensed sale of cannabis and/or on-site consumption sites within the boundaries of the Village of Garden City. If the village passes this law, the State of New York will prohibit the establishment of any retail dispensary and/or on-site consumption sites by refusing to grant any such license within the Village.
Cities, villages, and towns may opt out of allowing retail dispensaries and/or onsite consumption establishments from operating within their boundaries by adopting a local law subject to a permissive referendum on or before Dec. 31, 2021. No city, village, or town may opt out after Dec. 31, 2021. However, a local government that, in 2021, opts out of allowing retail dispensaries and/or onsite consumption establishments from locating within their boundaries may opt back in at any time. As this local law is subject to a permissive referendum, a valid petition signed by 20 percent of registered voters as of the last general village election may be filed in the village clerk’s office within 30 days of the passage of the local law. If no such petition is filed within 30 days, the local law goes into effect.
The mayor and board of trustees have been educating themselves on this decision facing municipalities across New York State since early April, hearing input from numerous residents. At the Oct. 7, 2021 board meeting, trustees John Delany and Mary Carter Flanagan shared information from a New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) presentation. A summary of that presentation, along with the draft local law, is available on the village website. Residents interested in this issue are encouraged to read the summary in order to understand the decision before the Village of Garden City. Residents are also encouraged to email the mayor and/or their trustee with comments and questions. Residents are also encouraged to attend the public discussion on Nov. 4, which will take place in the Village Hall Board Room and via Zoom beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Zoom link will be made available on the village website.
—Submitted by the Village of Garden City
