Aurora City Council puts halt on marijuana-related business

Concerned that state legislators will carry through with stated intentions to tweak Ohio’s recent vote legalizing recreational marijuana, council members on Nov. 20 unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on accepting filings — as well as considering, reviewing and approving new applications — for marijuana-related activities within city limits.

DePiero said city leaders want to wait to see what state officials do and to investigate how other communities are handling the November legalization vote.

In addition to scrutinizing the state and other communities, Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said the city had already hired a consultant to review Aurora’s entire zoning code for the first time in two decades. That process is expected to take until some point next year.

“We would like to consider the consultant’s recommendations, if any, regarding marijuana-related regulation and zoning,” she said.