ROCHESTER — Olmsted County commissioners are planning a special meeting to
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With more than 14 state-licensed businesses anticipated to seek authorization to open within areas regulated by the county, commissioners have been working on ordinance revisions designed to guide the process for selecting registrants.
A May 6 public hearing on the proposed changes prompted some questions and potential tweaks, with the county potentially holding a lottery for each of three license types that allow retail sales directly to customers.
“Commissioners have listened to comments during the public hearing and have reviewed the ordinance language in more detail,” states a county staff report ahead of the planned May 15 public hearing, which will be held at 4:30 p.m. in board chambers of the city-county Government Center. ”This discussion will shape final revisions to the ordinance that will be presented to the County Board for approval on May 20, 2025.”
The state plans to issue an unlimited number of microbusiness licenses to qualified businesses as authorized recreational sales of cannabis begin in Minnesota. A microbusiness license allows the holder to grow, buy and sell cannabis. It also allows opening a single retail location.
A statewide cap has been set for mezzobusinesses, which can open up to three retail outlets, and cannabis retailer licenses, which don’t allow growing but provide the option to open up to five retail locations in the state.
The state is planning to hold a lottery
for mezzobusinesses and some cannabis retailers on June 5, with a second, broader retailer lottery in July, to determine who will receive mezzobusiness and cannabis retailer licenses.
While the Minnesota Office of Cannabis determines who can hold a license to sell cannabis, the planned Olmsted County lottery for each of the three license types will provide authorization to establish a business in most areas of the county, where they are allowed by zoning regulations. Local government entities overseeing registration are required to allow at least one retailer for every 12,500 residents in the jurisdiction.
The cities of Byron and Pine Island have opted to oversee registrations locally, meaning any businesses in those cities won’t count toward the limit set by county commissioners.
Once guidelines for the county lottery plans are established, a 30-day application period is expected to be announced before a drawing is held. During that time, Olmsted County Public Health Associate Director Sagar Chowdhury said, county staff will review applications to ensure they meet requirements and work with applicants to address any concerns.
While plans call for providing a 15-day window to address any application shortfalls, commissioners said they don’t want the process to delay the lotteries, which will be held during a regular board meeting.
