Montcalm County Sheriff’s Deputy Dylan Tanis provides his monthly police report to the Edmore Village Council at Monday’s meeting. — DN Photo | Karen Bota
EDMORE — The Edmore Village Council has given final approval to a proposed ordinance aimed at reducing habitually vacant buildings in the business districts.
By a unanimous vote Monday night, council members approved Ordinance 2022-01, which requires owners of vacant buildings in the B1 General Business and B2 Highway Business districts to register their properties and pay an annual fee of $200 for the registration. The fee will double each subsequent year, not to exceed an amount of $600 per building for the registration.
A building would be exempted from registration requirements if it is actively listed with a Realtor for sale or lease.
The first-time fee for noncompliance is $125 for seven days, and the building owner would still be required to register. Subsequent offenses will be $200. An owner who refuses to comply will be issued more tickets.
The ordinance takes effect in 60 days.
Village Manager Justin Lakamper brought the proposed ordinance to Village Council members at their March meeting for discussion, where he told them that four or five buildings in the downtown area have been “habitually vacant,” with the owners showing “no signs or willingness” to use or sell the properties.
“They have become a strain on the development of downtown,” he said.
Council members also approved a resolution that set the fee for registration at $200. Lakamper told them he put this matter in the form of a resolution so that if, in the future, they want to change the fee amount, they can do so by passing another resolution rather than amending the ordinance.
Village Council members also approved the renewals of municipal provisioning center and marijuana retailer licenses, which were originally approved by council in April 2020.
The vote was 6-1, with Jerry Rasmussen voting “no.” He has gone on record as being against allowing recreational marijuana-related businesses in the village
Each license is valid for one year and requires renewal annually. Lakamper said nothing has changed with the business other than a new lease agreement for the building and a different manager as the contact person.
Agri-Med has operated New Standard Edmore for 22 months without issue, Lakamper said in his report. The village received $56,000 in excise tax revenue this year from this location.
In all, the village has received $112,000 in excise tax revenue from marijuana sales this year, according to Lakamper. The funds are unrestricted and go into the general fund.
Edmore Village Manager Justin Lakamper, right, speaks with Montcalm County Commissioner Phil Kohn after Monday’s Edmore Village Council meeting. — DN Photo | Karen Bota
“We had budgeted for receiving $50,000, so this is a significant increase to our general fund revenue this year,” he said.
Treasurer Shirley Drain acknowledged some individuals in Edmore are “not happy” about having marijuana growers and retailers in the village.
“Tell them it’s better than having their water rate raised to cover what we’re mandated to do by the state,” Drain told her fellow council members, referring to the requirement for municipalities to replace an average of 5% of their lead service lines every year for the next 20 years. “I think ignore what they don’t like and be happy with that.”
In Other Matters …
The Village Council also:
• Approved rezoning of the newly created parcel number 041-628-002-00, located at the dead-end of S. Sheldon Street from a larger parcel, which is currently a part of the Industrial zoning district and used as a farm under the village’s non-conforming use clause. to R-1 Single Family Low Density Residential District.
• Authorized spending up to $35,000 for the purchase of a used vac truck to replace the village’s current 1980 model. Funds will either be expended from the general fund out of the projected surplus of $100,000, or out of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from Montcalm County if approved.
• Confirmed President Gloria Burr’s appointment of Kristin Callow to the Downtown Development Authority board.
