Wilton — The Wilton Select Board met Monday night, Nov. 2, and approved Nov. 17 as a public hearing date for three medical marijuana cultivators seeking licenses from the town.

The Board had discussed a public hearing date for the three growers at the last meeting, but never made a motion to move forward due to concerns regarding license limitations in the town’s ordinance. Instead, the Select Board deliberated amending the ordinance before granting more licenses.

In response, cultivator Robert Dapolito emailed the Board on Oct. 22, asking Selectpersons to reconsider setting a public hearing date. Dapolito said he and the other two cultivator applicants had followed protocol and felt as though they were being penalized by the town for its shortsightedness on license limitations.

The growers had appeared before the Planning Board and underwent a site plan review prior to applying with the Select Board for their Tier 1 medical marijuana licenses. A Tier 1 license is defined by the town’s ordinance in Article 10, Section E as “up to thirty (30) mature plants (and an unlimited number of immature plants and seedlings) or up to 500 SF [square feet] of plant canopy.” The licensing fee for Tier 1 is $250.

The Board also approved an adjustment to the transfer station’s Wednesday hours to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. so that people have more daylight hours to dispose of trash. The change in hours will begin on Nov. 18.

In other business, the Board approved Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry as the town’s legal which will replace the town’s current legal firm, Bernstein Shur. Selectpersons Tiffany Maiuri and Phil Hilton and Town Manager Rhonda Irish had formed a subcommittee to review three different legal firms, Bernstein Shur, Rudman and Winchell, and Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry.

Irish told the Board that Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry had excellent experience in advising on municipal matters.

Maiuri said out of the three reviewed firms, Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry had the best price for services, including a five hour free consultation, attending Select Board meetings, hosting workshops and offering a fixed hourly rate until 2023.

The hourly rate of Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry will be fixed at $205/hour until June 30, 2023. Bernstein Shur’s hourly rate was $275 and Rudman and Winchall’s was $195. The other two firms did not offer a fixed hourly rate.

Irish informed the Board that people might experience longer waits for voting at the town office which was to be open on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Irish also arranged for a squad truck from the fire department to keep its scene lights shining on the parking lot throughout the evening.

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