LAKEHURST – Regulations pertaining to marijuana businesses were discussed at a recent Borough Council meeting. Lakehurst is one of the few local towns that are allowing these kinds of businesses.
Mayor Harry Robbins will appoint a marijuana business license selection committee to administratively sort, review and consider each cannabis business.
The borough also introduced an ordinance setting the rules on how to license marijuana operations in the borough. The new license application fees include a first submittal of $10,000. This fee must be paid via certified bank check and concurrently applicants must also submit a business proposal.
If a business is not selected, $5,000 of the first submittal license application fee will be returned.
The renewal application fee will be set at $5,000, which is non-refundable and each marijuana-based business must submit a quarterly tax report to Borough Clerk Maryanne Capasso.
Clean Communities
The Borough Council appointed Amy Lowe as the Clean Communities Coordinator and as the Recycling Coordinator.
Lakehurst participates in New Jersey’s Clean Communities Program, which is a comprehensive, statewide litter-abatement program. In order to participate in the Clean Communities Program, the Borough must designate a Clean Communities Coordinator.
Lowe has completed the training program developed by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council and is certified as a Clean Communities Coordinator. She was appointed to ensure that all Clean Communities funding is spent in compliance and that all program requirements are met for the Borough.
In Lowe’s other role per the Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act, the Borough has established a recycling fund from which tonnage grants may be made to municipalities in order to encourage local source separation and recycling programs.
The Borough must adhere to a state Recycling Act to use any tonnage grants to develop new municipal recycling programs and to continue and expand programs and apply for tonnage grants, including, but not limited to, making and keeping accurate verifiable records of materials collected and claimed by the municipality.
Borough Business
In other news, the governing body introduced an ordinance authorizing various improvements and appropriating $38,000 to cover the cost of those improvements.
Also introduced was an ordinance authorizing repairs to a utility vehicle and related equipment and to appropriate $20,000 to cover the cost of that repair and equipment.
Borough officials also approved a municipal service fee for mobile home parks.
The governing body added an amendment to the introduced capital budget which involves a road project on Rose Street in the amount of $234,000 and a project on Orange Street in the amount of $35,000.
The amendment also covers the cost of a garbage truck in the amount of $400,000 and the second phase of a $2,500,000 water-sewer project.
The sum of $7,700 is being appropriated for the Downtown Beautification Project, $7,500 for HVAC equipment at the Borough Emergency Services Complex and $7,000 for the repairs to the borough pavilion.
Also appropriated was $4,500 for a copier in Borough Hall and an ice machine in the Borough Community Center in addition to $6,600 appropriated for computer.
All improvements authorized were not current expenses and are general improvements the municipality is allowed to make. The ordinances introduced are up for final passage at the Borough’s June 2 council meeting.
