PARIS — With several individuals regularly contacting town officials to inquire about opening a cannabis business, the Select Board on Monday sent the draft of its pending marijuana ordinance to their attorney for review.

The plan, said Town Manager Dawn Noyes, is to hold a public hearing on the ordinance sometime in July or August and send it to voters in November.

Board Chairman Christopher Summers, who is also the town’s Code Enforcement Officer, said there is a lot of interest in obtaining a license to operate a business to sell marijuana in town. He added that he gets calls regularly on the topic.

Residents voted down a proposed marijuana ordinance in October 2020, with some not wanting any cannabis business in town and others opposing the ordinance because they considered it too strict.

The original ordinance was criticized by some for not involving stakeholders. This time, a new group led by Kathy Richardson has reached out to marijuana growers and sellers in the area to get feedback and develop a new ordinance. Richardson told selectmen that one seller even told her that a proposed licensing fee was “too low.”

The fees will not be in the ordinance but will eventually be set by the Select Board.

In other business, the board reversed itself and agreed to give town employees a paid holiday for Juneteenth, being celebrated this year June 20. At its last meeting, the board opposed it, but agreed to table the measure for further consideration.

“I changed my mind because the federal government is shut down, the state is shutting down, the post office is shutting down,” Selectman Peter Kilgore said. “All of the federal buildings are closed so we might as well follow suit and make it a holiday from now on.”

Scott McElravy pointed out that several local towns are also shutting down for the day, which led to him changing his mind. The board unanimously approved the new holiday.

Tickle Belly Lane received a laugh, but the board did not support that name for a new private road located off Alyssa’s Way. The board selected Homestead Road from the three names submitted by the homeowner, who also suggested Goat Path Way. The private road required a street name since the homeowner is building an in-law home on his property

The board approved the Town Office closing at 12:30 p.m. June 30 to allow town officials to close out the books on the 2021-22 fiscal year. The board also approved having the Maine Department of Transportation improve and replace curb and sidewalk ramps along Main Street for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

McElravy publicly thanked town employees for their contributions for improving the town and the volunteers who serve on the various boards and committees.

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