Title
a. Receive a report on proposed budget amendments to the Department of Cannabis Control Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Award.
b. Provide direction to staff as appropriate.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a report on proposed budget amendments to the Department of Cannabis Control Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Award.
b. Provide direction to staff as appropriate.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Cannabis Program (Program) informed the Board of Supervisors Cannabis Committee (Committee) and the Board of Supervisors (Board) of the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant (LJAG) opportunity on July 21, 2021 and October 12, 2021 respectively. Through the LJAG, the DCC intends to provide grant funding to local jurisdictions to assist local commercial cannabis operators with transitioning from provisional to annual state licensure. The Program submitted an LJAG application on November 10, 2021 and received notification on December 24, 2021 for an award amount of $1,737,025 to be expended from January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025. In January 2022, the Board adopted a resolution authorizing the County Administrative Officer to execute a grant agreement with the DCC.
In August 2022, staff presented proposed amendments to Chapters 20.69 and 21.69 of Monterey County Code (MCC), which pertain to the Outdoor Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Pilot Program (Pilot). Staff recommended to remove the requirement for proof of prior cultivation, as this would expand the pool of eligible applicants, however the Board did not agree to this recommendation. Instead, it directed staff to return to the Board with recommended amendments to the LJAG budget. Staff recommends the following amended LJAG budget as follows:
* Increase Accela Automation improvements to $100,000.
o Staff is completing the Cannabis Business Permit module and has discovered reporting requirements need improvement.
o Ord...
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