LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted on May 20 to create a nine-member committee to work on a new cannabis ordinance after concerns were shared at a hearing on May 7 for one proposed by the Planning Board.

That ordinance revised the town’s Medical Cannabis Ordinance to include standards for retail adult use cannabis. Among other things, it stated licenses were not transferable, a recreational cannabis business must be 500 feet from any other recreational cannabis business, can’t be in the same building as a medical cannabis business and limited hours of operation for any cannabis operation to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cannabis business owners noted those restrictions would not allow for business expansion, didn’t always follow state guidelines and were more limiting than for other businesses.

Any town committee must be established by the Select Board, which also develops a charge for the committee, and decides its make up, Town Manager Carrie Castonguay noted. She suggested the committee include two Planning Board members, two cannabis business owners, two anti-cannabis residents, and one member each from the Select Board, public safety and school district. The Select Board approved her recommendation.

“I would like to give a very quick, brief report on the hearing that we had,” Planning Board Chair Tom Barker said. “We were expecting something very different than what we got. The people that came were very professional, respectful. It was kind of humbling to have them do that.”

Select Board Chair William Kenniston was at the hearing, thought it was a very good meeting. He asked when deciding who would serve on the committee would start.

“I have received an email from one of the store owners,” Castonguay said. “We have three owners here, all have a vested interest.”

Fish Meadow was the one that circulated the petition to bring this to the forefront, owner Michael Shea said. “I really think Fish Meadow should be part of that committee,” he stated.

“That’s definitely going to be heavily considered,” Kenniston said.

“As one of only two owners that aren’t on Main Street, I would like to be on that committee,” Dana Cummings stated.

The Select Board will work on picking the committee members by the next meeting, Kenniston noted. There should not be a conflict of interest in having cannabis business owners serve on the committee as the proposed ordinance will need to go to voters for approval, he added when asked. “At the end of the day, it’s just educated people that understand the business to help actually make it so [the ordinance] will work for everybody.”

At the May 21 Planning Board meeting, Castonguay said she wanted to move forward with the cannabis ordinance. “I think that that one is important,” she stressed. “Just to honor Mike, being that we said we would do something, and we partially did. I personally feel like I owe it to the community to get a good ordinance.”