Title
a. Receive a report on the findings of the Cannabis Business Permit fee study; and
b. Consider adoption of a resolution amending Articles I.E (Heath Department), IX (Housing and Community Development), XVII (Office of the County Counsel), and XXI (County Administrative Office - Cannabis Program) of the Monterey County Master Fee Resolution to update fees for processing Cannabis Business Permits.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a report on the findings of the Cannabis Business Permit fee study; and
b. Consider adoption of a resolution amending Articles I.E (Heath Department), IX (Housing and Community Development), XVII (Office of the County Counsel), and XXI (County Administrative Office - Cannabis Program) of the Monterey County Master Fee Resolution to update fees for processing Cannabis Business Permits.
SUMMARY
In December 2020, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to approve and fund a Cannabis Business Permit ("CNB") study to establish a fee intended to reduce staff time required to process and issue CNBs. Monterey County ("County") retained MGT Consulting LLC ("MGT") to determine the cost of issuing CNBs for commercial cannabis operators including cultivators, distributors, processors, manufacturers and retailers. MGT has previously assisted the County on many cost of service analyses. MGT has also assisted many cities, counties and states on determining the costs of cannabis licensing and enforcement, as well as numerous other types of user fees.
The County currently has two deposits for the CNBs: $4,653 for an initial permit and $1,069 for a renewal permit. Findings from the fee study have supported the implementation of a standard fee for initial and renewal applications. These findings were reviewed by the Cannabis Committee in March 2021 and Program staff was directed to present findings to the Board of Supervisors for review and consideration to adopt a resolution amending various...
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